Greenwood (and Greenwood County)

Greenwood has everything from modern pizza places like Mill House Pizza — which also doubles as a brewpub called Good Times Brewing — to Cuban restaurants like Buenavista and local deli spots like Howard’s on Main to upscale fare like Pascal’s Café & Grill. Savor the chef-inspired dishes and unique brews at Sled Dawg Brewery. For a lively atmosphere, Flynn’s on Maxwell is the place to be, featuring craft beer, fine wine, live music, and drinks by the glass. Oregon Station is set to add to the culinary landscape as it creates a vibrant retail, dining, and entertainment community in the heart of Uptown Greenwood.

Beyond its restaurant scene, Uptown Greenwood hosts the Uptown Market farmers market to support local farmers and their freshly grown products and produce. Vendors at the open-air brick pavilion produce and sell items including coffee, pork chops, vegetables, fruits, dairy and more. In addition, Uptown Greenwood hosts food-centric festivals, like South Carolina Festival of Discovery’s “Blues Cruise,” celebrating the unique musical sound of the blues and the flavors of Carolina and Kansas City barbeque.

Greenwood’s arts and culture scene shines with a variety of attractions, from music festivals to art exhibits. The city’s charming Uptown and vibrant cultural offerings make it a sought-after destination for those seeking an artistic experience. The renovated Arts Center at the 100-year-old federal building, which hosts a number of local and regional art exhibits throughout the year, plays a key role in supporting the growth of new artists and groups.

Uptown Greenwood events, like the annual Festival of Discovery, celebrate the history, culture, food, arts & crafts, music, and people that make South Carolina and Greenwood County an incredible place to live and visit. During the Festival of Flowers, residents and visitors alike stroll through Uptown gardens and marvel at the beautiful topiaries on display. Other cultural attractions and events include:

• Greenwood Community Theatre
• The Railroad Historical Center
• 25 Drive-In Auto Theatre
• Uptown Concerts

Greenwood’s outdoor activities are largely focused around the beautiful Lake Greenwood and Lake Greenwood State Park. Spanning over 212 miles of shoreline and 11,400 acres of water, Lake Greenwood borders Greenwood, Laurens and Newberry Counties. With a total of 125 paved campsites and 914 acres of parkland, the lake’s open area is perfect for fishing, boating, camping, nature walks and more.

Greenwood County’s numerous golf courses are a hit with sports enthusiasts and outdoor lovers, offering a blend of quality land, stunning terrain, and southern hospitality. The Wilbanks Recreation Complex recently underwent an $11 million renovation funded by the Capital Project Sales Tax, transforming it into a premier sports and recreation hub with tennis and pickleball courts, artificial turf and natural grass fields, updated baseball and softball fields, and Greenwood County’s first inclusive playground.

Greenwood also boasts a handful of trails and historic sites that are perfect for families, such as the Ninety Six National Historic Site, where two Revolutionary War battles were waged. Greenwood is also home to the Mays Historic Site, which is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Civil Rights hero Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, a mentor and eulogist of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Greenwood is a major player in supporting Upstate South Carolina’s manufacturing industry. With the help of Piedmont Technical College and Lander University, Greenwood cultivates the highly specialized workforce needed to support the area’s major employers. In fact, 25% of Greenwood’s workforce is dedicated to manufacturing. Teijin Carbon America, for example, benefits from the area’s talented workforce. The company, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-performance carbon fiber products, offering innovative solutions for aerospace, automotive, engineering, sporting goods, and a wide range of other industries, has its North American headquarters in Greenwood.

As the home of Lonza and the Greenwood Genetic Center, Greenwood is quickly attracting leading life sciences companies and cutting-edge research developments. The Clemson University Center for Human Genetics on The Greenwood Genetic Center Partnership Campus will enable Clemson’s growing genetics PhD program to collaborate closely with the long tradition of clinical and research excellence at the Greenwood Genetic Center, combining basic science and clinical care.

In addition, approximately 42% of the U.S. population is within a day’s drive of Greenwood, a testament to the area’s accessibility for businesses needing to reach major markets. Greenwood County’s major employers include:

• Ascend Performance Materials
• BiltWise Structures
• Cardinal Health
• Carolina Pride Foods
• Caterpillar
• Colgate-Palmolive
• A. Sween Company
• Eaton Corporation
• Greenwood Mills Inc.
• Lonza
• Park Seed Company
• Self Regional Healthcare
• Symrise Pet Food
• VELUX, Inc.
• Wesley Commons

The city of Greenwood and the larger county provide accessible, diverse education opportunities. Greenwood County has three accredited public-school districts: Greenwood School District 50, Ware Shoals School District 51 and Greenwood School District 52. Greenwood District 50, the largest district in the area, offers a variety of educational options including school choice, Montessori, a fine arts academy, and magnet programs focused on the arts, medical fields, and STEM opportunities. Greenwood Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school serving students in grades 4K-7 in the greater Greenwood area. There are also three private schools in Greenwood offering K-12 education: Cambridge Academy, Greenwood Christian School and Palmetto Christian Academy

Among the unique programs offered in Greenwood County is The Greenwood Promise, a scholarship program offering a tuition-free path for high school graduates in Greenwood County to attend college. After The Promise was launched in 2017, the percentage of Greenwood County’s total post-secondary enrollment increased from 62% to 72% in just three years.

On the higher education front, Piedmont Technical College and Lander University are both located in Greenwood and draw students from neighboring communities and states. Piedmont Technical College is a comprehensive two-year college which offers hands-on career training in addition to traditional classroom learning. Piedmont Technical College is home to the William H. “Billy” O’Dell Upstate Center for Manufacturing Excellence, which includes a flexible space to serve emerging workforce development needs in partnership with area businesses. The flex space was pivotal for national pre-packed sandwich maker E.A. Sween Company to establish a home in Greenwood County. While construction was underway on E.A. Sween’s facility, employees received training on the company’s equipment installed at the O’Dell Center.

Lander University is a four-year institution that provides a traditional liberal arts education along with opportunities for professional studies. Over the past eight years, Lander University has experienced a 63% increase in enrollment and has maintained a tuition freeze since 2016, ensuring a cost-effective education for students. Lander University has numerous athletic teams that are continually ranked within the top 25 in the country and are highly competitive in the Peach Belt Conference and NCAA Division II.