There can be long waitlists for local daycare centers. If you have kids (or plan to have kids), suggest getting on waitlists sooner rather than later.

For those interested in purchasing a home, I would highly recommend the neighborhood called Sans Souci. It's less than 10 minutes driving from both downtown and Furman; it's about 1/2 mile to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, and lots of Furman people in the neighborhood!

Are you vegan or vegetarian? I have a growing list of places I recommend, just email me.

I was unaware of a golf league at Furman until my second year on campus. All faculty and staff can participate. Please feel free to reach out to me if interested in hearing more details. This is a great way to meet many people from all areas of campus in a stress-free and fun environment.

Almost every sunday night, coffee underground hosts a great open mic put on by local spoken word artists. Coffee underground is great too!

Sully's Steamers in Downtown Greenville is a must! Exceeds expectations! Also try Tandem in Downtown Traveler's Rest for different types of crepes.

Woodruff road has several recrational options for little children ( Big Air, trampoline parks etc). There are several faulty who can direct your children to private music peachers in the area ( email me for information about our piano teacher). The YMCA has seasonal soccer and other games including access to pools.

If you need to talk to someone about school districts etc. prior to purchasing a home, feel free to email. We went through a series of options to line up the trilogy of good elem/mid/high schools which are more or less close to work.

Take advantage of the opportunity to meet your new colleagues through FDC events. Give yourself time to adjust to your new spaces, and find connections with others outside of the classroom.

I was hired as an Associate Professor; if you are coming in from other faculty positions and just want to talk to someone who may have been in a similar situation, I am happy to do so.

There are a number of newer apartment complexes that are close to downtown (Main & Stone, Link, Riverwalk, 400 Rhett, McBee station). While they do vary a bit in price, they all have practially the same amenities. We lived at Main & Stone while we shopped for a house and enjoyed being able to walk to downtown Greenville and still have a 10 minute commute to Furman.

Memorize the phone number for the Associate Dean's office. Whenever a student needs something in relation to class (not showing up, mental health, personal issues) the Dean's office will help you navigate the best way to handle the situation and put you and/or the student in touch with the right resources.

There is a free (underutilized) trolley service that runs from some neighborhoods through Downtown Greenville. While there is no schedule, there is an app called "Greenville Trolley Tracker" that shows you when to expect the trolley in your neighborhood.

Fun local sporting events: Greenville Triumph (soccer), Greenville Swamp Rabbits (hockey), Greenville Drive (baseball)

(During normal times) Every Tuesday & Thursday, there is a run group made up of faculty & staff that meets at 12:15 in front of the PAC on campus. This is run by Scott Murr in Health Sciences. Tuesdays are usually a track workout and Thursdays are usually a 5-6 mile run (2 miles warm up, 3 miles running hard, then a cool down). All levels of running welcome.

There are seasonal adult Ultimate frisbee leagues for Greenville & Spartanburg areas. There are also some club teams in the area and up in Asheville. For details, see: https://greenvilleultimate.org/

Asada has excellent tacos and fusion dishes in a low key environment (I second that White Duck is really good too!) There are many great food options

Mosby Poinsett is close to campus but not walkable. It's a silly 3 minute commute. It's on the pricier side of options and we chose it simply due to convience (an online application, the option to live in a carriage house, gym and pool) however we wish we would have shopped around a little. Pros: easy to move in, there are Furman people here, nice walking path around the complex, free coffee and very dog friendly. It's across the street from the grocery stores too and it's not impossible to walk there although you have to cross a crazy street (there is a crosswalk).

I lived in Palisades at Paris Mountain. It's nice because it's gated. Other Furman people live here, but the complex switched ownership while I was here (It used to be Enclave at Paris Mountain). Maintenance people are great, but there's definitely a difference in management. I'm actually in the processing of building at Forest Ridge right now. Thought I would be in an apartment in the long term (3 years or so), but it's actually CHEAPER to buy/build a house if you can qualify for the mortgage.

As Ashley said, meet your new colleagues through FDC and continue to go to FDC events; you'll see a lot of the same faces and those are good faces to know!

M Judson is one of the best bookstores in downtown Greenville; they have book clubs, reading events, and trivia. If that isn't enough, they also have a bakery and you get 15% off your total book purchase if you show your Furman ID. It's a great way to shop local, and they're even doing curbside/delivery options during the pandemic. I met some of my first "non-Furman" people in book club!

Recreation outside of Greenville: Asheville is a must; Pretty Place; Jump-off-rock; apple picking in Hendersonville, NC--you have to eat at the Irish pub in town; antiquing in Tryon, NC; blue ridge highway scenic drive...Some say Atlanta is a day-drive, but I'd encourage weekend trips just due to traffic.