Explore family friendly events, theatres, galleries, concerts, nightlife, things to do, and more in the Greenville, SC and Upstate areas.

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Monday, March 4, 2024
2024 Carl Sandburg Poetry Contest is open with a theme of “Memory”
Mar 4 all-day
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

Carl Sandburg wrote countless words in an array of different genres, including poetry, children’s stories, journal articles, as well as a biography and autobiography! He wrote of love and nature, dreams and struggles. This year’s theme of “Memory” is echoed in much of his works. ““Under the summer roses, when the flagrant crimson, lurks in the dusk, Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, comes and touches you with a thousand memories, and asks you beautiful, unanswerable questions.” Carl Sandburg

Poems submitted for the 2024 contest should reflect the theme of “Memory.” By definition, “the process or power of recallling something learned or experienced from the past” Note: Poems do NOT need to be titled Memory, as long as the poem itself relates to the theme.

Students are invited to submit a poem to Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site’s annual Student Poetry Contest. The contest encourages youth to explore writing their own poetry and is open to students nationwide!

  • Submissions are accepted from grades 3-12 and must be submitted by email by Monday March 4, 2024. See below for submission rules.
  • Winners will be notified by April 7, 2024, and will be invited to participate in a virtual celebration program on Sunday, April 28.
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Emergence: Spring Wildflower Walk
Mar 9 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
NC Arboretum
  • ONSITE | 

    Instructor: Alexandra Holland

    $35 Adult Non-Member

     (**Arboretum Members receive a 10% discount on all classes.)

    BRN – Elective, 2 hours | BREG – Elective, 2 hours | NCEE – Criteria II, 2 hours

    Limit: 15

    Spring is here, and the natural world is waking from its winter rest! Naturalist and botanist Alexandra Holland leads this wildflower walk at the Arboretum, pointing out the array of spring wildflowers emerging and in bloom. Learn some basics of wildflower ecology and identification while taking in the beauty of spring.

    Alexandra Holland graduated from Duke University and earned her Master’s degree in botany from the University of Texas at Austin. She was in the first class of students to be certified as Blue Ridge Naturalists. Alexandra managed the UTEX Culture Collection of Algae at UT Austin and spent many hours working with education programs at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  She has taught botany for over a decade and leads nature hikes in Western North Carolina for groups of all ages.

Sunday, March 10, 2024
Walk the Swamp Trail
Mar 10 @ 9:30 am – 11:30 am
SRT Cafe

**The Upstate Pathfinders Volkssport Club** is a not-for-profit club providing interesting walks available daily, at your pace, in 11 different Greenville locations. Our Swamp Rabbit Trail route is somewhat shaded. The March 10 walk features 6k and 10k routes starting at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe at 205 Cedar Lane Rd, Greenville. The walk goes north to Sulphur Springs at the RR car and returns to and past the Cafe to Unity Park for 10K walkers. 6k walkers may stop and enjoy lunch at the Cafe or just shop the Grocery store for that unusual item you have not seen for a while. 10k walkers can stop at the Commons or Pangaea Brewery for a bite and refreshers before returning to the finish at the Cafe. Pets are allowed on a 6 ft leash.
* **Start Point:** 205 Cedar Lane Rd, Greenville; start from a table in the outside seating area. Restrooms available at the Cafe and at Unity Park in the Commons.
* **Registration**: Register between 9:30 and 10:00. Walk with a group or on your own with turn by turn instructions. Group walks start very shortly after 10:00. 9:30 and 10:00. Walk with the group or on your own with turn by turn instructions. Groups start very shortly after 10:00. Cost is $4 for all participants at registration. Please bring exact change and small address stickers to speed up registration.
* **Parking**: The Cafe is popular and to assist in parking use the lot across the Reedy River from the Cafe. This allows spaces for customers to shop there.
* The walk is sanctioned by America’s Walking Club and eligible for IVV Credit.

