Travelers Rest in South Carolina got its name in the 19th century for exactly the expected reason – it served as a rest stop for cattle drovers crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains.

In 1888, the Greenville and Northern Railway's train, called the Swamp Rabbit, began operating between Greenville and River Falls, carrying passengers through Travelers Rest. It was not until the 1920s that the train was converted to freight service, but Travelers Rest prospered until the 1980s and 1990s, when South Carolina's textile mills began to close and local businesses gradually closed, leaving only a few large supermarkets and restaurants on the outskirts of town.

But then in 2009, the railroad was converted into the Swamp Rabbit Trail, a multi-use trail along the Reedy River. The trail opened in stages, but the first section was a 9-mile greenway connecting Greenville and Travelers Rest. Today, it consists of a 28-mile (and growing) network of trails that runs through downtown Greenville and Falls Park, with its 28-foot natural waterfall, while also connecting to the 400-acre Conestee Nature Preserve.

The trail has had a huge impact on the local economy. Shops and restaurants near the trail report an increase in sales of up to 85 percent. “In the first year the trail was open, about 15,000 people came [who] “We've taken advantage of it,” says Tim Todd, director of Discover Upcountry Carolina. “Now it's about half a million people a year.”

The popularity of the trail and the boom of neighboring Greenville led to the revitalization of downtown Travelers Rest. Today, it is home to the Tandem cafe-creperie combo, Swamp Rabbit Brewery, and Charlie's Southern Rustiques, a small antique shop in an old Sinclair gas station. Local restaurateurs from surrounding towns are also opening locations in Travelers Rest, including Greenville-based Chicora Alley and Community Tap.

One downtown business that predates the trail is Sunrift Adventures, the oldest outdoor store in South Carolina. Since 1980, it has been serving outdoor enthusiasts passing through on their way to the surrounding state parks, rivers and lakes. Thanks to the trail, the store now also has a thriving bike rental business.

While the paved, mostly flat Swamp Rabbit Trail attracts casual cyclists and joggers, Travelers Rest is also a destination for a different kind of cycling enthusiast. About 10 miles north of downtown is the Tuscan-inspired Hotel Domestique, a 13-room boutique hotel founded by George Hincapie, a road cyclist who housewife— or support rider — for Lance Armstrong. Hincapie had been training in the Blue Ridge Mountains to prepare for the Tour de France. Of course, the Hotel Domestique also attracts plenty of hardcore cyclists with its guided tours, Ventum bike rentals and in-house bike mechanic.

Hincapie also hired James Beard semifinalist Adam Cooke as executive chef at Hotel Domestique in 2013, and Cooke has stayed in the area ever since—now serving farm-to-table fare at the nearby Topsoil Restaurant, which he owns and operates with business partner Wendy Lynam. “When I moved here to help open the hotel, most of the [downtown] “was pretty empty,” says Cooke. “I remember wondering why. It's such a cute little town and it's in a great location. Then the town and the surrounding areas have grown like crazy in the last decade.”

He tells me about Topsoil: “It was always my dream to do something smaller. We opened this restaurant with a big focus on our own lifestyle and our own work-life balance.”

Topsoil is frequented for brunch by many Swamp Rabbit Trail users, especially cyclists who come by bike and grab a bite to eat before heading back to Greenville. The restaurant's reputation also draws foodies from Asheville, Atlanta and beyond. Despite all the acclaim, Cooke remains true to his focus on work-life balance. He keeps Topsoil open only four days a week. On one of the other days, he visits local farms and on the other two, he bikes or skateboards with his kids on the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

The success of the trail, which generates an estimated $6.7 million in tourism revenue annually, has led people to follow it in other ways. In 2015, the Doodle Trail opened, connecting the towns of Pickens and Easley in South Carolina. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, the Ecusta Trail is currently being proposed on another unused railroad line connecting Hendersonville and Brevard.

But no matter where these trails lead, it can't be said that they don't always lead back to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, the real reason why Travelers Rest is back on the map.

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