Wondering where you can purchase a fabulous pie in Greenville, SC for your holiday meal? Greenville and Spartanburg restaurants are offering some delicious holiday pie options. Plus, our readers chimed in with their favorite local pies to help you fill your holiday dessert table!
Looking for more fun things to do for Thanksgiving? We’ve got everything you need to know about celebrating Thanksgiving around Greenville and Spartanburg, SC.
Where can you bring your family to trick-or-treat in Greenville? When going door to door asking for sweets in your own neighborhood isn’t the right choice, where do Upstate families go? Safety concerns, a lack of other children in the neighborhood, or just a lack of anyone at all could cause a family to look to other neighborhoods for their trick or treating needs.
So if you want the door-to-door trick-or-treating experience this year but aren’t sure what neighborhood to visit, this is the list for you. We asked our readers where the most “Halloween visitor-friendly” spots in the Upstate were, and this is what they told us.
If you need a map of the best places to go, we have one right here!
Want to see all the Halloween and Trick or Treat Events in Greenville?
Go to our Halloween Guide!🎃
You’ll find fun events, trunk-or-treat and trick-or-treats, and lots more!
Parents, these are recommendations gathered from our readers. Please always use your judgment regarding your child’s safety trick-or-treating and consuming treats in these or any other neighborhoods.
“Earle Street has several officers directing traffic at the red light on North Main. We usually start on one end and travel down and back up the other side. They have so many decorated houses, fire breathers, singers, bands, games, and other fun stuff at each house.
CrystalEarle Street is off North Main in Greenville.
Botany Woods!!! The Best!….But trust me! It’s enough candy for a child. Both my twins come bk with their buckets almost full.
GlendaBotany Woods is in Greenville, east of Pleasantburg road and behind the Ollie’s on Wade Hampton. This neighborhood is recommended year after year for trick-or-treating in Greenville!
Half Mile Lake subdivision is located off State Park Road near Altamont Road.
Riverdale Subdivision Greer across the street from Clayton Homes off Wade Hampton Blvd
VeronicaRiverdale is located just west of the Highway 80 and Wade Hampton intersection in Lyman.
We had two readers mention this North Greer neighborhood, located off of 101.
We love O’Neal Village in Greer.
KarynSubdivision off hwy 101 right before oneal Baptist church on right
GwenWhile it’s not a neighborhood, it does come reader recommended, so we are including Main Street, Fountain Inn.
I grew up with amazing Halloween memories there and they’re still carrying it on.
Susan
Neely farms hands down!!
GabrielleOrchard Farms is located in the heart of the Golden Strip in Simpsonville and is recommended by several readers.
A few readers recommended Morning Mist in Simpsonville, saying that the decorating is amazing. The neighborhood is off of Georgia Road.
At least 3 readers recommend the Silver Leaf community for trick or treating. It’s located in Greer off of Old Spartanburg Road.
Someone recommended Amber Oaks Farm in Greer by Blue Ridge High school. It’s located off Pennington Road and Highway 101.
Tymberbrook in Lyman, it’s a big older neighborhood and soooo many of the houses are involved, lots of kids and costumes lots of people having driveway parties!!!
NJTymberbrook Drive is located in Lyman, north of Wade Hampton near Lake Lyman.
Lyman Mill Village! Park your car and go walking all around. Most of the homes give candy and there are trunk or treats from churches. Police have roads blocked for safety!
AlexandraThe Neighborhood of North Main street just above Wade Hampton got a lot of likes from our readers, too! According to Kidding Around fans, East and West Earle Street sound like a good place to trick or treat.
The Honey Creek subdivision in Anderson came highly recommended. It’s near Arnold’s and South Main Street, and is technically in Belton.
I grew up with amazing Halloween memories there and they’re still carrying it on.
MirandaRose Hill for the Powdersville folks! Almost every house is decorated and most set up tables to hand out candy! Get there early to park (not on the grass) there are 500+ easy trick or treaters every year!
MaggieRose Hill is a newer subdivision in Powdersville off 3 Bridges Road and Mt Airy Church Road.
Local mom Dallas, had this great bit of advice for those visiting other neighborhoods on Halloween :
Parents: bring a trash bag to help pick up the discarded wrappers and random trash that inevitably happens when we visit neighboring communities for better loot. We live in a rural area and go to local subdivisions and noticed the residents are SUPER appreciative if you help out a bit and don’t leave their neighborhoods trashed.
