Exploring the South End of Greenville’s Downtown

At the corner of Beattie Place/College Street and Main Street in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, sits the Hyatt Regency Greenville. From here, Main Street runs approximately north/south. The span of Main Street between the Hyatt and Falls Park on the Reedy is well-known by now to many travelers. This section of Greenville’s downtown revitalization that began (roughly) in 1982, is packed with restaurants, shops and wide sidewalks for strolling.  There is no doubt that it is a must-see when visiting Greenville. However, the south end of Main Street has hidden treasures worth unearthing too.

Park & Stay in Greenville’s Downtown

For my recent visit, I parked in the Poinsett Garage between East McBee Avenue and West Court Street (about half a mile south of the Hyatt). This garage connects to the historic and very upscale Westin Poinsett. There are many other beautiful hotels in the area, but if you are able to splurge, a night or two at this property is a regal change of pace.

The Westin Poinsett dates to 1925 and the property is a member of Historic Hotels of America. You can read the history here. Each morning I ate breakfast in their restaurant, Spoonbread. A meal in Spoonbread is like a meal inside a time machine. As a historic preservationist at heart, I was completely distracted by the original tile floors with intricate designs that no one makes anymore. I studied the woodwork and decorative ceilings like museum artifacts and the paint color on the walls was so soothing it belonged in a spa.

There is a breakfast buffet each morning as well as a menu. I selected the extensive buffet that the first morning. In truth, it has everything a diner could want, but I am an experimenter. So, on the second morning, I ordered the quiche of the day and an addiction ensued. I had no desire, however, to recover from my addiction to a personal-sized quiche and fresh fruit every morning. The obligatory cantaloupe and pineapple were there, but so were strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Flaky crust and creamy cheese in every bite? Yes, please. The Westin Poinsett is also half a mile from the Peace Center, which is Greenville’s performing arts center. So, if live shows and concerts are your thing, this makes a great base of operations because there is no need to move your car.

Walking South on Main Street

Many people walk south down Main Street only as far as Falls Park on the Reedy. However, only a five-minute walk farther south, Main Street meets up (at a weird diagonal intersection) with Augusta Street. Another five-minutes of walking brings you to the true terminus of the revitalized downtown. Why come down here? Because here is where explorers find Gather GVL (Gather Greenville).

Gather GVL is a dining complex made from shipping containers. Think of a food truck park, but with permanent walk-up windows. The shipping containers are arranged in a square with a courtyard in the center. There is even a small stage at one end for live entertainment. During my visit, there were 13 restaurants listed on the directory and though the hours for each business aren’t identical, hungry visitors will always have a wide variety of choices for lunch or dinner. Members of our group ordered burgers, pizza and sushi.

My friend gave her sushi from Saki Saki Sushi a positive review. My personal-sized BBQ pizza from YOLO Pizza was overpriced at $14.25. The flavor was acceptable, but I didn’t love it like I loved my daily quiche. Personally, I prefer a crispier crust. The clear winner was my husband’s burger from Ko Burger. It was thick and juicy with super crispy French fries. He “oohed” and “aahed” a lot, so I could tell he was happy.

The after-dinner stroll back to the Westin was a nice way to digest and felt perfectly safe thanks to the number of people out. That’s one thing that I don’t feel like writers ever mention about downtown Greenville. Between 7:00am and 11:00pm, the streets are downright busy with locals and visitors strolling. Even at the far south end, where the crowds were thinner, we weren’t alone. This contributes to a sense of safety. . . that it’s okay to be out exploring.

Final Thoughts on the South End of Greenville’s Downtown

During a haircut in Greenville, upon learning that I write about travel, the stylist said to me, “Please stop writing about Greenville. Everyone is moving here and it’s going to get crowded. I liked it when we were a secret.”

Sorry, ma’am. No can do. Greenville is a model for other communities and people want to see how it’s done. But, as a writer, I can help reduce overtourism by encouraging travelers to see a larger area. When you’re in Greenville next, spread out. Stay farther south on Main Street and explore the other end of downtown, not just the neighborhood near the Hyatt. Eat dinner under the stars, remember how lucky you are to be exploring, and thank a local for opening up their city to you.

As if you needed Greenville to score any additional cool points, there is also this. . . It is only a one-hour drive from Asheville, NC and the Biltmore mansion.