Inside: Local parents share the best educational things to do in Greenville, SC, across the Upstate, and in nearby North Carolina.
Looking for educational things to do near Greenville, SC? Families in the Upstate have plenty of ways to combine learning and adventure close to home.
From historic mill sites and battlefield hikes to nature observations and scientific discoveries, Greenville offers so many opportunities to learn while having fun. So, get out of the books and out for a family learning adventure! Even better, many of these adventures are free or very low-cost.
Best Educational Fun: Who Has KABOOM?
The KABOOM Awards are Kidding Around’s annual best of contest. Readers say these are the TOP 5 Educational Places to Visit in Greenville, SC
Educational Things to Do In Greenville, SC That You Don’t Want to Miss
Book a Happy Hive Bee Co Hive experience. You’ll get to suit up like a beekeeper and get an up-close tour of the inside of a beehive. Hold a bee frame and watch the Happy Hive beekeepers do some maintenance tasks on the hive to keep the bees happy, healthy, and producing lots of yummy honey.
See Hundreds of Raptors in the Air at Caesars Head: In the fall, Caesars Head State Park is the place to be to see hundreds 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, and 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 textile mills.
Watch The Trains Inbound From Charleston: Head to the Inland Port and see how cargo is moved across the country.
Head to Model Train Station at Taylors Mill to learn about the hobby of model trains and a little about the trains that run on the tracks right behind the mill.
Explore Space! Inspire your future astronaut or engineer. Find a dark spot in the sky to hunt for the International Space Station.
You can also learn more about the universe at the planetarium during Friday Starry Nights at Roper Mountain Science Center!
Read our Kidding Around Review of Friday Starry Nights at Roper Mountain Science Center to find out all you need to know about this fun event!
Birdwatch at Lake Conestee Nature Preserve: See how many different kinds of birds you can spot along the trails of Lake Conestee Nature Preserve.
Learn about electricity and how lights stay powered on at Duke Energy’s World of Energy near Lake Keowee.
Enjoy Shakespeare for free in the summer at Falls Park with Summer Shakespeare.
Educational Venues in Greenville
These facilities and venues near Greenville are wonderful places for families to learn together.
- The Children’s Museum of the Upstate
- The Greenville Zoo
- The Upcountry History Museum
- Roper Mountain Science Center
- Greenville Museum of Art
- Greer Heritage Museum
- Spartanburg Science Museum
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.
Learn about alpaca at Lucky Acres Farm.
SC Botanical Gardens: Check out a huge variety of plants, nature trails, and more at the 300-acre SC Botanical Garden. You’ll also find the Campbell Geology Museum on site. Admission is free to both the garden and the geology museum.
Visiting Columbia? Make your trip fun and educational! Check out EdVenture, the city’s wonder-filled children’s museum. You can also check out the Woodrow Wilson Family Home before making a stop at the Riverbank Zoo or the South Carolina State Museum.
Head to Atlanta to explore black history at these historic sites and museums.
Check out our Kidding Around Review of Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC!
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. Be sure to check out Blackstock Battlefield hike while you’re there!
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.
Nearby North Carolina Educational Adventures
The Schiele Museum of Natural History offers guests a look at prehistoric creatures and living. There is a lot to see and do in Gastonia, NC where the museum is located.
Visit Anne Springs Close Greenway for nature and historical hikes, plus events, water sports, creek stomping, and more.
Western North Carolina Nature Center– Check out animals native to Western North Carolina at the WNC Nature Center.
Carolina Raptor Center– See all kinds of hawks, Eagles, owls, and more at the Carolina Raptor Center.
Carl Sandburg Home: The home of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and writer Carl Sandburg. Connemara is located in nearby Flat Rock, North Carolina.
Immerse yourself in the educational lessons found in nature at the Holmes Educational State Forest in Hendersonville, SC.
While in the Western North Carolina area, check out the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah National Forest in Brevard, NC to learn about forestry.
Educational Events Near Greenville, SC
On select school-holiday days, TCMU runs Kid’s Day Out from 9 am to 4 pm with team games, museum exploration, snack time and more, all play-based fun for kids.
Mom and Dad don’t get a break even though school does? Come play at South Carolina Children’s Theatre! This Workday Workshop is full of games and activities exploring group problem solving, character development and performing in front of an audience, and may include craft time.
Get ready for a wild adventure! This interactive animal presentation brings you face-to-face with incredible creatures while you learn fun facts about habitats and adaptations.
📍 Location: The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, 300 College St, Greenville, SC 29601
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On select school-holiday days, TCMU runs Kid’s Day Out from 9 am to 4 pm with team games, museum exploration, snack time and more, all play-based fun for kids.
Mom and Dad don’t get a break even though school does? Come play at South Carolina Children’s Theatre! This Workday Workshop is full of games and activities exploring group problem solving, character development and performing in front of an audience, and may include craft time.
Have you seen squirrels collecting nuts? The forest provides everything they need, including nuts! Play nut hide-and-seek like a squirrel and figure out what Paris Mountain’s forest mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and invertebrates are up to in November. Search for these animals too! We will be exploring near the top of the park road on the short, easy trail that connects the Additional Lot to the Brissy Ridge Trail. This program is designed for ages 5 – 12, but all ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Limit 25
Docents are on hand in front of select exhibits to share fun facts about our african painted dogs and answer your questions. Two sessions run this day: 10:30 am and 12:30 pm. Some animals may change due to weather.
