Guide to the Spring in the Upstate 2021…
It’s that time of year when we spring forward and savor the daylight. After the Great Quarantine of 2020, Spring this year is so much brighter. Time to get up and get out Greenville! (Safely and respectfully, of course).
Families in search of free fun don’t have to look far for entertainment.
Keep your house cats at home because Main Street in Downtown Greenville is more than retail and restaurants (though there’s plenty of that). 9 small bronze mice hide along both sides of the street. Go online or stop by the Visitors Center (located in City Hall) and pick up a map of clues for Mice on Main. It may seem like an easy scavenger hunt, but you will need help finding the little rodents. Our kids have found the mice several times and still ask to “play” when we are in town. The Downtown Greenville trolley is up and running, making navigating Main easier. Signs are posted at all stops and there’s even an app so you can know the trolley’s TWENTY. It’s FREE!
After checking off the hunt, head up North Main to McPherson Park. Newly renovated tennis and basketball courts beckon sports enthusiasts while the totally refurbished putt-putt course challenges those not quite so energetic. It’s FREE, but remember to bring your own clubs and balls. Even if you don’t play putt-putt or tennis, the park has plenty of shade, picnic shelters, and clean bathrooms.
The infamous Swamp Rabbit Trail offers miles of paved path for joggers, bikers and strollers (both baby and senior). Bike Share has returned to the City of Greenville! You will find the racks scattered throughout downtown. Check out their website for a list of user “dos and don’ts!”
The Swamp Rabbit Cafe is a must stop spot. It’s a perfect launch for hikes or bikes, offering food, picnic tables, groceries and even a play area for the littles. Fields South often “pops up” at the cafe and other venues ushering in colorful (and sweet smelling) signs of spring! Buy ready-made bouquets or build your own with a little help from the experts. You can keep up with their whereabouts on Instagram.
The Upstate is a paradise for picnic lovers. Downtown’s Falls Park offers more places to spread a blanket than we can name. Benches and swings are sprinkled throughout the park, offering shade when you need it and sun when you don’t. Add the Cancer Survivor’s Park and Linky Stone Park to your list of spots to “cop a squat” (if this means nothing to you, it’s time to watch Pretty Woman). Runway Park is one of our favorites. There’s a playground for all ages encircled by a paved path perfect for toys with wheels. Shaded picnic tables are excellent sites for watching planes landing/lifting off – great entertainment for tuckered toddlers, and their moms.
Ten of the forty-seven South Carolina State Parks are just a short drive from Greenville. For a small fee, these sites are full of outdoor activities for children (and adults) of ALL ages. We think the Park Passport is the best deal!
Spring welcomes many of the crowd pleasers to town. Hockey is back at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The Swamp Rabbit’s season runs through June 4th. Fluor Field comes alive on May 4th for the Drive’s Opening Day.
Greenville’s highly acclaimed Artisphere fills Main from the intersection of River and Augusta Streets to Fluor Field with displays ranging from jewelry to digital art and everything in-between. Mark your calendars now for May 7-9. You definitely don’t want to miss the 17th Annual Artisphere. Don’t worry, things will look a little different this year in light of COVID – they plan to keep things “safe, small and socially distant.”
Raise your hand if you’ve missed our friends at the Peace Center. Well, dust off the ole stadium chairs because Greenville Heritage Sound Check is back! Sponsored by Pepsi Zero Sugar, the Reedy River will be rockin’ and rollin’ (I guess it’s always rollin’) every Wednesday, April through September. Although we’re ecstatic they’re going live once again, (the concert was virtual last year), you will notice significant changes. Friends and family will feel safe in T-Mobile’s Safe Space Pod. Each pod costs $10 and includes admission for up to four guests. Admission is via pod purchase only. Online reservations are strongly encouraged. If available, pods will be sold at the door, but I get the feeling we shouldn’t count on that! Tickets are non-refundable and can be purchased the Thursday prior to the event. In case I missed something, you can find all the details on their website.
Go ahead and add the CCNB Amphitheater in Simpsonville to your spring/summer bucket list. Their list of events continue to grow! Click here for all the details.
Listing all the things that make Greenville special in Spring is an impossible task. What have we missed? Shoot us an email at info@greenville360.com or comment below, we’d love to hear from you! Lastly, you can also check out our events calendar here.