Seeing Beauty Awe Walk
Mar 10 @ 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
NC Arboretum

Instructor: Susan Patrice

$24 Non-member Adult**

 (**Arboretum Members receive a 10% discount on all classes.)

Limit: 12

Take a fresh look at the objects, moments and vistas that surround you during this “awe walk” led by documentary photographer Susan Patrice. The contemplative practices she teaches help you experience place through new and loving eyes, to see beauty and wonder in your surroundings. Bring cameras or phones to capture what calls to you in the enveloping landscape. Participants will be sent meeting instructions for this small-group class that will take a slow intentional walk through parts of the Arboretum forest and forest meadow. This walk is a precursor to the generative writing and contemplative photography workshops to be held the following weekend.

Susan Patrice is a documentary photographer, community artist, and founder of Makers Circle. She recently launched Kinship Photography Collective, a global community of practice designed to create rich visual conversations that explore the intimate connections between nature, culture and belonging. Susan’s own photography and public installations focus primarily on the Southern Landscape and its people and feature intimate images that touch deeply into the questions of place, gender, and belonging.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024
Evelyn Berry in Conversaton with Ray McManus
Apr 2 @ 6:00 pm
Hub City Writers Project

Evelyn Berry and Ray McManus discuss Berry’s poetry collection Grief Slut— an examination of the queer lineage in the American South.

Join Evelyn Berry and Ray McManus at Hub City Bookshop as they discuss Berry’s poetry collection Grief Slut on Tuesday, April 2nd at 6:00PM.

Get a 10% discount on the book when you RSVP and purchase a copy on Eventbrite!

About the Book:

Evelyn Berry’s debut poetry collection, Grief Slut, is an examination of the queer lineage of pleasure, grief, and resilience in the American South. Berry offers a portrait of a girl living through boyhood and grappling with the violence of nostalgia in poems that blend high art, archival slivers, and Taco Bell. This collection invites us into a landscape home to sloppy kissers, swamp suitors, scrappy “limbwrecked boys,” and drag queens drenched in glitter sweat, where “each day is trespass” and queer youth fight to “hear one another breathe just a little while longer.”

About the Author

Evelyn Berry is a trans, Southern writer, editor, and education. She’s the author of Grief Slut (Sundress Publications, 2024). She’s a recipient of a 2023 National Endownment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship and lives in Columbia, South Carolina.

About the in-conversation partner

Ray McManus is the author of four books of poetry: Punch. (winner of the 2015 Independent Publishers Book Award for Best Book of Poetry in North America), Red Dirt Jesus (selected by Alicia Ostriker for the Marick Press Poetry Prize 2011), and Driving through the country before you are born (winner of the South Carolina Book Prize in 2006), and a chapbook called Left Behind. He is the co-editor for the anthology Found Anew with notable contributors with South Carolina ties. His poems have been published in numerous journals such as CrazyhorsePrairie Schooner, and POETRY magazine. He lives in South Carolina where he teaches for USC Sumter and serves as the Writer in Residence for the Columbia Museum of Art. Pre-order his newest poetry collection The Last Saturday in America from Hub City Press here.

Sunday, April 28, 2024
Wits n Words
Apr 28 @ 4:30 pm
Mist N Smoke lounge

Join us for an unforgettable evening at Wits
and a Word”!
Deaf Byron will have you in stitches with
their hilarious stand-up comedy.
_ Divinity and Marley Quinn will mesmerize
you with their soulful poetry.
Whether you’re a lover of wit or a seeker of
profound words, “Wits and a Word” is the place
to be!
Date: April 28th
Time: 4:30
Location: 280 Whitney Rd
Get ready for laughter, rhymes, and an evening
that celebrates the magic of words!

Saturday, May 25, 2024
Arts Jam: Art Vendors + Music, Dance, and Poetry Show
May 25 @ 12:00 pm
The Artistry Gallery

Music, poetry, art, and dance collide for Carolina Muse: Arts Jam, a celebration of our multimedia literary & arts magazine’s published creators based in the Carolinas.

