From Picturesque Parks to Delectable Dining to an Exciting Factory Tour
Seeking a short respite on our return trip after the Thanksgiving Holiday from Charlotte, North Carolina to Oldsmar, Florida, we quickly select Greenville, South Carolina. We visited a couple of years ago and look forward to again exploring more of gracious Greenville. Our downtown hotel makes it easy to stroll the wide tree-lined streets, stop in the one-of-a-king shops and boutiques, dine in its varied eateries, and enjoy the scenic Reedy River. Plus on this visit we schedule the BMW Factory Tour.
Greenville is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Its thriving downtown welcomes visitors with wide tree lined avenues and streets offering a variety of shops, restaurants, art galleries and the beauty of the Reedy River Falls. On each visit to Greenville, we are impressed with the welcoming town, its restoration and growth along with its warm charm and Southern Traditions. On this visit we opt to stay at Hyatt Place, located just short walk from the Main Street vibe and scenic Reedy River. The location is excellent for easily exploring this dynamic city recognized as one of America’s “Best Downtowns.” Since our last visit, Camperdown Plaza has been opened with shops, dining, hotels and condos. Additionally, the magnificent Grand Bohemian has opened perched across from Reedy River Falls Park.
Picturesque Reedy River Falls Park
A major attraction in downtown Greenville is the Reedy River that flows through town. The main area of downtown with its shops, hotels, and restaurants is on the east side of the Reedy while the West End also offers numerous hotels, dining and shops along with beautiful Reedy River Falls Park. Additionally, Liberty Bridge, a 345 foot long bridge that appears to be “suspended in air” connects the east and west side of Greenville. On our visit Reedy Park is busy with visitors enjoying the many Christmas decorations in the Park and in town.
It’s an icy wonderland in downtown Greenville with an outdoor ice skating rink. Here we watch children and adults delight in ice skating or attempting to ice skate. Wow! A unique aid in ice skating is the plastic SKATE HELPER for kids and adults learning to skate. Some glide easily along the ice while others struggle even with the SKATE HELPER. Fun just watching the ice skaters.
Delectable Dining Awaits in Greenville
Having checked out TripAdvisor, we select some special eateries for this visit. Umm, we do find challenges on a Sunday and Monday visit as many restaurants are not open on these days. This is the same problem we see as we visit numerous cities and states. So we carefully check to be sure a restaurant is open. Thankfully, we still find some great eateries. It’s a special dinner on Tuesday night at Rick Erwin’s West End Grille. We have a wonderful dinner with excellent service in an upscale setting. The oysters on the half shell are succulent. I select the 3-course special of the tasty She Crab Soup, the crab cake with lots of crab, and a tangy Key Lime Pie. Richard is thrilled with the savory Linguine Langosta. Rick Erwin personally stops by each table to assure guests are enjoying their meals.
Each eatery offers its own unique cuisine and decor. At Tupelo Honey its tantalizing lunches of their Fried Chicken that is brined for over 18 hours and sprinkled with “Bee Dust” and a tender Roast Beef Debris with a New Orleans twist. A quick lunch at Nose Dive with its modern vibe delights us with their Cuban Sandwich and Crispy Fries. In addition to their great beer selection, Yee Haw Brewing’s Prince Chicken Special, of a tasty pulled chicken sandwich, is delicious. Their chicken wings have lots of meat. We both enjoy the unique Fried Mac ‘n Cheese bits. With great reviews on TripAdvisor, we pop in for lunch Kitchen Sync. The Caesar Salad with Catfish Nuggets is a still a hearty dish, as is the Shrimp Sandwich. Evenings we stroll through town and the West End stopping for after dinner drinks. Larkin’s is a well-known restaurant in Greenville. Its new location in Camperdown Plaza is very modern. On an evening walk across the Liberty Bridge from West End, we are quickly seated at the bar in the new Grand Bohemian Hotel for drinks at Between the Trees. The ambiance and setting of this restaurant is impressive. Afterwards we stroll the hotel admiring its unique woodsy décor, huge fireplace and views of the Reedy River.
