Coming to Greenville for the food, the shopping or the beautiful mountain vistas? Why not stay with friends? Most of Greenville's bed and breakfast inns are located steps from Main Street, where you'll find top-flight dining and a thriving nightlife, while others offer a more country feel with views of meadows and mountains. All offer a major dose of Southern hospitality. Here are a few of our favorites.
Pettigru Place Bed and Breakfast, 302 Pettigru St.
Nestled in the Pettigru Historic District in downtown Greenville, Petigru Place offers six guest rooms in a red brick Federal-style home built in the early 1900s. Each guest room has a private bath, with rates from $140 to $235 a night. The B&B also features beautifully decorated common rooms and an English garden. Guests enjoy wine and cheese in the afternoon, coffee bar, a full breakfast each morning and a vintage 1929 GE refrigerator stocked with drinks. The rooms feature televisions and luxurious soft robes. No pets.
Swamp Rabbit Inn, 1 Logan St.
Located in Greenville's historic West End, the Swamp Rabbit Inn is two blocks off Main Street. The inn and its six bedrooms are furnished in IKEA pieces, offering a colorful and modern European style. Two deluxe rooms have private baths, while the four standard rooms share hall bathrooms. A continental breakfast is served, and the refrigerator is stocked with fixings for a more elaborate, self-serve breakfast. Visitors can cook their own meals in the community kitchen and mingle on the first floor. The entire house, which sleeps 16, can be rented for $700 to $1,000 per night, or individual rooms can be rented for $110 to $200 night. Close to the 18-mile paved Swamp Rabbit Trail, each room has a bike stand to store your bicycles. Bicycle rentals are available through the inn. Pets allowed with prior approval. Handicapped accessible.
Park House Bed and Breakfast, 221 E. Park Ave.
Located steps from downtown, you'll be welcomed to the 100-year-old restored home with wicker chairs on the front porch. The B&B features four rooms plus a private cottage, each with its own fireplace. Room rates are $169 to $219, and include a three-course gourmet breakfast. No pets.
The Manor House, 2407 Augusta St.
From its intown location, wonderful boutique shopping and downtown Greenville are a short walk away. This inn is lovingly decorated by innkeeper Carol Stillwell, who lives on the property with her two cats. (The felines stay clear of guests rooms, but take note if you are extremely allergic.) Enjoy your morning coffee on the sun porch or the more adventurous can stroll to nearby coffee shops or Greenville's West End. In the evenings, you can stay by the fire in the living room or stroll around the inn's beautiful neighborhood. It's like staying with friends. The inn has three rooms with private baths (one room has the option of an additional bedroom that is ideal for families who can share the bathroom). Rates are $170-$199 a night.
Just a little outside the city proper, you will find a couple more options.
Inn on Tyger Meadow, 103 Tyger Meadow Road, Travelers Rest.
About 15 miles north of downtown Greenville, the Inn on Tyger Meadow sits in a peaceful setting about a mile from North Greenville University. Three private rooms, all with private baths and two with HD TVs, all offer great views. The rooms rent from $130-$150 a night and include a gourmet breakfast. No pets.
Garden House Bed and Breakfast, 302 S. Main St., Simpsonville.
In the town of Simpsonville, about 20 minutes from downtown Greenville, the Garden House has five guest rooms with private baths that rent for $99 to $149. Visitors can relax by the fireplaces in the parlor or living room or on one of three covered porches. A different breakfast is served each day, and the inn provides complementary afternoon refreshments, hors d'oeuvres and dessert. No pets in the inn, but ask about their accommodations for dogs.
