Need ideas for things to do this winter break? Greenville and Upstate students are out of school for the next couple of weeks, so we’ve put together a huge list of over 50 things in the Upstate that you can do with your kids during the winter break. You’ll find fun activities, day trip ideas, and ways to have a great time while keeping your kids busy while school is out.
If you have any more suggestions for ways to keep your children busy while school is out let us know in the comments!
This list contains affiliate links and may include non-paid mentions of KAG sponsors.
Don’t let the cold bring you down.
Our KA Winter Guide to Greenville, SC will help you plan the best day ever!
Have fun this winter with these FREE & cheap things to do near Greenville, SC.
Keep your kids busy at one of these winter break camps near Greenville, SC.
Stuck on what to do? Our events calendar is full of the best events for families in the Upstate!
Fun Things to Do This Winter Break: Greenville, SC & Nearby
- Go ice skating at Ice on Main, Greenville Rec’s Pavilion, or on the Big Ice at The Well at Bon Secours Wellness Arena
- Stroll through amazing lights at Holidays at the Zoo at the Greenville Zoo
- Get into the Hot Chocolate Bomb craze
- Try minigolf + holiday lights at Takeoff Minigolf the week of December 14th – December 30th, 2023
- Go sock skating at the Schiele Museum in NC
- Enroll your kid(s) in any of these great Winter Camps in the area.
- See free holiday movies at NCG Cinemas.
- Go see a $5 holiday movie at Regal Cinemas.
- Play pinball and other old-school arcade games at the Upstate Pinball & Arcade Museum
- Mice on Main Scavenger Hunt
- Go roller skating
- Toads on Trade scavenger hunt in Greer
- Take a self-guided tour of Split Creek Farm and see lots of goats
- Festival of Trees (throughout December 25th, 2023)
- Visit your local library
- Fly through the air on the ropes and zip lines at Flying Rabbit Adventures in Greenville
- Enjoy any of these free/cheap things to do this winter
- Upstate Holiday Light Show at its new location! (ends December 31, 2023)
- Have fun at The Children’s Museum of the Upstate
- Sign up for a music class at a local studio such as Piano Central Studios
- Cheer on the Swamp Rabbits at a hockey game
- Go out for hot chocolate (try one of our reader’s favorite spots for hot chocolate)
- Head to Family Fun Gym at Acrosmith Gymnastics (the 10:15 am Family Fun Gym is open to kids up to 12 years old)
- Go on the Kidding Around Greenville Bike Taxi Holiday Tour
- Head to the Nights of Lights at Heritage Park in Simpsonville (open through December 31st)
Take the kids ice skating in Downtown Greenville at Ice on Main.
Enjoy over 50 light displays, many of which run until January 2024.
Holidays at the Zoo run through December 30th, 2023!
- Get outdoors and try a hike at Lake Conestee Nature Preserve
- Go skiing or snow tubing at any of these area resorts/winter fun places
- Try a Christmas-themed escape room challenge
- Get out all your holiday frustrations by smashing things at the Mad Smash Rage Room in Taylors Mill (kids ages 8+ can participate!)
- Try a new pizza place! (Of course, KAG readers have some recommendations.)
- Road trip up to Christmas Town, USA
- Play arcades or climb the indoor playground at Frankie’s Fun Park
- See local wildlife at the WNC Nature Center in Asheville
- See one of Greenville’s fantastic home light displays (see our list of Holiday Lights for more details)
- Travel out to the Biltmore in nearby Asheville
- Make some art and shop local at TR Maker Co.
- Grab coffee, stecca, or a delicious sandwich while your kids play at Swamp Rabbit Cafe
- Chase some waterfalls – here are great hikes with waterfalls, which could be partially frozen this time of year (so cool!)
- Let your kids literally climb the walls at one of these indoor rock climbing venues
- Or take a driving tour of NC waterfalls that involve little to no hiking
- Visit the Carl Sandburg home in Flat Rock
- Plan a park play date with the friends your kids are missing from school
- Volunteer together as a family
- Take an epic road trip to Winterfest in Pigeon Forge, TN
- Go on an amazing tour of Lake Jocassee with Jocassee Lake Tours (Cool season tours run from November through April)
- Take the kids to Kids Play & Cafe in Easley for an indoor day of fun!
Explore Lake Conestee Nature Preserve and enjoy a winter hike, bike ride, or birdwatching.
Be mesmerized by the Biltmore Estate during the winter season.
This indoor play place is three stories tall and is perfect for a winter day.
- Story Time at Barnes and Noble (Saturdays at the Shops at Greenridge)
- Load the kids in the car, queue up your favorite holiday music playlist, and take a driving tour of local light displays
- Have a night of cupcake or cookie decorating with a kit from a local bakery
- Find one of these trains near Greenville
- Play with a unicorn at Hidden Pasture Farms’ Yuletide Unicorn Christmas Festival in Fountain Inn
- Take a day trip to Hendersonville to see the Hands On Children’s Museum
- Follow the Sheep Trail through downtown Greenville
- Ride bikes at one of these top places to ride bikes in Greenville
- See the Christmas lights at Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (ends January 1, 2024)
- Visit alpacas at Winchester Creek Farm in NC
- Visit a trampoline park such as DEFY, Big Air, Urban Air, or Sky Zone
- Do the zoo!
- Explore caverns half a mile inside a mountain
- Cozy up in a winter vacation rental
- Get crafty and paint pottery at Color Clay Cafe
- Check out the Charlotte Motor Speedway Christmas Lights (closes January 7, 2024)
- $5 Skate Night at Ice on Main (Every Tuesday in December)
- Schedule some kid-free time and go on a date
- Get in a visit with Santa
- Check out the model train display at Taylors Mill
- Take the family to a huge indoor waterpark like Wilderness at the Smokies, the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, or Great Wolf Lodge.
- Visit a family-friendly brewery like Double Stamp Brewery or Southernside Brewery which is thoroughly decorated for the holidays.
Do you know of any winter break activities that you would recommend? Let us know!
[…] See the full list here (and get out your calendar). […]
The Spartanburg Library has great online programming and storytimes to rewatch again and again!