DallasI once noticed something being done and have now started doing it when we visit other neighborhoods on Halloween. I bring glow necklaces and bracelets to hand out to kids walking past us trick or treating. It helps keep kids safe, we’re helping to contribute to the loot of trick-or-treaters in a non-allergenic way, PLUS everyone loves glo-sticks!
We hope that no matter where you decide to go, we hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!
In addition to all the places our readers shared with us, there are many community events that you can find on the Kidding Around Greenville Guide to Halloween Events and Trick-or-Treating in Greenville and Spartanburg.
You can get your car washed while driving through a haunted house at this car wash in Greenville, SC. We checked it out and have all the details!
Having never been to a car wash nor a drive-through haunted house, I was pretty excited to try this unique combo at Whatta Wash Car Wash in Greenville, SC, right off I-85 on Highway 14. It was better than I expected and I think you’ll love this fun Halloween activity.
We’ve got all the info on what to expect during the Haunted Car Wash and tips on enjoying it with your family.
You may think that putting together a haunted car wash is easy – dress up in some costumes, be scary, and wash the car. But no, that’s not even close to the work that went into Whatta Wash’s Haunted Car Wash!
Each night of the Haunted Car Wash, there are at least 30 actors all there solely to scare you (and wash your car well). There are clowns, zombie cheerleaders, terrifying skeletons, serial killers (my own guess, I could be wrong), and other spooky characters.
The lights, other Halloween decorations, and fog machine are all part of this massive effort to create a must-do-worthy event in the Upstate for Halloween lovers. The entire Haunted Car Wash is about 2.5 minutes long – so you get a clean car and scared passengers. Fantastic.
This year, the owners of Whatta Wash Car Wash are donating a portion of every car wash during this event to the medical care of a local 12-year-old boy, Griff, who was diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia after discovering a mass in his neck after a baseball tournament this summer.
“His busy schedule changed from school and baseball to doctor’s visits, hospitalizations, tests, treatments, and schooling from home. It’s been a trying road to travel, taking a once strong and competitive child and putting him through life-saving, but body-altering treatments. He has met this challenge with grace, strength, and determination,” writes Whatta Wash on their Facebook page.
We learned a few helpful tips on enjoying the Haunted Car Wash this Halloween at Whatta Wash Car Wash:
Get there early. This is a really popular event and waits can be long. See the next line.
Prepare to wait. The owners told us that in previous years, sometimes the wait was up to two hours. So be prepared with snacks, be sure to take a bathroom break before you go, and maybe bring games or a movie on your iPad.
Be sure to get in line by 10 pm. If you’re in line after that, you won’t be able to get in.
Drizzle is ok but downpouring rain isn’t. Light rain is ok but if it’s really downpouring, the Haunted Car Wash won’t be able to happen.
If you don’t want the characters opening your door, lock your car. The scary characters will try to jiggle the handle of your car doors and if they are unlocked, you’re in for a surprise. Lock your doors if you don’t want that kind of surprise.
Tickets are not presold. You have to wait in line.
There are things not allowed at the car wash. These include: cracked windshields, roof racks, bikes and bike racks, no dually trucks, no trucks or vehicles over 7’ 2”, no trucks with wide tires not fitting properly, and all open truck beds need to be empty and free of any loose items.
Ah, the ever-important question we always get asked by parents. And rightly so. No one wants to be up at 3 am with their kid who had a clown nightmare.
But it’s really hard to answer that question because it all depends on the kid. The actors cannot touch you or bang hard on your car. But it’s a car wash and there is a lot of loud noise with the water, wind, and other contraptions. Add onto that scary characters that will get up close to your windows and run up to your car and appear out of a drenching inside the car wash.
We don’t have an answer for you. We didn’t find this as scary as say, Madworld, but the characters’ costumes look really great and to some kids, probably too realistic. It’s easy to see how seriously Whatta Wash takes their Haunted Car Wash. There are other decorations around the car wash as well like huge skeletons and creepy dolls and clowns. So take that all into account when you plan your trip here.
The owners suggest that if your kids are on the fence, go right at 6 pm so it’s still a little light out. After dark, the scare factor goes up!
