Heritage Green: Visit Greenville's arts and cultural complex, located a few blocks from downtown and home to the three art museums, The Children's Museum, a classical theater company and the Hughes Library.

Museums and Galleries: Find a comprehensive listing of Greenville's area museums and galleries, from African-American history to baseball legend Shoeless Joe Jackson to Riverwalk, a gathering place for local artists' collections.

The Greenville Zoo: Home to the endangered Bornean orangutan and Amur leopard, the Greenville Zoo is recognized as one of the finest smaller zoos in the nation.

Greenville Parks and Recreation: The City abounds with recreational opportunities for you and your family. Go here to find out more!

Arts and Entertainment

From live music to performance to area nightlife, Greenville can fill your days and nights with excitement. Check the locations below for more information.

Outdoor Entertainment: From April through October, Greenville is alive with entertainment at a variety of outdoor venues.

Greenville Drive Baseball: This Red Sox affiliated team plays at Fluor Field in Greenville's West End.

Greenville Road Warriors Hockey: This East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) team is affiliated with the NHL's New York Rangers and the AHL's Connecticut Whale. Games are played at the BI-LO Center.

Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC): MAC supports the arts in Greenville via grants, its cultural planning process, marketing and advocacy. They also maintain a comprehensive listing of more than 500 area visual artists.

Kids: Go here to find fun, family-friendly activities in the City of Greenville.

The TD Convention Center:  This state-of-the art conference center and exhibition hall accommodates groups from 25 to 25,000, just minutes from downtown Greenville.

The BI-LO Center:  This state-of-the-art 15,000 seat sports and entertainment arena is located in downtown Greenville, and has been consistently recognized as one of the top entertainment venues in the United States.

Artisphere: Held annually in downtown Greenville, this celebration of the arts draws thousands to the city.

Fall for Greenville:  Held annually every October, this celebration of food offers visitors a true "Taste of Our Town."

Performing Arts: Greenville is home to a wide variety of performance, theater and dance organizations. Go here for a comprehensive listing.

Upstate Visual Arts:  This organization of Upstate artists hosts exhibitions and exhibits for the public and conducts education and professional workshops for its members.

Calendar of Events: View a listing of all city-sponsored special events.

Shopping and Dining

From downtown to Woodruff Road and beyond, Greenville is home to hundreds of restaurants and thousands of shops. Here's some links to get you started.

Shopping and Dining Districts: Whether you find yourself downtown, on Augusta Road or at Haywood Mall, Greenville has it all when it comes to shopping and dining locales. Read this quick guide to the city's shopping neighborhoods.

Convention and Visitor's Bureau Shopping Guide: The CVB guide to Greenville-area shopping opportunities. This searchable guide allows users to browse by shop name or subject.

Convention and Visitor's Bureau Dining Guide: The CVB searchable dining guide is an indispensible resource for area restaurants.

Downtown

Greenville's downtown is unique in the region. A successful 30-year redevelopment process has created a vibrant, thriving downtown - filled with shops, restaurants and attractive green spaces. Learn more by visiting the links below:

The Downtown Trolley: Operated by the City, enjoy free transportation throughout downtown.
2009 Downtown Visitors Guide: Download the annual guide to downtown.

The Children's Garden: This interactive multi-themed garden designed to enrich children's intelligence, creativity and well-being through exploration and discovery is located at Linky Stone Park, a 1.7-acre greenspace along the Reedy River, between downtown Greenville and the revitalized West End.
 

Historic Districts: Walk through history with this guide to Greenville's seven historic districts.

 Downtown Event Road Closures: Stay on top of traffic with this listing of street closures for downtown special events.

Wireless Downtown: Find free wifi connections are located throughout downtown Greenville.

Calendar of Events: View a listing of all city-sponsored special events.

Maps: Find useful maps of downtown, parks, council districts and much more.

Free Things to Do

Having fun in Greenville doesn't have to be expensive. The city regularly hosts free events, and there are many ongoing activities from which to choose.

