From Field to Fork: Explore Greenville's Farms & Flavors
Greenville’s countryside offers more than just a scenic drive; it’s a place to connect with local growers, taste the season’s best, and explore how food and farming shape the region. From picking sun-warmed berries straight off the vine to wandering fields of flowers or enjoying a meal made with ingredients grown just down the road, this itinerary highlights ways to experience the destination's farm-fresh side firsthand. You'll learn about mushroom foraging and cultivation, bike to a local cafe, and appreciate the best of Greenville's farm-to-table culture.
DAY 1 - PEDAL, PICK, AND DINE LOCAL
Start your day by hopping on the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail for a peaceful bike ride to a cafe and grocery that doubles as a food hub, then visit a local flower farm, and finish with a locally-sourced dinner.
Bike to Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery
Rent a bike at Reedy Rides (50 South Richardson St, Greenville, SC 29601) before hopping on the 28+ mile Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail. Just 2.4 (flat) miles from the bike shop, sits Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery, a locally-owned cafe, grocery, and bakery. Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery is also a food hub, where they crop plan with growers to help them grow crops with high market demand, in the right quantities, at the right time, and commit to selling those crops on their behalf.
Pro tip: Grab a breakfast sandwich on their (world) famous stecca bread! If it's your first time visiting, score a FREE loaf of stecca.
Stroll Through Rows of Blooms at Sassafrass Flower Farm
Take in the photo-worthy views and dreamy scents around you at Sassafras Flower Farm while you take a tour through the garden, where you’ll get to handpick seasonal favorite florals and take home a handful to commemorate the afternoon. Every third Thursday of the month from May to October, enjoy an evening of flower picking with live music. Get your yoga on Tuesdays of every month from May to October at 6:30pm.
255 Alex Drive, Easley, SC 29640
Dinner at Fork & Plough
Settle into dinner at Fork & Plough, a friendly neighborhood restaurant, market, and butchery that curates menus from daily harvests, courtesy of local farms. Known around town for good burgers, a hot spot for a weekend brunch, and more. They highlight local ingredients and their menu changes twice daily.
Fork & Plough started as a marriage between Greenbrier Farms, located just 12 miles from Greenville, and Chef Shawn Kelly. The 330-acre farm provides much of the produce featured on the menu, including organic vegetables, grass-fed beef, and pasture pork.
1629 East North St. Greenville, SC 29607
DAY 2 - BEHIND-THE-SCENES WITH TOPSOIL RESTAURANT
Enjoy a true farm-to-table experience and see what's in season before being prepared for dinner by a local chef.
Topsoil Farm Tour
Topsoil Kitchen & Market's farm is on 16 acres just off the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail. Half the main field is dedicated to root vegetables, including carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes. The other half grows seasonal favorites including tomatoes, okra, peas, eggplants, lettuces, peppers, and potatoes. Topsoil owner Wendy Lynam runs the farm along with an army of volunteers, while Executive Chef Adam Cooke helps decide on plantings before each season.
While on the tour, you might even get lucky and catch a sighting of their grumpy farm cat, Linus.
Followed by Dinner at Topsoil
After the farm tour, stick around for dinner at Topsoil Kitchen & Marketin the historic Williams Hardware building in downtown Travelers Rest, SC. The farm-to-table experience comes full circle when you get a taste of the menu that turns that same farm-fresh produce into unforgettable plated dishes. At the helm of Topsoil's menu is Chef Adam Cooke, who was celebrated as the 2020 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef Southeast and the SCRLA Best Restaurant Chef of 2022.
13 S Main St. Travelers Rest, SC 29690
DAY 3 - FORAGING AND FINE DINING
Learn about mushrooms and types of fungi, how to forage them, and cooking methods. Then, enjoy dinner at a refined restaurant sourcing ingredients grown on the on-site farm.
Mushroom Mountain
Mushroom Mountain, a certified organic mushroom spawn laboratory and farm, offers a tour showcasing over 100 different species of fungi used in cultivation. Visitors learn about fungal life cycles and ecology while touring the laboratory and fruiting room spaces, witnessing spawn production and mushroom cultivation. The tour includes a mushroom trail where various mushroom fruit periodically, whether planted or wild. Participants leave with expanded mushroom knowledge and oyster mushroom fruiting kits to pick and cook mushrooms at home.
200 Finley Road, Easley, SC 29642
An Eggcelent Dinner
Before sitting down for dinner at Patterson Kitchen + Bar, take a tour of the on-site farm's chicken coops, where eggs are sourced for the restaurant. Located across the manicured courtyard from Hotel Hartness, you'll experience a blend of Southern cuisine with International influences. The menu features the bounty of the Upstate of South Carolina and focuses on bright, clean, and approachable dishes complemented by warm hospitality, an outdoor porch, and a tree-lined pond.
120 Halston Avenue, Greenville, South Carolina 29615
DAY 4 - FARMERS MARKET FINDS AND TEA TOURS
Shop local produce and artisanal goods at one of Greenville's farmers markets, then grab brunch at a modern American eatery, and visit an authentic tea farm right here in the Upstate.
TD Saturday Market
Begin your morning with a stroll through the TD Saturday Market, a seasonal market running Saturdays from May to October from 8 am to 12 pm, with more than 75 local vendors selling local artisanal products, flowers, produce, and freshly baked goods along Downtown's Main Street. Greenville is also home to a variety of farmers markets throughout the county if your visit takes you outside of Downtown. When the season changes, you can shop at the Frosty Farmer Winter Market that runs from January to April.
W McBee Ave & S Main St., Greenville, SC 29601
Brunch at CAMP
Unwind with friends at CAMP, a modern American eatery in the heart of Downtown Greenville known for inventive, ingredient-driven dishes and stylish Downtown setting. Their fare takes inspiration from flavors around the world and then kicks it up a notch using only the freshest, locally sourced ingredients to create a menu that is playful, imaginative, and truly memorable. Brunch is available on Saturdays from 11:30am – 2:00pm and Sundays from 11:00am – 2:00pm.
2 East Broad Street, Greenville, SC 29601
Table Rock Tea Farm Tour
Sitting on 17 acres in the shadow of Table Rock Mountain, Table Rock Tea Company grows, processes, and sells tea (Camellia sinensis) in the foothills of Upstate South Carolina. Products include green, black, and oolong teas available as loose and/or bagged. The founders, Steve and Jennifer Lorch, are also the founders of Hydromissions International, where their roots run deep in giving back, and 10% of all sales go to charity.
Discover the best ways to experience Greenville, SC, with our diverse collection of curated itineraries! Whether you're planning a scenic road trip, an immersive…
