Greenville is located on the Atlantic coastal plain, 72 miles east of Raleigh at the intersection of Hwy 264 and US-13 and US- 11. It is home to East Carolina University where the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center houses a collection of African and African- American art. Other attractions are the East Carolina Village of Yesteryear, which consists of 19 historic buildings housing over 2,000 artifacts from early North Carolina history. River Park in North Greenville features ponds, bottomland forest, and open grassland areas.

Greenville has a municipal airport and can be reached by interstate bus service.