Greenville, South Carolina is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, just two hours away from Charlotte. For a relatively small city, it is home to a large number of universities and multinational companies, giving it a youthful, cosmopolitan vibe. The streets of its compact city center are lined with public art installations, welcoming cafes, microbreweries, and museums such as the Uptown History Museum and an interactive children’s museum.

Greenville’s backyard consists of a seemingly endless string of parks. You can explore many of them in one afternoon by hopping on a bike and heading down the 22-mile-long Rabbit Trail, which connects Greenville to the nearby city of Travelers Rest, passing through Cleveland Park and Falls Park. If you want to head further afield, visit Chimney Rock State Park, where you can climb nearly 500 steps up to the top of Chimney Rock, a giant monolith rising 225 feet above the surrounding landscape.

Thanks to the mild climate, which is cooler than much of the surrounding Carolinas, there is no bad time to secure a Greenville vacation rental. Summers do bring hot weather accompanied by humidity, particularly in June through August, but the season is a great time to take advantage of all the free outdoor activities that the city puts on, including outdoor yoga, movies in the parks, and concerts.

During the fall and spring, the weather is a bit cooler and drier, providing more ideal conditions for hiking in one of the many nearby state parks. The winters can get a little chilly from time to time, with a sprinkling of snow here and there. While this may put a damper on your outdoors activities, it certainly heightens the appeal of exploring the city’s restaurants and thriving craft beer scene.

Heritage Green

This lovely square is a one-stop shop for Greenville’s biggest museums. Here, you will find the Greenville County Museum of Art, which is home to a significant collection of works by a famous American watercolorist. The Uptown History Museum is here, too, where you can learn more about Greenville’s 300 years of history. Lastly, Heritage Green is home to the Children’s Museum of the Upstate, a hands-on museum full of fun things to do for kids under 12 years of age.

Falls Park

Located along the banks of the Reedy River in downtown Greenville, this popular park features a riverfront walkway, an array of small gardens, and the 345-foot-long Liberty Bridge. This cable bridge, which only pedestrians can cross, appears to float over the landscape, offering unobstructed views of the lush foliage and cascading river.

Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum

This interesting museum takes visitors back through the extraordinary life of the baseball legend, who holds one of the highest lifetime batting averages on record. The museum, housed in his old home, gives you a glimpse of how he rose from humble beginnings to become one of the best baseball players in history.