5 reasons why Greenville, South Carolina is a great city for all sports fans to visit
Greenville may not be one of the three largest cities within the state of South Carolina, yet it manages to have just about everything that a major city ought to. That not only includes an airport, diverse cuisine, great coffee, art galleries and all sorts of nightlife, but also all sorts of sports-related events, histories and personalities.
No matter your sport of choice, chances are that Greenville has something worthwhile related to it. And if it didn't, the city is not only halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, but also within driving distance to Nashville, Raleigh, Birmingham, Louisville and Jacksonville. On top of that, among the cities Greenville has direct flights to are New York, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Miami, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Orlando.
I had the pleasure of visiting Greenville for three days in June 2019, and over the course of the weekend I had the chance to experience the latest and greatest that the city had to offer. Below and on the following pages are reasons why Greenville, South Carolina is a great city for sports fans, while more on Greenville can be found online by visiting www.visitgreenvillesc.com.
#1: Bon Secours Wellness Arena
During my trip to Greenville, I had the pleasure of attending a UFC Fight Night event at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. This event notably featured "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung knocking out Renato Moicano in less than a minute in the main event, in addition to winning appearances by Randy Brown, Andre Ewell, Andrea Lee, and Kevin Holland. Reportedly, this was UFC's first ever live showing within the state of South Carolina.
A multi-purpose arena, Bon Secours Wellness Arena is also the home of the ECHL hockey favorites the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. In recent years, the venue has also hosted WWE live events and the Harlem Globetrotters.
Looking back in history, the Bon Secours Wellness Arena has hosted a 2014 NBA pre-season game between the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets, Clemson Tigers basketball games, the Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament on two occasions, several rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, an SEC Women's Basketball Tournament, and a 2008 Impact Wrestling pay-per-view.
Beyond sports, the Secours Wellness Arena put on concerts by the likes of the Eagles, Metallica, Janet Jackson, Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Britney Spears, Jay-Z, Tool, and Garth Brooks, to name a few key artists. In turn, it is clearly a well-regarded establishment for both sports and entertainment.