By Carol Gifford

Greenville, S.C. has found a way to blend its colorful and historic past with modern life attractions and is a popular site for movies, building sports cars and upscale festivals.

Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the western part of the state, the Greenville area – with a backdrop of colorful fall leaves – has many outdoor fall activities to entertain all ages and interests.

A revitalized tree-lined downtown Main St. includes walking areas, several restaurants with outdoor seating, and 50-plus stores, including larger department stores, trendy boutiques and many restaurants. 

Mast General Store, restored to 1920s elegance, shows historic flair with old-time novelties and unique lines of clothing, tools, gardening, candy and food, rail and travel and pet supplies.

Downtown visitors can look around the picturesque Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson metro area from the 60-foot high Liberty Bridge, a 355-feet long suspension bridge over Reedy River Falls.

The city was a recent stop for Hollywood celebrities and filmmakers filming Leatherheads with Renee Zellweger and George Clooney.

Euphoria, A Southern Exposure, a four-day food wine and music festival on Sept. 11 to 14, features chefs from around the nation with food tasting, cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, dinners and concerts. Sponsored by Local Boys Do Good, a not-for-profit group started by local musician Edwin McCain and restaurant owner Carl Sobocinski of the Court Square Restaurant Group hold the fundraiser. In its third year, the group helps local organizations that provide food relief, assist children or promote education and the arts.

 “Entertainers and chefs love being around each other, so we thought we’d bring the two together,” said Sobocinski, citing the recent popularity of cooking competitions and reality shows on television. “We invited headliner chefs who are passionate, innovative and have an interest in sustainability.”

Cooking demonstrations, seminars and five-course dinners with wines with each course are scheduled along with concerts by headliner musicians include Edwin McCain, Chris Isaak, Mark Rapp, and the Blue Dogs. Tickets are available for dinners, concerts and individual events at www.euphoriagreenville.com.

Bring lawn chairs and blankets to view the outdoor moonlight classics movie series, free at sundown on Wednesday nights in September, at Peace Center Amphitheater, next to the Peace Center Performing Arts Center on Main St.

The 3rd Annual Greer Station Oktoberfest in historic downtown area Saturday, Oct. 4, with German music, food and beer, and local artists displaying their work. Oct 10 through 12 is the 27th Annual St. Francis Fall for Greenville, a weekend of outdoor dining featuring cuisine from 43 different restaurants and musical entertainment on four stages, including entertainment for children, an ice-carving competition and a chili cook-off.

Recently renamed Fluor Field at the West End, it is modeled after Fenway Park, right down to the dimensions around the outfield wall and the “Green Monster,” wall with its manual scoreboard. The park, which just finished its third season, hosts 70 plus games during its spring and summer seasons and various civic events throughout the rest of the year.

Nearby Greer features the BMW Zentrum, the only BMW museum in North America, located next to its domestic manufacturing plant. The museum, shaped like a highway ramp, includes self-guided tours, special exhibits like the hydrogen car of the future, and, of course, several vehicles including custom designs. See the Euro Auto Festival car show on the lawn Oct. 17 through 29.

Visit Caesars Head Park, a state park in Cleveland, to see fall splendor in a panoramic view 3,266 feet above sea level. The 7,000-acre park has 50 hiking trails, some with views of cascading waterfalls. The Hawk Watch program on Sept. 20 and 27, offers a view of thousands of hawks migrating south for the winter.

Nearby Cowpens National Battlefield, west of Gaffney and east of Chesnee, is the site of the battle of Cowpens in 1781, known as the turning point of the war in the South, before the Patriot victory at Yorktown. Take guided battlefield walks Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. through October and learn more about the Revolutionary war cannons nicknamed “grasshoppers” for their five-foot recoil.