Cost: Zoo admission
📍 Location: Greenville Zoo, 150 Cleveland Park Dr, Greenville, SC 29601
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Storytime is for children ages 2-5. STEM Storytime will be on the first and third Wednesday of the month in 2026. Updates will be on the Spartanburg Science Center’s Facebook or website.
https://www.spartanburgsciencecenter.org/stem-storytime/
Bring your littles to the front steps of M. Judson for our twice-weekly story time! Enjoy some wonderful picture books read aloud to the crowd by our very own booksellers, and children will even get a sweet treat to go. If you catch them on a rainy day or cold day, storytime is held inside in the children’s section toward the back of the store. Keep up with changes to the schedule here> Book Store & Coffee Shop in Downtown Greenville Check out our Review of Storytime on the Steps at M. Judson Booksellers!
In partnership with the Spartanburg Philharmonic, SCPL is proud to present Music Sandwiched In featuring Spartanburg High School Chorus. Bring your own lunch or there will be a limited number of boxed lunches available for purchase from Jason’s Deli. Doors to the Barrett Room will open at 11:45 a.m., 30 minutes before the program starts at 12:15 p.m. Tables and chairs are first come, first served. Please refrain from bringing heating equipment or hot liquids for lunch when attending.
Morning hands-on farm class for home schoolers with the sheep at Whispering Pines Farm (also known as Whispering Pines Dairy), 681 Campbell Bridge Road, Seneca, SC 29678. Parents stay with their children (not a drop-off). $10 per child; adults free. Wear closed-toe shoes and clothes that can get dirty; bring water. Tickets on Eventbrite.
Bring your kids out to meet the sheep at Whispering Pines Farm in Seneca. This Little Shepherds morning is for homeschool families, with a hands-on visit with the sheep for kids while parents stay and enjoy it right alongside them. It’s $10 per child, and adults are free. Wear closed-toe shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty, and bring water. Tickets are on Eventbrite.
Sing, move and play along! Dan Fox leads an interactive music experience with songs, storytelling and audience participation for little ones and their grown-ups.
🎟️ Cost: Included with museum admission.
Time: 10:30 and 11:30
📍 Location: The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, 300 College St, Greenville, SC 29601
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A recurring early-childhood program at the Anderson County Museum for little ones and their grown-ups.
Dates: Every Thursday at 10:30 am
📍 Location: Anderson County Museum, 202 E Greenville St, Anderson, SC 29621
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Afternoon Explorations- September 17, 2026 – May 7, 2027
Begin your visit in the Environmental Science and Sustainability Building, where you’ll find The Water Story and Sustainable Future exhibits as well as the highly popular Nature Exchange
Explore Harrison Hall of Natural Science, where you’ll discover a wide variety of plants, animals, and invertebrates in the Indoor Rain Forest and Rainforest Classroom, have the chance to pet stingrays, sea stars, and horseshoe crabs in the Marine Lab, and learn about South Carolina’s major ecosystems in the Ecology Lab
- Step back in time on the Living History Farm and discover what it was like to live in the Backcountry of 19th-century South Carolina.
- Have a larger-than-life adventure as you search for young and adult dinosaurs on our ever-popular Dinosaur Adventure Trail
- Tap into the power of imagination through creative play at the Pirate Adventure and Dinosaur Playgrounds
- Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature as you stroll through the Butterfly Garden
👉PURCHASE TICKETS HERE> Afternoon Explorations
And don’t miss our themed Special Event Days held throughout the year that include:
- October 16 – Science Magic
- November 20 – Fall on the Farm
- December 11 – Grinchy Christmas
- January 15 – Winterfest
- February 19 – Future Engineers
- March 12 – Dinosaur Adventure
- April 23 – A Pirate’s Life for Me
Click Here to Learn more about Roper Mountain Science Center and all of its fantastic programming!
Travel back in time as we learn about those fascinating, extinct creatures called dinosaurs. We will crack open dino eggs, make dino fossil impressions and more. Materials available to the first 30 participants. This activity is most suitable for the 6-12 age group.
This educational tour teaches kids all about llamas and alpacas! Children get to walk the animals through an obstacle course, take pictures, ride a tractor through the apple orchard, and learn about the many uses of camelids. Parents are free to attend.
Elementary-age students can explore Conestee Nature Preserve as young naturalists in this twice-monthly, drop-off after-school program! Through nature hikes, hands-on investigation, and playful discovery, kids will dig into a new nature topic each session. Join for one session or come throughout the semester to build on each adventure.
Time: 3–4:30 pm, 1st & 3rd Thursdays
Fall 2026 Dates & Themes
Sept. 3 – Don’t Bug Me! (Ants & Insects)
Sept. 17 – Rolling Down the Reedy (The Reedy River)
Oct. 1 – Bye, Bye Blackbird! (Birds & Migration)
Oct. 15 – Treerific! (Trees & the Environment)
Nov. 5 – Doe, a Deer… (Deer & State Animals)
Nov. 19 – Freezing, Frigid, Frosty (Animals in Winter)
Cost: $10 per session or $50 for all 6 sessions.
Location: Meeting locations vary throughout Conestee Nature Preserve. Registered participants will receive location details by email before each session.
Registration Deadline: Midnight on the Tuesday before class. If a class is full or you miss the deadline, contact the Preserve to ask about availability or a waitlist.
Bring: A water bottle and weather-appropriate clothing. Apply sunscreen and bug spray before class as needed. Sessions are entirely outdoors.
Paint what you’re thankful for on a rock to take home. Ages 6–12.
Looking for More Adventures?
Check out Kidding Around’s
Guide to Educational Travel and Day Trips!
Are you looking for more fun things to do in Greenville, SC? Check out our Kidding Around Guide To Things To Do in Greenville!
Did we miss a fabulous educational experience near Greenville? Let us know in the comments!
