Miss the local farmer’s markets in the winter? We’ve got the scoop on Greenville’s best indoor farmers market and it’s really a lot more than a farmers market. The Toasty Farmer is no longer an Upstate secret; however, parents in the know have discovered that the family-friendly winter farmers market can be the perfect outing on a dreary winter’s day.
(more…)
Menu
Le Petit Croissant is Picnic Perfect
There is something romantic and precious about artisan-made desserts, not only do they taste good, but they make the sudden surge of calories quite worthwhile. At Le Petit Croissant, pastry chef and owner Vincent Cardonna can be seen working hard in his kitchen on a daily basis. The croissants are churned out fresh each morning accompanied by beautiful and delectable handmade chocolates and fine petit fours that beg for tea time.
Looking for more good restaurants? Here are the best restaurants in Greenville, SC.
Our visit to Le Petit Crossaint
On our first visit, we went for a classic selection and filled our Eclipse picnic basket with croissants, éclairs, raspberry tarts and quiches. Needless to say the pastries didn’t last the 2:30 pm show time and were gobbled up by kids and adults alike. We promised ourselves we’d be back.
Le Petit Croissant describes itself as a bakery making European-style pastries with a twist. Recently, after a hearty lunch downtown, we walked over to the bakery to have our dessert. My petit four was called Butterfly Cake with its changing hues, and hubby had the Raspberry dome. Once again, our sweet craving ended on a high note.
And finally, about the chocolates. Have I told you about the chocolates? Cardonna is a master chocolatier. His creations are always infused with a unique combinations of flavor. You can build your own box, pick from their seasonal choices or purchase a chocolate or raspberry syringe for that quick boost! Le Petit Croissant is also fast becoming known for its Chocolate and Macaron Workshops that are often sold out. You can sign up or form your own group of six at $65 per person. Also in the works are chocolate workshops for kids.
We are well aware that Greenville has no shortage of fabulous bakeries that make flakey croissants and unforgettable homemade pies. What makes Le Petit Croissant stand out is the purveyor’s willingness to offer something new, delightful fine desserts minus the stuffiness. It’s not a place to buy good ol’ birthday cakes in a flash. But it’s still a mom-and-pop shop, where the same baker who wakes up to churn fresh pastries is the same one who fashions whimsical chocolates for your little ones, and just might be the same person serving you. Whether it’s a craving for something sweet or savory, this little shop has given us something to look forward to on our strolls downtown at the Historic West End.
Visit Le Petit Croissant for yourself
As in any bakery, expect items to run out. Best to go there for breakfast or lunch. They open at 8 am every day except Mondays; they are closed on Mondays.
Le Petit Croissant
640 South Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601
864.520.1555
Have you visited Le Petit Croissant yet?
Mom Review: The Runway Park at Greenville Downtown Airport
If you have a kid who loves airplanes, then Runway Park near Downtown Greenville, SC is the best park ever! Please tell me you’ve been. There is a wonderful park, with swings, climbing structures, a paved trail for bike riding, and lots of different slides. But the best part is that you can watch small-engine planes take off while you play! There is also a mini golf course and family-friendly restaurant in the same parking lot. What a win!
If your kid is super duper into planes, check out Spartanburg’s Downtown Memorial Airport Park. The park has a playground and even a free splash pad!
(more…)10 Kid-Friendly Restaurant Options That Aren’t Fast Food in Greenville, SC
Have you been searching for restaurants that are a little fancier, but are kid-friendly? Greenville, SC has several that are both! If you’re looking for a nice restaurant to celebrate something special or just something a bit nicer than chicken nuggets, check out this list of the best restaurants for kids in Greenville, SC.
Dining out with kids isn’t only for intrepid parents who’ve taken their kids to dinner since birth. Parents deserve some fun and creative dining experiences that don’t involve chicken tenders! To make it a more fun and memorable experience, in addition to providing you with a few dinner suggestions (not the usual suspects), we’ve also shared some of our tips below based on our dining experiences around town.
(more…)Be Part Of A Thriller Flash Mob In Falls Park This Halloween!
Have you ever watched a viral video of a flash mob and wished you had been a part of it? Would you jump at the chance to limp through downtown Greenville in full Zombie fashion? Are you a child of the ’80s and have been dying to learn the “Thriller” dance?
If you said “YES!” to any of these questions, your opportunity is here!
Whether you want to use this as a fun couples activity or include the kids, we have the info you’ll need to participate in this flash mob event that starts rehearsals on October 3rd, 2023.
