Family Friendly

Looking for fun family friendly activities in Greenville, SC? Look no further as Greenville.com has a comprehensive listing of family friendly events!

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Saturday, May 18, 2024
BRING ON SPRING w/ Nantahala Outdoor Center
May 18 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

 
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Categories: Family Fun Outdoors Sports
Memorial Day Weekend Outdoor Adventures
May 18 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center
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Categories: Family Fun Holiday Outdoors
Mile High Swinging Bridge
May 18 all-day
Grandfather Mountain

One of the top highlights and memories of visits to Grandfather Mountain nature park is walking across the famous Mile High Swinging Bridge. Since 1952, visitors have “oohed” and “aahed” at the bridge’s 360-degree panoramic views. America’s highest suspension footbridge gives easy access to the spectacular views atop Grandfather Mountain’s Linville Peak, elevation 5,305 feet.

The 228-foot suspension bridge spans an 80-foot chasm at more than one mile in elevation (hence the name!). To reach the Mile High Swinging Bridge, drive the two-mile, winding scenic road up the mountain to the summit parking area by the Top Shop. Climb 50 stairs adjacent to the parking area or inside the Top Shop to reach the short pathway to the bridge. Also, an elevator in the Top Shop takes you to the third floor for a level walk to the bridge.

Top Shop

Located adjacent to the Bridge, the Top Shop features a gift shop, snacks, restrooms, elevator and second-floor exhibition area. Also get the latest park information and trail maps. Read more.

Accessibility

Inside the Top Shop, an elevator makes the Mile High Swinging Bridge accessible to people with mobility challenges, including those in wheelchairs. From the Top Shop, there is a paved 50-yard path to the bridge. Read more about our accessibility.

Tickets & Hours

Walking across the Mile High Swinging Bridge is included in your Grandfather Mountain admission ticket that includes many other things to do in our nature park. Buy tickets online and book a reservation time to enter the park. You do not need a separate reservation for the bridge. It’s open, weather permitting, every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. See hours.

More to Explore

Before or after visiting the Mile High Swinging Bridge, allow time to enjoy other parts of the mountain: wildlife habitats, Wilson Center for Nature Discovery, restaurant, hiking trails, roadside overlooks, picnic areas and more. See more Things to Do.

Nearby Hiking Trails

Trailheads to many of the Grandfather Mountain hiking trails are located near the Swinging Bridge. In fact, the 0.4 mile Bridge Trail takes you beneath the bridge, starting from the Black Rock parking area just below the summit. For details on our nearby trails, go to our Hiking Guide.

Bridge Tips & Tidbits

  • Does it really swing? Very little — unlike the original one. Today’s bridge is made of steel and reinforced with cables and springs. It has railings on the sides to ensure safety.
  • We suggest you wear rubber-soled shoes and walk with care when crossing the rocks on the far side of the bridge.
  • If heights give you pause, you can still enjoy Blue Ridge Mountain views from the ground before you reach the bridge and even from the parking area.
  • Due to periodic extreme weather conditions at the bridge, it closes when there is area lightning, high wind or icy conditions.
  • The official U.S. Weather Service Reporting Station atop the Mile High Swinging Bridge has provided daily weather observations since 1955. The temperature is usually 10 to 20 degrees cooler than in the flatlands you see below. It’s also one of the windiest locations in North Carolina, with a 124-mph record set in winter 2019. Learn more about our weather.
  • Pets are allowed on the bridge if well behaved and on a leash.
  • Photographs and videos to remember your visit are encouraged. Be mindful of sharp drop-offs along the Linville Peak ridge. Drones are not allowed. See our photography policies.
  • The Singing Bridge? When the wind blows, the Mile High Swinging Bridge “sings” in the same way as a harmonica.
  • In April through October, join Grandfather’s expert naturalists by the Bridge for Interpretive Talks about the our unique weather, climate, flora and fauna. Read more.
  • Need driving directions? The address for Grandfather Mountain’s entrance gate is 2050 Blowing Rock Highway, Linville, NC 28646 (click link for Google Maps). There are no shuttles, so you must have your own vehicle to explore our nature park. No RVs longer than 28 feet in length or hinged vehicles are allowed through the Entrance Gate. See detailed directions.
  • To see much more info, see our Plan Your Visit section.

