Places Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Saved by the Kale

This has been our first week of summer vacation and it has been busy and fun so far. We are in Greenville and have been doing alot fun things with the girls.

Here are a few of the highlights. On Memorial Day we went to Aloft which is Hot Air Balloon festival held near Greenville. We went in the evening and timed it so that we could see the balloons launch. I lost count but we must have seen about 30 balloons take off. It was an awesome sight and our 2 girls were in awe and so excited!

We also met up with a friend and took the girls to this great Art House where there are no limitations. The kids are free to paint everywhere, the walls, doors, windows, floors, they can go outside and paint the bricks on the house, the walkways, bushes. There are allowed to be as creative as they want to be. There were also different areas set up inside where they could do glitter art, use stamps, or use toy cars and trucks and paint with them. Needless to say it was fun to watch all the kids have so much fun.

We also took the girls to the Children’s Museum of the Upstate. We go here pretty much everytime we come to Greenville because it is so much fun and educational too! I really can not say enough good things about the museum. There are 3 floors to it. They have so many areas for children to explore and use their imaginations. From toddlers to adults anyone can have fun! I did not take as many pictures this time but I did snap a few.

On Saturday morning we went to the Downtown Saturday Market. The weather was absolutely beautiful. There was a nice breeze and it felt great. We arrived early and there were already lots of people milling around.

Our first stop was to get something to eat. One of favorite restaurants has a booth there and I got a bowl of shrimp & grits. I forgot to take a picture until I was already mostly done. It was delicious!

One of the things I was looking to buy was some raw local honey. I also found some strawberries and some beautiful siberian kale.

Going to the Farmers Market is such a relaxing and great way to spend Saturday morning. I already can’t wait to go back next weekend!

Questions for Today:

What are some of your summer traditions?

How do you spend your Saturday mornings?

Last weekend Jim, myself and my sister went to visit one of our favorite places, Greenville, SC. Jim and I are quite partial to Greenville. We lived there for about 6 years and it really became our home. We enjoy going back every chance we get. We will actually be spending the summer there, which we’re super excited about! Out of all the places we have been to, Greenville has the most amazing restaurants – hands down. So when we visit we like to hit up as many as we can. Greenville is growing so much that every time we go back there are new places to try. If you ever get the chance to visit you must go downtown; it is a wonderful atmosphere. Main Street is loaded with fun shops and amazing restaurants.

Being that is was the first weekend in May I was expecting warm beautiful weather, but it was actually quite chilly and rainy but we did not let that spoil our fun. We got together with friends, did some shopping and had alot of great food and also got to visit the Farmers Market downtown, which kicked off this weekend. Despite the yucky weather the Farmers Market was packed with vendors and people. I can’t wait to go back every Saturday of the summer!

Here are a few of the restaurants we visited this time around. We dined at our favorite mexican restaurant Monterrey’s. It was so good; it had been far too long since we had been. I got chicken enchiladas that I have been craving ever since we got back home.

The next day we went to a couple of restaurants we had never been to before. For lunch we went downtown to Grill Marks and we will definitely be going back. I had some amazing sweet potato fries with an orange-cinnamon sauce for dipping. I also had the Southwest Chipotle Salmon Salad. It was a generous portion and very filling. We noticed all the delicious shakes that were being ordered around us so the waiter urged me to try the Salted Caramel milkshake, and although I very, very rarely indulge in dairy I decided that I had to have it! I am still dreaming of this milkshake!!!! I must have it again.

That evening we met up with friends for a goodbye dinner for 2 of our dearest friends at Stellar Restaurant and Wine Bar. This is a place that we have wanted to try for years but had never gotten around to it. It was a very nice place for an intimate get together. It is mainly a tapas type restaurant with smaller portioned plates so that you can try several things. I had the Vegetable Ribollita which consisted of zucchini, carrots, fennel, greens, and white beans in a spicy broth finished with fresh olive oil and bread crumbs. I also got the Crispy Zucchini which was crusted with panko and romano and fried in extra virgin olive oil, finished with wild flower honey, lavender and heb aioli. Both dishes were delicious but I had to order another plate of the Zucchini they were fabulous!

We have been looking forward to the opening of the Saturday Market for weeks so despite the cold and windy weather we got to the market early that morning and there were already lots of people milling around. There were so many new vendors since we had last been. We had a great time looking around. I bought some fresh strawberry peach salsa from Daylilies and it is so good. I have almost finished the container of it. After browsing around the market for awhile we went to our brunch reservations at Nose Dive. They have a fabulous Adluh Mills grits bar. All you can eat grits with lots of toppings (sauces, gravies, cheese and veggies). I had fun trying different combinations.