(more…)Celebrate the Best that Our Town has to Offer at Fall For Greenville
Are you looking for the best outdoor festival in Greenville? Fall For Greenville is an annual tradition and a celebration of our city that you don’t want to miss! Local mom Kristina gives us the details you need to plan a visit to this year’s annual Fall For Greenville!
The 2023 Fall for Greenville event starts October 13th, 2023, and runs through October 15th, 2023. There is also a kick-off concert on October 12th, 2023 if you’re too excited to wait!
Greenville has focused a significant amount of time and energy on making the small city a paradise for people who love to eat good food. And who doesn’t love good food?
Fall for Greenville is not only one of the region’s hottest food festivals but also one of the nation’s best fall festivals, according to Country Living. Cheers to that!
Want to check out more fall festivals? Here is our list of Fall Festivals near Greenville.
(more…)This Unique Date Amounts to a Four-Course Meal at Four Different Greenville Restaurants
Need a unique date night idea? How about a great night out with friends? Or maybe you just love good food. Today KAG contributor Kristina Hernandez is telling us about a unique tour you can take in Downtown Greenville, called At the Chef’s Table Culinary Tour. On this tour, you’ll enjoy great food, learn about the food and people who prepare it, and hear unique tidbits of Greenville’s history.
Thank you to John Nolan for providing this tour in order to allow us to share a review with you.
Just. One. More. Bite. My eyes were fighting with my full stomach as I stared down the dark chocolate tart at The Lazy Goat, the last of what amounted to a five-course meal of Table 301 restaurants in downtown Greenville. Over two hours earlier, I had met other excited participants for John Nolan’s At the Chef’s Table Culinary Tour at Soby’s on the Side, ready and willing to experience the highly-rated walking food tour.
I made it this far and just gave in, savoring just one last bite of the delicious dessert.
(more…)Don’t Miss Boo In The Zoo This October At The Zoo In Greenville, South Carolina
Looking for a family-friendly Halloween event that even the littlest spooks in your family will enjoy? Mark your calendar because the annual Boo in the Zoo in Greenville, SC is coming up, kicking off on October 18th, 2023. We’ll give you all the details and some hints on what to expect so your family will be ready to enjoy this awesome event!
Check out our complete Halloween Near Greenville, SC list of great places to trick-or-treat, Halloween events, and more!
Where to Grab a Healthy and Fast Meal in Greenville, SC
If you don’t have time for a meal in a restaurant but still want to feed your family a healthy dinner, then these healthy restaurants Greenville, SC has to offer will complete your dinner menu! Believe it or not, you can get a fast, yet healthy, meal right here in Greenville.
Local Mom Lindy put together this list of local spots for a quick and healthy meal that even your kids will like.
I recently wrote up a list of alternatives to the fast-food drive-thru’s and it was so popular that Kidding Around Greenville readers wanted a list of even more quick-service restaurants with healthier food options. So below are some of your favorite spots for a quick bite with kids (a couple of these even have a pickup window!). Note: We did not relist the places that made our first list of healthy drive-thru spots. Be sure to check that out too as almost all of the places on that list offer dine-in too.
Healthy Restaurants: Greenville, SC Quick Places for Dining In With Kids (that don’t have drive-thrus)
Asada
903 Wade Hampton Boulevard, Greenville, SC
864.770.3450
Located off Wade Hampton, Asada is an authentic Mexican joint that gets rave reviews from our community for everything from the more familiar burrito to the exotic yucca balls. Their brunch looks tempting too!
Clean Eatz
3608 Pelham Road Suite C, Greenville, SC
864.605.7999
Want something quick, super duper healthy, but also full of flavor? Then Clean Eatz is a place you HAVE to try. They have burgers, wraps, build-your-own bowls, and more. I highly recommend building your own bowl, because there are so many options to make your meal. Their Chocolate Covered Strawberry protein smoothie is the perfect amount of sweet. They even have a healthy kid’s menu, with things like pizza rolls and turkey burgers.
Farm Fresh Fast
860 South Church Street, Greenville, SC
864.518.1978
As one of the most highly recommended healthy restaurants Greenville, SC has to offer, Farm Fresh Fast is where it is at! Busy families can subscribe to a meal plan with delivery, so you’ll always know where dinner (or lunch or breakfast) is coming from. If you just need something quick one night you can call ahead to order a single meal for pick-up, or just drop by their restaurant on Church Street for a meal. You don’t have to be a subscriber to eat here. Farm Fresh Fast uses fresh, locally sourced ingredients, for farm-fresh food, fast.
