Greenville, South Carolina —
Baseball fans, concert-goers sporting cowboy boots and the Friday night dinner-out crowd wander bustling downtown sidewalks on a warm spring evening.
It’s a scene that many American towns are starving for — a return to the vibrant street life that died in the second half of the 20th century as downtowns hollowed out with the growth of the suburbs and their air-conditioned shopping malls.
Greenville’s got a Main Street that lives up to its name, at the heart of a lively downtown connected to other parts of the city by the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 28-mile pedestrian and bike network lined with parks and local businesses.
A Michelin-starred restaurant has joined the city’s growing dining scene, there’s a friendly arts district in an area that once hummed with textile mills, and nearby lakes and state parks offer serious outdoor recreation. Two intimate new concert venues are the latest additions to a performing arts landscape that includes Broadway shows and arena acts. And minor league baseball games draw fans to a handsome ballpark in the city’s historic West End.
