I was spoiled for my 40th birthday with three trips this spring—my family knows me well, I love to travel. The weekend before my 40th birthday, my mom, sister, and I headed to Greenville, South Carolina for a girls’ weekend. My mom and I had actually never been to downtown Greenville, for as many times as we’d driven past it on the way to Tracy’s house in Atlanta. Mid-April was just the perfect time of year to enjoy this beautiful downtown. We started our weekend with a treat from Tracy, a Peruvian cooking class—yum! I think the whole class agreed that our avocado, jalepeño potato salad was the best thing on the plate. We also enjoyed a little shopping before heading down to the Falls Park on the Reedy to explore. The park was magical that day. Not only was the landscaping perfect with everything in full bloom, but someone must’ve cued not only the birds, but the brides, prom dates, and quinceañera young ladies looking for the photo op. And we even watched a marriage proposal play out, complete with family and friends in on the surprise. After people-watching in the park for a while, we enjoyed an al fresco dinner at The Lazy Goat right on the river and then headed to a community theater for the musical of The Addams Family.
On our next full day in Greenville, we explored the downtown (which is full of public art), more local shops, and the Greenville County Museum of Art. We saw works by many American artists including Andrew Wyeth, Jasper Johns, and (my favorite) William H. Johnson who has a remarkable story and whose works in GCMA remind me of the Fauvist movement I studied in college.
It was a true girls’ weekend with the leisurely exploration of shops, art, gardens, and culture and plenty of yummy food. This magical weekend with my mom and sister was the perfect lead up to my 40th birthday.
(All photos from my iPhone—I decided not to lug around the big camera this weekend.)