We loved Farm Fresh Fast, simply because the food was quick, healthy, and tasty! Learn more in our KA review of Farm Fresh Fast.
Moe’s Southwest Grill
Multiple Locations
Ironically based out of Atlanta (aka the South EAST), Moe’s is nonetheless pretty good as far as this born and raised Southwesterner is concerned. Much like Chipotle, there are many build-your-own options, but you get unlimited chips and a free salsa bar. So not as good for dieting, but delicious! You can also get birthday freebies and welcome free queso when you sign up for their email club.
O-CHA Tea Bar
300 River Street Ste 122, Greenville, SC
864.283.6702
Though their focus is tea, their dining menu is delicious with many vegetarian options in addition to some amazing pastries. O-CHA Tea Bar is very kid-friendly – when I nursed my baby there a while back, the owner personally came over to thank me for nursing my child and let me know nursing mothers are always welcomed there.
Papi’s Tacos
300 River Street, Greenville, SC
864.373.7274
Downtown along the Reedy River, this “stationary food truck” is owned by fine dining experts at the above Lazy Goat. Kids will love the gelato and enjoy watching the geese in the Reedy River. Papi’s Tacos also has a location in Easley.
Find out why Papi’s Tacos is the place to go in Greenville when you are craving authentic Mexican tacos that are fresh in our KA review!
Sun Belly Cafe
1409 West Blue Ridge Drive, Greenville, SC
404.309.7791
Have dietary restrictions and want something vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free? Sun Belly Cafe has a menu loaded with special diet items, but they do not skimp on the flavor! They have a variety of salads and unique, protein-loaded dishes to try out. If you like spicy, they have a savory Ethiopia Stew Plate that my husband always gets when you go here and literally salivates over. This place is probably not the best for families with picky eaters because they have a more adventurous menu, but there are options on the menu for everyone.
Swamp Rabbit Cafe
205 Cedar Lane Road, Greenville, SC
864.255.3385
It’s a popular local spot, but because of its delicious selections of soups, sandwiches, salads, and most recently pizza, all made with fresh, local ingredients, Swamp Rabbit Cafe deserves a spot in the realm of healthy eating out. We just won’t mention those fantastic scones, cookies, or cinnamon rolls.
Learn why the stecca is the best and you’ll never find cleaner, locally sourced products than at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe in our KA review!
Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe
3604 Pelham Road Ste A, Greenville, SC
864.501.0450
Delicious gyros, salads, platters with chicken or lamb, and great side choices are available for dine-in or call ahead for pick-up. Taziki’s has some unique children’s meals, like chicken pitas. They also have great family to-go meal deals available.
Tropical Grille
Multiple Locations
With several locations in the area, Tropical Grille is perfect for any meal and super convenient. They have enough variety with their Cuban-themed menu to suit everyone in the family, no matter what they like, and the prices are very good for what you get.
Their sauces are also fabulous and they have lots of healthy options. Call ahead for pickup or drop-in for a quick, but delicious, dinner. They have a family option for dinner as well, which can last for a couple of meals.
A couple of the Tropical Grilled locations have drive-thrus, but the majority are dine-in or carry-out.
Yum Bai SC
Food Truck: Schedule frequently changes
This is an excellent food truck option if you are looking for healthy restaurants. Greenville, SC’s own Yum Bai SC offers fusion Asian cuisine, and their consistently parked at some pretty awesome locations and breweries. You can find out where they are going to be located through their regular Facebook posts of their upcoming schedule.
Read our KA review of Yum Bai SC to learn more about their delicious Asian cuisine and get your hands on some of those Lemongrass steaks!
As always let us know if you have any other recommendations. We love hearing from our readers!
Learn about all the delicious food that Greenville, SC has to offer in our Ultimate Guide to Restaurants in Greenville!
Here’s How You Can Get Behind the Scenes at The Greenville Zoo
Note: The Greenville Zoo is not currently offering behind-the-scenes tours. We will update this article if they begin offering the tours again.
Have you heard of Greenville Zoo’s Behind-the-Scenes Tour? KAG Contributor Anna Artz and her family attended a behind the scenes tour of the zoo. She’s written all about the experience here, so you’ll know what to expect if your bring your crew.
The Greenville Zoo is a well-loved downtown attraction in our family. Our kids will never get tired of walking around the zoo, from saying hello to the ant-eater and trying to spot the lions and leopards, to waving goodbye to the pigs and goats at the Farm section near the exit. Whenever the sun is out, a trip to the zoo is always on top of our list. ~Anna Artz, KAG Contributor
What is The Behind the Scenes Tour?
