The Holland Road Wedding Estate Is Turning Into a Private Club, and the Public's Window Runs Through the Holidays

Driving down Holland Road in Simpsonville, you pass a long wooded lot with a large mansion near the center. For years, most people got past its front door only through a wedding invitation. The property sits on 6.2 wooded acres, and the house measures 10,000 square feet. TOWN Carolina describes the design as "inspired by historic architecture." Since October, two new spots have given the public a reason to pull in on an ordinary weekday.

These openings are part of a planned change to the estate. Grand Holland is becoming a private social club. Its own website says that for a limited time, select events are open to the public "before transitioning to members-only experiences." One public café and a short calendar of November and December dates are the openings left for anyone who isn't a member.

From the Ryan Nicholas Inn to a social club

Longtime residents may remember this property by an older name. The Upstate Business Journal covered it in 2020 as the Grand Holland Estate, formerly the Ryan Nicholas Inn. At the time it ran as a bed-and-breakfast and a venue for weddings and private parties. The estate's own history page says it has hosted celebrations, dinners, social events and weddings since it opened in 2000, and it calls the current change a reimagining as a social club.

TOWN Carolina's profile names the people involved. Jon and Megan Wilburn own the estate. Restaurateurs Thomas and Angie Wirthlin are the partners behind the social-club concept. The profile describes a club built around dining, recreation and wellness, with pickleball, golf simulators, yoga, Pilates and Lagree. It also says founding memberships come with special incentives for the first 300 members.

The club's website lists the named rooms inside: The Rally House, Savannah Bar, The Reserve, Hearth Dining Room, Board Room and Poinsett Tea Room. It describes the wellness programming as planned. The Reserve is a cocktail lounge. TOWN Carolina reports that it pours Grand Holland's private-label Elijah Craig bourbon.

Much of that is meant for members. In that same TOWN profile, one venue is described as open to the public.

Camellia Cottage is the door that stays open

Camellia Cottage opened Oct. 2 at 813 Holland Road. The Greenville News roundup of new Upstate restaurants describes it as a café serving breakfast, lunch, coffee and house-made pastries "in a cozy cottage-inspired setting." The café's page describes it as part of the Grand Holland Social Club and "open to the public Tuesday through Saturday."

The menu names Methodical as its coffee "anchor partner." Alongside the coffee are pastries, bagels, salads and sandwiches, including an avocado-and-fried-egg bagel, a Palmetto Cobb salad and a lobster-and-shrimp Southern Sammy. In its first three weeks, the Greenville News says, the café had already become known for its chicken salad croissant, sweet potato cake and lobster-and-shrimp salad sandwich, and it offers several gluten-friendly options.

The basics for a first visit:

• Address: 813 Holland Road, Simpsonville
• Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday
• Seating: walk-ins welcome. Groups of five or more are asked to email ahead to arrange a table.

One section of the café's own page lists Monday hours and a no-reservations policy, which conflicts with the location details above. If you plan a Monday visit or a larger group, check with the café first.

Seven Oaks takes reservations, and the estate's events come first

Seven Oaks opened in October at 815 Holland Road. The Greenville News describes it as the more upscale, full-service option on the six-acre campus. The menu centers on steaks, seafood and oysters. Posted dishes include pork belly, beef tartare, shrimp and grits, blackened salmon, filet mignon and ribeye. The club's homepage calls it "Now Open & Welcoming Reservations." Tables are booked through the Grand Holland reservation system, with the dining room and balcony among the seating areas.

The posted weekly hours are:

The restaurant says these times are reservation windows, so last seating may come before the kitchen closes.

In the second half of October alone, Seven Oaks listed five dates closed for private events. It also held a band night on Oct. 24, a buffet-only Sunday on Oct. 25 and a Haunted Dinner on Oct. 30. The restaurant shares a building with a business that has spent more than 25 years booking celebrations. On some dates the celebration gets the room. Seven Oaks says special events and holiday schedules may affect regular dining, so check its reservation calendar before you plan around a particular night.

The public calendar has an end date built in

Camellia Cottage is the everyday way in. The events calendar has the other public openings, and it says they won't last. The events page repeats the homepage line:

"For a limited time, select upcoming events are open to the public before transitioning to members-only experiences."

The Nov. 11 afternoon tea makes it more specific. The listing calls it "one of our final public tea experiences before transitioning to member-exclusive offerings."

Here is what the calendar shows for nonmembers from now through mid-December, in date order:

1. Mahjong Open Play, Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12 and 19, 6 to 8 p.m., at Camellia Cottage. This session is for experienced players. The listing gives a $45 nonmember price that includes snacks, wine and prosecco, but it also shows tickets as not on sale yet, so check back before planning on it.
2. Beginner Mahjong, Tuesdays, Nov. 10 and Nov. 24, 6 to 8 p.m. This is a guided learn-to-play night, at the same $45 nonmember price with the same snacks, wine and prosecco.
3. Afternoon Tea, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 1 to 2:30 p.m., at the estate. The listing includes live music, tea service and sweet and savory treats, and calls it one of the final public teas.
4. Thanksgiving Buffet at Seven Oaks, Sunday, Nov. 22, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nonmember tickets are listed at $44 before fees.
5. Christmas Afternoon Tea, Dec. 3, 9 and 17, starting at noon. The listing promises holiday décor, live music, tea and sweet and savory accompaniments.

The Mahjong nights help explain why the café counts for more than its menu. The Greenville News singled out these community events as what sets Camellia Cottage apart from a typical coffee shop and makes it a gathering place. For now, a nonmember can book a beginner's weeknight game at a club's café for $45. The club's own wording makes clear that this kind of access is temporary.

How to fit Holland Road into November and December

Start with Camellia Cottage on a weekday morning. The café has the most dependable public hours on the property, and the visit costs only a coffee. If you like the setting, the dated events are worth booking soon. Each is a single sitting with set hours, and the Nov. 11 tea listing describes it as one of the last public teas.

The Nov. 11 tea and the Nov. 22 Thanksgiving buffet are the two dates most likely to suit out-of-town family. One is a midweek afternoon, and the other is a Sunday buffet the weekend before Thanksgiving. The Christmas teas on Dec. 3, 9 and 17 can serve as a holiday outing that doesn't require a downtown parking spot.

For dinner, reserve Seven Oaks through the Grand Holland system and check the date against the restaurant's posted exceptions. In October those exceptions included several nights closed for private events.

Whatever the club becomes for members, the café's location page currently lists it as open to the public, Tuesday through Saturday.

If you have questions about what's changing on Holland Road or near your part of town, Jason Boozer is always glad to talk it through. Let's connect.