Planning a family getaway within driving distance? Greenville, South Carolina is the perfect choice—just 3.5 hours from Knoxville!
Visit Greenville South Carolina invited us to check out all that Greenville has to offer families, and we must say it is one of the top destinations we have visited.
We stayed downtown at SpringHill Suites, which is centrally located. It allowed us to walk to food, shopping, and to explore! We loved this location, and the hotel has a beautiful courtyard, pool, lobby, and dining area. Breakfast is included which is always a plus when you are traveling with children.
Once we arrived, we walked to play Wacky Mini-Golf at Group Therapy Pub/Playground. This had to be the most interesting putt-putt course we have experienced, and for the adults you can go down the beer wall and try beers/seltzers/wine of your choosing. They also offer food and a full-bar as well as duck-pin bowling and an arcade.
We then walked to dinner at Grill Marks for some tasty burgers and fun atmosphere!
We arrived on a Friday, so the Main Street Fridays was in full swing in NOMA Square. It’s a perfect way to experience the city and also grab a sweet treat at Kilwin’s like we did.
Our most favorite thing to do was to explore Falls Park and the Reedy River. You can walk on The Liberty Bridge suspension bridge over the falls and venture through the gardens along the river.
On Saturday, we had breakfast at The Spinx Market & Eatery which is a fun grab and go eatery.
We continued on and visited the Museums at Heritage Green. We could get not get over how cool it was that the museums were all on the same campus! We have some kids that enjoy and play instruments so we first made a stop at The Sigal Music Museum where the kids enjoyed looking at all the historic pianos and other instruments.
Next, we visited the Children’s Museum of the Update. Also museums on the campus to visit are the GCMA and the Upcoming History Museum. We didn’t have enough time to hit them all up, but definitely will try the others on our next visit!
After our museum visits, we had worked up an appetite so we head over to Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack which pays homage to Nashville’s hot chicken scene. You can still get mild chicken for the kiddos if hot chicken isn’t there style, and all of our kids thoroughly enjoyed their lunch!
We then headed over to Flying Rabbit Adventures for some treetop adventure! The kids and dad all suited up for the ropes course which has a kids course, beginner, intermediate, expert, and of course zip lines to enjoy.
The Flying Rabbit is a three-story, tree-spanning obstacle course featuring 60 uniquely designed challenges, perfect for adventure seekers of all skill levels.
This was a fun way to spend the afternoon, and we highly recommend. This is also adjacent to the Swamp Rabbit Trail where you can rent bikes to ride. The Swamp Rabbit Trail Network is a 28-mile multi-use greenway for walking and biking, winding along the Reedy River, a former railroad corridor, and through city parks to link Travelers Rest with downtown Greenville, South Carolina.
The next day we were headed to Unity Park to explore Greenville’s newest 60-acre destination packed with family-friendly features. Kids can explore four innovative playgrounds, including water play areas, climbing structures, and inclusive equipment for all abilities. The park also offers two expansive green spaces perfect for picnics or outdoor games, basketball courts, and a historic baseball field honoring the legacy of Mayberry Park, originally built in 1925.
Visitors can enjoy scenic walking and biking paths that connect to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, as well as on-site amenities like restrooms, shaded seating areas, and nearby food options—including local favorites like The Commons, featuring coffee, craft beer, and casual dining just steps from the park.
Later that afternoon we enjoyed a Greenville Drive Baseball game, so we stopped at New Realm Brewing for lunch which is right next to the ball field. This has a cool vibe inside with high ceilings and was the perfect spot for us to have lunch before the game.
The Greenville Drive Baseball team is a minor league team affiliated with the Boston Red Sox. Their field is a mini replica of Fenway Park including it’s very own Green Monster. There really isn’t a bad seat in the stadium, and the plus side is most of the seats are in the shade! This game was super fun for the kids with a visit with Reedy the mascot and a surprise guest, the Easter Bunny. The game had plenty of on field contests and in the stands to keep the kids engaged. Even better the Drive won the game! Greenville has a convenient trolley that runs on game days.
We topped off the evening with dinner at Nose Dive which walked to after the game, and the next morning right next door to the hotel we enjoyed steamed bagel sandwich’s from Sully’s Steamers.
Greenville is a charming, walkable city with plenty to offer families—from fun activities and delicious dining to beautiful natural spaces and more. Make sure Greenville, SC is next on your must-visit list!
