Gateway 4: Southern Hideaways Walking Tour
1.6 miles
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Stop 1: Falls Park on the Reedy (0.2 miles)
601 S. Main Street
As you enter Falls Park on the Reedy , you are entering the "birthplace" of Greenville. Cherokee Native Americans found the Reedy River to be a great freshwater source (it starts from a spring seven miles upriver in Travelers Rest ), as well as a fertile area for hunting.
Over the falls spans the remarkable feat of engineering that is the 345-foot Liberty Bridge . Built as an uninhibited viewing platform for the Upper Reedy River Falls, the sculptured concrete bridge has a distinctive curve and is the only one of its kind in the entire Western Hemisphere.
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Stop 2: Early-1800s Grist Mill (<15 ft)
601 S. Main Street
Our first colonial settler, Richard Pearis, put a home near Reedy River Falls around 1769 and began harnessing the river's water power with a grist mill on the bank. A foundation wall from an early-1800s grist mill stands along the sidewalk under the Liberty Bridge (likely the oldest ruins in downtown Greenville).
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Stop 3: Lower Reedy River Falls (0.2 miles)
601 S. Main Street
Most visits to this area will have you walking along the Reedy River at RiverPlace . However, journeying downhill toward the bend of the river will bring you to some of Greenville's most beautiful hidden gems.
The path you are on is called the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail and it's a reclaimed railway line that goes for dozens of miles up and down the Reedy River corridor.
Just beyond the bend of the river in Falls Park you'll come upon a second set of waterfalls, the Lower Reedy River Falls. It's not as high as the Upper Falls, but if you explore near the water, you'll see ruins from Greenville's past—its textile industry —and the harnessing of the river needed to sustain it.
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Stop 4: Cancer Survivors Park (0.2 miles)
24 Cleveland Street
Keep walking downriver, and just as you pass under the Church Street bridge, you'll enter a stunning new addition to our city's array of world-class greenspaces: Cancer Survivors Park . A genuine grassroots effort has seen many thousands of private funds come in from supportive citizens.
Wandering off the right, up the wooden boardwalk, will give you some great views. Continuing over the footbridge gives you a nice aerial view of the river and takes you up to the pavilion where beautiful details abound.
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Stop 5: Major Rudolf Anderson, Jr. Memorial (0.1 miles)
150 Cleveland Park Drive
Exploring farther down the trail will soon bring you to the Major Rudolf Anderson, Jr. Memorial . Anderson was a Greenville native who went on to fly airplanes to defend our country in several wars. The F-86 Sabre jet on display is very similar to what he flew in the Korean War.
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Stop 6: Rock Quarry Garden (0.3 miles)
200 McDaniel Avenue
Going "off the path" about 40 yards across the street (to your left) will take you into one of the most beautiful pocket parks in town, Rock Quarry Garden .
What started out as Vardy McBee's rock quarry in the 1800s (where the stones originated from his grist mills on Reedy River Falls) has been transformed into an oasis complete with manicured lawns, a stone-lined stream, a rock bridge, and a waterfall, Rock Quarry Falls .
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Stop 7: Greenville Zoo (0.6 miles)
150 Cleveland Park Drive
Continuing down the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail , you'll go along the river and past stunning historic homes. Soon, you'll enter Cleveland Park , full of children's playgrounds, tennis courts, open fields, and another war memorial.
Finish your journey with a leisurely visit to our Greenville Zoo on the park's border, off to the left. The Greenville Zoo is open from 9am to 5pm daily with the last admission at 4pm. Go ahead and purchase your general admission ticke t.
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End: Grand Bohemian Lodge
Do you feel like heading back downtown? You can finish off this tour by heading back to the Grand Bohemian Lodge Greenville or continuing to explore more on the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail .
Thank you for taking the time to walk through some history on our Southern Hideaways Self-Guided Walking Tour!
Be sure to check out VisitGreenvilleSC.com for more walking tours you can take around town.
Share your photos from this tour on Facebook or Instagram using #greenvillesc!
INSIDER'S TIP: Want even more steps after this tour? Find all nine of the bronze Mice on Main .