Because this event takes a lot of work to pull together, the Haunted Car Wash will only run for six days, every Friday & Saturday the rest of October:
Hours are 6 pm – close. To go through the Haunted Car Wash, you have to be in line by 10 pm. Cars that line up after that won’t be able to get their scare on and have their car become all sparkly clean.
The cost is $30 per car, which gets you the experience of the Haunted Car Wash plus a car wash itself. If you want to do it multiple times, you’ll have to pay again.
If you want to add to your Haunted Car Wash adventure, try one of our Halloween Driving Routes for extra spooky (and free) entertainment!
Whatta Wash Car Wash
2788 South Highway 14, Greer
Whatta Wash Website
Wanting to get competitive and play some laser tag? Greenville, SC has a couple of awesome laser tag arenas! Spend an hour or two on a random weekend or book a laser tag experience for an exhilarating birthday party. Most of the following establishments are priced reasonably and include everything you need for an unforgettable time playing laser tag in the Upstate of South Carolina.
225 Entertainment Boulevard, Greenville
If you haven’t been to Main Event yet, then we think you may want to visit this entertainment facility in the near future with your kids. You can enjoy much more than just laser tag at Main Event in Greenville, SC. They also have a bowling alley, arcade games, bar area, billiards, and dining.
45 Park Woodruff Drive, Greenville
Frankie’s Fun Park has laser tag for 6-year-olds and up. For only $9 per player, you can enjoy an intense battle of laser tag, surrounded by fog, in a two-level arena. Frankie’s also has arcade games, bumper boats, mini golf, and more for you to enjoy for an entire afternoon.
822 Congaree Road, Greenville
Spare Time has laser tag arenas where fog and music pump through the room while you enjoy a 15-minute adventure. During your visit, you can also enjoy their bowling alley, arcade games, pool tables, escape rooms, dining areas, and more.
510 State Road S-37-341, Walhalla
Sweet Retreat is a family-friendly establishment in Walhalla. Their multi-level laser tag arena is over 3600 square feet of entertainment and exhilaration. Sweet Retreat also has an arcade, go-karts, mini golf, and more.
1100 Factory Shops Boulevard, Gaffney
This guide on where to play laser tag in the Upstate wouldn’t be complete without a mention of The Big E in Gaffney, a fully equipped entertainment facility for the whole family. Their laser tag features innovative technology in a multi-level arena with black lights, fog, and music. Each game lasts 12 minutes. You’ll also find arcade games, bowling, mini golf, and more at The Big E Gaffney.
If you’re looking for a mobile laser tag experience that will come to you, look no further than SC Outdoor Laser Tag. They will provide all equipment and staff for your private event. They’ll set everything up and run all of the laser tag-related activities.
Upstate Laser Tag is another option for your mobile laser tag needs. They’ll bring the equipment and convert your backyard, front yard, or local park into an energizing laser tag experience.
Which laser tag arena is your favorite? Are we missing any?
Learn why Main Event is the perfect place for fun in our KA review!
Looking for restaurants in Downtown Greenville, SC? Greenville, South Carolina, has made its mark on the culinary map with a selection of well-respected restaurants. This is a list of Downtown Greenville restaurants, sorted by meals and occasions. Plus, a list of restaurants along Main Street downtown.
Diners have no shortage of choices regardless of what they might be craving! From a casual lunch to a romantic dinner date, every kind of meal can be found in downtown Greenville.
Looking for more restaurants in the Greenville area? Here’s your Ultimate Guide to Greenville’s restaurants.
Looking for some Halloween events for toddlers in Greenville, SC? Or maybe some Halloween events for babies? One of the highlights of having small children, if we are honest with ourselves, is dressing them. And costuming in October is even more rewarding and adorable. We at Kidding Around Greenville think we can help. Here’s a list of costume-happy activities without late hours or spooky décor. They are the perfect formula for toddlers and babies! Besides, we all need another excuse to coo over our little skunks and dragons.
Read on for some tot-friendly destinations in Greenville to try this year.
Looking for more? Don’t miss our enormous Guide to Halloween Events in Greenville and Spartanburg!
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…)October means Famoda Farm Festival at the family-owned Famoda Farm, Taylors, SC best farm for family fun! It’s their second season so we went and checked it out so you can have all the details on how to have a wonderful day with your family at the farm.
