Photo provided by Jackson County TDA

🛍️ Hit the Town

• Shopping experiences that abound, with everything from clothing boutiques to upscale antiques to one-of-a-kind mountain goods, like pottery by local artisans and Appalachian-inspired handmade crafts.
• World-class, luxury spa options for those needing some R+R.
• Restaurants with little to no wait times. (Read: Trying the local eats just got better.)

🏔️ Experience the great (winter) outdoors

• The beautiful spectacle of frozen waterfalls.
• A naturally-occurring phenomenon known as Shadow of the Bear, which will return mid-February to March.
• Outdoor sports for tubing-loving families and beginner skiers and snowboarders, who will love hitting the slopes at Sapphire Valley Ski Resort.
• Winter fly fishing, which is oft considered to be the best time to go fly fishing.

• Redistricting Public Meeting | Monday, Dec. 5 | 6-7:30 p.m. | Prisma Health Welcome Center at Unity Park, 111 Welborn St., Greenville | Offer public comment on the City’s proposed redistricting plan.
• Upstate Holiday Light Show | Monday, Dec. 5-Saturday, Dec. 31 | 6-10 p.m. | Greenville Pickens Speedway, 3800 Calhoun Memorial Hwy., Easley | $35-$120 | Drive through a nighttime Christmas wonderland featuring 32 million colored lights synchronized to music.

• Furman Men’s Basketball Toy Drive | Tuesday, Dec. 6, Saturday, Dec. 10, Monday, Dec. 19 | 7 p.m. | Timmons Arena, 3300 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville | Donate to the Paladin Toy Drive and get specially priced tickets to Furman Basketball games this holiday season.
• “The Gilded Age Christmas” | Wednesday, Dec. 7-Sunday, Dec. 18 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Kilgore Lewis House, 560 N. Academy St., Greenville | Free | Tour the Historic Kilgore Lewis House with every room of this historic home decked out in gilded holiday finery.

• Miracle on 34th Street: A Live Radio Play | Thursday, Dec. 8-Sunday, Dec. 18 | 3 p.m. | Centre Stage, Greenville | $35 | With new and familiar holiday music and a tale of faith and hope, “Miracle on 34th Street” will melt even the most cynical of hearts during the Christmas season.
• A Child’s Haven 2022 Holiday Benefit Bash | Thursday, Dec. 8 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Huguenot Mill and Loft, 101 W. Broad St., Greenville | $150 | Enjoy an evening of live music from Steven Galloway and food from Table 301 while supporting A Child’s Haven.
• Holiday Market in Downtown Simpsonville | Thursday, Dec. 8 | 5-8 p.m. | Burdette Central Parking Lot, 1885 Taproom / E. Curtis St., Simpsonville | Free | Enjoy local holiday shopping and live music.*

• Indie Craft Parade Holiday Pop-Up Shop | Friday, Dec. 9-Sunday, Dec. 18 | 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Makers Collective, 2909 Old Buncombe Rd., Greenville | Free | Shop a mix of handmade art, home goods, jewelry, and children’s items from 25+ makers.
• Kringle Holiday Village | Friday, Dec. 9-Sunday, Dec. 11 | 5-9 p.m. | Fluor Field, 945 S. Main St., Greenville | $0-$12 | Savor the season with a warm mug of glühwein or tasty beer and enjoy live holiday music from Upstate musicians, crafted goods from local artisans, kids activities and more. 🎅

• World WONDERland | Saturday, Dec. 10 | 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, 300 College St., Greenville | $0-$15 | Join TCMU in celebrating the holiday season around the world with activities, crafts, learning opportunities, and a visit from Santa.

What we tried:

• Hematology: The study of blood cells
• Coagulation: The study of the blood’s ability to clot
• Urinalysis: The study of urine
• Microbiology: The study of pathogenic microorganisms and related diseases (think: strep throat)
• Immunohematology: The study of blood types + transfusion testing
• Clinical chemistry: The study of dissolved substances in the blood and related diseases (think: glucose + diabetes)

• 54º | Scattered showers | 50% chance of rain

• Cowboy Up (701 Easley Bridge Rd., Unit 6030) announced it will rebrand as The Foundry at Judson Mill. The venue hopes to bring in artists from different musical genres. It will reopen Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.

• The Tigers + Gamecocks are going bowling on Friday, Dec. 30. No. 7 Clemson will face the Tennessee Volunteers in the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, FL at 8 p.m. and No. 19 Carolina will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at 3:30 p.m. in Jacksonville, FL. 🏈
• The Tigers are ACC Champions once again. Clemson beat UNC 39-10 Saturday night for its seventh conference championship in the past eight years and became the first program to win 21 ACC titles. 🐅

• The Greenville Planning Commission approved the “Woven” project in West Greenville (along Pendleton Street between Saco and Traction streets). The mixed-use development with 214 residential units, a public plaza and park, and five commercial spaces that will be leased below market rate to provide affordable commercial opportunities for local entrepreneurs and artists. (The Greenville News)
• The hotel and housing development (319 Rhett St.) proposed in the West End is going back to the planning stages to address concerns from City leaders about pedestrian traffic flow on the surrounding sidewalks, lack of clarity on the aesthetic quality of building materials, and building height and setback from the street. (Upstate Business Journal)

• BMW started production at Plant Spartanburg on its first-ever M series car featuring an electric drive system. The BMW XM has a plug-in hybrid system with a V8 gasoline engine and an electric motor and will be built on the same assembly lines as the X5, X6, and X7. 🚙

• $6.7 million. That’s the record-breaking sale recently made at The Cliffs, marking the highest-selling property ever in the group of seven luxury communities across the Upstate and Western NC. Peek inside the 7-110-sqft home known as “The Perch.”

• Raise a glass to freedom. The Upcountry History Museum (540 Buncombe St.) will host “The Role of Alcohol in the Revolutionary War” Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m. The program will explore the day-to-day life of soldiers in the Revolution and how spirits influenced the birth of our nation.

• Open enrollment for individual and family health insurance is now. Enrollment events are happening this week at The Insurance Source at 114 Trade St. in Greer and HealthMarkets at 409 Mills Ave. in Greenville on Friday, Dec. 9 from 12 p.m.-7 p.m.*

• Holiday shopping tip: Protect yourself from fraud. When shopping online, there are steps you can take to ensure your personal information is secure. Read them here.*

• Your Monday morning holiday gift inspiration, courtesy of Etsy: For the person who loves bread. For the person obsessed with their pet. For the person who can take a joke. For the kid who loves to color. Plus, all you need is popcorn or all you need is marshmallows. 🎁*

• The Furman Bell Tower
• Campbells Covered Bridge
• Biking the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail
• UNITY sign
• Peace Center (with a cherry on top)
• Historic courthouse
• Chamber of commerce building
• Cancer Survivors Park
• The Liberty Bridge
• The Big Dog Show
• Chocolate chip cookie rocks in the Reedy River
• Liberty clock
• Wyche Pavilion
• Poinsett Hotel
• Greenlink Trolley
• Swamp Rabbit
• Mice on Main