Greenville (North Carolina)

Greenville, one of the fastest growing cities in North Carolina, is the county seat of Pitt County, and is the principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is known as the cultural, economical, and educational hub of North Carolina's Inner Banks, the geographical area east of Raleigh and west of the North Carolina coast. The city boasts a vibrant business community and East Carolina University, and is ranked among the top places nationally to play, bike, and study. In 2004, Greenville was named Sportstown USA for the state of North Carolina by Sports Illustrated and the National Parks & Recreation Association. The city is also known as "BMX Pro Town USA", as it is home for many top professional BMX riders, such as Dave Mirra, Ryan Nyquist, Ryan Guettler, Mike Laird, and Josh Harrington.

Get in

Greenville is in a central relative location, being equidistant from Raleigh (to the west) and the Outer Banks (to the east). It is also approximately midway between the North Carolina-Virginia border and the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

By plane

You can fly in from Charlotte to the Pitt-Greenville Airport in town or fly into the Raleigh-Durham International Airport and use a rental car. American Airlines operates a charter flight to and from Greenville and the airline's regional hub in Charlotte.

By car

From Raleigh, NC, use US Routes 64 East, 264 East, and 13 North to get into town. Charlotte Douglas International Airport is considerably further away, but Greenville can be reached from there via I-277 North, I-77 North, I-85 North, I-40 East (and from that point, one uses the routes used by going from Raleigh to Greenville mentioned earlier). From I-95 North or South, use US 264 East to reach Greenville.

By bus

Greyhound buses are available, as is Amtrak Thruway bus service.

Get around

Rental cars are the preferred mode of transport, and there is the occasional taxi (but they are not simply out-and-about... one must use the Yellow Pages in the back of the phone book to obtain their services). For transportation in and around East Carolina University's campus, university visitors can use its bus system. The City of Greenville operates a mass transit bus system, Greenville Area Rapid Transit or GREAT (the fare is $1.00 with free transfers).

See

• 🌍 Emerge Gallery & Art Center, 404 S Evans St (Corner of Evans St and 4th St), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M Closed, Tu-F 10AM-9PM, Sa 10AM-4PM, Su 1PM-4PM. Art gallery featuring works from local artists. Periodically holds special community events. Free. 
• 🌍 Greenville Museum of Art, 802 South Evans St., ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Tu-F 10AM-4:30PM, Sa 1PM-4PM. Free. 
• 🌍 River Park North, 1000 Mumford Rd, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Nov-Feb 8AM-5PM, Mar-Apr 7AM-7PM (Closed Mondays). 324 acre park located along the north shore of the Tar River. Has a large open field with a small playground. Offers several nature trails, camp grounds, ponds, and picnic shelters with grills. Picnic shelters and pedal boats are available by reservation with a fee. Fishing, a private boat dock, and camp sites are all available for a fee. 

Do

• 🌍 East Carolina Pirates, Old Pirate Club Building (between Gates 1 and 2 of Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium), ☎ [phone], toll-free: +1 800 DIAL-ECU (3425-328), e-mail: [e-mail]. M–F, 9–5. Sports teams of East Carolina University, fielding 9 men's and 11 women's NCAA Division I sports, mostly in the American Athletic Conference. The most popular sport is football, in which the Pirates typically make bowl games about as often as not, but basketball and baseball are also significant draws (as at most big schools). Almost all athletic venues are on campus, with the most notable being Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium (football) and Minges Coliseum, home to several indoor sports, with basketball in a part of the complex known as Williams Arena. The central ticket office for all ECU sports is near the football stadium.  
• 🌍 Visit the Town Common, 105 E. 1st St. A medium sized park that features the Millennium Sundial, the Toyota Amphitheater, the Town Creek Bridge, and an esplanade along the Tar River, which borders the park on its north side. (updated Jun 2017)

Buy

• Arlington Village (Corner of Arlington Blvd and Red Banks Rd). Across Arlington Blvd from the Greenville Mall sits a collection of small fashion boutiques in Arlington Village. If you enjoy fashionable clothing, you'll enjoy these shops with names like The Charmed Peacock and Pizzazz. 
• 🌍 Greenville Mall, 714 SE Greenville Blvd, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. M-Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 1PM-6PM. The largest shopping complex in the county. There are many typical mall shops, such as Aeropostale, JC Penney, Belk, American Eagle Outfitters; and a food court with such vendors as Sbarro, Chik-Fil-A, and a few Oriental places. 

