Croft State Park: The Perfect Park for an Outdoor Adventure Near Spartanburg, SC

Have you visited Croft State Park? With a wooden dock, a clear lake, tiny minnows sparkling in sunny shallow waters, tall trees, horses, hiking trails, and a playground, it sounds like the perfect place, right? You’ll want to check out Croft State Park the next time you’re looking for a family adventure!

Croft State Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina

Spending a Day at Croft State Park

This gorgeous 7,000-acre state park offers miles of hiking, biking, and even equestrian trails. On our visit, we walked the short Lake Craig connector trail and then enjoyed views of an absolutely beautiful Lake Craig. We ate snacks we enjoyed them sitting on an adorable little dock watching the tiny minnows in the shallow water around us. The nearby fishermen were also quite entertaining for my crew.

We enjoyed a very peaceful morning in the park. My homeschoolers were able to practice making super sentences with quality adjectives about all the things they were noticing from the dock. “The sun sparkles on the backs of the wiggling minnows.” The next time we go I will bring sketchbooks and writing paper so they can write down their sentences and illustrate. There were definitely plenty of places to sit near the lake, and lots of grass for blankets, if that’s your preference.

You will find bathrooms conveniently near the parking lot for Lake Craig, and a short walk up the hill brings you to a nice playground with views of the park’s equestrian facilities. While there were only a handful of horses and riders when we visited, my children really enjoyed watching as we walked past. The playground was great for my children (ages 4 through 8), but younger children will need to be watched carefully due to the height of some of the equipment.

Things to Do at Croft State Park

Hiking and Biking Trails

Croft has many hiking trails, including an easy Nature Trail that’s about one and a half miles long. We went to the park intending to hike this trail, but even with a map, we struggled to find the trailhead. We gave up and went on our little adventure at the lake and playground instead. However, as we drove back down the park road headed for home, we noticed work crews clearing a few trees, and their trucks had been parked in front of the trailhead for the nature trail. We could have driven by 20 times and never seen it! ‘

Trails at Croft

There are several trails at Croft, with some of the major ones being the Palmetto Trail (Croft Passage), Nature Trail, Foster Mill, Southside Loop, and Rocky Ridge/ Whitestone Springs. You will also find several additional mixed-use trails that are designated for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. This park has over 20 miles of mountain biking trails, which is spectacular if you love the sport.

The SC State Park Croft State Park website does a great job detailing what trails are for what, their difficulty, and how long each trail is. The Park Ranger can also help you out, with office hours 11 am to noon and 4 pm to 5 pm daily.

Fortunately, there’s so much to see and enjoy at Croft State Park, that it didn’t matter much to us. But, do bring a map with you! If you’re looking for the Nature Trail, then you’ll find the trailhead on the right, just before you get to the parking lot for the equestrian facilities.

We love taking a small portion of the Palmetto Trail out to Fairforest Creek in the summer because it is not too difficult of a portion of the trail, so our toddler and four-year-old can come along. It also leads out to the creek, which is a great place to splash in the creek for a little while on hot days.

Camping

Love camping? Then camping at Croft should be on your radar for places to go next time you’re ready to pack up and head to the great outdoors. The park offers both RV camping and tent camping sites, in addition to a primitive group camping site that can accommodate up to 100 people. Camping sites are on packed gravel and come with electrical and water hookups. There are even hot showers, which as a mom with messy kids, makes taking them camping a little easier.

Canoe, Kayak, and Paddleboard Rentals

One of the great places to do watersports in the area is at Croft. You can bring your own equipment, or you can rent canoes, small boats, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards from the state park itself. For Jon boat and canoe rentals, you pay $15 for 4 hours of time or $25 per day. For kayaks and paddleboards, the cost is $10 per hour for the rental. They do not rent after 6 pm, so keep that in mind when planning your trip.

Want to go to Croft?

Admission for Croft State Park is $3 for adults, and $1 for children 6- 15. Children under 6 are free.

Pets are allowed as long as they are leashed.

Park hours are 7 am – 6 pm daily (8 p.m. on Fridays), and 7 am – 9 pm daily during daylight savings time.

Croft State Park Address: 450 Croft State Park Road, Spartanburg, SC

Have you ever been exploring at Croft State Park?

Winter hiking in Spartanburg, South Carolina

These trails in Spartanburg, SC are great places to hike during the wintertime!

Did You Know that the YMCA Offers A Free Swim Week During Spring Break?

The lazy days of summer are right around the corner. That means lots of time at the neighborhood pool, heading to the beach, or checking out local swimming holes. But as a parent, the fun times around water are a little more stressful because accidents in the water are more common than need to be.

This post is sponsored by YMCA of Greenville.

Every year during warmer months, we hear tragic stories about accidental drownings involving children. Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children 1-14, but formal swimming lessons can reduce that risk by 88%. The YMCA of Greenville is committed to reducing the rates of drowning by providing water safety and swimming lessons to as many members of our community as possible.

With that commitment in mind, the YMCA of Greenville has partnered with Upstate Pool Management and Clarity Pool Management to offer a week of free water safety classes over spring break to help kids learn to swim and be more comfortable in the water. Water Safety Week, which runs April 13-17, 2020, also teaches parents what to do to prevent drowning accidents and how to keep a careful eye on the little ones around water.