This intimate, immersive arts event features local musicians, dancers, writers, and visual artists all in one show. Shop art pieces & crafts made by local artists and enjoy performances & readings from talented creators of several styles & genres. We’re excited to build community with fellow artists & arts-lovers of several creative mediums.

– Music & dance performances
– Poetry readings
– Art & crafts for sale
– Raffle tickets!

📆 Saturday, May 25, 2024
🕰️ 1pm-4pm (art sale starts at 12pm)
📍 The Artistry Gallery, GVL, SC
💵 $15

Sunday, October 20, 2024
Theresa Caputo
Oct 20 @ 3:00 pm
Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
For more than a decade, Theresa Caputo—known worldwide as the Long Island Medium, and star of the new Lifetime Series Raising Spirits—has touched the lives of millions of fans, comforting supporters when they need it most.
Known for her unique ability to communicate with those who have passed on, Theresa Caputo Live: The Experience brings Theresa face-to-face with her fans as Spirit guides her through the audience, and a full-stage video display ensures that everyone in the theater has an up-close experience regardless of seat location. Through personal life stories, candid humor, and intimate details about her gift to communicate with those who have passed, the beloved television personality and best-selling author delivers healing messages to her audience, reassuring them with the revelation that their deceased loved ones are still with them—just in a different way.
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Wedding Festivals
Feb 1 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Greenville Convention Center

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Join us for Wedding Festivals at the Greenville Convention Center on February 1st, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM in the elegant ballroom! Explore the latest wedding trends, meet talented vendors, and find everything you need to plan your perfect day. From stunning gowns to breathtaking venues, this is a must-attend event for every bride and groom-to-be!

Thursday, March 6, 2025
I Remember Glenn Springs: Stories with Ben Greer
Mar 6 @ 7:00 pm
Old Stone Church

Ben Greer is an author, poet, and educator who was born and raised in Glenn Springs. He graduated from the University of South Carolina and Hollins University. He published his first novel, Slammer, at 26 to rave reviews and went on to publish 4 others. His first book of poetry was published at 59. His latest book of poetry is called Naked Prince: New & Selected Poems.

Ben has also written three plays, including Little Tin Gods, produced by Theatre South in 2008. Having taught at the University of South Carolina for 33 years, he is retired and lives in Columbia.

Join us at the Old Stone Church on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 7:00pm to hear Ben’s stories and memories of growing up in Glenn Springs. This event is free and all are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

Sunday, March 30, 2025
The Thorn
Mar 30 @ 7:00 pm
Bon Secours Wellness Arena

“The Thorn,” a powerful and popular live theatrical event, seen live by over one million people, will bring the passion of Jesus to life this spring at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

The Thorn offers audiences a unique theatrical experience in a show that has been hailed as “Cirque meets ‘The Passion’” thanks to its compelling mix of drama, music, dance, martial arts, aerial acrobatics, emotionally evocative performances, and timeless spiritual perspectives. The story spans from creation to the formation of the early church. Watch the trailer here.  For more information, please visit TheThorn.com

Author John Bolin created the show over 25 years ago to convey the meaning of Christ’s sacrificial death to a group of young people who knew little about the story of Jesus’ suffering but were familiar with pain through their own practice of cutting and self-harm.

The show has evolved ever since, with the current live version returning to the original format featuring St. John, “the beloved disciple,” recalling his many amazing encounters with Jesus.

“It’s a story full of love, sacrifice, spiritual warfare, and redemption,” said Bolin.

