A reader who lives in Easley sent us a message a while ago, telling us how cute the little town is. Here’s what she had to say –

“Easley is so small and big at the same time. Even though it's not a culinary destination or covered in fluorescent multi-colored lights (looking at you One City Plaza during Christmas), it's still an easy place to get away.

If you and a friend come here to visit, you probably won't Instagram it. But you'll probably have more opportunities to talk, be creative in how you spend your time, and see more than just strip malls and traffic on the way to Clemson.” Thanks for the tip, Leah V.

And, it’s not the first time we’ve heard it. Just 12 miles from downtown Greenville, with 2017 population of 21,053, the Upstate town has its many #MustDos like the 9-mile Doodle Trail, must-try restaurants like Joe’s classic diner, and sweet spots like Serendipity Cafe.

First – where exactly qualifies as Easley? There’s a downtown centered around the intersection of Main St. + Pendleton St., but Easley also has some gems along the Greenville Hwy.

We put together our favorites + asked you over on Instagram recommendations are. With over 40+ comments, we heard that 2 Bros Pizza and Merrells on Main Street were fan favorites.

Places to Eat

🥗 Two Bros Pizza | 5823 Calhoun Memorial Hwy Suite 2C | Tues. – Thurs. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Fri + Sat to 10 p.m. | A large salad easily feeds two. All of the pizzas are good and the calzones are three thumbs up. If you want dessert, the Something Special is pretty legendary.

🍳 Serendipity Cafe | 104 A East Main St. | Mon. - Fri. 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Sun. 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Offers an extensive lunch menu, and Sunday, which has a brunch menu. Weekday grub: the burgers aren't Poe's "experience and Instagram" fare, but just so quintessential burger and thus perfectly satisfying. Also, the fried okra is pretty bomb and the desserts are worth the splurge. If they have the lemon-berry mascarpone cake, get. it. A good second place is the sticky toffee pudding.

🍹 Bleu Voodoo | 114 E Main St. | Thurs. 5 – 11 p.m. + all night happy hour, Sunday Brunch 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Bustling, brightly-painted Cajun restaurant + bar with live music and patio seating.

🌭 Joe's | 136 E. Main St. | Mon. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. | It's an institution. You can't not go there. It's the most American diner you'll ever go to and there's nothing fake about it. Get the hotdogs with chili, onions, and mustard.

🍕 Merrel's Pizza | 101 North East Main St. | Mon. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday 12 a.m. - 10 p.m. | Perfect place to watch the trains roll by when the weather gets warmer. Or to go binge on carbs after a bike trip, which is how I found it.

Things to Do

🚴‍ Doodle Trail. It has a few more rolling hills to it than the Greenville Health System’s Swamp Rabbit Trail, which means it's a workout in both directions, and the path is wider. It also has less traffic and goes from Easley to Pickens, which means you can bike 9 miles from where you parked at Doodle station in Easley, go up to Pickens and have a yummy beer at the Ale House, and then bike back to Easley to work off the calories you just ingested. There's also a park at Fleetwood drive where kids can play on the train cars. Park on Railroad Street at the trail’s parking lot.

😌 Integrative Yoga Therapy | 101-P NE Main St. | 9 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. | Aerial Yoga. Is there anything else I need to say?

👗 It's Karma Consignment Shop | 2040, 203 W Main St. | Mon. - Sat. 10:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. | Great prices, fun and serious clothes, and afterwards you can eat deliciously creamy ice cream on their patio and watch the trains. Also, in general, go thrifting. Easley has a lot of thrift stores full of great finds.

🎁 Circa Makers and Merchants | 219 W Main St. | Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Local art and goods (prints, candles, carpentry, pottery, knits) plus they host classes, like candle making. It's a great community hub for local artists and the owners/employees are really friendly. They love when people come in, chat and sit and hang, and maybe/maybe not pick something up.

⛰️ Hiking: Table Rock (158 Ellison Ln., Pickens) is about 25 or 30 minutes away by car from Easley and it's a perfect reason to drive through the super cute (and growing) town of Pickens. Eastatoe Creek Heritage Preserve (click here for directions) also isn't far. Likewise, not a long drive to the Clemson Botanical Gardens (150 Discovery Ln. Clemson).

🌽 Hagood Mill | 138 Hagood Mill Rd. | Features events and educational opportunities, like the Appalachian Heritage discussion and then another one about Native American history, particularly Cherokee history.

🐄 Greenbrier Farms | 766 Hester Store Rd. | A fan favorite farm vendor does farm tours and weekly Porch Parties (March - August) featuring live music, snacks + yard games

🍄 The Farmacy | 508 S B St. | Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sun. Noon - 4 p.m. | An all natural goods shop (similar to Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Cafe).

🎭 Foothills Playhouse | 201 South 5th St. | Featuring Elf The Musical Jr. this December + Steel Magnolias in early 2019 here to see what’s playing now.