Eastside - Greenville, SC Area Guide

Greenville was incorporated in 1869 and became an industrial center for America's textile industry until the early 20th century. The Greenville Downtown Airport was constructed in 1928 and served as an airstrip for training U.S. Army airmen during World War II. The Haywood Mall opened in 1980 and underwent extensive renovations in 1995.

The closest museum to the neighborhood is the Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery. The museum houses some of the most extensive Judeo-Christian religious paintings in North America, including many Italian, Renaissance and baroque works.

The downtown airport hosts the Take Flight 5K run to support various charitable causes. The event occurs on Memorial Day each year. Vintage World War II airplanes visit the airport almost every summer.

The Roper Science Center has a holiday light display every winter. Artwork made by local schoolchildren goes on display when the lights go on at the science center.

Many fast food restaurants, casual chains, local eateries, ethnic cuisine restaurants and bars call this neighborhood home. Find these places along the I-385 corridor at Roper Mountain Road, Haywood Road and Highway 291. Gottrocks, adjacent to the convention center, features Americana, bluegrass and country, blues, folk music, and singer-songwriter acts regularly. Jam along to your favorite bands on the cozy dance floor. The Blind Horse Saloon has live music from national touring acts and the regular house band, One Eyed Jack. The joint opens Wednesday through Saturday, 7 p.m. until 2 a.m., and touts the largest dance floor in the city. The huge bar serves plenty of drinks each night to keep large, thirsty crowds satiated as the music plays.

For aviation lovers, the Runway Cafe, on the South Ramp of the Greenville Downtown Airport, provides unrivaled views of the runway from its dining room and patios, plus the restaurant even has its own hangar. This unique American cuisine eatery prides itself on using only the freshest ingredients to create homemade burgers, pastas, salads, sandwiches, soups, wraps, and more. Try the Kittyhawk salad – pesto chicken salad, tomato, cucumber, feta and balsamic vinegar. If you're in the mood for a burger, check out the $100 Hamburger, which has double meat and triple cheese with the standard lettuce, tomato and onion. Kids love this place, and when you bring the whole family, a children's menu is furnished for your convenience.

Kanpai of Tokyo has plenty of sushi rolls, grilled meats and drink specials seven days a week. Yakiniku dishes mean grilled or meat prepared right in front of you. Early bird dinner specials include beef, chicken or shrimp in various combinations. Regular dinner meals contain scallops, salmon, sirloin, ribeye or filet mignon. Each dinner comes with salad, soup and rice. Try the hibachi wrap lunch special that has meat or vegetables with rice wrapped in a flour tortilla. Kanpai noodles come in several varieties, such as spicy ramen with seafood. Cream cheese noodles include your choice of beef, chicken or shrimp.

Bimini's Oyster Bar & Seafood Cafe features four kinds of grilled fish seasonings. These include blackened, lemon pepper, Key West and jerk. The specialty of the house is the fish fry, letting you choose from several types of seafood, including flounder, catfish, crab cakes, deviled crab, calabash shrimp, oysters and scallops. For grilled shrimp, the shrimp and grits meal creates a unique and hearty meal with a twist on two Southern favorites. The happy hour appetizer menu here contains baskets of clams, fried pickles, zucchini, calamari and mini crab cakes. Enjoy live music every Friday and Saturday.

Residents rely on their car to get around Greenville's Eastside neighborhood. Not every street contains sidewalks, but residential areas are good for walking as well as bicyclists. A few streets near the airport, such as Keith Drive and Airport Road, are wide enough to accommodate bicycles and motor vehicles.

Easily reach I-385 from Haywood Road and Highway 291. Pelham Road, N Street and Woodruff Road also mark other major roads in this neighborhood. Several taxi companies, and Uber cars, can pick you up if you need a ride.

Greenlink buses on route 8 stop at the Haywood Mall and go to the downtown transit center. The first bus arrives at 5:43 a.m., and the last bus comes through at 6:43 p.m. Each bus comes through once per hour.

Butler Springs Park has a walking trail, playground, athletic fields and tennis courts. Rent the shelter for a nominal fee, otherwise the facility can be used free of charge. Timmons Park features an 18-hold disc golf course, a mountain bike trail, a playground for kids and a lit baseball field. Bring your leashed dogs to these parks.

Every summer, watch movies at the Moonlight Movies series at Falls Park. Bring some food, lawn chairs and see your favorite flick every Wednesday from May to September.

Living costs just about the same on the Eastside as it does in downtown Greenville. Transportation and utilities represent the lowest-cost amenities in the area. A one-bedroom apartment runs for an average of $719 per month.

A pint of beer is about $3 at a local bar. A gallon of gasoline typically stays around 12 percent lower than the national average. A day pass on Greenlink buses goes for $5 to take you anywhere in the system.

Haywood Mall characterizes the largest retail center in the neighborhood. Several shopping centers surround the mall, or sit a few blocks away, to give residents plenty of places to relax with some retail therapy. Costco marks the closest grocery store to the neighborhood. The TD Saturday Market at Main Street and McBree Avenue sells locally grown produce from May to October.

Fiction Addiction, near the Haywood Mall, hosts regular book signings from local authors in addition to selling fiction, non-fiction and children's books. The store's owner, Jill Hendrix, celebrates Indie Bookstore Day every year. Hendrix worked for more than five years in the editorial department of St. Martin's Press before returning to Greenville to open her bookstore in 2001. Since then, Fiction Addiction has been a vital part of the arts scene in the city.

Skatell's Jewelers has been a family-run business since 1964. The shop specializes in engagement ring designs. Patrons have the choice to of several types of diamonds in one of 239 different settings. Choose a pearl-shaped diamond in a vintage setting, or go for modern princess cuts in a channel set. Skatell's also sells several designer names, such as Elle, Vahan, Doves and Angelica.