When the opportunity arose to visit Hotel Hartness in Greenville, South Carolina, I immediately thought it would make the perfect mother-daughter getaway. At the end of May I picked up my daughter, Alli, in Greenville, North Carolina, and we set off on a road trip to the other Greenville — a drive that stretched to nearly six hours thanks to Friday traffic.

Hotel Hartness is a 73-room boutique property located within the Hartness community, a Traditional Neighborhood Development spanning 482 acres. The community was founded by the Hartness family, whose legacy began when patriarch Tom Hartness acquired the Pepsi-Cola bottling rights for Greenville in 1940. His son, Pat Hartness, gradually acquired the land that would become the Hartness neighborhood. Today, the community includes approximately 530 homes, a 180-acre nature preserve, a 10-mile private trail network, 12 ponds, a working farm and a variety of other amenities.

At the heart of the property is the former Hartness family residence, which has been transformed into Hotel Hartness. Much of the original home has been incorporated into the design of the lobby, Great Room, lounge and restaurant.

The old living room turned lobby Hotel Hartness

After checking in and taking a quick tour of the property, we stopped by our room to change before heading to dinner. As we walked the short distance to the restaurant, Patterson Kitchen + Bar, we admired the beautiful decorations for a wedding that was being held on site that night. (The hotel is a popular wedding event venue, thanks to the beautiful outdoor spaces and large ballroom).

As soon as we entered the restaurant, Alli — an interior designer — began pointing out the design elements that made the space feel modern and sophisticated. From the warm lighting and rich green leather booths to the noise-reducing materials integrated into the wood-paneled ceiling, every detail contributed to an atmosphere that felt elegant yet welcoming. Floor-to-ceiling windows opened onto a wraparound porch overlooking a pond, blending the indoor and outdoor spaces. The most striking feature was a suspended metal sculpture that flowed from the entrance throughout the restaurant, drawing the eye up toward the beautiful wood ceiling before encircling the bar and creating a stunning focal point.

The design was impressive, but the cuisine was amazing! We began with the bread service featuring house-made cornbread and Rise Bakery bread accompanied by whipped Plugrá butter, sea salt and roasted muscadine grape butter. I was skeptical about grape butter, but after the first bite I was hooked.

The spring cocktail menu offered many creative options, making it difficult to choose just one. I eventually settled on the Coconut Rouge, a refreshing rum-based cocktail with coconut and raspberry flavors, garnished with an edible flower.

For my entrée, I selected the blackened grouper served with crispy smashed baby potatoes, roasted red pepper chimichurri, scallions and seasonal farm vegetables. Any question about the freshness of those vegetables was answered the next morning when we spotted the same carrots and baby broccoli at the onsite farmers market.

Alli was interested in the diver scallops served over squid ink and saffron linguine but wasn’t entirely sold on the Mediterranean olives and vodka tomato sauce. Our wonderful server suggested substituting the tomato sauce with the chef’s garlic butter sauce, and it turned out to be the perfect choice.

Although we were thoroughly full from dinner, dessert was impossible to resist. We shared the whiskey cake with toffee butter pecan crumble, banana gelato and vanilla whiskey crème anglaise. The banana gelato was so delicious that I would happily buy it by the gallon.

After the sun set, strings of lights lit up the grounds, creating a magical backdrop for the wedding after-party taking place at the fire pit nearby. Next to the restaurant sat the unique Cigar Stream Mobile Cigar Lounge housed in an Airstream camper, where guests could purchase and enjoy premium cigars.

The following morning I started the day with coffee and a chocolate chip croissant from the lobby café. I couldn’t help but notice that the breakfast sandwiches advertised the use of Hartness Farm-fresh eggs. Shortly after, Alli and I set out for a walk along the property’s 10 miles of walking trails. The trail we chose led us to the area where the chickens live, confirming that those farm-fresh eggs do come straight from the Hartness farm.

Hotel Hartness garden

Walking trail Hartness

Walking trails and ponds Hotel Hartness

Bird house along walking trail

Chickens produce the Hartness Eggs for the restaurants

Liberty Bridge Downtown Greenville

Wanting to experience more of Greenville, we headed downtown, just 15 minutes from the hotel. I felt that no visit to the city would be complete without a walk across Liberty Bridge, a 345-foot curved suspension pedestrian bridge above the Reedy River in Falls Park. Before making our way there, however, we wandered through several local art galleries.

Bolt art gallery in Greenville

One of our favorite stops was Just Dotz, where we spent time chatting with artist Andrew Swan. Using only fine-tip Sharpie markers, Swan creates portraits of musicians in his signature pointillism and “scribbleism” styles —  a technique in which the image is formed from carefully controlled scribbled lines. His gallery also featured an impressive collection of one-of-a-kind clocks crafted from vintage vinyl records. Alli couldn’t resist taking home a Beatles-inspired “Let It Bee” clock, a souvenir for her new home.

After admiring the waterfalls from Liberty Bridge, we enjoyed lunch at Carmella’s Café & Dessert Bar before returning to the hotel for our scheduled spa treatments.

View from Liberty Bridge downtown Greenville

Alli was a little nervous about her first-ever spa experience, but as soon as she met her esthetician, any apprehension quickly disappeared. We had both booked 80-minute GLO2 facials, each customized to our individual skincare needs. Alli’s treatment was designed for youthful, 23-year-old skin, while mine focused on, shall we say, more mature concerns.

My esthetician asked whether I preferred a quiet, relaxing experience or an explanation of each step along the way. Curious about the process, I opted for the latter. She explained that my GLO2 facial began with exfoliation, followed by oxygenation, a gentle bubbling treatment that enhances the absorption of the spa’s vitamin C skincare products. The facial concluded with a lymphatic drainage massage to reduce redness and relieve sinus pressure, followed by a therapeutic shoulder massage that melted away the tension I had been carrying since our six-hour drive the day before.

Before I knew it, the 80 minutes had come to an end. I left with skin that felt noticeably smoother, plumper and refreshed. If I lived a little closer, this would undoubtedly become a regular appointment. And I believe now that Alli enjoyed her first facial, she would join me again.

With its convenient location just minutes from Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport and downtown Greenville, Hotel Hartness is an ideal destination for business meetings, corporate events or a relaxing weekend getaway.

— Tracey Cullen, art director