Mile High Swinging Bridge History

Former North Carolina Tourism Director Charles J. Parker coined the name “Mile High Swinging Bridge” at the Bridge’s dedication in 1952. The term “mile high” refers to the structure’s elevation above sea level (5,280 feet). The term “swinging” refers to the fact that suspension bridges are free to sway.

The original 1952 bridge was designed by Charles Hartmann Jr. of Greensboro, N.C. It was fabricated in Greensboro and then reassembled on top of the Mountain. Erecting the bridge took three weeks, a process slowed by inclement weather created by a hurricane off the North Carolina coast. Cost was $15,000. It was dedicated on Sept. 2, 1952 by North Carolina Gov. William B. Umstead.

The bridge was rebuilt in 1999 using the original towers. The cables, floor boards and side rails were all replaced using galvanized steel. One of the main advantages of the modern building materials is that they do not have to be painted. Now, Grandfather Mountain employees will not have to hang out over the gorge to paint the span. It was redesigned by Sutton, Kennerly & Associates Engineering of Asheville, N.C., and rebuilt by Taylor & Murphy Construction Company of Asheville. The cost of rebuilding was $300,000.

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Categories: Family Fun Outdoors
Raft + Rail A Fully Guided Experience
May 18 all-day
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

The original Raft & Rail© since 1988: enjoy the two best adventures in the region in one day, great for families. Southern Living Magazine calls this “an ideal adventure for families, first-timers, young or old.” This full-day guided adventure starts with a Wildwater staff member greeting you at the train depot, followed by a scenic train trip, deli lunch with all the fixings, and a Nantahala River whitewater trip with a guide in every boat. Hot showers and a photo show follow immediately after your 8-mile Nantahala River trip. All transportation is included to and from the Bryson City Train Depot. Available April–October with the morning departure of the Nantahala Gorge Excursion departing Bryson City, NC. Train seating in Open Air Gondola. 2024 bookings starting soon!

Ticket fares subject to 7% Historic Preservation Fee and 7% North Carolina sales tax. Schedules, fares, motive power, equipment, seat selection, and meals are subject to change without notice. We guarantee the class of service you select. You will be notified if a change in schedule or motive power affects your reservation. Payment in full at booking by major credit card is required to finalize a reservation. You may cancel your reservation in full or in part and receive a refund less a $14.00 fee per adult ticket and $7.00 fee per child ticket as late as 5 days before departure, except The Polar Express Train Ride; The Polar Express Train Ride is as late as 60 days before departure. Within 5 days of the departure, or 60 days in the case of the Polar Express Train Ride, the reservation becomes nonrefundable. You may reschedule any time prior to your originally scheduled departure with a $7.00 fee per ticket for another date within the same calendar year. You may not reschedule a reservation after the scheduled departure.

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Categories: Family Fun Outdoors
Summer Zoo Camp registration open
May 18 all-day
Greenville Zoo
Zoo Camp: Nature's Canvas - Ages 5-14 - Beginning June 3

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Join us for a fun-filled summer where art and nature collide at the Greenville Zoo! Conservation is explored through activities, crafts, games, animal encounters, keeper chats, and more! Campers ages 5 – 14 are invited to use nature as their canvas to paint a picture of the animal world right here in Greenville.

 

5-6 year old Camps

Colorful Creatures

Embark on a whimsical journey through the zoo, where each animal showcases the incredible pallet of the animal world.

  • June 3rd – 7th 
  • June 17th – 21st 
  • July 8th – 12th 
  • July 22nd – 26th

Nature Explorers

Calling all little explorers! Join us to find a place where friendships blossom, imaginations run wild, and a love of the natural world begins.

  • June 10th – 14th 
  • June 24th – 28th 
  • July 15th – 19th 
  • July 29th – August 2nd 

7-8 year old Camps

Paws & Paintbrushes 

Immerse your child in a week-long adventure where creativity and curiosity come together to capture the imagination.

  • June 3rd – 7th 
  • June 17th – 21st
  • July 8th – 12th 

Jr. Naturalist

Join us for a week of laughter, discovery, and wild fun as we explore the incredible world of animals and embark on a mission to keep them thriving in their natural habitats. 

  • June 10th – 14th  
  • July 15th – 19th
  • July 29th – August 2nd 

9-11 year old Camps

Animal Artists

Unleash your inner artist and ignite your passion for wildlife as we dive into the animal kingdom through the lens of creativity and art.

