From craft beer to acupuncture and smoothie stores to Russian groceries, the newly released Volume 2 of “The Underground Guide to Spartanburg” has the lowdown on plenty of unexpected treasures and trips inside Spartanburg County.
There are more than 60 new entries in this 112-page guidebook, published this week by Spartanburg’s Hub City Press. If you’re looking for late-night music, anti-gravity yoga, oddball yard art, LGBT-friendly clubs, bike trails or Patagonia gear, this guidebook is for you. “More than 50 new businesses have come to downtown since we produced this guidebook in 2012,” said editor Joe Mullinax, who coordinated a team of more than two dozen writers who contributed entries to the book. “It was time for a major overhaul.”
The project was funded by the City of Spartanburg and the Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. There are sections on nightlife, eats, arts, outside, shopping and odds & ends. “Visitors want to go to the places locals frequent, and ‘The Underground Guide’ highlights them across the county,” said Chris Jennings, executive director of the CVB. “This publication is sometimes called the ‘unofficial visitors guide’ because it’s edgy, and guests love that. We are ecstatic to partner with Hub City Press to produce a second edition of this amazing book.”
The guide is produced for both locals and visitors, said Betsy Teter, executive director of the Hub City Writers Projects. Several colleges use it in student orientation, and businesses use it for employee recruitment. “The Underground Guide” recommends ethnic restaurants that are authentic and out of the way. It tells readers where to buy music gear, get a tattoo, rent a kayak and chow down after midnight. There are spotlights on the Deadly Dolls roller derby team, the Sparkle City Mini-Putt, the Scuba Shop, and the Northwoods Alpaca Farm, along with more than 200 others and plenty of photographs.
The book sells for $7.95 and is available at the Hub City Bookshop and other local retailers, or online at hubcity.org/underground.