Is this small city the ‘best kept secret’ in SC? Southern Living says yes. Here’s why
As Greenville has been soaring loudly onto the media landscape as one of America’s best places to live, tiny Travelers Rest, 10 miles to the north, has been quietly establishing itself similarly.
A new restaurant and another, a bookstore, a store for beekeeping, the list goes on as Travelers Rest has found itself garnering national attention.
This time, from Southern Living, which this week has offered 14 things to do there.
Travelers Rest got its name from the travelers seeking rest as they journeyed between North Carolina and Georgia along what was once a Native American footpath.
Not too long ago, it was a sleepy town in the Blue Ridge foothills. Then came the Swamp Rabbit Trail, built on the long abandoned bed of the Swamp Rabbit Railroad, connecting downtown Greenville with Travelers Rest, and its tens of thousands of walkers and bicyclists.
The city chipped in $12 million for improvements — Highway 25, its main street went from four lanes to two, updated sidewalks, trees and other landscaping, Trailblazer Park with its amphitheater and space for gatherings, a new fire house and City Hall.
Now, just about every downtown building has a tenant.
And the population rose 70% from 2010 to 2020 and was estimated at about 8,500 in 2022.
Southern Living suggests, of course, biking the Swamp Rabbit. Attending an event at Trailblazer Park, which has an event about every Saturday, movies to music, and Harvest Markets every Thursday in October.
Southern Living says check out the History Museum of Travelers Rest, which has an assortment of train memorabilia, pottery and other items relating to Travelers Rest in a former grocery store, as well as the Gothic arch stone Poinsett Bridge, considered the oldest in the state.
Beechwood Farms has farm animals and a roadside market and in August and September a stunning sunflower hill.
Tree House Cafe & Studio offers breakfast and lunch and the opportunity to paint birdhouses, canvases, and other items. You don’t have to paint; you can just come for the paninis.
MacGregor Orchards has peaches, apples, plums, nectarines, figs.
Places to eat: Tandem Creperie and Coffeehouse, Restaurant 17, Farmhouse Tacos, Swamp Rabbit Brewery And Taproom.
Places to stay: Hotel Domestique and The Station by Compo Hotels.
