5 Exciting destinations: Road trip across the Carolinas
Summer calls for road trips. Whether you have a long weekend or a full week of free time, it’s easy to explore our adventure-filled cities in the Carolinas. From Greenville, SC to Greenville, NC, here are five stops that are meaningful to us — and exciting for you.
Just months ago, we were thrilled to spend time in this city while we joined more than 300 volunteers from area businesses and Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County to help build a home for a family at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
Experience: Explore downtown Greenville (walk or bike the Swamp Rabbit Trail, for starters) and see a show at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Check out which popular tours are coming through here.
One pillar of service close to our hearts is supporting veterans. That’s why we established our Rolling Remembrance event, a 9,000-mile relay during which U.S. military veteran company drivers carry an American flag across the country to benefit the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation, which supports military children.
Experience: Drive through Charlotte and take the time to stop at the Mecklenburg County Vietnam Veterans Memorial near Uptown. The outdoor memorial is free to visit along the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. The memorial honors local veterans through its granite panels that depict air strikes, peace talks and more.
Welcome to the home of the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which was established in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano. In 2013, Pepsi Bottling Ventures’ customers started donating their commission from custom-branded Jimmy V vending machines to support cancer research. Our campaign is ongoing.
Experience: Head downtown and visit the Cary Arts Center while you’re here. The Center features a theatre, gallery exhibitions, public art, classes and more. Check out the calendar of events, from art auctions to concerts, here.
For six consecutive years, we’ve donated funds to the Conservation Trust for North Carolina to benefit the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative, helping to conserve land along Upper Neuse River Basin streams. In doing so, we support Falls Lake, one of the reservoirs into which the basin drains. The reservoir is Raleigh’s main drinking source, plus the water supply for one of our bottling plants.
Experience: Get back in tune with nature by spending a day at Falls Lake State Recreation Area, which encompasses stretches of shoreline around the 12,000-acre reservoir. Choose from hundreds of campsites, five beaches for swimming, ample biking trails and other activities.
We relish the taste of tradition — whether in the form of an ice-cold Pepsi or a meticulously smoked (and heaping) plate of barbecue. We also cherish the barbecue events we sponsor, and how those events are able to bring communities together for amazing causes.
Experience: Make your mark on our BBQ map (you’ll see dozens of BBQ places in the Carolinas where we pour Pepsi) and stop in at B’s Barbecue in Greenville. This is where the owners are known for cooking barbecue for nothing else than to make people happy.
Can you feel it?