travelers rest

vintage and artsy

Travelers Rest, or TR as it is known to the locals, is the northernmost of the areas surrounding Greenville. While from most other parts of the Greenville area, the mountains are in the far distance, in Travelers Rest, they dominate the horizon. From Simpsonville, take I-385 to Stone Avenue which takes you through North Main, to Poinsett Highway which is Route 276.  Once you see Furman University, you are nearly at Travelers Rest. 

Travelers Rest has a variety of antique shops where you can find both home decor items and vintage clothing. There are also a plethora of restaurants, some with kitschy decor and a fun attitude where you can get surprisingly good fare. Finally, there are a couple of art studios and artist co-ops in town where you can buy artwork from local artists or even create your own.

Thinking About Moving to Travelers Rest? 

Travelers Rest ranked #12 on Southern Living’s 2022 Best Small Towns in the South. Because it is so close to the mountains, Travelers Rest is really beautiful, with plenty of waterfalls, nature walks and other natural beauty to enjoy. It is somewhat removed from the larger population centers in and around Greenville, which means that it is not so close to all of the conveniences of modern life such as a variety of grocery stores, home improvement stores, larger clothing stores and the like. But it does have its own locally-owned small businesses and a good number of restaurants. The population there is growing rapidly, since there is a high demand for this upscale small-town lifestyle with access to the cultural events of greater Greenville. High demand means that prices tend to be higher in TR than in some other Greenville neighborhoods. Although they are building some new subdivision neighborhoods, many of the existing homes outside of the town are isolated and rural with lots of trees.  

If you are considering moving to TR and you have school age children, here are the local public schools and their 2021-2022 ratings from the South Carolina Department of Education: 

Elementary schools

Gateway Elementary

• Academic achievement English: 64.5%
• Academic achievement Math: 65.7%
• Overall perceptions of school climate (safety and social/physical environment): 7.6 out of 10

Heritage Elementary

• Academic achievement English: 66.3%
• Academic achievement Math: 68.2%
• Overall perceptions of school climate (safety and social/physical environment): 8.11 out of 10

Middle schools

Northwest Middle School

• Academic achievement English: 39.6%
• Academic achievement Math: 26.3%
• Overall perceptions of school climate (safety and social/physical environment): 5.4 out of 10

Berea Middle School

• Academic achievement English: 26.2%
• Academic achievement Math: 12.4%
• Overall perceptions of school climate (safety and social/physical environment): 2.2 out of 10

High schools

Travelers Rest High School

• Academic achievement English (scoring C or higher): 64.3%
• Academic achievement Math (Algebra scoring C or higher): 36.2%
• Overall perceptions of school climate (safety and social/physical environment): 4.6 out of 10

Riverside High School

• Academic achievement English (scoring C or higher): 76.5%
• Academic achievement Math (Algebra scoring C or higher): 65.4%
• Overall perceptions of school climate (safety and social/physical environment): 6.4 out of 10

 

Festivals

Travelers Rest has plenty of festivals throughout the year. 

Southern Roots – BBQ festival and live music – April 15

Travelers Rest Farmers Market – Greenville County’s largest open air market with fresh produce and much more – Saturday mornings May – September and evenings in October

Travelers Restival – Musical performances, food trucks, escape room games, inflatables, foam party and more – August (2023 dates TBA)

Winter Lights Festival – Carriage rides, Christmas market, scavenger hunt and snowball fight – December 12-14