Things To Do in Spartanburg (?)

I'm heading back to the PC in January to do the 2-day M Course. I did the 2-day car control course with my PCD (2012 F13) last February and had a blast! This upcoming course is on a Thurs.-Fri., and I'd like to find something to do close by on Saturday before heading home Sunday. Any suggestions for activities? When I was there in February, in had to play hooky from school for a few days just to do the 3 days of courses with travel, so I didn't really do much investigating of nearby attractions while I was there. I'd kinda like to do something Saturday to add an extra day to the trip, but I'm having trouble finding a reason to stay. Thanks in advance for the recommendations!

Go to downtown Greenville; one of the best downtowns around. Go to the Greenville Zoo (on the way to downtown), they have a brand new baby girraff (sp?) named Kiko. Drive up into the mountains via highway 11 to US 276 then to the Blue Ridge Parkway and on to Asheville then back to Greenville (if the Parkway is open, it closes if snow is predicted).

Go to downtown Greenville if you like restaurants, shops, etc. If not, go for a mountain drive. George T suggested a good one, there are others. Search this forum. I think I-Won-Today (Jonathan) has posted some good routes.

Originally Posted by The Other Tom

Go to downtown Greenville if you like restaurants, shops, etc. If not, go for a mountain drive. George T suggested a good one, there are others. Search this forum. I think I-Won-Today (Jonathan) has posted some good routes.

We agree !!! My wife and I did the PCD in early October. We got in late Sunday night, and our delivery was not till Tuesday. We spent Monday Afternoon in Downtown Greenville. Lots of great shops and restaurants to check out. Yes, Jonathan will give you good Hook Ups for your time in Greenville. Just take a walk down Main Street from one end to the Other. You will have a good time. Don't be in a hurry. Nice general store with everything under the sun. A very cool Gem Store that my wive was quite impressed with. We also found a neat little place that made all kinds of delicious Cupcakes. Yum Yum. Went well with some Hot Chocolate . We wished we had had more time to explore Greenville. We will come back for Sure.

It would be a long day but you could drive the "tail of the dragon" in a day from there. I would guess it would take about 9 hours to drive from Greer to the dragon, run it a couple times, and drive back. You could take some scenic roads for at least part of the way. If you don't know what the dragon is, google it. 318 turns in 11 miles. Commercial photographers hide in the woods and take pictures you can buy from their websites. There is a gas station/convenience store on the NC side that sells t-shirts. My son and I ran it in 2010 from my house an hour and a half from Greer (further away) in about 12 hours. We took scenic roads when possible. If you stayed more on the interstate you could do it quicker.

Jim

Thank you for all of the replies. Great ideas. Thanks!

FYI: the blue ridge parkway is usually closed in the winter. You can take it through asheville for about ~20 miles but anywhere north or south is closed. Its probably not worth the long drive JUST to do the parkway. Now if you were interested in spending time in Asheville, I'd say go for it. The Biltmore and downtown are both popular places. Downtown Hendersonville is a bit closer and quaint. Several nice stores. Otherwise I would just go to downtown greenville as others have said. I wouldn't spend time in spartanburg proper. There is nothing there and its a really high crime area.

+1 on Asheville, it's really worth the visit. Really quaint and nice place, with a "hip" downtown area, various attractions, and it's located in such a beautiful place that it's just nice to be there even driving on the highway in the surrounding areas. We went last year and have wanted to come back.

Thanks for the tip on BRP. I'm actually doing PCD in January and was thinking about "taking the long way home" through Asheville and BRP before heading to Florida. I may have to plan that out a little better, though.

Drive the Tail of the Dragon.

Wow you just gave me an idea - thanks! Looks like the Dragon is only 150 miles or so from Greenville, definitely can do that.

That's been on my to do list as I am also a rider, but Dragon should be fun in the X6M :supdude

Edit - JimD1, I know you suggested it first so credit there too for the suggestion.

If you like to drive the Tail of the Dragon is definitely worth while. On the way up I recommend taking the highway. ( Google Maps Link ) It will get you there in just under 3 hours and give you more time to drive. On the way back though it's fun to take Hwy 28 through Franklin, NC and Highlands, NC. Some parts of Hwy 28 are just as fun as the Dragon and Highlands, NC is a nice little tourist trap town. ( Google Maps Link ).

Downtown Greenville sounds like a good place to explore
How about transportation for those of us who have no car till our delivery?...Is it accessible via cab or does the Marriot have a shuttle?
Thanks

I'd call the hotel and ask them. This is a link to their website:

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/local...ille-marriott/

Jim

Unfortunately, the driving recommendations - awesome as they sound - won't work. I'm doing the M course with my father and brother, and my mom's tailing along, too. The BRP probably isn't too much fun in a Yukon XL Denali laden with 600 to 700 lbs. of passenger weight. My F13 6er has less rear legroom than a 1 Series, and the drive is > 8.5 hours, so Yukon it is.

We're going to do the downtown Greenville thing the day before the course. Figure it'll be a nice break between the drive up there and the 2-day course.

Thanks for the recommendations, guys!

Sorry to hear that southern6er22, but I am glad you made this thread because it helped me put an itinerary together for my trip back from PCD in 13 days !!!

Beneficial all around!

Sounds like you'll be leaving right when I get there. Our course starts Friday 1/18. You'll love PCD. Mine back in February was awesome. It's an amazing program offered by BMW.

Originally Posted by southern6er22

Unfortunately, the driving recommendations - awesome as they sound - won't work. I'm doing the M course with my father and brother, and my mom's tailing along, too. The BRP probably isn't too much fun in a Yukon XL Denali laden with 600 to 700 lbs. of passenger weight. My F13 6er has less rear legroom than a 1 Series, and the drive is > 8.5 hours, so Yukon it is.

We're going to do the downtown Greenville thing the day before the course. Figure it'll be a nice break between the drive up there and the 2-day course.

Thanks for the recommendations, guys!

Actually, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a good route even in a SUV. While the road winds through the mountains, the curves and turns are not sharp like the Tail of The Dragon. It was designed to be senic not a driver's challenge.

Originally Posted by DCC

Downtown Greenville sounds like a good place to explore
How about transportation for those of us who have no car till our delivery?...Is it accessible via cab or does the Marriot have a shuttle?


Thanks

The Marriott will shuttle you into Greenville. &. Pick you up. Have fun .

I drove the BRP end-to-end last year and I agree, a Yukon is not a problem. There were motor homes on it too. There are spots to stop and take pictures, often only a few hundred yards apart. Everything is big enough for a Yukon. If you go the speed limit you will not need to slow down for turns in a Yukon.

Jim

Sounds like I'll have to check it out. Thanks!