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Health + Wellness

Up Your Health and Happiness

Run the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Kayak Lake Keowee. Cycle through Caesars Head. Hike to hidden waterfalls. Find your Zen at more than 20 yoga studios, dance fitness classes and barre classes near Greenville alone.

With alluring lakes, foothills and downtowns, and a growing farm-to-table scene, health and wellness are a way of life in Upstate South Carolina. The birthplace of 9Round kickboxing, our region also boasts a growing number of fitness franchises to rev up your heart rate, from barre to cycle to HIIT.

If mom always prodded you to “eat your veggies,” our fitness foodie atmosphere makes it a delight. Sip on superfood blends from Southern Pressed Juicery, savor what’s in season at farm-to-table eateries, and swap recipes at weekly farmers’ markets.

Our active lifestyle is supported by state-of-the-art healthcare facilities. There is nearly 48,000 employed in clinical healthcare in our region, with primary and specialty care to meet a spectrum of needs. Read on to learn more about the Upstate SC’s wellness environment.

Facts + Figures

#2

BEST HOSPITAL IN SOUTH CAROLINA 2022

Bon Secours St. Francis Health System, Greenville
U.S. News and World Report

#3

BEST HOSPITAL IN SOUTH CAROLINA 2022

Spartanburg Medical Center
U.S. News and World Report

31

MAJOR HEALTHCARE FACILITIES

730

MILES OF BIKE TRAILS

  • Wellness
  • Major Hospitals
  • Healthcare Jobs
  • Healthcare Innovation

Wellness

Upstate South Carolina’s wellness environment pairs an active lifestyle with breathtaking natural beauty and delicious ways to fuel your clean eating kick.

Fit foodies will love the array of weekly farmers’ markets that make it easy to eat fresh at home. The Simpsonville Farmers Market, Fountain Inn Farmers Market, TD Saturday Market and Travelers Rest Farmers Market are weekend affairs, while the Greenville State Farmers Market is open Monday through Saturday year-round, and others are offered throughout the work week. Don’t feel like cooking? Experience our growing farm-to-table restaurant scene for a tasty night out whether you’re veggie, vegan, paleo or omnivore, or try a meal prep plan from local startup Farm Fresh Fast, which offers clean-eating meals sourced from Upstate SC farms.

To up your calorie burn, join a local or national franchise gym, or try a new workout — from homegrown 9Round kickboxing, which maintains 10 locations throughout the Upstate, to national crazes like Orangetheory and Pure Barre. To deepen your yoga practice, check out the free monthly yoga series on NOMA Square in Greenville, or work on your inversions at more than 25 yoga studios in the region.

With 730 miles of bike trails and 425 stunning waterfalls within an hour’s drive, the Upstate is an adventurer’s paradise. Whether you’re a pro cycler or like to take your spin class skills outdoors, you’ll benefit from world-class cycling trails fit for such events as the USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships. Take your morning bike ride, run or stroll on Swamp Rabbit Trail, a 26-mile multi-use trail system converted from an old railroad track that connects to trails throughout Downtown Greenville, or hike, camp or kayak at one of 16 state parks located in less than an hour’s drive from the Upstate. Read even more about our outdoor recreation assets on our Play Outside page.

State-of-the-Art Hospitals in Upstate SC

Upstate South Carolina has some of the best healthcare institutions in the state and even in the country. In fact, Bon Secours St. Francis Health System ranks No. 2 and Spartanburg Regional Medical Center ranks No. 3 on the U.S. News and World Report list of the Best Hospitals in South Carolina and is rated High Performing in six adult procedures and conditions.

Prisma Health, a merger between Greenville Health System and Palmetto Health, is the region’s largest healthcare system and among our largest employers.

Best Places to Work in Healthcare

Looking for a job in the healthcare field? Upstate South Carolina’s hospitals not only provide excellent care — they’re also great places to work. In 2021, over 46,900 Upstate residents were employed in healthcare with an average salary of $82,363.

Visit our industries page to learn more about our major employers in healthcare and life sciences.

A Hub for Health Innovation

Upstate South Carolina is a center of innovation in healthcare, thanks to its concentration of top-ranked healthcare facilities, medical device and pharmaceutical companies and educational and R&D institutions. At any given time, more than 530 clinical trials are being conducted in a variety of disciplines.

Our excellent healthcare and entrepreneurial ecosystems converge where healthcare practitioners, researchers and life sciences companies together to generate innovation and give patients access to cutting-edge treatments and products. Other major assets include the Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus (CUBEInC), a 30,000-square-foot research facility located on the Prisma Health System University Medical Center’s Patewood campus; and the Greenwood Genetic Center, a 190-acre research park dedicated to advancing the field and research of medical genetics.

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