Outfit Details: leopard cami // jeans // heels // similar heels // bag

This past weekend, my fiancé and I decided to do something a little different – a “staycation,” right here in Greenville! As much as I love Greenville and exploring downtown, I had never actually spent a full weekend there. Downtown is the heart of the city, and we had the best time spending a couple days being tourists right in our home town!

I receive messages weekly asking for recommendations on things to do, places to stay, and (especially) where to eat here in Greenville – it’s become such a travel destination over the last few years! I did publish a Greenville Travel Guide a few months ago, but I’m working on doing some updated and more in-depth guides for ya’ll in addition to that – so stay tuned!

For now, here’s a recap of our weekend staycation!

Where we stayed

We stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Greenville Downtown, which is brand new! The hotel is located on the West End of downtown, right across from the Fluor Field baseball stadium. We both give it a 10/10 – I was ready to move in!! The room was HUGE – we had a living room, a kitchen with full size fridge, dishwasher & sink, a bedroom with full size closet, etc.. it was basically an apartment. The room had tons of windows, and overlooked the baseball stadium/Main Street (I always like a view!) The gym and pool area both looked really nice, although we didn’t get a chance to use either of them while we were there. Overall, we absolutely loved staying there for the weekend and would absolutely recommend it for a weekend trip, or an extended stay here in Greenville.

Fun fact: I shoot a lot of my blog photos in the West End downtown, so I’ve been watching the hotel as it’s been built over the last year or so – it’s in the background of quite a few of my IG posts haha. See if you can spot them! (hint: here is one)

Outfit details: top // jeans // shoes

What we did

Friday: We checked into the Homewood Suites after the work day, so by the time we got settled into our room it was time for dinner. We walked to Smoke on the Water, which is a restaurant + bar specializing in Southern BBQ. The food was fantastic – we both got the pulled pork with a variety of sides. It was A LOT of food!! The only downside is that they don’t take reservations, so if you go on a weekend expect to wait at least 30 minutes. They do say you can “call ahead” to get your name on the list, which we did… but we still waited for about 45 minutes for a table. It was worth the wait though!

Saturday: We slept in and had the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, which I was really impressed with! They had all the basics – scrambled eggs, bacon, waffles, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, cereal, bagels, etc. After breakfast I got ready and I headed to a bridal shower for a friend! The shower was located at Sip Whiskey & Wine Bar, which is one of my favorite rooftop bars in downtown Greenville. It was raining, but they had the area closed in (and heaters going) so it was absolutely perfect! They even played the Clemson game for us on the TV’s haha. It really was a great location for a shower – definitely take note if you’re planning a shower or another event soon!

Outfit Details: dress // heels

After the shower I went back to the hotel and relaxed for a little bit before getting ready for dinner. We decided on Thai, so I made a last minute reservation at Basil, which is one of the newer restaurants downtown. We could have walked there, but it was DOWN POURING so we opted to take an Uber. It was my first time eating at Basil, and the food was was amazing!! I didn’t get a good picture, but we both got curry (green curry is my favorite.) So good.  Pro tip: ask for extra Thai chili to make it spicy! After dinner we decided to check out Vault and Vator, which is Greenville’s speak easy bar. It was our first time there and the drinks were great, but we were a little disappointed with the atmosphere. There are “house rules” such as no cell phones, appropriate attire, be respectful of others, etc… exactly what you’d expect at a speak easy, right? We would have loved a quiet, more intimate setting however it was extremely loud and people were rather obnoxious. It felt more like a sports bar (without TV’s) than a speak easy. Maybe it was just an off night, but either way.. that was our experience.

Sunday: We slept in a bit, and I was sooo happy to wake up to the most beautiful sunny day! We took our time packing up, grabbed some breakfast downstairs and checked out of the hotel around 11am. I couldn’t leave downtown without visiting Falls Park, so we spent the rest of the morning just walking around! It’s one of my favorite things to do in downtown Greenville. If you’ve never been – we have a beautiful park with a huge waterfall and bridge right off Main Street. There are pathways and swinging benches all along the way, so it’s perfect for just strolling and relaxing! We started to get hungry, so we grabbed a quick brunch at Caviar and Bananas before heading back home. Caviar and Bananas is one of my favorite spots for a quick breakfast/brunch, and they have really good coffee too. I always get the avocado toast (add an egg on top) and it’s delicious every time!

Overall it was the best weekend, and I already want to plan another staycation here! There is just so much to see and do in Greenville, it never gets old. If you’re local or have visited Greenville, I’d love to hear some of your favorite things to do! Leave a comment below 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!