Watching the planes at the airport downtown

What kid doesn’t like watching airplanes? The two kiddos and this mom (young at heart) have just found another great spot to spend time. The greater Greenville area has two airports, Greenville-Spartanburg International (GSP, located halfway between the two cities) and Greenville Downtown Airport. According to their website, the downtown airport is the busiest general aviation airport in the state, and during our visit today we saw at least twenty planes taking off, an additional dozen landing and taxiing. In the past I had noticed the pull-outs next to the airport that allow the curious to watch planes coming and going, but it was only recently that I heard about the Runway Café. It turns out the Café is located almost right in the middle of it all, and is a great place to grab a bite with friends while watching the air traffic.

We met a friend and her two boys after lunch, so we didn’t have much in the way of a meal, but I can vouch for the fried Oreos. There is a patio area for prime airplane viewing, and with temperatures in the 60s we didn’t think twice about enjoying some sun. Lauris really wanted hot chocolate, and the waitress was kind enough to bring some despite it not being listed on the menu. I had a cup of soup, and the adults enjoyed relative peace and some conversation as Mikus was asleep in the stroller and the other three busy with their crayons/watching the planes/eating/reading. Then it was into the Community Aviation Park for some running around.

The park is actually still a work in progress, and is located adjacent to the Cafe. “Phase one” is complete, meaning the taxiway has been installed and the grass planted, but most importantly, the lot is securely fenced in. Plans include aviation-themed playground equipment, a picnic area and even a 737 plane fuselage entrance-way. Despite it being a work in progress the boys had a blast, running up and down the “runways” and watching planes zooming by. I can imagine we will be frequent patrons once the park is finished.
 

Source: here

Wishing everyone a  high-flying weekend!

For more information on the Community Aviation Park and its progress, please visit the Greenville Downtown Airport’s website: http://www.greenvilledowntownairport.com/ParkProject.html