River Park North Walkies!

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."--Albert Einstein

Greenville is a good town if you’re  a college student, if you’re in the medical field or a police officer. If you’re an alumni who has loved her time at ECU, graduated, moved on and seen more of the world and now finds herself back in Greenville… well you make the most of it. River Park North is an unexpected oasis in this student oriented town. It is located near the airport aka in the middle of nowhere, but just in case you want a crazy night on the town it’s next to the local bingo establishment. I digress.

I found this park 1 month before I graduated from ECU in 2011 and subsequently forgot about it. I’m super glad I was reminded of it and got to spend time there recently. Since moving back, I’ve been twice with Will and Atlas and it was so worth it based solely on how happy it made our fluffy boy, not to mention us. We love hiking and Atlas was born for walkies so it was the perfect day trip that was only a 5 minute drive away from our house. 

The park isn’t in the best part of town, but it is extremely well-maintained, staffed and everyone who goes there are families. There are kayaks and paddleboat you can rent, which is absolutely going to happen when it gets warm. You can fish and go hiking on lots of different trails. The cool thing is that if you have cut fishing line they have special recycling tubes so it doesn’t get caught in the wildlife or stuck in the regular trash that ends up in the oceans. We went on a relatively warm day and walked on the long trail along the 2 lakes and through the swamp land with lots of beautiful places to take pictures. There are even playgrounds for kids and a nature center for educational purposes. 

The mosquitos get really bad if you go on the dirt paths off the main loop, which is exactly what we did. They lulled us in to a false sense of security by waiting until we were 5 minutes in to our walk on this trail to start attacking us ruthlessly and stealing our blood. At this point, Atlas was attacked by a bee that was on the ground and got stung on his paw. So while we were under siege we had to carry a 55lb upset dog. Luckily his paw didn’t swell up and he quickly forgot it ever happened. Minus the bug invasions it is the perfect place to wear out your pup!

Just in case all of that isn’t enough we ran around in a few of the fields that overlook the playground and one of the lakes. It would be the perfect place to have an off leash dog park…just saying. The next time we go we’re going to take advantage of one of the shelters with small grills installed. It’s pretty much the perfect place to spend the day if you like being outside. We’ve only been twice and had a lot of fun minus the bee sting and mosquitos, but now that it’s colder it is absolutely perfect for family shenanigans. Bring it on! 

"Just living is not enough...one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."--Hans Christian Anderson

Greenville Greenway

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better"--Albert Einstein

Greenville, NC is a large town in the middle of nowhere North Carolina. It is the home of the East Carolina Pirates and boasts a lot of school spirit and youthfulness. I attended ECU from 2007-2011 and loved my four years here. As much as I loved it, I never expected to be back, much less find a job here. There’s not much here in the way of jobs unless you’re a teacher, in the medical or criminal justice fields. I’ve discovered lots of new places and revisited old haunts. By far my absolute favorite find was a relatively new addition to the town that hadn’t existed when I lived here. What’s it called? The Greenville Greenway. 

Right now, it’s a series of paths, mostly paved, spanning throughout the town for walkers, bikers, runners, etc. It’s even dog friendly! Most of it runs by the river and, as the name would suggest, is very green and scenic. It’s my favorite part of Greenville, especially due to the fact that most of G-Vegas is either part of the college or consists of chain restaurants or just boring, old business buildings. It’s a patch of oasis in an otherwise concrete jungle. 

What’s so great about it besides the fact that it’s super green? There’s lots of places to put your kayaks or canoes in the water. Dogs and their owners get to walk along it and meet new people. It’s a much healthier, and not to mention prettier way to get around to certain parts of the town. I now bike to the grocery store, post office, and the local library. Why not? I love the exercise and being outside, plus it saves money! There are even places where I can let my dog hop around in the river and throw sticks for him. 

Speaking of dog friendly, there’s a dog park that is super well-maintained and almost everyone in town with a dog goes there to let their dogs have the time of their lives. It’s a great way to meet fellow dog lovers as well!

I love using the Greenway to run. I choose to do a 4 mile loop on the part that is right down the street from my house. There’s also a 2 mile loop for days when I’m a little more rushed. Atlas, my dog, also loves to have daily walkies on the Greenway to strut his stuff, sniff, and meet other dogs and humans. They have lots of benches along the way to look out over the water and several piers for fishing. They even have bins filled with plastic bags to ensure the pathways stay poo free. How cool is that?

For anyone of any age, the Greenville Greenway is the highlight of my time here and is sure to be a hit for anyone who enjoys being outside. I’ve never had any sort of problem on the Greenway and everyone I’ve met is always nice. What’s even better is that it never seems crowded. There’s never mobs of people, but you do see a steady flow of people without feeling like you’re losing your personal space. Most of the time I only see a few other people. It all depends on the weather!

The only downside is hurricane season. Greenville, NC is rarely affected in any major way, but every now and then, as was the case with hurricane Joaquin we suffered major flooding of the lower laying areas. The Greenway was one of those. Nothing was damaged, but it was under a little over a foot of water for about a week. I was so bummed that I couldn’t run my loop and get my daily fix of beautiful ponds, bridges, and river views in before heading to work! 

"We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts"--Williams Hazlitt