'Off the Grid' Ways to Celebrate the Holidays

Greenville is fortunate to have plenty of fun, traditional activities to partake in ranging from holiday pop up shops & holiday fairs, Christmas parades and of course sitting on Santa’s lap at the mall. But alas, your friends here at Off the Grid are always looking for other ways to celebrate the holidays. We put together a short list of unique activities, cultural food favorites, and other holiday gatherings to share with you. Cheers and happy holidays Greenville!

Exclusive Photography: FishEye Studios, Greenville, SC

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Hannukah, Chanukah, Hanukah. It doesn’t matter how you spell it, it’s the Festival of Lights and it goes for eight nights. Join the Greenville Jewish community at the annual menorah lighting at Noma Square.

Ways to celebrate? Nightly menorah lighting, special prayers, and fried foods. Yep, everything from latkes (potato pancakes you can make at home or purchase from Trader Joe’s) to sufganiyot (a higher level jelly donut) which commemorates the miracle of one night of oil lasting for eight.

Well hello, Coquito.
Coquito means ‘little coconut’ in Spanish and is widely thought of as a coconut-based beverage that originated in Puerto Rico. It’s actually made in the Caribbean as well as parts of South America. The recipes are as elusive as their history and have been an important part of celebrating the holidays for many.

Where can you get some? Call or text our friends at the Rolling Cuban (864) 384-8902 to place your order. *Orders must be prepaid.

OTG Tip: If you’re 21+, it goes well with RUM

Hollywild. Starting Thanksgiving Day through January 4th, you can enjoy the ultimate experience that we still can’t believe is legal. With millions of holiday lights, you can “get your freak on” and feed animals out the window of your car. In the dark. And the cold.
If you live in the Upstate, you have to go at least once. Gates open 6pm-9pm.

NOTE: For the full experience, purchase your $10 ticket for the Deer Forest Feeding Drive which includes special animal food. For the welfare of the animals, NO OUTSIDE FOOD PLEASE!

Photo Credit: @kcred01

Tamales. A long-standing Mexican tradition that takes an entire day to make. The question is, where do you get them?

Christmas ‘especial’ tamales:
La Unica: Call (864) 269-0016 in advance to order for pick up Dec 23 & 24
Rosalinda's: Call (864) 292-7002 by Dec 20 for a variety of special flavors including one stuffed with sweet pineapple.

Traditional tamales:
Tacos and Mas: Email info@tacosandmas.com for beef, chicken, pork, and vegetable served with queso and ranchero sauce. Minimum order 10, please order two days in advance.
La Villa Mexican Grill: Maria will be making pork, chicken, and cheese. Please call (864) 307-8528 in advance for more than 10.
Maria’s Drop Inn Store: Call first to check availability (864) 242-0111
La Reata: Please call (864) 801-1088 to order.

Upstate Holiday Light Show at the Picken’s Speedway
Drive your car around the Greenville-Pickens Speedway track to see millions of multi-colored lights illuminate the sky while synced to your Christmas music on the radio. Park your car and enjoy plenty of other activities including the petting zoo, pony corral, and ice skating.

You don’t want to miss this one, open from Thanksgiving Day until December 31st. Hours: Sunday-Thursday 5:45pm–10pm and Friday- Saturday 5:45pm–11pm.

*Bring cash for concessions.

Craving more lights? Check out this fantastic list our friends at Kidding Around Greenville.

"Kwanzaa" is Swahili for "First Fruits of the Harvest"

Kwanzaa is a celebration held in the United States and in other nations of the African diaspora in the Americas and lasts a week. The celebration honors African heritage in African-American culture, culminating in a feast and gift-giving. Kwanzaa has seven core principles. Read more about it here.

The Upstate has many other cultures and holiday traditions. If you know of any, comment below. We’d love to expand this list every year.