  • July 22nd – 26th

Eco Enthusiasts

This is no ordinary summer camp; it’s a steppingstone for the next generation of conservationists as they become stewards of the wild!

  • June 24th – 28th 

12 – 14 year old Camp

Jr. Zookeeper 

Join the Greenville Zoo crew as you get an exclusive peek at what a day in the life of a zookeeper is all about! (Full-day Camp)

  • July 1st – 2nd 

Check out our FAQ page here:

  1. Zoo Camp 2024 FAQ
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Categories: Family Fun
NC Arboretum Hiking Trails
May 18 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

Located within the wildly-popular and botanically beautiful Southern Appalachian Mountains, The North Carolina Arboretum offers more than 10 miles of hiking trails that connect to many other area attractions such as Lake Powhatan, the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Visitors of all ages and abilities can enjoy their hiking experience at the Arboretum as trail options include easy, moderate, and difficult challenge levels. All trails are dog-friendly and visitors are asked to adhere to the proper waste disposing procedures for pets.

Part of a running group that would like to use the Arboretum as a starting point or parking location? Please review our Running Group Guidance and email [email protected] with any questions.

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Categories: Family Fun Hike Hiking Outdoors
Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden
May 18 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

What is Bonsai?

Bonsai is a challenging and rewarding horticultural activity, in which ordinary plants are grown in an extraordinary way. Through rigorously applied cultivation techniques, trees, shrubs, vines and even herbaceous plants are kept in a miniaturized state, developed into artistic shapes and then displayed in special containers.

What makes the Arboretum’s bonsai endeavor unique among all other public collections in the United States? Regional Interpretation. Visitors will find the Arboretum’s bonsai collection of more than 100 specimens carefully cultivated with a Southern Appalachian accent. The collection draws inspiration from the traditional roots of bonsai, but takes the form of a contemporary, Southern Appalachian influenced American garden. Plantings in the landscape include species and cultivars of American, European and Asian origin.

 

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden

Established in October 2005, The North Carolina Arboretum’s Bonsai Exhibition Garden is a world renowned garden that displays up to 50 bonsai specimens at a time. Represented are traditional Asian bonsai subjects such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine. Of particular importance are the plants native to the Blue Ridge region, such as American hornbeam and eastern white pine, which enable the Arboretum to bring the thousand-year tradition of bonsai home to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Interpretive signage throughout the garden conveys information about the art and history of bonsai, and the Arboretum’s own creative approach to it.

 

Outdoor Bonsai Exhibition Garden

  • Bonsai on Display Mid May – November; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily
  • Garden Open Year Round
  • Parking Fees
    • Personal/Standard Vehicle (up to 20′ long): $20
    • Large vehicles (21′-29′ long): $60
    • Busses and Oversize Vehicles (30′ long+): $125
    • Members: Free

    Apart from the parking fee, there is no other admission charge to enter the Arboretum or our facilities, except in the case of advertised ticketed events.

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Categories: Family Fun Garden Garden Events Outdoors
Zookeeping Kids 8-11 Year Olds: Entomology: All About Insects
May 18 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Greenville Zoo

Classes are designed to inspire the next generation of zookeepers! Students ages 8 – 11 will experience what it is like to work at the zoo through games, activities, experiments, chats with zookeepers, and up-close animal encounters. Program length is 2 hours from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Prices:

Member Price: $20 per class

Non-member Price: $30 per class 

Know Before You Go!

  • Please send students to class with a water bottle and a snack that does not contain nut products.
  • Please dress students in weather appropriate attire with close-toed shoes.
  • Classes will only be cancelled if the zoo is required to close to the public.

Let’s discover the world of Ologies! This month we will investigate insects and learn what makes these animals so incredible.

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Categories: Education Family Fun
 Spartanburg Science Center Family FREE Saturday 
May 18 @ 11:00 am
Spartanburg Science Center
 Spartanburg Science Center Family FREE Saturday
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Categories: Family Fun
Family FREE Saturday
May 18 @ 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Spartanburg Science Center

Bring your family for a day full of fun FREE of admission!

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Categories: Family Fun
Family River Day
May 18 @ 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
NOC Roswell- Azelea Park

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Join Family River Day in Roswell and experience the great outdoors like never before! This event is perfect for people of all backgrounds, especially Black Indigenous, People of Color- families and enthusiasts. Join us for a day of river paddling, safety workshops, live music, food trucks, and more. This fun-filled day will take place in the beautiful setting of Azalea Park.

