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I have lived on the outskirts of Greenville, South Carolina for my entire life. And my love for the city has recently made me want to move right downtown to soak it all in. But since we are still on the outskirts, I have been making a point of learning more about the city I have been in and out of my whole life. As my son grows up, and especially if we move closer to the city at some point, I want him to enjoy all that Greenville has to offer.

I’d have to say that the one of the reasons Greenville is so special is because you can reach the mountains, the beach, downtown life, or fishing on the river within driving distance. And that’s especially nice when you are planning for adventures with children.

Whether you are a parent or not, here’s a list of 50 things you can do in Greenville, South Carolina (and a few of these might require driving a bit away from the city but that means a DAY TRIP, YAY). If you live in the city, perhaps this will spark a new found love for where you live. And if you travel through here soon, maybe this list will have piqued your interest.

1. Your children will love an adventure to the Greenville Zoo. Admission is free for children under 3 and $3 for children ages 3-15. Interestingly, it has been named as one of the top ten small USA Zoos.

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2. Take a stroll through beautiful Falls Park on the Reedy River and enjoy walking on the Liberty Bridge which spans over the river and gives you an amazing view of downtown life.

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3. Check out the interactive multi-themed Children’s Garden at Linky Stone Park. You can stumble upon the Fairy Tale Forest, read in the Storybook Garden, and play in the Five Senses Gardens - and more!

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4. Each March, you and your family can celebrate Irish culture in Falls Park with Return to the Green. It occurs on the Sunday prior to St. Patrick’s Day and it includes live Celtic music, bagpipes, Irish food and drink and lots of fun children’s activities.

5. During warm summer nights, you can crowd into the Peace Center Amphitheater and sway along to the Reedy River Nighttime Concert Series which is a variety of musical concerts featuring jazz, country, patriotic, rock & roll blues and reggae and also enjoy the Moonlight Classic Movie Series where you can watch your favorite classic movies under the stars. The movies are FREE and begin at sundown.

6. Stop by the outdoor art festival Art in the Park each September and browse the booths where you will learn about local artists and see amazing talent.

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7. You’ll find bluegrass musicians playing on the banks of the Reedy River every Saturday evening for Jam’n by the Reedy.

8. Let your imagination go wild at The Greenville Children’s Museum which will be opening in the Spring of 2009.

9. Catch a Greenville Drive baseball game at Fluor Field at the West End which is modeled after Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Fluor Field is host to more than the 70 Drive home games each season.

10. Visit the Greenville County Library for book discussion groups, craft-time, cultural programs and well, BOOKS.

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11. Explore downtown Greenville by finding the cute little Mice on Main. Goodnight Moon is the children’s book that the mice idea came from. Bronzed sculptures of the mice are in nine different places downtown. Here are hints if you need them.

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12. Take an afternoon to visit the Greenville County Museum, which always has the Andrew Wyeth: The Greenville Collection on display as well as the Contemporary Collection. The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11-5 and remains open until 8 on Thursday evenings. On Sundays, they are open from 1-5. Admission is always free! You can teach your children to appreciate art and ooh and ahh about the grandness of it all.

13. If you want even MORE art, then drop by the Museum & Gallery at Heritage Green to see a collection of Old Master paintings. Children under 12 are able to enter for free.

14. Enjoy the Peace Center, a performing arts center that hosts Broadway shows, symphonies, concerts, and civic events. The Peace Center Outreach Program (POP) also reaches out to 70,000 students in South Carolina each year with performances such as Flat Stanley and Junie B. Jones.

15. SC Children’s Theatre provides great shows and offers many education programs in dramatic arts as well as being home to Kindermusik of Greenville. One of their most interesting events is the Annual Character Breakfast where you can bring your kids and camera and watch as their eyes light up when they meet Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan and other characters from the productions.

16. Each Memorial Day, the Freedom Weekend Aloft festival offers family fun, concerts, and hot-air ballooning while raising money for local and regional charities. Your kids will absolutely love the balloons and YOU will love the music. And balloons. Who doesn’t like balloons, really?

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17. The Hollywild Animal Park is an interactive park where you can view and hand feed animals who have been in movies and commercials.

18. Traipse through the South Carolina Botanical Gardens at Clemson University. You’ll find woodlands, streams, ponds, nature and walking trails, gardens, and a waterfall. This is a great place for a photo shoot and picnics!

19. Show your children that science can be fun at Roper Mountain Science Center where they can learn about rocketry, kitchen chemistry, unusual pets and seashore critters. The center also has nature trails, an arboretum, a planetarium, and a butterfly garden.

20. Introduce your children to the World of Energy which is an exciting way to learn about energy in a fun and interactive environment. And who doesn’t love having their hair stand on end?

21. Welcome Spring with the Annual Pickens Azalea Festival! You can browse the arts and crafts and also enjoy the entertainment, eat great food and have fun with all of your family.

22. Spend a day at the Blue Ridge Fest which features a Beach Night show and dance along with the Upstate’s largest classic car cruise-in.

23. If you are looking for a day trip, you can head north west of Greenville and in about two hours you can be at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Dillsboro, N.C. There are a lot of different options as to what type of train excursion you’d like to take but you can be assured that you will have a blast on all of them. You and your family can also rent the caboose, bring a basket of food, and curve through the mountains with your camera and then stop at Bryson City to have a picnic by the river. And then curve back through the mountains down to Dillsboro.

24. Bring a blanket to spread on the grass as you settle in to enjoy the Upstate Shakespeare Festival at Falls Park on the Reedy. There are many plays that are performed throughout the summer. There is nothing like blowing bubbles on your child’s face as Shakespeare is performed.

