SC has 2 of best cities in South to see fall foliage & both involve exercise, Southern Living says

Two South Carolina cities are listed on Southern Living’s best places to see fall foliage and both involve biking.

Greenville, an entry point to the Swamp Rabbit Trail and Travelers Rest, the northern entry to the trail and jumping off point to trails north through the Blue Ridge Mountains, were among 15 locations in the South.

The Swamp Rabbit Trail is an 18 mile-long paved walking/biking path along the Reedy River connecting the two Greenville County cities. It also has a 5-mile spur along the main route and various smaller paths in other parts of Greenville County.

Southern Living calls Greenville Bikeville “for its concentration of trails for both recreational and avid cyclists.”

The magazine suggests stopping at breweries or distilleries along the trail and singled out the Swamp Rabbit Brewery in Travelers Rest.

Discover South Carolina featured an essay by Gwen Fowler that is all about eating your way along the trail, including Swamp Rabbit Café and Grocery , where she ate a farm fresh egg sandwich and her husband had a roast beef hoagie with havarti cheese.

She said she was ready for lunch upon arrival in Travelers Rest, and with many places to choose from, ate at Topsoil Kitchen & Market and got dessert at Upcountry Provisions Bakery and Bistro .

Southern Living said peak foliage usually lasts a month from the last two weeks of October until the first two weeks of November.

Of Travelers Rest, Southern Living says, “Cyclists love Travelers Rest, where routes vary from 15-25 miles (about a 1-2 hour ride) to 50 miles to 80.” Both are through the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north.

The 50 mile trip through the Blue Ridge Mountains has 1,500 feet of climbing. The 80-mile ride has “epic climbs.”

“Riders can experience the surrounding country mountain roads, riding along the foothills and into the Blue Ridge Mountains and even ride past some quaint towns along the way,” the magazine said.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is also on Southern Living’s list for leaf peepers.

“The winding Blue Ridge Parkway stretches 469 miles in the Appalachian Highlands,” the magazine said, suggesting not to miss the parkway’s highest point, the 6,053 foot Richland Balsam Overlook.

Other spots on the list are Bryson City, North Carolina; Cloudland Canyon State Park in Rising Fall, Georgia; Dahlonega, Georgia; Eureka Springs, Arkansas; F.D. Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain, Georgia; Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; Historic Banning Mills in Whitesburg, Georgia; Jackson County, North Carolina; Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina; Shenandoah Valley, Virginia; Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia and Virginia Creeper Trail in Abingdon, Virginia.