Falls Park on the Reedy River in Greenville. 8/24/20
Travel + Leisure has come up with some suggestions for fall trips. They picked twenty places around the world.
Among them, Kyoto, Japan (for maple trees), Tuscany, Italy (for fall color and olive harvesting), Reykjavik, Iceland (for vivid auroras in shortened days and rushing waterfalls) — and Greenville, South Carolina.
Yeah, that Greenville, as Visit Greenville likes to say.
Add fall getaways to Greenville’s moment in the sun, including write-ups in Conde Nast for No. 4 best small city and in U.S. News and World Report for No. 4 best place to live in the U.S.
The food scene has gotten lots of attention, as has, of course, the overall revitalization of downtown.
“Summer may be synonymous with travel, but fall might just be the best time to take a vacation,” the magazine said.
Bonus: Cooler temperatures, fewer tourists.
“Whether you want to see the leaves of the maple trees change in Japan or head to a sunny island to squeeze in a few more beach days before winter arrives, we’ve rounded up the best fall vacations for every type of traveler,” Travel + Leisure said.
Why Greenville?
About Greenville, the magazine said the Upstate city is the ideal base for leaf-peeping hikes and drives.
Senior editor Elizabeth Rhodes suggested staying at the Grand Bohemian Lodge, visiting Table Rock State Park or Jones Gap State Park or having a picnic in Falls Park.
Also, try a self-guided brewery tour or rent a bike from Reedy Rides and for a ride along the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail.
You don’t have to go far to see the changing seasons in Greenville. The city has paid a lot of attention to its urban canopy, which was hit by Hurricane Helene in 2024.
In fact, the city is in the midst of its first Urban Forest Comprehensive Plan to inventory and assess trees.
City officials say they have evaluated 13,000 trees on public land so far with 7,000 to go.
Try Swamp Rabbit Trail
The Swamp Rabbit Trail runs from Travelers Rest in the north through Greenville and into southern Greenville County.
It began on the footprint of the Carolina, Knoxville and Western Railroad and opened in 2009.
The name Swamp Rabbit came about because people said the uneven track caused the cars to hop like the swamp rabbit once found around Furman University. Swamp rabbits, while not extinct, are considered rare or imperiled due to habitat loss, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said.
The trail edges the Reedy River, Furman University, Greenville’s Unity and Falls parks and Reedy River Falls in downtown Greenville, and Lake Conestee Nature Park south of Greenville near Mauldin. There is also a spur in Fountain Inn.
Also on the 20 Cities list
Another Carolina city is on the list — Asheville, North Carolina.
Blue Ridge Mountains, quaint downtown filled with unique shops, galleries, breweries, and restaurants, street performers. Also, Pisgah National Forest and the Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned house in the United States.
Other fall getaway spots identified by Travel + Leisure are:
Sonoma, California (wine country)
Yellowknife, Canada (northern light and dog sledding adventures)
Bermuda (warm temps on pink sand)
Jackson Hole, Wyoming (gateway to national parks and popular ski areas)
New York City (museums, Broadway, Central Park)
The Berkshires, Massachusetts (rolling hills of stunning fall foliage)
Flagstaff, Arizona (national forests, monuments, and parks)
Burlington, Vermont (apples, pumpkins and craft beer)
The Scottish Highlands (hill and possibly purple heather)
Telluride, Colorado (colorful foliage in a breathtaking mountain setting)
Maui, Hawaii (magical, beautiful beaches, hiking in a rainforest)
Portland, Maine (last chance for fresh lobster, whale migration in October)
Williamsburg, Virginia (horse-drawn carriages, colonial buildings, ghost tour with a guide dressed in colonial garb)
Bend, Oregon (Deschutes River, Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint, pumpkin beer)
Mexico City (Día de los Muertos on Nov. 1 and 2, monarch butterflies at Santuario Piedra Herrada)
Source: www.thestate.com