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Categories: Family Fun Outdoors
Free Family Day at the Science Center!
May 18 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
The Spartanburg Science Center

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Categories: Family Fun
Kids Playdates
May 18 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Fretwell Spartanburg

Join us on Saturday, May 18th, for our Spring edition of “Kids Play Date at Fretwell!” This Saturday from 11am-2pm, kids and their families can enjoy face painting, story time, children’s songs, and snowball snacks galore!

The event is FREE to the public.
*some activities may have a fee.

Play Date Lineup Includes:

  • Face Painting
  • Story Time with The Children’s Museum of the Upstate
  • Children’s Songs

Food truck: Sugar Shack Snoballs!

About Fretwell

Fretwell is Spartanburg’s newest gathering spot, located just a few steps off the Mary Black Rail Trail. Whether you’re here to rest from the Trail, have a beer or coffee with friends, or listen to live music with your family, we have a spot for you!

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Categories: Family Fun
Storytime Ballet
May 18 @ 11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Hughes Main Library
 Meeting Rooms l

Story-based performance with dancers from the International Ballet. Best for ages 3-8.

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Categories: Family Fun
Rocky Cove Railroad Exhibit
May 18 @ 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
NC Arboretum

On exhibit Saturdays and Sundays from 12 – 4 p.m., Rocky Cove Railroad is a G-Scale (garden scale) model train that demonstrates the coming of trains to western North Carolina at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibit is located below the Grand Promenade. Please note, Rocky Cove Railroad will not operate in rainy or wet conditions.

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Categories: Family Fun Featured Outdoors
Greenville Drive vs. Winston-Salem
May 18 @ 7:05 pm
Fluor Field

Greenville Drive vs. Winston-Salem

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Categories: Family Fun Sports
Contra Dances in the Upstate
May 18 @ 7:30 pm – 11:00 pm
River Falls Lodge

We hold Contra Dances in the Upstate of South Carolina. Our Saturday dances are held the first, third and fifth Saturdays of each month at the River Falls Lodge which is located at 100 River Falls Lodge Road, Marietta, South Carolina 29661.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

Admission to regular dances:  Ages 14 and above– $10 cash; under 14 free if accompanied and supervised by a paying individual 16 or older.  No coins please!

Are you a beginner? We strongly encourage you to attend our FREE beginner classes before every dance. Class starts at 7:30 PM. This is your chance to learn the basics of Contra dancing or just refresh what you know.

Please park completely on the grass.  We want to make the roads clear for emergency vehicles to be able to easily get through.  We also do not want to have any problems with the law.  If possible, car pool to save on parking space.  Thank you for your attention on this matter.

CAMPING is available on the grounds for $5 per person. Showers and bathrooms are available.

Check out our potluck dinner! We will periodically host potlucks before or after special events such as the Monster Mash dance or board meetings, but will announce them ahead of time, so stay posted and/or sign up to receive notification through the Yahoo Groups email updates.

Consider serving a term (or two) on our board. Harvest Moon Folk Society is always looking for a few good folks who would help give back to the contra dancing community. More information from any board member, or at the entry desk at any RFL dance. Please fill out the Board Application form to join our dedicated group of volunteers.

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Categories: Community Dance Family Fun
Disney’s The Little Mermaid
May 18 @ 7:30 pm
Mauldin Cultural Center

Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories and the classic animated film, Disney’s The Little Mermaid is a hauntingly beautiful love story for the ages. Ariel, King Triton’s youngest daughter, wishes to pursue the human Prince Eric in the world above, bargaining with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to trade her tail for legs. But the bargain is not what it seems, and Ariel needs the help of her colorful friends, Flounder the fish, Scuttle the seagull and Sebastian the crab to restore order under the sea.

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Categories: Family Fun Music Theatre
Sunset Paddle
May 18 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Croft State Park

Join us for an evening paddle with park staff on scenic Lake Craig. During this 90-min. paddling trip we will watch the sun slowly set, and as dusk descends, we will see the first stars of the evening.

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Categories: Family Fun Outdoors Sports
Sunday, May 19, 2024
BRING ON SPRING w/ Nantahala Outdoor Center
May 19 all-day
Nantahala Outdoor Center

 
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Categories: Family Fun Outdoors Sports