1. You’ll Be Donning An Eyepatch And A Pegleg Before You Know It
East Carolina University is a massive part of the Greenville culture—particularly its sports teams, which recently moved to the AAC division. If you're not cheering for the ECU Pirates, you're in the wrong place.
2. But This Pirate Festival Be Not About Sports. Arrrgh!
Greenville's annual PirateFest isn't just celebrating the ECU sports teams, but the real swashbuckling thing. The town has a history steeped in famous pirates, including the nefarious Blackbeard, and this festival is all about paying homage to the peg leg and parrot culture.
3. Greenvillians All Have Freeboot Fridays Marked On Their Calendars
Your autumn weekend plans are already booked up. Every Friday in the fall before a Pirates football home game is "Freeboot Fridays," a huge pep rally with beer and wine, food, and live music.
4. The Kids In Greenville Will Teach You The Meaning Of Little League And Then Some
It's not just Pirates spirit that has captured Greenville, the town also has a tradition of Little League Baseball. There are two leagues in the town, North State and Tar Heel, and a team from Greenville has even made it all the way to the semi-finals of the Little League World Series.
5. Barbecue Does Not (I Repeat: Does Not) Equal A Cookout
In Greenville, a cookout usually involves a grill and some burgers and hot dogs. But barbecue, that's an art form. To see it in all its glory, check out local hotspots B's Barbecue and RJ's Famous Chicken and BBQ.
6. Greenville Has More Respect Than Aretha Franklin When It Comes To Their Local Artists
The Greenville Museum of Art focuses its permanent collection on notable North Carolina-native artists as a platform to showcase their works. It features rotating visiting collections, mostly from American landscape artists.
7. Downtown Greenville Hosts One Seriously Epic Halloween Party
If you love Halloween, it'd be hard to find a better place to be on October 31 than downtown Greenville. The area hosts a massive annual street party complete with live music and amazing costumes.
8. The Rumors Are True: College Kids Like Bars
You can probably thank the large influx of college students every year for the proliferations of great upscale and dive bars downtown, particularly some favorites like Christy's Euro Pub and Tie Breakers Sports Bar and Grill.
9. But With Students Also Comes A Heck Of A Lot Of Talent
But college students don't just bring tasty beer, they bring a huge amount of local culture and arts. East Carolina University offers locals concerts, dance programs, theatre, film, lectures, and so many other great events city-wide.
10. BMXers Are Tearing This City Up
Extreme sports fans and participants take note: Greenville is the place to be. Greenville is known as "BMX Pro Town USA" and its hosts many BMX events throughout the year for both pros and amateurs, including the annual BMX Fest, at venues like Extreme Park.
11. The Umbrella Market Offers Fresh Food Rain Or Shine
If weekends are for football, Wednesdays in Uptown Greenville are for the Umbrella Market. Under the protection of, yes, umbrellas and tents, local artisans and growers offer fresh produce, locally baked breads, brews and wines, crafts, and so much more at one of the best farmers markets in the state.
12. Greenville's ECU Is All About The Heart, Literally
If you thought ECU was all about sports, think again; it's just as well known for bioscience breakthroughs and robotic heart surgeries. The college's Brody School of Medicine uses Vidant Medical Center as its teaching hospital, and it was ranked 10th in the entire country for primary care. More: the first robotic heart valve surgery ever was performed here.
13. Smell That Delightfully Awesome Aroma? That's Magnolia Trees
Locals can probably smell the aromatic magnolia trees in their sleep, or maybe they can’t because they’re immune from smelling them so much. Greenville is chock full of these gorgeous trees, and they make the perfect picnicking spot.
14. Raise The Red Curtain For Greenville Theater
Recently, theatre has been making a major impact in Greenville, with local groups sprouting up and catching attention, such as the Greenville Theater Project and the Magnolia Arts Center. As always, you can't forget about ECU students who draw crowds with their SWASH Improv group.
15. Greenville Locals Love The Limelight
America's sweetheart Sandra Bullock went to college at ECU in Greenville, and so did Kevin Williamson, who made little shows and movies called “Dawson's Creek,” “The Vampire Diaries,” and “Scream.”
16. What's Better Than Ice Cream? Homemade Ice Cream, Obviously
The Scullery in Greenville has a little fun with its ice cream—as everyone should. Not only does the local favorite make ice cream inhouse, it has totally wacky and delicious flavors, like maple syrup and waffles, lavender chocolate chip, and candy corn.
17. Here, Girls Show Up The Boys Like Crazy
Sure, Greenville is known for its Little League, but its all-female Pitt-Greenville softball teams are no slouches. The Babe Ruth squads have won several World Series titles in recent years, and made it all the way to the World Series this year, too.
18. Hello, World. This Is Greenville
Once upon a time, Greenville's 19-mile triangle of radio transmitting antenna "farms" was the largest in the whole world, but today it’s the location of the “Voice of America” shortwave broadcasts and home to the federal government's International Broadcasting Bureau. Radio is alive and well in Greenville, ladies and gents.
19. Greenville Has Divers Seeing Gold
Both the Pirates men's and women's diving teams were coached by none other than Mark Lenzi, Olympic gold medalist, before he passed away in 2012.
20. Greenvillians Will Survive The Zombie Apocalypse Purely Because They Can Run Like Fiends
Residents of Greenville are an active bunch. The town hosts two major running groups: The Greenville Organization of Runners, or GoRun, and the Greenville Running Group. Not into running? Cyclists also have a major presence.
21. Do You Prefer Your Entertainment Inside Or Out? Greenville’s Got You Covered Either Way
If you're the former, there's always the massive Greenville Convention Center, a popular spot for weddings and other big events. But, particularly in the mild spring, hot summer, or just-into-autumn days, the best entertainment is at Greenville Toyota Amphitheater & Town Common, where you can enjoy the show and the scenery.
22. You've Never Had A Bloody Mary Like This
You think you've had a big Bloody Mary at brunch? Just look at Starlight Café's version, and rethink all of your other choices. It comes with a snow crab leg, shrimp, and an entire cheeseburger slider.
23. Summertime Sundays Are Spent In The Park
Locals already have Fridays and Wednesdays booked, but Sunday in the Park will capture another day of Greenville's attention. The weekly summertime concert gathers everyone at the Town Common for a day of live music and dancing for one last hurrah before work begins on Monday.
24. If Your Local Hangout Doesn’t Have Cupcakes, Beer, And Awesome Entertainment, It’s No Tipsy Teapot
The Tipsy Teapot isn't your ordinary entertainment space. First of all, it's a tea house—but it also serves beer and, again, delicious cupcakes. Plus, it hosts concerts, comedy acts, and other performances, so basically it's a triple threat.
25. River Park North Is Where You Can Be One With Nature
Home to the Walter L. Stasavich Science and Nature Center, River Park North is one stunning place to be. Hop in a paddle boat, touch the turtles up close, and learn all about the environment around you when you visit.
26. Greenvillians Are The Champions Of Pigging Out
Every spring, a huge event hits Greenville, the Great Pirate Purple/Gold Pigskin Pig-out Party. For ECU's spring football game, the town goes all out with rides, entertainment, live music, and the piece de resistance: a pig-cooking contest.
27. A Christmas Event For Charity Is The Best Kind Of Christmas Event
Everyone turns into a little kid at the sight of one beautifully decorated Christmas tree, so imagine what 100 looks like. The Festival of Trees annual event is sponsored by Greenville businesses and groups to raise money for the Family Support Network of Eastern North Carolina—but really, everyone benefits.
Featured Image Source: ECUPirates.com via Facebook
What do you love about living in Greenville? Tell us in the comments below! 
