If you are looking for family friendly brewery, Greenville and Upstate, SC have quite a few! As the Upstate’s craft beer scene continues to grow, Kidding Around has tried and tested some of these breweries and found them quite family-friendly. We decided it’s high time to give parents a guide to places where they can kick back and enjoy their brews as their littles run around on the lawn. Here’s a list of breweries and taprooms that do just that. We’ve included their Instagram account handles so you can keep up with their latest events.
(Though these places welcome families, please use parental care when inside their premises. We don’t expect all of their bathrooms to have diaper-changing tables, so come prepared.)
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.
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?
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.
Did you know you can bring the kids and visit the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery for free? The hatchery, located in Mountain Rest, SC, is responsible for stocking trout in a number of waterways and lakes in the Upstate. You’ll get a chance to see trout in various stages of their life cycle, enjoy the grounds, picnic, hike and even fish in the East Fork Chattooga River. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery.
Visiting the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery: Things to Do
We love free activities and here’s one you can do to relieve school doldrums. Only an hour and a half drive is the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery (WSFH). Located 21 miles north of Walhalla in Sumter National Forest, the hatchery is open to visitors daily.
Allow about 1.5-2 hours for your tour which consists of the Hatchery Building, walking around the outdoor fish raceway, and feeding the fish.
After your tour, make a day of it and you can picnic in the shady Chattooga Picnic Area which is adjacent to the hatchery.
There is a barrier-free fishing pier, accessible in the East Fork which runs through the hatchery grounds.
If you are not up to fishing, you can choose to hike 2.5 miles to the main Chattooga River. Pick-up a map from the Hatchery office.
Brief History of the Hatchery
One of five fish hatcheries in South Carolina, it is operated by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. WSFH raises brown, brook and rainbow trout for stocking the public waters of South Carolina. Most of the trout are cultured to a catchable size of 9-12″ before they are released.
Approximately 500,000 trout are produced and stocked annually by the WSFH. We especially enjoyed seeing the very large trout (5-15 pounds) kept at the Hatchery for public viewing.
How to tour the Hatchery
You may call ahead to arrange a guided tour, but the hatchery is open to walk-ins. Upon entering the Hatchery property, pick up a brochure or print a brochure from the hatchery website.
Hatchery Building
I suggest that you start your visit at the Hatchery building first before you visit the outdoor raceway sections. The Hatchery building has a video introduction about the site and the life cycle of a trout. Around the building are informative interpretative wall signs for your reading pleasure. Feel free to approach Hatchery employees who are used to being asked questions by curious visitors.
Inside the building, we found vats of thousands of small trout or fry (trout babies) no more than 2 inches long. Once they grow to 2 inches, they are brought outside to grow some more. Do not feed the fish fry as they are on a special diet!
Outdoor Fish Raceways and Where to Feed the Fish
Outside the Hatchery building are long fish raceways. The one with the covered shed is where the brood fish(parent fish) are stocked. Use your quarters here to purchase a fistful of fish food. The fish here are very active and kids get a kick out of all the attention they get with the fish pellets.
Note: Before going, take some quarters with you from home for fish food. These fish pellets are dispensed by machine and the only food you’re allowed to feed the fish with. After a couple of feeding rounds, we just challenged the kids to hunt around for fish pellets that fell on the ground.
Plan your own visit
Their site recommends visiting the Hatchery in the fall, as this is the best time to view the full life cycle of the trout (specifically the eggs and sac fry).
Walhalla State Fish Hatchery 198 Fish Hatchery Road Mountain Rest, SC 29664 864.638.2866 Visit the Walhalla Fish Hatchery website. Open 8 am – 4 pm daily.
Would your kids enjoy a trip to the Walhalla Fish Hatchery?
Discover more educational family fun activities
FREE Home Depot Kids Workshops (2024): Quality time with the kids
Huge Catawba Science Center is a Fun Day Trip in Hickory, NC
See Hundreds of Raptors in the Air: South Carolina Hawk Migration
Here’s How You Can Get Behind the Scenes at The Greenville Zoo
Hiking With A History Lesson: Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site
Museum & Gallery at Bob Jones University: Art History for All Ages
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?
