Autumn in downtown Greenville

We love visitors, because they let us show off all of our favorite spots in Greenville and give us an excuse to revisit places we might not otherwise make it to as often as we would like. Day two with Daina (day 1 here) started off with pancakes (paldies Daina!) after which we headed downtown to search for the Mice on Main. We had obviously not been to this end of N. Main in a little bit because we really had to search for the first mouse; the open book that explains this Greenville scavenger hunt (along with Marvin the mouse) has been moved again, along with the boulder it was mounted on after being removed from the fountain prior to the remodel of the area. It’s just across NOMA square, close to Roost restaurant…

A pause with Mr. Poinsett allowed us to share another neat tidbit about Greenville with our guest; this first US Minister to Mexico introduced the poinsettia plant (known for its red and green foliage) to the United States in 1825. Nearby, the artificial turf in front of the Courtyard Marriot had been removed in preparation for the opening of Ice on Main on November 29^th.

We cut through the Peace Center plaza to the TD Stage at the Peace Center, a relatively new part of Falls Park. I had never before seen the old grist mill with a tent inside, and my thoughts drifted back to a most romantic wedding dinner we attended there seven years ago (although sans tent). I prefer the structure as it was then, open to the elements with twinkling white lights strung about, but with the colder temperatures I can imagine the lure of having an enclosed structure.

Looping around we crossed Liberty Bridge before descending down to take a look at the enormous beech tree with exposed roots on Howe St. Although the top half of the tree had already lost its leaves, you would never know it looking from the bottom up. Strolling along the river and falls we admired the fall foliage and slowly made our way back to the splash pad across the river from the TD Stage. The shooting water jets had been turned off for the winter, but the fountains leading up to River Place were still flowing, with a vibrant yellow gingko tree standing in the center.

The afternoon was pleasantly passed doing some shopping in the West End, and before seeing off our guest the following day we managed to squeeze in a trip to the Greenville zoo and a stop at Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery. Having a visitor made it feel like the holiday season is starting early this year, and the festivities continued with Monday’s 18. novembris celebration…