Where can you bring the kids for an educational adventure close to home in Upstate, SC? There are so many places! From historical mill sites to battlefield hikes, nature observation, and science discoveries Greenville offers so many opportunities to get out of the books and out for a family learning adventure! Even better, many of these adventures are free or very low cost. So get out your calendar and plan some educational experiences with your kids!

Looking for more things to do in the Greenville, SC area? Start with our huge guide to things to do near Upstate, SC, and Greenville, SC.

Educational Sites and Things to Do In Greenville That You Don’t Want to Miss

See Hundreds of Raptors in the Air at Caesars Head: In the fall Caesars Head State Park is the place to be to see hundred of raptors as they migrate.

Exploring Flight: Downtown Greenville Airport Park: Watch airplanes take off and learn about the amazing science behind flight.

Butterflies at the Roper Mountain Science Center Butterfly Garden: Enjoy a morning at the butterfly garden at Roper Mountain Science Center. Learn about the butterfly life cycle. Take some photos, count the butterflies, sort them, make a chart or some artwork!

Historical Textile Mill Sites You Can Visit: Visit these textile sites to learn about the Upstate’s unique local history of textiles mills.

Watch The Trains Inbound From Charleston: Head to the Inland Port and see how cargo is moved across the country.

Explore Space! Inspire your future astronaut or engineer. Find a dark spot of the sky to hunt for the International Space Station or the Space X Satellite Train.

Birdwatch at Lake Conestee Nature Preserve: See how many different kinds of birds you can spot along the trails of Lake Conestee Nature Preserve.

Educational Venues in Greenville

Viewing the goats at Greenville Zoo — Greenville Zoo

These facilities and venues in Greenville are wonderful places for families to learn together.

Educational Sites and Things to Do Outside of Greenville

Day Trips to See Dinosaurs! Check out dinosaurs at Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville or plan a trip to one of these fabulous places to see dinos in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Hagood Mill Is A Free Historial Site In Pickens County: Check out an old grist mill, cotton gin, moonshine distillery, petroglyph site, and more at Hagood Mill.

Visit Stumphouse Tunnel for a look at a pre-Civil War tunnel intended to link Charleston, SC with cities in the Midwest by train.

Stumphouse Tunnel sign — Stumphouse Tunnel entrance

Learn about alpaca at Lucky Acres Farm.

SC Botanical Gardens: Check out a huge variety of plants, nature trails, and more at the 300 acres SC Botanical Garden. You’ll also find the Campbell Geology Museum on site. Admission is free to both the garden and the geology museum.

Battlefield Sites Near Upstate, SC

There are several battlefield sites near Greenville for you to explore.

Musgrove Mill State Historic Site: Learn about the Revolutionary War battle at Musgrove Mill State Historic Site.

Kings Mountain State Park: Hike through a Revolutionary War battlefield and living history farm.

Cowpens National Battlefield: Another Revolutionary War battle occurred nearby in Gaffney.

Bonus: If you like battlefield hikes and tours, take a day trip to Greensboro, NC to see where the Battle of Guilford Courthouse occurred. You can drive through the large battlefield and learn via signage at each stop. It was one of my family’s favorite Revolutionary War sites.