Mice on Main: Hidden downtown are nine bronze mice for you to find! Start at the Hyatt Plaza, and use the hints for a fun afternoon in downtown Greenville. Get the Mice Hints to enjoy a fun, family afternoon in downtown Greenville.

Art in Public Places: Take a walking or scenic driving tour through the City of Greenville and discover a diverse collection of artwork. The City's Art in Public Places guide provides a great resource for discovering the unique artwork that has complemented the city's continued growth. Each tour provides scenic maps of the city, photographs of all the city's artwork and detailed descriptions and historical information.

Upstate SC - Downtown fun

Whether for a leisurely walk next to the Reedy River falls or a night of music and fast-paced entertainment, Downtown Greenville is the place in the Upstate to go for fun just about any day of the week. Of course, there are those special times during the year when the whole City turns out for a party, as happens with the Artisphere Festival and Fall for Greenville, which attract hundreds of thousands to Downtown for entertainment, food, and fun.

BI-LO Center

The Bi-Lo Center is a 17,000-seat arena facility that was completed in September 1998. The BI-LO Center brings more than 1 million visitors directly into Downtown Greenville each year. Indoor football, college basketball, and an assortment of concerts and family entertainment events take place annually at the BI-LO Center.

The Peace Center

This state-of-the-art Peace Center for the Performing Arts combines four performing arts venues, ranging from the 2,100 seat Peace Concert Hall to the more intimate Gunter Theatre. Past performances include Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, and Legally Blonde.

The Greenville Zoo

Greenville's award winning zoo, located a few blocks from Downtown, is a 14-acre park with more than 300 specimens of exotic animals, including Joy the elephant and Dirty Harry, an 8-foot boa constrictor. A $2 million expansion was recently completed to house giraffes and other exhibits.

This family destination is rated one of South Carolina's top 20 visitor attractions by the South Carolina Parks Recreation and Tourism Department and is the only site in the Upstate to achieve this distinction.

Heritage Green

Home to the Greenville County Library, the Greenvile County Art Museum, the Upcountry History Museum and the Greenville Little Theatre, Heritage Green is the cultural hub of downtown.

Festivals and Events

Annual events such as Fall for Greenville bring thousands of people to Downtown Greenville each year by showcasing the artistic and culinary talents of the City. Summers in Downtown are special times with numerous outdoor events scheduled weekly from May through October.
 

Carriage Rides

Two carriage services operate in downtown, offering horse-drawn carriage rides throughout the year. These 20- to 30-minutes tours are a great way to view the downtown. Rides depart from the Westin Poinsett Hotel, Main at Broad intersection, Falls Park, and Piazza Bergamo area, on weekends and holidays (weather permitting).

Downtown Parks

Falls Park on the Reedy weaves through the heart of Downtown and encompasses Reedy River Flls. The park includes public gardens and a magnificent pedestrian footbridge over the falls.

Cleveland Park is directly east of Downtown and is connected to Reedy River Park via bike and walking trails. This is the City's largest park, with complete playground, sports facilities and the zoo.

McPherson Park, located off North Main on Park Avenue, is one of the City's oldest parks. It offers tennis, miniature golf and a country store operated by Senior Citizens of Greenville.

Several small parks and plazas are featured along Main Street Downtown, with the Piazza Bergamo and Court Square as centerpieces of the area.
More information on Greenville Parks

shopping and dining

Greenville is Upstate, South Carolina’s "shopping center." You’ll find a wide range of shopping opportunities ranging from national retailers to antique stores, to high-quality specialty boutiques to factory outlet stores. All are only minutes away from Greenville’s hotels, performing venues and community attractions. If a good meal is what you're shopping for, you can choose from an impressive variety of restaurants ranging from local cuisine favorites to popular national chains.

Downtown

How many cities can boast a Downtown with over 90 restaurants and a unique collection of galleries and shops within a comfortable 15-minute walk? Greenville can! Downtown Greenville has become a favorite destination for Upstate diners and shoppers who want to experience a unique variety of dining experiences unmatched in the region.

