🍂 If you’re overwhelmed by all the awesome things to do during fall in the Upstate, SC, we’ve narrowed down five fall driving routes in the Carolinas that include short hikes with amazing views, spots to get coffee and lunch, pumpkin patches, and corn mazes.
Fall is an insanely busy time of year for us over at Kidding Around Greenville because we are trying to stay on top of all the best places to go in our area, visit new farms and orchards, and keep all our lists updated with events. It can be overwhelming to say the least.
But we know our readers feel like that as well because there are so many things to choose from to do with your family. Where do you even start?
Here’s what we decided to do to help you out: we have composed five routes of short hikes to amazing views with fall colors, incredible overlooks, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, places that have cider, and stops to eat and drink along the way. Some of these routes won’t take too long, only an hour or two, and for others you can add on stops to make it a longer day trip.
We wanted to give our readers a sampling of fall in different areas of the Upstate (and one route in Brevard, NC because we think it’s totally worth it) that they could do with their families when they just have no idea what to do and are overwhelmed by options.
Map of the Routes
Note: Poinsett Bridge is currently under renovation, so skip that stop on your tour.
Looking for more fall fun? Check out our HUGE Guide to Fall Near Greenville, SC.
Best Fall Driving Routes in the Carolinas
We’ve got five routes altogether, one in North Carolina and all the rest in the Upstate. All the hikes are short, and we’ll tell you about places to add on if you want a longer route.
Be sure to double-check the hours of the orchards and pumpkin patches specifically before you head out. Some are only open on weekends, and others will change their hours due to the weather, usually.
Travelers Rest Route
The Travelers Rest route encompasses places to eat in the town, plus stops at historic Campbell’s Covered Bridge and Poinsett Bridge, both of which are stunning in the fall when the leaves turn. You will also visit a cute roadside stand that sells pumpkins, has delicious apple cider, and wonky gourds. Then head back to Travelers Rest to vote on the best-looking scarecrow on Main Street, eat lunch at Whistle Stop Cafe, and then walk around the lake at nearby Furman University.
- TReehouse Cafe & Art Studio for breakfast/coffee (27 South Main Street, Travelers Rest; closed Monday-Tuesday; 8 am – 5 pm Wednesday-Sunday)
- Campbell’s Covered Bridge (171 Campbell Covered Bridge, Landrum)
- Poinsett Bridge (580 Callahan Mountain Rd, Landrum). Currently closed for renovations
- MacGregor Orchard for apple cider and pumpkins (2400 Hwy 11, Travelers Rest; Tuesday – Saturday 9 am – 6 pm; Sunday 10 am – 5 pm; closed Mondays)
- Scarecrows in Travelers Rest (downtown Travelers Rest)
- Whistle Stop Cafe for lunch (109 S Main St, Travelers Rest; open Monday-Saturday at 11 am; closed Sundays)
- Furman University lake – walk the paved trail around the lake
Pickens/Upstate Route
The Pickens/Upstate route also has some great stops for coffee and food, plus amazing overlooks and a roadside waterfall. You can skip Sassafras Mountain Overlook since it’s a little further out of the way, but definitely go to Twin Falls near there. It’s a short and easy hike with a beautiful double waterfall. You can also add on a short hike with views at Glassy Mountain at the end. We added the dinner option of Tropical Burger in Easley because it’s our favorite.
- Pumpkintown General Store for coffee (3837 Pumpkintown Hwy, Pickens, SC; Monday – Saturday 6 am – 2 pm; closed Sundays)
- Pretty Place for sunrise (100 YMCA Camp Road, Cleveland, SC – double check to make sure it’s open to the public)
- Caesars Head State Park (8155 Geer Highway, Cleveland, SC) – be sure to check out Devil’s Kitchen
- Bald Rock Preserve (280 Persimmon Ridge Road, Cleveland, SC)
- Wildcat Wayside Waterfall (Highway 11)
- Aunt Sue’s Country Corner – stop for some ice cream or a buffet meal (107 Country Creek Dr A, Pickens; open Tuesday – Sunday starting at 11 am)
- Sassafras Mountain Overlook
- Twin Falls Lower Trail – this is a short .70 mile easy round-trip hike to a big payoff of a double waterfall!
- Tropical Burger for a delicious dinner (207 NE Main St, Easley; open daily starting at 11 am)
Optional add-on: Glassy Mountain hike/short walk
Oconee County Route
Oconee County is known for its waterfalls, so we included two waterfalls for beautiful fall colors, a pre-Civil War tunnel, a lunch option, and a fun little farm that has hayrides, pumpkins, and a corn maze.
- Stumphouse Tunnel and Isaqueena Falls
- Station Cove Falls (1.6 miles round trip)
- Dimas Brothers Cafe – open 7 am – 2 pm Tuesday – Saturday, closed Sunday & Monday. Get their biscuit sandwiches.
- Little Cane Creek Farm for hayrides, pumpkins, and a corn maze (2480 SC-11, West Union, SC; open Saturdays 10 am – 9 pm and Sundays 2-7 pm; $12/ages 11+, $10/ages 4-10, free/ages 3 and under with a paying adult)
Simpsonville/Mauldin Route
We’ve included a great coffee and breakfast shop in Fountain Inn to start your day and send you over to a little waterfall with a playground, to a beloved park with boardwalks and marshes that will have some beautiful fall foliage, and end the route at a pumpkin patch.
- Steam Coffee & Cream for coffee and breakfast (113 S Main Street A, Fountain Inn; 7 am – 4 pm Monday through Friday, 8 am – 4 pm on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays)
- Cedar Park Falls (201 Cedar Falls Rd, Fountain Inn)
- Conestee Nature Preserve (840 Mauldin Road, Greenville)
- Golden Strip Pumpkin Patch (301 N Main Street, Simpsonville; open daily)
Optional Add-on: Stewart Farms in Enoree for a corn maze, pumpkin patch, animals, wagon ride, and haunted maze at night.
Brevard Route
Brevard is a bit of a drive from Greenville, but we just love that area. The town borders the beautiful Pisgah Forest, and the fall colors there are stunning. Plus, you don’t have to work hard to see amazing waterfalls!
We start you out at a local coffee roaster and suggest two waterfalls nearby, one being roadside and the other a short 1.5-mile round-trip hike. From there, you can either go up to the Blue Ridge Parkway to Frying Pan Tower or head to lunch at Rocky’s Grille & Soda Shop in downtown Brevard. Lastly, you can pick pumpkins and have cider at Packa’s Place. If you’d like to add on an apple orchard, several are in nearby Hendersonville, NC.
During weekends in October, you can head to the Silvermont Park in Brevard for Pumpkinfest in the evenings!
- Pisgah Coffee Roasters (6283 Asheville Highway, Pisgah Forest, NC; closed Sundays; 8 am – 4 pm weekdays, 9 am – 1 pm Saturdays)
- Looking Glass Falls (roadside waterfall)
- Moore Cove Falls (1.5 miles round trip)
- Add on: Frying Pan Tower (1.5 miles round trip with amazing view)
- Packa’s Place – pumpkin patch and cider (4210 Brevard Rd, Horse Shoe, NC; hours)
- Silvermont Park Pumpkin Fest– Fridays & Saturdays until the 2nd to last weekend in October
Which route will you do?
