Greenville, SC, is a great place to visit with so many free, fun and family-friendly things to do. Our tree-lined downtown is filled with boutiques, nightspots, unique coffee houses and a myriad of restaurants offering just about every kind of cuisine imaginable. The Reedy River runs through downtown and Falls Park, a 32-acre green space with a breath-taking cantilever walking bridge.
For more outdoors, hike or bike the 20-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail, a multi-use greenway running from downtown all the way to Travelers Rest. Paris Mountain and the Pisgah Forest are both just a short drive away. And don’t miss our own “Green Monster” (a Fenway Park lookalike) while pulling for our hometown baseball team, the Greenville Drive!
If you prefer the great indoors, check out our museums for kids, art lovers, baseball fans, history fanatics, car enthusiasts and more. There are multiple theater companies, dance companies, and the Peace Center, showcasing everything from Broadway shows to the hottest touring bands. Prefer more music? We have our own world-class Symphony, local classical music, and lots of nighttime venues for jazz, rock, blues and good old southern music – not to leave out comedy!
Greenville, SC is located halfway between Atlanta, GA and Charlotte, NC along I-85 and is nestled below the Appalachian Mountains just south of Asheville NC – less than four hours from the ocean and Charleston, SC.
For more information about our beautiful, people-friendly city:
The Historic Westin Poinsett Hotel is located in the heart of downtown Greenville, across from Falls Park and walking distance of some from the finest restaurants in the South.
Amelia Earhart dined there. It was Earhart who suggested the roof top sign you can still see today to advertise the hotel to flights coming into the Greenville Downtown Airport. You may also, by chance, ride an elevator with some of the historic figures performing at the September Chautauqua Festival.
Free Things to Do in Greenville
- Falls Park – right in downtown Greenville is a beautiful 32 acre green space with gardens, performance amphitheater and a cantilevered bridge that looks like it floats above ground. “Wings of the Century,” an international traveling-exhibit of renown international sculptor Jorge Marin is mounted throughout Falls Park April – October 2021. wingsofgvl.com/
- Swamp Rabbit Trail – a 20-mile multi-use greenway system for bikes and hikes that runs along the Reedy River connecting Greenville County. Info on Bike Rentals
- Paris Mountain State Park – a mountain just 15 minutes from downtown!
- Downtown Trolley – Free! Hop on and off any place along the route.
- Mice on Main – a fanciful downtown scavenger hunt for children of all ages.
- Self-guided walking tours
- Saturday Farmers Market – Saturdays May through Oct, 8:30am to 12:30pm on Main Street
- BWM Zentrum Museum – Mon – Fri from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library Daily from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 pm
- The SC Confederate Museum Closed Tue & Thu See website for hours
- Runway Park at Greenville Downtown Airport – educational amphitheater, exercise “Perimeter Taxiway,” walking “runways” as well as aviation themed playground equipment and picnic area and the US Military History Museum (Museum open Sat & Sun 9 – 4) – all Free!
- Greenville County Museum of Art Free. Currently closed for remodeling.
Really Cheap Things to Do in Greenville
- Upcountry History Museum $8-10 Closed Monday
- Children’s Museum Child $9, Adult $10 (must be accompanied by a child) Closed Monday
- Greenville Drive Baseball downtown Fenway Park-like stadium $8-16 April – August
- Greenville Zoo $9.00 – 12.00 Daily 9am (10am in winter) – last admission: 4:00pm
