One of the benefits of our full-time RV lifestyle is the opportunity to visit friends around the country.
Tim and I recently spent four days in Greenville, South Carolina, visiting Tim's college roommate, Brent and his wife Lori. You'd think that in that time I'd take a decent photo of them, but all I have is this snapshot of the backs of Tim and Brent taken at Furman University where Brent is a professor. At least this photo shows a little of Furman's campus, a lovely green space made even more beautiful by the azaleas and pansies in bloom.
We fell in love with their city which is situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and especially two of its public parks.
Richard Pearis, a wealthy settler from Virginia, arrived in the area around 1754 to trade with the Cherokee Indians.
Over time the E in his surmane was dropped and now that name graces many entities in the city including nearby Paris Mountain State Park, a vantage point overlooking the city with a lake for canoeists/kayakers, picnic pavilions and numerous hiking/mountain biking trails.
Pearis built a grist and saw mill on the waterfalls of the Reedy River that later attracted textile mills. At one time, 18 textile mills were operating within three mills of downtown Greenville, earning the city the sobriquet, The Textile Capitol of the World.
Today the jewel of Greenville's downtown is Falls Park on the Reedy, a 32-acre park and garden built around the waterfalls.
If you want an unobstructed view of the falls, climb up to the Liberty Bridge, a 355-foot suspension bridge that is supported by cables on only one side.
There's also the 20-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail which runs through the park.
The day we were there dozens of schoolchildren were picnicking on the greens, presumably after a visit to an event at the Peace Center, a performing arts venue adjacent to the park.
Once a textile mill town, Greenville, South Carolina has moved into the 21st century as a economic powerhouse.
Major corporations such as Michelin, General Electric and BMW have a presence there bringing more jobs for its growing population. In fact, U. S. News has ranked Greenville 31st on its List of Best Places to Live and 13th on its List of Best Places to Retire.
Tim and I have added it to our own list of possible places to live after our life on the road ends. We'd love to see the beauty of these spaces as the seasons change.
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