Spartanburg County, SC is a great place to visit and live. We are a growing county of approximately 280,000 to 300,000 thousand, and are continually adding interesting places to visit and things to do. Summer especially has a lot of free activities suitable for families who either live here or are visiting. I’m going to review several of what I think are the best free places to visit and things to do. Of course, there are too many to cover in one article, but I will try to do it justice.
Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve is a great place to spend a day in Spartanburg, SC. It is located at 820 John B White Blvd. in Spartanburg, SC. It is a 10 acre garden and woodland preserve and is free to the public. It is open 365 days a year during daylight hours. Created in 1969 by Harold and Josephine Hatcher, it is a place for inspiration, education, and meditation. It has nature trails, picnic areas, and several ponds on the property. It is a haven for birds and other wildlife. It has informative and detailed plaques along the walking trail to explain a tree, a plant, and many other things you see along the trail. It is a great place to bird watch, enjoy a free tour by a knowledgeable volunteer, or simply walk through, picnic and enjoy observing on your own. Pets are not allowed in the reserve. Visit Hatcher Garden and Preserve on your next visit to Spartanburg and enjoy a day of fun in the sun and get an environmental education at the same time. Don’t forget the binoculars!
The Chapman Cultural Center a true asset to Spartanburg County, and is a must to visit whether you live here or are visiting. It opened on Oct. 3, 2007, and houses 3 invaluable sources of Art, History, and Science in one location. It is owned by the Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg. It is located at 200 East St. John Street, Spartanburg, SC 29306. Exhibitions are open Tuesday-Saturday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Admission is free for the Science Museum, the SAM Art Gallery, and the Regional History Museum. This one location houses all three of these, plus Spartanburg Dance Center, the David Reid Theater and the Music Foundation. This facility is a true treasure for our area. Please put this on your list to visit. You can spend the whole day learning about science, art, and history for free!
Music on Main is a free event that takes place every Thursday from mid April-August from 6pm-9pm. Each Thursday a new band is featured. It’s like a big community party. It is lots of fun for adults and children. Admission is free, but there is a cost for the food vendors on site. Alcohol is also available when you purchase a wrist band, so keep this in mind when considering whether you want to take your kids or not. There are usually plenty of children around. The event takes place in the Denny’s Plaza located at the 200 block of East Main Street in Downtown Spartanburg. The schedule of bands is available at www.musiconmain.com.
Free Movies in Barnet Park is a fairly new free event. It is sponsored by Hub City Church, as a community outreach effort. On the third Saturday during May-August, a movie is shown at Barnet Park at the amphitheater. Barnet Park is located on East St. John Street in Spartanburg. The movies shown are family friendly and free popcorn, peanuts, and Coke products are provided. Movies start at approx. 8:30pm. The public is encouraged to come on in early and have a family picnic before the movies. Kids love seeing the movies outside. This is a fun time for all.
Barnet Park is a great place to run and play and have a picnic even if there is no movie playing. It has bathroom facilities on site. It also has an interactive fountain that children love to SPLASH in and run through! It’s a great place to cool off in the summer and just hang out in the summer sun.
Spartanburg County Public Library located on Kennedy Street in Spartanburg is another great place to visit for free activities. They have a large area with computers for use with internet access. They have free summer reading clubs for children, teens, and adults alike. They have craft activities on certain days and free computer classes for children and adults. During the summer months, they also have free movie nights every Friday at 6pm. Free popcorn, candy, and soda are offered here also. They also have an outside reading garden if you don’t want to stay inside.
International Festival is an event that Spartanburg has hosted annually since 1986. It is a free event that showcases Spartanburg’s ever growing multicultural influence. This is a fall event and this year it will be held Oct. 3, 2009 at Barnet Park in Spartanburg on East St. John Street.
Each culture has a booth that offers free brochures and various literature containing facts about their particular heritage. They also have items for sale that are unique to their region. It is a great opportunity to learn about various cultures. There is free entertainment all day on different stages featuring music of different cultures. Food vendors are also on site to sell authentic foods from Indian, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, to Thai.
I regularly visit each of these places and events and enjoy them all. You can get comprehensive details for each of these at the websites listed below.
Sources:
Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve, Spartanburg, SC : Reviews of Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve – Yahoo! Travel
Welcome to the Chapman Cultural Center
Music on Main home page
Hub City Church
Barnet Park – Spartanburg, SC, 29306 – Citysearch
Spartanburg County Public Libraries – Home
Spartanburg International Festival
