Thanks to Falls Park, the Reedy River in Greenville, S.C., has become the heart of one of the most lively small cities in the South. Once the Reedy River was seen as a boundary in this historic textile town. Now thanks to this park with gardens and a sweeping signature pedestrian bridge, it has become the heart of one of the liveliest small cities in the South. "It's one of the more beautiful urban spaces," Phillips says. Downtown now bustles with scores of restaurants, shops and a minor league baseball stadium.