I didn’t know much about Greenville, SC other than things I had recently heard from a few friends. Everyone said it was beautiful and the perfect place to travel with your family. I was intrigued and wanted to know why Greenville was on the map as a desirable destination for a getaway.
I’ve been following Getaway House for quite some time so when I saw they had a new location open in Greenville, SC, we knew immediately it was a top contender as a destination for this year’s annual trip with our dear friends.
I suggested the idea of Greenville and staying in a cabin to them and they said, “Yes, let’s do it!”
Spoiler alert, it was worth the trip!
Getaway House’s concept is based on the idea of encouraging you to get out in nature to rest, disconnect from the everyday while also being close to cities where you can explore all they have to offer. Yes please! Getaway House has two cabin types, a single queen or a bunk cabin with a second queen bed that is lofted. They provided me with a referral link that will get you $25 off in addition to any specials they are running, book here.
Our youngest is 3 and doesn’t require much space at all so I knew the bunk option would accommodate our family. I could tell from images online that there was a good amount of space next to the lower queen bed and would likely fit a toddler cot and our dog. I was correct and they both fit in that space perfectly.
Weekend Itinerary:
Thursday – Travel day and meet our friends in Downtown Greenville. The cabins were another 45 minutes south so we wanted to stop in and explore downtown, find somewhere to eat dinner, and burn that travel energy. Greenville is both family and pet friendly so please, don’t hesitate on bringing your dog along with you on.
The downtown is beautiful. The leaves were beginning to change and beautiful landscaping with open green spaces were speckled throughout the downtown area and around Falls Park on the Reedy.
While waiting for our friends to join us, Adam and I were in need of an afternoon pick-me-up and found this local gem, Spill the Beans, which is also a known gem for their creamery as well.
When our friends arrived, they too got coffee then both of our families set out to walk downtown, walked across the Liberty Bridge and then settled on dinner.
After dinner, we set off for our cabins at Getaway House. We stopped in by the grocery for a few items that were needed for breakfasts and dinner the following evening.
Thursday Night – Get settled and relax by the fire for s’mores.
Friday – Stay close by to our accommodations and hike Yellow Branch Falls Trail
The trail was less than 30 minutes away. We drove through a couple of cute towns, one of which we all agreed we’d come back and explore after hiking, Walhalla.
Our hike was beautiful with a few creek crossings, a range of forest trails and some climbing that lead to the serene falls. We didn’t see a single person on the way to the falls so it was so peaceful.
We ended up splitting up along the hike from our friends but they ventured on to Stumphouse Tunnel which they said was really cool to see. We all met back downtown at Trailhead restaurant. We loved their outdoor seating area for the kids and dogs to run around. The food was delicious and offered plenty of options for everyone.
After lunch we snagged coffee after lunch from a local shop then headed back to our cabins to prep Turkey Chili in the crockpot.
The cabins have everything you’d need for cooking on a 2 burner stove or on the fire grill grate. Knowing this, Ashley and I planned out dinner and I brought our crockpot from home. She prepped cornbread muffins in advance for the kids and brought them from home.
Our chili dinner by the fire was perfect and followed by more s’more making for the kids.
The adults enjoyed bubbles, wine and a fall cocktail.
The men and a few of the kids ventured to a local brewery about 10 minutes from the cabins. The said it great and brought back an app of peppery pimento cheese. When the chili was still simmering, everyone was able to snack on the app, and fresh chips and salsa.
Our cabins were next to each other which made it easy for us to continue hanging out when the littles went to bed. The monitors reached with no problem.
Saturday – Checkout wasn’t until 11 so we had a leisure morning making breakfasts and packing up our belongings before heading back into Greenville for more exploring, lunch, then hiking at Paris Mountain State Park.
(The men actually had to make a run to the auto parts store as something was needed for our truck but that’s another story for another time.)
First the kids hung out on the rocky area of the Reedy while the adults enjoyed coffees from Spill the Beans, again. We walked around a bit then the group ventured on the Gather GVL, ranked the 6th best food hall in America in 2023 according to the USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards. It was busy but such a fun spot for the families. Their website indicated pets aren’t allowed on weekends but they later told us they are allowed daily so just look into that before going if you have your dog with you.
Because we thought dogs weren’t allowed, I stationed up at the coffee shop for wifi and downloaded a couple movies for the ride home then ventured around downtown with the dog and our youngest. There was a crew breaking down the last of the setup for the downtown market which seemed to draw a big crowd on such a beautiful day.
Our two families went our separate ways after lunch. We ventured on to Paris Mountain State Park to burn off energy in prep for the 4 hour drive home while our friends stayed in Greenville for a while, explored and shopped.
Paris Mountain State Park was beautiful from the moment we drove in the park entrance. We were greeted with views of the first lake. Not really realizing how large the park was, we found parking at one of the earlier lots and set off to find trails.
I’m glad we didn’t venture further into the park because the 2 trails we hiked allowed us to stumble upon a Music in the Woods concert. The amphitheater was on the Mountain Creek Trail. As we got closer to the amphitheater, we were greeted by beautiful Greenville Symphony Ensemble. As you can see from the photo below, many were there to watch the show. I would have loved to sit and enjoy for longer but we had to head on and finish our hike.
The boys requested a trail with a creek so they could once again, hunt for crawdads. We hiked the Mountain Creek and a good portion of the Sulfur Springs Trail before turning back. In total, we hiked just over 4 miles. The trails were easy for all of us. We’ve hiked much more challenging trails with the kids but they did great.
Our youngest fell asleep in the hiking backpack before we made it back to the truck. He slept for hours before waking up around dinner time on our drive home.
As we were driving home, I told Adam that I see the draw to Greenville, SC and understand the draw of all that the city has to offer. You have the perfect mix of city nestled in so much green space, outdoor activities, and it’s close to so many other popular destinations. For example, Asheville, NC is only a little over an hour away and Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA are both around 2 hours away.
I’d say the general consensus on our time in Greenville was that we enjoyed the city and surrounding areas and would, without question, go back again.
Our time and adventures with the Boles Family continue and we look forward to making forever memories on future destinations.
Be sure to look into Getaway House and all of their current locations available in the US. Use my referral link for $25 savings . One other location I’ve looking into is in Asheboro and just minutes away from the NC Zoo and close to Raleigh and Charlotte areas, 45 minute drive to NC Wine Country.
See this post (coming soon) on our October day trip to the zoo and apple orchard during our two older son’s Fall Track Out from school.
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