Downtown restaurants offer a variety of dining choices catering to every taste and price range. With over 90 restaurants, the choices Downtown offer tempting menu items for visitors and residents alike. Virtually all of the restaurants are locally owned one-of-a-kind eateries ranging in cuisine from Dutch to Thai, Italian to Greek.
More information on Greenville Dining

A Shopper's Advantage

Art galleries, boutiques, and an assortment of specialty shops, most of which are locally owned and operated, offer choices that cannot be found elsewhere. Renewed interest in Downtown shopping has created increased demand for Downtown retail establishments.
 

Downtown Atmosphere

With wide sidewalks, outdoor plazas, and streetside outdoor dining opportunities, Downtown Greenville offers a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere that has been compared to that of a European city. Truly, shopping and dining in Greenville are pleasurable experiences. One of dowtown's biggest attractions is Falls Park on the Reedy, featuring two sets of waterfalls. Located in the West End area and adjacent to the Peace Center and the new Governor's School, the Park also has miles of walking and bicycle trails that follow the river along our Downtown greenway.

Parking

Currently there are over 7,000 City owned and operated spaces available. All of these spaces are available to the public.

A first-class validation program allows downtown merchants to provide free or discounted garage parking to their customers. All 782 on-street parking spaces are FREE for downtown customers - no meters, no tokens. These spaces provide downtown visitors with ample one and two hours worth of convenient curbside parking.
More information on downtown parking

The Customers

During the day, the central business district is home to over 17,000 employees and has become an evening destination for the area, attracting residents and visitors every night of the week.

Special events and activities such as Piedmont Natural Gas Downtown Alive, St. Francis Fall For Greenville, BB&T Main Street Fridays, Gallery Tours, and many others are attracting more and more visitors each year.
 

Shops at Greenridge

Shops at Greenridge is a $64 million retail development along Woodruff Road that features a number of local and chain retailers, including Ann Taylor Loft, Lowe’s, Marshalls, PetSmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Swoozie’s, Foxfire, Ulta Salon and Cosmetics, Talbots, Barnes & Noble, Off Broadway Shoes, and J. Jill. Greenridge was developed by Charlotte-based Crosland Development. Restaurants include Panera Bread, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Salsarita’s, Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, Red Robin, Mimi’s Café, and Long Horn Steakhouse.

Augusta Road

Augusta Street, or Augusta Road as it is referred to locally, is located less than a mile from Greenville’s central business district. This shopping district is home to a large variety of high-end specialty shops. Fine clothing stores, flower shops, health food markets and decorating resource centers can be found near old-fashioned hardware stores and a wide range of restaurants.

The Augusta Road Business Association (ARBA) is a coalition of businesses established to work together for the betterment and the economic development of the Augusta Road corridor. ARBA currently has over 70 members and holds monthly Board meetings. Membership is open to any business having an interest in Augusta Road. You can visit the Augusta Road Business Association web site at www.onlyonaugusta.com.

The City of Greenville has partnered with the Augusta Road Business Association(ARBA) to facilitate a long term improvement plan for the area. The improvement project is an ongoing process that relies heavily on the active participation of local businesses. Public improvements included the removal and replacement of utility poles, the installation of mast arms at intersections to define the character of the area, and additional landscaping.
 

Haywood Road Area

Haywood Road is one of the City’s most vibrant commercial corridors and is composed of a mix of residential, restaurants, retail, and office developments. The area is a regional shopping destination where you can find merchants of every description, including nationally-known furniture, jewelry and home improvement stores, as well as clothing outlets and a host of specialty retailers. Haywood Road is also home to Haywood Mall, one of the Upstate’s largest regional malls, which includes over 150 specialty shops, and five major department stores: Belk, Dillards, Macy’s, JCPenny, and Sears.

The area also has a variety of hotels, such as the Hilton, Courtyard by Marriott, and Hyatt Place.

West End Market and Historic District

The West End Historic District, known as the arts and entertainment center of the city, is anchored by the West End Market and Falls Park on the Reedy. While visiting the West End , you can browse through the shops in the West End Market and surrounding streets, dine in one of the area's unique restaurants, enjoy a theater performance, or view the progress of the construction of a world-class pedestrian bridge across the Reedy River falls.