If your family loves animals as much as we do, there’s a special way to visit Greenville Zoo. The Behind The Scenes Tour of Greenville Zoo offers a rare chance to walk behind the zoo’s exhibits and visit to the zoo’s commissary. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a zookeeper? Or what the different animals at the Greenville zoo eat? Or why a giraffe’s tongue is brown? All of these questions and more can be answered by signing up for this tour.
Our family recently attended a Behind The Scenes tour of the zoo, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We learned a lot about the inner workings of a zoo and we also gained knowledge about the zoo’s wildlife conservation efforts. Below are some highlights of our visit.
The Commissary
The tour began with a warm welcome from our guide who was accompanied by a docent volunteer. We then proceeded to the zoo commissary. This part of the tour was learning about the contents and preparation of various animal’s diets. We learned that the zoo’s nutritionist feeds the animals organic vegetables and tries to get the best produce for them in the same way we shop for our own vegetables. We got a glimpse of the kitchen and the menus for each animal. We learned that some ate more frequently than others. While the alligators were known to go several months without eating, the orangutans ate four to five times a day. We were also shown the leaf-eater biscuits, a favorite giraffe snack, which was edible even to humans. We were offered a chance to taste a biscuit and my daughter gamely volunteered and ate the whole cookie! She said it tasted like grass.
The Animals
The next part of the tour was a visit to the giraffe barn. We entered from the back, where keepers would usually go. We had one of the zookeepers talk about the habits of the giraffe, and we met Autumn, a Masai giraffe, who came by to say hello. She was so close we could see her very thick eyelashes.
As we walked behind the exhibits, we observed that many of the exhibits had an area where the animals can enter and be by themselves. Needless to say, we saw the multiple gates and locks for the lion cage. The zookeepers carry lots of keys!
We then moved on to the Asian animal section. One of the zoo keepers opened the gates for us, and led us behind the leopard exhibit. As we stood next to Emerald, the leopard, we learned that these felines are very good climbers, and we were glad that their area had a steel net above. We were also reminded not to get too close to the cage since a paw could fit easily fit through the fence. We were surprised with how active the animals were. Usually, we find them sleeping in far corner of their exhibit. This time, we were in that far corner and eye to eye with a very awake Emerald.
Another set of gates were opened and we came to the last part of our tour, a visit to the two grand Sumatran orangutans, Kumar and Lana. Not only were we impressed by the size and beauty of the orangutans, we witnessed how the keepers trained the animals using sign language. The keeper showed us how they used sign language to ask the animals do things and in return, the animals received a treat.
Kumar, the male orangutan sensed a snack and approached the fence. The zoo keeper then made some signs with her hands and Kumar responded following her direction. This went on for a while, with Kumar, turning to his left, then his right, opening his mouth and so on and so forth. This gave his keeper a chance to gave Kumar a full body check-up. Not satisfied, at the end of the check-up, Kumar wasn’t quite done. He looked for more grapes, and expressed this by pushing his blanket through the fence. According to the keeper, he was trying to trade his blankie for more fruit!
The whole tour took an hour, but can be longer since the guides and the keepers are happy to answer all of your questions. It was quite a unique experience seeing the animals up-close and interacting with the keepers. Our kids left with much admiration for the zoo keepers and had lots of questions on how to become keepers themselves when they grow up. Our daughter has always talked of becoming a veterinarian. This experience showed her other interesting opportunities for kids who want to work with animals.
Tips for the Tour
- Bring a bottle of water.
- Bring a camera.
- Wear a hat or cap since the tour is mostly outdoors except for the zoo commissary.
- The tour will involve some walking and standing so wear comfortable shoes.
- Be prepared to be licked by a giraffe!
Have you been on a Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the Greenville Zoo?
- 1
- 2
- 3
- ...
- 11
- Next Page »
Greenville Guides
- Birthday Parties
- Preschools and Daycare
- Private Schools
- Greenville County Schools
- After School Care
- Summer Camps
- Things to Do Inside
- Homeschool
- Classes, Activities, and Sports
- Moving to Greenville
- Healthcare in Greenville
- Dental Care in Greenville
- Special Needs
- Baby and Maternity
- Greenville Parks
- Field Trips
- Christmas Trees
- KABOOM Awards: Greenville's Best
- U-Pick Apples and Apple Orchards