A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I took a mini trip right down the road to Greer, SC! It’s only about 30 minutes from Greenville, and it’s SUCH an unexpected hidden gem! The downtown is adorable and there are tons of shops, restaurants, and boutiques to explore! It’s the perfect destination for a day or weekend trip – there is so much to do; I wish we’d had another day there! We had the absolute best time, so I wanted to put together a quick recap of our visit!

The James House Inn is a historic bed & breakfast located just a few blocks from downtown Greer, and I can’t recommend it enough! Every detail of this B&B is curated to make you comfortable, and help you to relax and unwind. They offer a happy hour for guests on the day of check-in, and we even had fresh flowers in our room! We stayed in the Queen Charlotte room and it was beautiful. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to experience their breakfast, but I’ve heard it’s incredible. We will definitely be back to try it one day!

Where we ate/drank:

Barista Alley for breakfast & coffee. This is a specialty coffee & crêperie where you can also get smoothies, pastries, & açaí bowls. We both enjoyed iced lattes, and I tried one of the avocado toasts. It was delicious! I definitely want to try a crêpe next time – they looked so good!

Cameroon Cigar Lounge for drinks, and a cigar for my husband! We loved the laid-back atmosphere, and they had a great cigar (and bar) selection! Really nice place to unwind and relax – it feels like lounging in your living room. We enjoyed it so much we went twice during our visit! I heard they make really good coffee too.

L’Incanto for dinner was incredible! Everyone we met recommended this restaurant, and I totally understand why. The service, atmosphere, and food were all amazing! We got the rosemary focaccia bread and raviolo di imola appetizers which were both delicious. I got the vitello kristi (a veal scallopini) for my entrée and I am still thinking about it weeks later. My husband got a pasta dish! We were so full but couldn’t resist getting the chocolate mousse dessert which, no surprise, was also delicious. Absolute incredible dinner and we will most definitely go back one day. The pictures don’t do it justice!

What we did:

Not going to lie, I was a little surprised with how much there was to do in Greer! We had a great time just walking downtown and exploring the area. Their downtown is so cute and you’ll find several shops and boutiques to stop in and look around. A few other things you should add to your list: We booked a photo shoot with Becka from The Handful and Hustle Photography Studio, and I am SO thankful that she was able to squeeze us in last minute. Becka specializes in family wall art and not only is her work beautiful, but she really takes the time to capture your story through photos and turn them into a meaningful piece of art to display in your home. She will even come to your home to design the piece custom to your style and decor! It is such a unique and special service – truly above and beyond anything I have ever heard of. My husband and I rarely have pictures taken together, and we had a blast getting dressed up and shooting with Becka!

We did a quick gallery tour at the Greer Center for the Arts before our shoot, and it was so cool to see work by local artists! You can browse and even purchase some of the work that is on display. They also offer art classes!

Tip: If you are coming from downtown Greer, there is a shuttle service that you can call and take you to/from the Center for the Arts (or anywhere in the downtown area.) It’s super easy, and so convenient! From there you can request a ride!

Highly recommend booking a cooking class at Plate 108 – we had a blast! They offer all kinds of classes, and we did a pasta-making class. I had never attempted making homemade pasta before, but our instructor made it so easy and fun! Even my husband got into it, and he’s never cooked before in his life. I really want to get a pasta maker now so we can try making it again at home. It was such a fun experience, we learned a lot too! PS come hungry because you’ll want to eat all of the delicious food that you make!!

We also did a lot of shopping, and WOW the shopping in Greer is so good!!! Maybe not good for my wallet haha. You’ll find so many shops just walking downtown.

Where we shopped:

Urban Petals Lifestyle Boutique: This shop has everything – home decor, gifts, house plants, and even a flower bar! I built my own bouquet (with some help because let’s be real, I had no idea what I was doing) and it was so much fun!! Most of the flowers are grown locally, they specialize in weddings!

Talloni A Shoe Salon: A must-stop in the heart of downtown for cute shoes, accessories & more! I loved the unique selection of items that you won’t find in other stores, and there’s a little bit of everything

Chelsea’s Clothing: This boutique is 100% my style – I could probably spend hours in there browsing. They had the cutest selection of dresses, tops, two-piece sets, shoes, accessories, & more! Lots of fun prints and colors, and they even had mimosas! Is there anything better than shopping and mimosas?

Smith and James: This men’s store has been in the same location since 1916!! They had a great selection of fine clothing, and my husband was in heaven with the Peter Millar selection – his favorite clothing brand!

Olives Branch Gallery: If you’re into antiques, you MUST visit this store! Filled with European imports, artwork, and all kinds of unique home decor. Each item has a story behind it which I think is so cool. Also loved their selection of tableware!

The Shoppes Off Trade: This artisan boutique features over 70 artisans and they have a TON of fun stuff: self-care, home items, products, accessories (including dog accessories!), gifts, snacks, etc. and did I mention the chocolate?! It’s made in small batches on-site and it is heavenly.

We squeezed as much as we could into our short trip to Greer, but there is so much more that we have on the list for next time. Luckily it’s right down the road! If you live in the upstate SC area, or even if you’re passing through, you must take some time to stop in and check out downtown Greer. If there are any other local businesses in Greer that you’d like to include, feel free to leave a comment below for me or anyone else reading! You can check out Greer Station’s Instagram and website for more information, and join their mailing list to stay up to date on events!