After a long car ride, we finally arrived in Travelers Rest eager to stretch our legs.
We parked at Sidewall Pizza Company and headed for the Swamp Rabbit Trail which runs right behind the businesses that line Main Street. The Swamp Rabbit Trail is a 22 mile multi-use greenway that connects Travelers Rest and Greenville, South Carolina. While we decided to walk because we had my dog Meeko in tow, there were mainly bikers on this stretch of the trail. There are lots of places to rent bikes along the trail- including pedego electric bikes in Greenville. The great thing about these bikes is that they have both pedal assist and throttle so they allow you to customize how much work you do. Even if you are uncertain of your physical capabilities these bikes will allow you to enjoy the entirety of the trail.
We walked until we were tired and then turned around. On the way back to the car we decided to walk back on Main Street instead of the Swamp Rabbit Trail and do a little window shopping. My favorite kinds of stores are those that feature local artisan’s work. Kramers Corner Shop and TR Makers Co do just that and were an absolute pleasure to browse. By the time we made it back to the car we had worked up quite an appetite. We got a table on the dog friendly patio at Sidewall Pizza Company and ordered a cheese and mushroom pizza. I enjoyed the pizza here, it had a thin and crispy crust which is my preference. They only offered one size pizza though which was 8 slices and way too much food for me seeing as I typically try to avoid leftovers when traveling. Other tables were enjoying the garlic knots which looked and smelled delicious.
After dinner we went to check into our Airbnb- the Blue Haus. This was hands down my favorite Airbnb I have ever stayed in. The owners had previously owned an antique store and had decorated the space with items from their store as well as tokens from their travels around the world. One of the unique things about this Airbnb is that many of the decorations were priced and available for sale. I spent quite a while just looking around at all of the amazing decor when we first got there. On top of the incredible environment they provided the largest assortment of things to occupy your time I’ve ever experienced at an Airbnb. They had a piano, DVDs, a karaoke machine, books, magazines, and even painting supplies. While these were all great, my absolute favorite thing they had was a record player and a large stack of records. It was here that I played my first ever vinyl record. When one record would fall quiet I’d pull the next one from the stack and so the pattern repeated until check
out time the next day. It was absolutely lovely.
As if this wasn’t enough, this Airbnb also had a jacuzzi bath. I had brought a bath bomb along with me to enjoy at some point during my trip and this first spot was the perfect location for a nice, long bubble bath.
After my bath I turned down the lights, popped in a movie, and enjoyed my complimentary Lindt chocolate truffles. I don’t really drink alcohol due to a weird allergy but for those who do, the host had also provided a complimentary bottle of wine. It was a super relaxing and cozy evening.
Normally when traveling, I am pretty eager to get out of the house in the morning and get the day going but the next morning I instead found myself wanting to soak up every last moment I had at the Blue Haus.
A bit saddened that our time at the Blue Haus was so short and feeling as though it would be tough for other places we stayed in the future to compare, we packed up the car and drove out to see Poinsett Bridge.
Our GPS didn’t quite take us to the right place so we initially passed the bridge and parking and had to loop back around. Once parked, we crossed the street and were pretty much at the bridge. The Poinsett Bridge was built in 1820 and is said to be the oldest bridge in South Carolina and possibly the entire southeastern United States. First we crossed over the bridge and then followed the short trail that takes you down to see the bottom of the bridge and the river that crosses under it. We visited on a Sunday around 10:30 am and were the only people there. I had read a guide the night before that didn’t highly rate visiting the bridge so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I was incredibly glad that we made the stop. I found both the bridge and the surrounding area stunning.
After visiting Poinsett Bridge we decided to get some lunch. We chose to give Mr. Salsa a try. When we arrived the restaurant was super busy which we thought was probably a good sign. I ordered a mushroom quesadilla and Mexican rice. I have to say that for a place with salsa in the name I expected more from their salsa. It was probably one of the worst salsas I have ever had. The quesadilla was good and the rice was alright but pretty bland. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant to others. If I could do it over, I would probably try TReehouse Cafe and Studio for lunch instead. They are a really cool art cafe that has several vegetarian sandwich options.
After lunch this traveler's rest was over and it was time to hit the road for Atlanta, Georgia.