Take a Tour at the BMW Factory
We pre-schedule online for our BMW Factory Tour. Carefully following the guidelines for the tour, we arrive 30 minutes early, have printed and signed the required paperwork, and are wearing closed in shoes. Before the tour we walk through the BMW Zentrum facility. Here we learn the history of BMW and view the variety of automobiles BMW has produced in the past, as well as, its latest models. Now to learn about BMW and see how this amazing car is made. Matteo, our guide, explains that BMW started in the aircraft engine business in the 1916. It wasn’t until 1922 that it began to manufacture cars. The BMW names stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) or Bavarian Motor Works. Each car has the blue and white BMW roundel, a round emblem on the hood. What do the blue and white colors on the logo represent. It represents the blue and white from the flag.
Our tour takes us to two different sections of the BMW Plant. No pictures are allowed on the factory tours.
Impressive facts about the BMW Plant Spartanburg:
Grew from 700 in 1994 to 11,000 employees today. It is a major Upstate employer of South Carolina.
Workers work a 10 hour shift. There are two 10 hour shifts per day with 4 hours in between to address any operational issues.
The entire plant is 7 million square feet.
Produces 1,500 cars every day.
70% of cars produced are exported to 125 different countries.
It is the global producer of BMW X3, X4, X5 and X6 Sports Activity Vehicles and Coupes.
The tour is fascinating and amazing. We gain an appreciation of the quality, the craftsmanship, the robotics, and all it takes to make the Ultimate Driving Machine. On our first portion of the tour, we see the robotics welding parts and pieces to the body of the car. It is loud and noisy in the factory while sparks fly from all the welding being done. Intriguing to see how everything is so precise. Practicing “Justin in Time,” items are constantly loaded to be welded to the parts of the car. Every car produced at the factory is already sold. Each care being made is being built to the exact specifications of that owner. That means every car coming down the assembly line is completely different. This requires detailed logistics to assure each car has all the specified paint color, features and amenities.
Our next facility allows us to see the final assembly of the car. Each car is unique in color and amenities. After going through the painting process, the cars arrive by conveyor for final assembly. The doors are removed to allow for the ability to do all the interior work on the car. Welding is done in numerous areas of the car. Headliners are carefully place each car, batteries and engines installed, every little detail of finishing a car takes place in this part of the factory. After going through each step of actually putting all the pieces of the car together, the doors are added back to the car. Amazing! Each car is precisely paired up with it original doors. The finale is watching employees testing the car at various speeds on a machine and then seeing it driven out the factory door – totally complete. We thoroughly enjoy the tour and have a new appreciation for “how ultimate driving machine is manufactured”. Great tour!
If you go:
Staying downtown Greenville is the best for enjoying the scenic downtown. There are numerous hotel chains on both sides of the Reedy River. We particularly liked the location of the Hyatt Place for this visit. It is just two blocks from Main Street and also close to the Reedy River Bridge. The hotel provides a very nice complimentary breakfast each morning. While it has valet parking, we opt to park across the street in the Public Parking lot for only $7.50 for 24 hours. It was convenient and saved a little money.
The BMW Factory Tour is terrific. Be sure to pre-register early as the tours fill up fast. The fee is reasonable of $25. Also carefully follow all instructions for the tour of completing various paperwork ahead of time, arrive early, and wear closed in shoes. A lady in our tour had on sandals (despite being told to wear closed in shoes) and the guide found a pair of shoes for her to wear.
Dining options are varied and great in Greenville. Do some research to find restaurants from popular to off the beaten path. On weekends and around peak times, be sure to make reservations to avoid long wait times.
This is a beautiful welcoming city. Just strolling the streets is fun! Enjoy one of America’s Best Downtown’s!”