The address for the Famoda Farm Festival is 3 Camp Creek Road Ext, Taylors. We normally don’t start stories with the address of the place we visited but there are a few different addresses associated with this place so take note. OK, onto the fun!
Famoda Farm is a super cute place that has adorable animals, including calves you can bottle feed, a play area, and amazing ice cream. If you follow us regularly, you know this! What you may not know is that the farm is hosting its annual fall festival from September 29th, 2023 through November 12th, 2023, which is just perfect for a day of family fun. If you and your kids love hayrides, corn mazes, old-school playgrounds and toys, cute animals, and slides, this is the place for you.
(more…)Have you been to a Greenville Triumph soccer game? Greenville residents love their local sports teams and have welcomed one of the newest with open arms! The Greenville Triumph brings another affordable, family-friendly sporting event option to the Upstate.
If you’ve never been before, we’ve got all the info you’ll need to head out to Furman University and watch the Triumph….. well? TRIUMPH!
Four new spacious covered wagons await your next adventure at the Travelers Rest KOA in Greenville County, SC. The campground is beautiful and in an ideal location for that little family getaway you’ve been dreaming about.
Thank you to the Travelers Rest KOA for hosting us so we could do this review!
Always on the hunt for cool places to stay with my kids, when I saw the Travelers Rest KOA – not ten minutes from Main Street in Travelers Rest, SC – post about their brand new covered wagons at the campground, I knew that had to be my next stop. And the fact that it was 30 minutes from where I live in Greenville County was an incredible bonus! If you’re looking for an awesome little getaway that isn’t far, this is it.
This was my first KOA experience and thanks to the pretty awesome managers, Terri & Bill, I learned a lot about the company and this particular site in Northern Greenville County.
I’ll tell you all about the campground, the amenities they offer, the new covered wagons, and nearby activities.
Started in 1962 as a campground for travelers, KOA has expanded to over 500 locations in North America. The trademark yellow sign means a place for families to relax and have fun together.
KOA is mostly a franchise operation so many of the individual campgrounds are run and operated by local individuals, which I think really makes each spot unique. Terri and Bill have worked for KOA for many years and have extensive management experience of campgrounds. If they ever decide to write a book, let me tell you that I’d be the first to read it.
The couple moved out here to the Travelers Rest KOA only about a year and a half ago from Wyoming, where they had been managing another KOA campground. They immediately fell in love with Travelers Rest and Terri tells me the people here really make it feel like home. She just loves the community.
The couple has done a lot to make the particular campground welcoming and enjoyable for all guests. They have a seasonal pool open usually Memorial Day through Labor Day, a playground, a nature trail, basketball hoop, an enclosed area for dogs to run around in, giant Connect 4 and Checkers, and space to ride bikes. At the covered wagon sites, there are horseshoe pits, cornhole, and roping of steers. It’s a blast!
Each site also has its own raised charcoal grill and the covered wagons all have firepits and chairs. There are RV sites, cabins, and the covered wagons at the KOA in Travelers Rest.
The four covered wagons are from Kansas from a company called Plains Craft. These wagons are surprisingly spacious and comfortable. I was only there with my two kids and we had plenty of space.
There are currently four wagons: two of them sleep four people (one bunk bed and one king bed), one sleeps two people in a king bed, and one sleeps six people (two bunk beds and a king bed). That last one could probably even fit a pack n play if needed – there’s that much space.
Each wagon has a mini-fridge, Keurig coffee maker, and microwave. I had precooked our dinner before we came so I just heated it up because I really didn’t prepare well. I totally slacked on bringing ingredients for s’mores or anything to grill. So don’t be like me – bring those s’mores ingredients at least. You can purchase firewood on site.
There is a big open space at the end of the covered wagons that has two horseshoe pits, two steers to practice roping on because now you’re a cowboy, and cornhole. My girls loved playing all of these games.
We also appreciated the little free library at the campsite since I failed to bring games with me. They had some in there that we were able to borrow and play. Each covered wagon also has its own deck with a table and chairs and grill. This is perfect to enjoy the nearby creek and quiet of the campground. We loved this aspect of the KOA. Granted, we went during the week so it wasn’t as busy but the property is a little slice of paradise in Northern Greenville County, tucked away for its guests to enjoy.