Have you been to the Spartanburg Art Museum? The FREE local museum has an amazing variety of things to do and art to see, some of which you’ll even find on display throughout downtown Spartanburg! They offer classes for children, adults, tours, and more!
Thinking about a couples day trip somewhere near Greenville, SC? If you want to plan a dreamy day trip with your significant other this summer, we have a great list of day trip ideas for couples. We have put together a whole list of romantic day trip ideas! Whether you want to do something romantic, visit a new town, or have some adventure our list will help you plan the perfect day trip.
Entertaining the kids can become expensive so perhaps you’re looking for free things to do in Downtown Greenville, SC! Luckily for us, there are lots of free things to do in Greenville your kids will enjoy. We’ve put together a handy list of free activities to check out, including everything from museums you can visit for free and a new scavenger hunt downtown!
With spring break around the corner, Kidding Around Greenville gives you a list of fun day trips not too far from home. To make room for some unpredictable weather, we have separated the list of spring day trips into two main categories: indoor and outdoor.
To help in your trip planning, we have also listed a summary of driving times in the end. Before going, just be mindful of operation hours. Lastly, don’t forget to take photos and tag us on social media! For more Day Trip ideas see our Day Trips Near Greenville page.
Are you looking for places to zip line near Greenville? Zip-lining is a recreational activity that guarantees to wow your kids and one that they won’t stop talking about for a while. There’s something about braving those tracks and feeling a sense of accomplishment (and relief) upon completing it. Check out our list of zip-lining experiences that range from our local playgrounds, indoor gyms to farms and forest reserves.
For a safe and awesome experience, we do recommend going to an organization that follows industry safety standards and pay careful attention to staff instructions.
Playgrounds with Park-Style Zip Lines for Kids
You don’t have to go too far for your kids to have some zip-lining fun. Much of our local playgrounds feature a short track appropriate for young ones. Our writers are always on the lookout for new features parks including zip-lining in these three parks. Here’s an extensive review of the newly renovated Benson Automotive Kid’s Planet in Greer (formerly Kid’s Planet) which has multiple zip lines.
Always on-trend, first it was trampoline parks, then ninja courses and then zip lines, these adventure zones never run out of ideas to make jumping and flying in the air a true thrill. Find out more about what they have to offer by reading trampoline parks near the Upstate. If you don’t want to pay for grip socks (non-slip socks), don’t forget to bring your old pair from your last visit when going to one of these indoor parks.
Outdoor Aerial Adventures Sites With Zip Lines Near Greenville, SC
We love these new aerial parks which have you zip-lining from tree to tree outfitted in helmets, harnesses, and gloves. It’s the perfect outdoor activity for sunny days. Our thrill-seeking editors have visited a couple of these parks on the list to give you the inside scoop about these parks and places to eat nearby. Although younger children may not be able to do the steeper adventures, most of these locations have a kid’s course so they don’t miss out.
181 Barefoot Acres Way Fountain Inn | 864.484.3879 We haven’t been to Barefoot Acres but we are super curious about their kid-friendly farm programs which have gotten rave reviews from past visitors and of course we can’t wait to zip line around their farm.
821 Laurens Road, Greenville | 864.230.0191 We love the kid’s course and the larger ariel adventure course which contains 5 ziplines and lots of other elements. Check out our review of Flying Rabbit Adventures.
With multiple courses to fit a variety of ages and skill levels, Treetop quest is a good option for family fun. The attraction includes 88 obstacles, 27 zip lines, and a net trampoline. The highest zipline is 40 feet from the ground. Check out our full review of Treetop Quest. Note: Treetop is currently closed for winter. It will reopen on March 4th.
You can zipline across Lake Keowee at Upstate Zipine!
Find out everything you need to know in our review of Upstate Zipline.
Zip-lining Courses in Western North Carolina
Craving higher elevations and beautiful views? These outdoor centers will have you flying through a river gorge or an old forest and are certainly worth a day or weekend trip. Also, Lauren has some great tips on visiting the Nantahala Outdoor Center.