25. If you head north from Greenville for about an hour and a half you can reach the Biltmore Estates in Asheville, N.C. which is America’s largest home. There are gardens to explore, a winery, and River Bend Farm where your children can discover what it was like to live and work on the estate in the 1890’s. You can take carriage rides, horseback riding, hiking tours and even stay on the estate at The Inn on Biltmore Estate.

26. Admission is FREE at the Pumpkin Festival each October in Pumpkintown. Your children will love the games, food, and fun!

27. Make sure you stop by and visit Aunt Sue’s Country Corner at Table Rock State Park. Their ice cream is famous in these parts as well as the cute gift shop where you can purchase all sorts of goodies. Make sure to say hello to the little lady who sits on the front porch and plays music. She’s a real sweetie.

28. You can attend one of the games at the Big League World Series in Easley, S.C. each summer where Little League folks are reaching for a championship.

29. The BI-LO Center in Greenville is a sprawling sports and entertainment arena and is recognized as one of the top 50 venues in the world. Children under 2 can attend FREE for most events as long as they sit on someone’s lap (you’d better put your popcorn someone else, right?). The Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey show is hosted here at least once a year.

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30. If you have any budding engineers or car enthusiasts in your family, you might be interested in touring the BMW Zentrum. Tour visitors must be at least 12 years old and can’t wear high heels. So please tell Tommy to act his age and stop wearing his sister’s shoes. ;) The tour costs $5.00 but a lower rate is available for students.

31. Fort Hill was the home of John C. Calhoun, the 7th Vice President of the United States. Clemson University occupies the the site of Calhoun’s plantation. You and your children will enjoy exploring the old plantation home and viewing the family treasures.

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32. The Pavillion is an indoor and outdoor sports complex where ice and inline skating is offered as well as table tennis, soccer, and volleyball. Children are invited to ride on George the Train around the complex and over Brushy Creek. They also offer George’s Club for children 2-6 years of age which includes a craft, a story, games, a snack, and a ride on the train.

33. “Shoeless Joe Jackson” was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball from 1908-1920. He played for three different Major League teams (Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Naps/Indians, and the Chicago White Sox) and in 1999 he ranked Number 35 on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greastest Baseball Players. You can visit the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library across from Fluor Field in the Historic West End of Greenville.

34. Each year, Greenville’s finest restaurants and musical entertainment put on a three-day show called Fall for Greenville. There is tons of food and fun as well as tent-decorating, ice-carving, and competitions.

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35. Watch your child splash and play at Discovery Island Park where fun abounds and smoothies, ice cream, and burgers add to the excitement.

36. Frankie’s Fun Park offers go-karts, miniature golf, bumper boats, amusement rides, laser tag, batting cages, and a huge arcade area. There is no fee to get inside and you simply pay as you play.

37. Let your children create their own work of art at the beautiful Color Clay Cafe. They can design and paint and the cafe will glaze and fire so that they can keep their unique treasures.

38. All during June through August, you can head over to The Happy Berry and pick a bundle of blueberries, blackberries, elderberries, grapes, and figs.

39. Take your children to the Eden Farms horse stables where they can learn to ride horses. There are mini-trail rides for the young riders (who must be at least 13 years old). Parents are welcome to walk alongside or follow your child on your own horse.

40. If you have a day to spend touring in Greenville or perhaps you live here and just want to know what on earth is this city all about - then I’d suggest taking the self-guided tour. Parts of the tour you’ll want to navigate with your car but while downtown you can walk most of the tour.

41. The Greenville Little Theatre performs shows all throughout the year. Auditions are open to anyone in the community and are held 8-10 weeks before each show. During the summer, children are also welcome to join in on the fun as they have an opportunity to learn all about productions by joining Let’s Put On a Play!

42. North east from Greenville, and about a two hour drive away, Discovery Place is a hands-on science and technology museum. The exhibits are mind-boggling and the drive is well worth it. A note: in January 2009, Discovery Place will be closing for renovations for a year. It will reopen in early 2010 with a new look. Make sure you visit soon!

43. During June through August on Friday mornings at 10am, you and your family can be led out on a nature hike at Paris Mountain where you can look for animals and their habitats in or near water. Make sure you wear shoes that can be in the water. Some of what you find might even be brought back to their lab for an up-close look under a microscope!

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44. If your kids are getting stir crazy, sign them up for sports program and cheer them on!

45. Each year, Saint George Creek Orthodox Cathedral of Greenville presents a Greek Festival. For four days, Greek music and food are filling the streets of Greenville and dancers dressed in traditional costumes perform authentic dances. Hourly tours of the cathedral are available and booths for imported jewelry, arts and crafts from Greece are set up.

46. On a hot sticky day, take a pontoon tour of Lake Lure (take note of the Dirty Dancing Cover where scenes from the movie were filmed) which is an hour’s drive from Greenville. Feed the mallards or visit the Water Works where your children will want to play for hours.

47. Gymboree offers many different programs for young kids (from infants to 5 years old) and Greenville has a location where kids can learn everything about art, music, yoga, fitness, and baby signs. These are classes that you can take with your child!

48. Visit the Upstate History Museum where you can learn about regional history from the early 1700s to the present.

49. If you are adventuring one afternoon, stop by and see Campbell’s Covered Bridge. It is South Carolina’s only remaining covered bridge. It was built in 1909 and is still in good shape.

50. Step back in time as you visit the Pickens County Museum (which is in what used to be a jail) and Hagood Mill (built in 1845 and operated up until 1966). Both are FREE and while at Hagood Mill, make sure you see the 19th century cotton gin, the Mill Moonshine display and the farm exhibit.

Tags: greenville, south carolina