10 Best Things to Do in Spartanburg, SC

By VacationIdea Staff on October 26, 2022 - Updated

Mattis Kaminer/stock.adobe.com

Boasting beautiful natural landscapes and rich history, Spartanburg in northern South Carolina is warm, welcoming, and offers plenty of things to see and do from art galleries to outdoor activities. The Downtown Cultural District is the beating heart of the city and features several interesting attractions from the Spartanburg Regional History Museum which documents the history of the region to the lakeside Cleveland Park amphitheater which hosts a variety of sporting events. Here are some of the top spots to visit and places to eat on a visit to the charming city of Spartanburg.

We recommend that you call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.

1.Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve

Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve is a 12-acre botanical garden open freely to the public during daylight hours year-round that features an abundance of perennials, shrubs and mature trees, several tranquil ponds, and a network of walking trails. The woodland preserve features dense forests, meandering creeks, seasonal flower gardens, reflective ponds, and a cascading waterfall and is home to an array of birds and wildlife. Visitors can explore the gardens and preserve on one of the many walking trails or paved pathways and enjoy picnics and ranger-led educational programs on the indigenous plant life in the region.

832 John B White Sr Blvd, Spartanburg, SC 29306, Phone: 864-574-7724

2.RJ Rockers Brewing Company

RJ Rockers Brewing Company is a locally owned microbrewery in Downtown Spartanburg that produces handcrafted beers in bottles, cans, and on draft that have been aged in bourbon, whiskey, and rum barrels from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Established in 1997, RJ Rockers is a solar-powered microbrewery that has been producing barrel-aged for over 22 years with an annual capacity of 16,000 barrels. The brewery has a downtown brewpub that sells the range of beers and offers tasting tours Thursday through Saturday. They also host a range of events from live weekly music and big-screen sports games to trivia nights.

226-A W Main St, Spartanburg, SC 29306, Phone: 864-804-8047

3.Glendale Shoals Preserve

Glendale Shoals Preserve is a 13-acre reserve and natural area situated on the site of the old Glendale Mill on Lawson’s Fork Creek. Dating back to the 1800s, the scenic property has a significant history and was once a large cotton factory known as the Glendale Mill that supported the local mill village and the surrounding area of Bivingsville. Today, the property features the ruins of the mill, an old bridge dating back to 1928, a dam and a waterfall, and numerous hiking trails and is a popular area for outdoor recreation. The Preserve is also home to a diverse array of fauna and flora, including many species of birds.

Emma Cudd Rd, Spartanburg, SC 29302, Phone: 864-948-0000

4.Hollywild Animal Park

Hollywild Animal Park is a non-profit animal sanctuary set on 100 acres of land that is home to more than 500 animals, many of which have appeared in movies and television shows. The zoo provides natural habitats for a wide range of animals from around the world and features an outback safari section where animals such as bison, Watusi cattle, several species of deer, and donkeys roam free. Visitors to the zoo can hand-feed some of the animals in the safari section, and the sanctuary offers a range of educational programs, field trips, scout workshops, summer camps, and community outreach programs.

2325 Hampton Rd, Wellford, SC 29385

5.West Main Artists Co-op

The West Main Artists Co-op is a community-centric arts center that is home to three dozen working artists’ studios and displays their works in a variety of rotating exhibitions. Housed in a 20,000-square-foot red brick building with a steeply sloped roofline and large, ornate windows that was once a Baptist church, the gallery is a unique destination for local art in Spartanburg County. The building houses 32 studios in which more than 40 artists work and exhibitions in the hallways and small gallery rooms which the public can view and purchase. The arts center also hosts an array of educational programs, workshops, and artistic performances.

578 W Main St, Spartanburg, SC 29301, Phone: 864-804-6501

6.Edwin M. Griffin Nature Preserve

The Edwin M. Griffin Nature Preserve is a 115-acre nature reserve and urban greenspace that features over five miles of wooded hiking and biking trails, pristine wetlands, rolling grasslands, and interesting geological formations. The park is also home to a diverse array of fauna and flora with animals like wild turkey, deer, beavers, raccoons, fox, and numerous birds and reptiles, and offers a range of recreational activities such as hiking, mountain biking, canoeing, kayaking, picnicking and wildlife watching.

Beechwood Dr, Spartanburg, SC 29307, Phone: 864-948-0000

7.Westgate Mall

Westgate Mall is Spartanburg’s primary shopping market, boasting 954,302 square feet of retail space and housing major anchor stores such as Costco, JCPenney, Bed Bath & Beyond, Dillard's, and Belk. Located on West Blackstock Road off Interstate 26 and US Highway 29, the shopping mall offers center-wide accessible parking, ATMs, modern restrooms with baby changing stations, nursing mother stations, children’s play areas, fire pits, fountains, and a security and police substation.

205 W Blackstock Rd, Spartanburg, SC 29301

8.Anderson Mill

Located at the intersection of the North Tyger River and Anderson Mill Road near Fairmont in Spartanburg County, Anderson's Mill is a historic water-powered gristmill dating back to the late 19th century. Resting on the banks of the North Tyger River, the mill was formerly known Nicholl’s Fort, Nichol’s Mill, and Tanner’s Mill, and is now named after Jim Anderson who purchased the mill in 1831. Anderson Mill is the oldest standing mill in South Carolina and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

5255 Anderson Mill Rd, Moore, SC 29369, Phone: 864-978-6528

9.Wade’s Restaurant

Located in the Pinewood Shopping Center, Wade’s Restaurant is a long-standing old-school fixture that has been serving classic Southern comfort food since 1947. The family-owned and operated restaurant has bustling, vibrant energy with a friendly vibe and serves an ever-changing menu of hearty, homemade food made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients. The award-winning eatery uses age-old recipes that have been passed down through the generations for traditional Southern dishes like homemade meatloaf, chicken pie, slow-cooked turnip greens, fried flounder, and hush puppies, and mouth-watering pecan pie. Wade’s Restaurant is open for

1000 N Pine St, Spartanburg, SC 29303, Phone: 864-582-3800

10.Pi-Squared

Located in the Drayton Mills Marketplace, Pi-Squared is a family-friendly pizzeria that serves artisan-style wood-fired pizzas and fresh salads in a warm and welcoming setting. The bustling pizzeria serves a wide range of pizzas with a choice of toppings ranging from meats and seafood to different cheeses, vegetables, and imported ingredients like buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto. Pizzas are accompanied by a range of freshly prepared salads made with locally sourced ingredients, and a selection of draft beers and casual wines, milkshakes, and fountain sodas. Pi-Squared is open for lunch and dinner, daily.

1802 Drayton Rd, Spartanburg, SC 29307, Phone: 864-586-2525