Trained and certified instructors teach participants basic comfort and survival swimming skills while working toward building confidence around water. While lessons focus on safety, they are also a great time for children to have fun and be active.

Classes will be held at:

Caine Halter Family YMCA in downtown Greenville
Eastside Family YMCA in Taylors
YPC Program Center in Simpsonville

Morning and afternoon sessions are available, but spaces are limited for the free classes so be sure to register online. You don’t even have to be a member of the YMCA.

The Downtown Spartanburg Headquarters Library Even Has a Playground

Jennifer Curry reviews the Downtown Spartanburg Headquarters Library. For more ideas of things to do inside see our list of Things to Do Inside in Spartanburg!

Looking for a place your kids will love that is always free with tons of stuff they can borrow to take home and enjoy? Does this magical place exist? Yes! The Headquarters Library in Downtown Spartanburg is full of excitement every day and has free items to borrow that everyone in your family will enjoy.

What makes the Headquarters Library so great?

Located on the 1st floor of the Headquarters Library is a massive children’s area that is enclosed and contains books, hands-on learning toys, a children’s computer lab, and more! As soon as you enter the area, you find the train depot. This special space has a gigantic train mural for the Hub City, as well as a train wall and the train depot where librarians await.

In this space, you will find several different hands-on activity tables such as the light-up magnetic blocks. Children are drawn to the space because of the toys and colors, but the library has specifically chosen activity tables that help children learn and be creative. Plus, this is not your typical “quiet” library space – play is encouraged!

Even more exciting is the beautiful outdoor children’s garden that includes a fully enclosed playground. Not only is the playground enclosed, it does offer shade! With a mixture of climbing equipment and musical play instruments, this playground is a hidden gem. There is plenty of seating for parents, so you can rest easy while your children run and play.

Plus, there are restrooms in the children’s area including family restrooms and a private nursing area.

Even your big kids will want to stay

Also located on the 1st floor is a room made just for tweens. If your kids are between the ages of 10 and 12, they are welcomed to the Tween Zone. This room is a hang-out space for this age group and is where several events just for tweens are held.

Did you know the Headquarters Library also has an entire private space just for teens? The Teen Services department is located on the 2nd floor (also the main floor of the library). Tell your teens to look for the orange walls.

This space not only holds the young adult book collection, it also is a unique hang-out space just for teenagers – no adults allowed! With televisions, computers, tables, booths, and even a stage, teens are invited to enjoy this space designed just for them. The Teen Services department hosts several teen-only events each month as well.

This library offers free programs too

Spartanburg County Libraries offer a huge number of free programs each month. Since Headquarters Library is the main branch, there are multiple programs happening here weekly. For example, the Headquarters Library hosts over 10 story time programs each week!

In addition to story time programs, the Headquarters Library also hosts movie viewings, author lectures, books clubs, and more. They even offer fitness programs such as yoga. All of these programs are free of charge!

During the summer, the library hosts a summer reading program for all ages (separate programs for children, teens, and adults). Each division offers prizes to those who complete their summer reading program. The adult and teen programs encourage patrons to attend the free library programs, which count towards winning the summer reading prizes.

See our calendar for a list of library events.

This library is not just for checking out books

Often, people are under the assumption that libraries are just for checking out books. This could not be further from the truth. One visit to the Headquarters Library will let you see there is so much more available to patrons than books.

For example, the third floor of the library offers a large computer lab for those needing internet, Word programs, or printing. In addition, the Headquarters Library also has private study rooms patrons may use. If you or your teen has a big project, these are great spaces to utilize.

But, more than books and computers, the Headquarters Library also has an entire audiovisual section that allows individuals to borrow movies, television series, music, video games, and more. These are not old movies or music either – these are brand new releases you may borrow for free. This section is located on the main level.

Did you know you can also check out magazines from the library? Instead of spending money on subscriptions or stocking up on new magazines at the grocery checkout aisle, you can borrow magazines from the library. Headquarters Library has a huge magazine section with current and past issues.

Additionally, the Spartanburg Libraries offer several library apps that you can use from home (i.e. Freegal, Hoopla, Overdrive, Zinio). These apps allow you to use your phone or device to check out eBooks and audiobooks outside of the library. But, that’s not all. These apps allow you to borrow and download current music, movies, television, and magazines to your devices for free as well.

Having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got your library card!

While program events are free and open to the public, if you want to take advantage of the library’s collection (or borrow materials), you will need a library card. Library cards are free to Spartanburg County residents. You just need proof of identity and proof of residency (if your driver’s license includes your current address, you can use it).

Most books, magazines, and music CDs may be checked out for 28 days. DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, and video games may be checked out for 7 days.

The Headquarters Library is located at 151 S. Church Street in downtown Spartanburg. It is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Sunday from 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Has your family ventured to Headquarters Library yet this summer?

Meet Jennifer Curry

Jennifer relocated to Spartanburg seven years ago, and now spends her days working from home and taking care of her two kids. She loves this area because we can go from rural areas to urban areas to the mountains within an hour. Her favorite things to do with her kids are using their imaginations and visiting Spartanburg County local libraries. Follow Jennifer at www.litlovingmom.com.