Everything was totally clean and inviting, from the wagons themselves to the grounds of the campground.
All the wagons have heat and air conditioning. As of this writing, the price for one night in a wagon is around $145.
The wagons are not outfitted with individual bathrooms so you will have to take a little walk to get to them, about three minutes away on the gravel road.
The bathhouse is really nice! There are three separate stalls that each have a bathroom and shower. They lock individually so you have total privacy. There’s also an outdoor sink for washing dishes or brushing your teeth.
Be sure to bring your own towels.
The KOA in Travelers Rest is at the perfect location for dining and adventure. There are lots of great restaurants nearby plus trails upon trails upon trails.
About five minutes from the Travelers Rest KOA on Hwy 25 is Williams Pit Stop, where you’ll be greeted by traditional Southern charm and a very affordable menu of Mike & Jeffs BBQ and loaded hot dogs. Don’t miss this gem.
2001 Highway 25, Travelers Rest
Located in downtown Travelers Rest, Tandem is known for their incredible sweet and savory crepes. This is the perfect way to start your day.
2 S Main Street, Travelers Rest
Readers will recognize this place as it’s one of our favorites! Owner Kristen is such a gem and works so hard to make the cafe a place of welcome and creativity. You can get breakfast, lunch, and coffee here alongside a serving of art!
27 S Main Street, Travelers Rest
If your kid loves trains, this is the place to take them. You can’t miss it as they have a giant mural of a train on the side of the restaurant, which serves up typical American cuisine of burgers and sandwiches.
109 Main Street, Travelers Rest
Open seasonally, Aunt Sue’s is a good place to stop after a hike to eat some ice cream and shop at the little general store for candles and other homemade goodies. There’s also a restaurant there serving up a buffet lunch or dinner.
107 Country Creek Dr A, Pickens
Also located in downtown Travelers Rest, TR Makers Co. is the perfect place to shop for local goods as well as try your own hand at making some art. They have an array of different classes and it’s a fun spot to visit.
2 S Main Street, Travelers Rest
Hike the two-mile, kid-friendly Carrick Creek trail for beautiful creek crossings and waterfalls or test your endurance on the strenuous 7.5 mile Table Rock Summit Trail. Or just take a walk around the lake for incredible views of Table Rock, go for a swim at the beach, or picnic by the playground. You can’t go wrong spending a day at Table Rock State Park.
158 Ellison Lane, Pickens
Did you know there’s a tea farm in the Upstate? It’s the only one and they give tours of the farm, which are incredibly fascinating – plus their tea is really good.
118 High Hills Lane, Pickens
Another SC State Park that you can’t miss. For the best views of Table Rock, go to Caesars Head. You can also see the hawks migrating there during September. There’s also beautiful hikes – Raven Cliff Falls, Frank Coggins Trail, and the aptly named Dismal Trail.
8155 Geer Highway, Cleveland
Another gem of a park in the Upstate, Jones Gap boasts stunning hiking trails, especially the most popular one to Rainbow Falls. It’s a tough four-mile trek but well worth the effort. Be sure to make reservations for parking on weekends.
303 Jones Gap Road, Marietta
Head to the Upstate’s last covered bridge at Campbell’s Covered Bridge in Landrum. It’s a pretty spot for leaf peeping and creek stomping.
171 Campbell Covered Bridge Road, Landrum
There are a lot of reasons why we really enjoyed our stay: the management, the cool accommodations, the peace and quiet- but I think one of the best things was the time I got to spend with my kids where we didn’t need to put a lot of miles on the car and drive far.
It was so, so easy to come to the KOA in Travelers Rest and feel a world away from our everyday lives. It’s such a great local getaway and one that really works for families who want to do something fun but who aren’t sure yet of a bigger trip or who maybe just don’t have the time to drive hours each way for a short getaway. Kids will absolutely love this place and there is plenty of space for them to run around and play and enjoy the outdoors.
And I was so impressed with Terri and Bill as managers. It was plainly obvious how much they loved their work at the campground and how much they wanted to make it a special place for families or anyone looking to get outside and enjoy nature.
To book your own covered wagon, you can call the campground at 864.834.8150 or reserve online.
Travelers Rest KOA
2400 US-25, Travelers Rest, SC
864.834.8150