Eat

• 🌍 Chanello's Pizza, 1414 Charles Blvd (Corner of Charles Blvd and 14th St), ☎ [phone]. Though a little pricier than the larger chains, Chanello's is preferred among Greenville's student population. Delivery service is available for most of Greenville. Specialty pizzas include the Bacon Double Cheeseburger, Alexander the Greek, and Chicken Florentine. They also offer a modest selection of subs. $8-$16. 
• Cubbie's. Local lunch-style restaurant known for their unique Cubbie Burgers served "All The Way" and their Freedom Fries with cheese and chili. Carving your initials into the tables does not seem to be discouraged. Restaurant televisions are always tuned to different sporting events. In the traditional diner style, men do the cooking and women wait tables. $4-$8. 
  • 🌍 600 E Arlington Blvd (Between Greenville Blvd and Red Banks Rd), ☎ [phone]. 
  • 🌍 501 Evans St (Downtown at 5th St and Evans St), ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet, 3437 S Memorial Dr (0.2 miles south of Greenville Blvd), ☎ [phone]. Large inexpensive Chinese and Japanese cuisine buffet. Have your meal cooked fresh hibachi-style or grab some basic types of sushi--both for no extra cost. Go exotic with calamari or stick to the basics with mac & cheese, pizza, or a salad, among other things. $6-$9. 
• 🌍 Japan Inn, 739 Red Banks Rd (Corner of Arlington Blvd and Red Banks Rd, next to Staples), ☎ [phone]. Lunch: M-Sa 11AM-3PM, Su 12PM-3PM; Dinner: Su-Th 4:30PM-10PM, F-Sa 4:30PM-11PM. Spacious Japanese and Chinese cuisine restaurant with a sushi bar. Offers an all-you-can-eat sushi special during lunch hours. Mostly serves sushi with a few authentic-looking Japanese meals. Chinese meals are similar to typical Chinese take-out menus. $8-$20. 
• 🌍 Manhattan Pizza, 3150 Evans St (Corner of Evans St and Greenville Blvd, next to Best Buy), ☎ [phone]. M-Th 11AM-10PM; F-Sa 11AM-11PM; Su 11AM-9PM. East-coast pizza and Italian cuisine franchise. Offers dine-in or take-out service. Specializes in square, thin crust pizzas. Also serves the classic American-Italian meals with a twist--the sweet Ledo special marinara sauce. $6-$12. 
• 🌍 Mi Cabaña, 333 E. Arlington Blvd (Between Evans St and Greenville Blvd), ☎ [phone]. A small Mexican cuisine restaurant. Their motto is "Come and enjoy true Mexican food." Offers many authentic Mexican meals as well as the classic Americanized favorites. Fast service and tasty food. Also has a bar if you're into that sort of thing. $4-$12. 

Drink

• 🌍 Live Nightclub, 2120 E Fire Tower Rd (Corner of Charles Blvd and Fire Tower Rd, next to Harris Teeter), ☎ [phone]. Guaranteed live music at least four nights per week. $3-$5. 

Sleep

• 🌍 City Hotel & Bistro, 203 W Greenville Blvd, toll-free: [phone]. $94. 
• 🌍 Hilton, 207 SW Greenville Blvd, ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 12PM. $140+. 
• 🌍 The 5th Street Inn, 1105 E 5th St (Corner of 5th St and Library St), ☎ [phone]. Built in 1925, this bed and breakfast is registered as a national historic location. The inn has four rooms available, including the top floor 700ft² Chancellor's Suite that includes a private bath and a sitting area with a couch. $89-$129. 
• 🌍 Microtel Inn and suites, 450 Moye Blvd (Directly Behind Pitt Memorial Hospital), ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 3pm, check-out: Noon. 90 rooms with LCD televisions and wireless internet access. 59 and up. 

Go next

Routes through Greenville

Norfolk ← Windsor ←

N  S

→ Goldsboro → Fayetteville