The new issue of Destination Downtown is out, and I encourage you to pick up a copy. You'll find it at at many businesses throughout downtown.

This month, we feature some really great things happening in downtown Greenville, including:

• Moonlight Movies
• Euphoria (yum!)
• Cool places for ice cream
• Greenville Zoo
• Fall for Greenville

There are other things to do as well, of course, and our Top Picks tells all. The Must Do and Guilty Pleasure are back as well.

Rich and vibrant

We are all very lucky to live in a community with such a rich, vibrant downtown. When I moved to Greenville in the early 1980s, downtown was just starting to retrench after the 1970s, a time when many businesses headed to suburban malls and shopping centers.

Many of those suburban centers are little more than memories today, but Greenville’s downtown has continued to grow and thrive. Our eclectic shops, high-end restaurants and natural attractions bring people downtown, and once here, they often find many other things to do beyond their original destination.

Like many people, I love to come downtown to eat. And, for many of us, dining has become an evening’s destination. Fine dining in downtown Greenville? My choices are endless. OK, maybe not endless, but darn close.

Often, however, I’m with friends who can’t really agree on what they want to eat. Seafood? Beef? Continental? Sushi? It may sound like a problem, but it’s not. In fact, it makes for a great evening. We walk, we talk, we explore downtown — and we graze.

One night, we might enjoy a drink and appetizer at High Cotton, head to Rick Erwin’s for dinner and then drop by Coffee Underground for dessert. Another evening might start off at Northampton Wines and end up at The Lazy Goat. And, if we still want a drink or snack, there might be a late-night visit to The Trappe Door. Along our journey, we can do a little window-shopping, too.

Thankfully, all the walking helps burn off some of these calories. For food fans like us, there’s no better way to spend a night on the town. If you haven’t explored all the new (and old) offerings recently, what are you waiting for? If you can’t decide where to go, try my walk, talk and graze approach. I think you’ll have a lot of fun.

Fall is here and the weather is perfect for a stroll downtown. It’s time to grab your friends, bring your appetite and see what our downtown has to offer!

— Pete Martin