My boo has a January birthday and so often after the chaos of the holidays we are in the mindset for a low key and relaxed celebration. Though we did pull off the surprise Grove Park Inn for his 40th. This year, though, one of our goals is more time focused on marriage, so his birthday felt like the right time to kick that off, even for just a quick overnight getaway! My mom came up on Thursday night and Friday morning we were heading south to Greenville, SC.
Honestly the car ride itself felt like a date. Greenville is only about 2.5 hours away and we chatted it up the whole time catching up, planning, dreaming. We arrived at lunchtime to check out The Cook’s Station, quite possibly the cutest kitchen-focused store I’ve ever been in. They have a little cafe with excellent food, a huge kitchen and gift area, olive oils and vinegars to sample, a giant room for cooking classes, and an appliance showroom as well. We ate lunch and wandered, both oogling a fancy schmancy Miele three bean coffee maker by the end of our time.
From there we headed to The Grand Bohemian to check in for the night. I stayed there on a girls weekend two years ago and loved its location, right next to the Reedy River, right downtown.
We checked in just as the skies began to open up. The river was raging and it created a very cozy atmosphere inside the hotel. We wandered a bit, checking out the fitness room, the little library, and all the nooks and crannies before heading down to their onsite bar, Spirit & Bower. We cheersed with a martini and a bourbon, chatting it up until we realized it was almost time for our dinner reservation.
Luckily the rain was light and we were able to walk the .4 miles across the bridge to our dinner spot, Jianna. Jianna has a casual, upscale vibe and I loved the added touch of printing Happy Birthday David on the menu. Our server was fantastic and steered us toward a delicious bottle of chianti, something we probably wouldn’t have chosen on our own.
We ordered grilled octopus, ciabatta, burrata over greens, oysters, and a sausage pasta. All their pasta is made in house and it was delicious. We enjoyed dinner so much! Afterwards we stopped by The Press Room, a cute, themed speakeasy at the top of an elevator, but as soon as we sat down we both realized we didn’t want another drink and would prefer to go hang out in the hotel room together, so that’s just what we did.
The next morning we got in a quick workout in the fitness room overlooking the river before packing up our things and heading out. One of my best friends since our college days, Christen, lives in Greenville so we met up with her and her husband at The Village Grind coffee shop. Like everything in Greenville, I could describe it as so cute. It had a cozy, boho feel and we enjoyed lattes and chatting after grabbing breakfast sandwiches from the neighboring Rise Bakery.
After bidding Brad and Christen farewell, we made one last stop for a quick little hike, but being so muddy after the rain, it wasn’t a long one. Then we headed back to North Carolina in time to catch both Hailey and Kaitlyn’s afternoon basketball games.
It was a quick getaway and I’m so grateful for my mom for coming in and managing all the activities (of course picture day and a taekwondo tournament had popped up, too!). Both David and I agreed it was wonderful to get away together, even if only for a quick 24 hours.
Have you ever been to Greenville? If so, what’s your favorite spot? And if not, I highly recommend a visit to this adorable little town!