Friday, April 4, 2025
The Cross and the Switchblade
Apr 4 @ 7:00 pm
The Logos Theatre

New York. 1950s. When David Wilkerson senses the call of God to minister to the gangs of New York, he could never have imagined the challenges and struggles he was going to face along the way. The violence, drugs, and despair that plagues the gang members seem to overwhelm his every effort, but soon, through God’s work in the life of one young man named Nicky Cruz, David begins to see that the transformation he is working for comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Saturday, April 5, 2025
The Cross and the Switchblade
Apr 5 @ 7:00 pm
The Logos Theatre

New York. 1950s. When David Wilkerson senses the call of God to minister to the gangs of New York, he could never have imagined the challenges and struggles he was going to face along the way. The violence, drugs, and despair that plagues the gang members seem to overwhelm his every effort, but soon, through God’s work in the life of one young man named Nicky Cruz, David begins to see that the transformation he is working for comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thursday, April 10, 2025
The Cross and the Switchblade
Apr 10 @ 7:00 pm
The Logos Theatre

New York. 1950s. When David Wilkerson senses the call of God to minister to the gangs of New York, he could never have imagined the challenges and struggles he was going to face along the way. The violence, drugs, and despair that plagues the gang members seem to overwhelm his every effort, but soon, through God’s work in the life of one young man named Nicky Cruz, David begins to see that the transformation he is working for comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Friday, April 11, 2025
The Cross and the Switchblade
Apr 11 @ 7:00 pm
The Logos Theatre

New York. 1950s. When David Wilkerson senses the call of God to minister to the gangs of New York, he could never have imagined the challenges and struggles he was going to face along the way. The violence, drugs, and despair that plagues the gang members seem to overwhelm his every effort, but soon, through God’s work in the life of one young man named Nicky Cruz, David begins to see that the transformation he is working for comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Saturday, April 12, 2025
Tunnel to Towers 5k
Apr 12 @ 7:00 am
Sirrine Stadium

Tunnel to Towers is an organization aiming to help the nation to Never Forget the brave men and women who lost their lives on 9/11. T2T will be putting on this 5k to help support the nations veterans today. The race will be throughout the greater Downtown Greenville area.

The Cross and the Switchblade
Apr 12 @ 7:00 pm
The Logos Theatre

New York. 1950s. When David Wilkerson senses the call of God to minister to the gangs of New York, he could never have imagined the challenges and struggles he was going to face along the way. The violence, drugs, and despair that plagues the gang members seem to overwhelm his every effort, but soon, through God’s work in the life of one young man named Nicky Cruz, David begins to see that the transformation he is working for comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thursday, April 17, 2025
Rocky River Nature Park Volunteer Workday
Apr 17 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Rocky River Nature Park

We need your help controlling invasive species at Anderson’s beloved Rocky River Nature Park!

About the park: This free and publicly accessible park is a 131.9-acre property that was protected in 2016 in partnership with Anderson University. Throughout the park, visitors enjoy a matrix of bottomland forest and beaver-maintained wetlands which hosts over 168 species of passerine and migratory birds throughout the year. A population of the rare Swamp Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris) is also known to inhabit the floodplain forests of the park.

Workday activities: This year marks the second year of active habitat restoration at the park. The primary activity of this workday will involve removing invasive species such as invasive olive and Chinese Privet to enhance foraging and nesting areas for native wildlife and migratory species.

What to wear and bring: Participants should wear long pants, close-toed shoes and gear that you don’t mind getting dirty in. We will provide tools and gloves, but volunteers are more than welcome to bring their favorite gardening gloves, loppers or saws!

Many hands make light work — we hope to see you there!

Thursday, May 1, 2025
End of the Year Showcase
May 1 @ 7:00 pm
The Logos Theatre

This exciting and creative recital featuring the students of The Academy of Arts Christian Conservatory will include several original cuttings from some of your favorite books and stories of all time! Don’t miss this opportunity to get a glimpse into our unique, hands-on conservatory program. Your attendance will encourage and show your support of each student’s hard work and achievements! Mark your calendar and reserve your seats today!

Friday, May 2, 2025
End of the Year Showcase
May 2 @ 7:00 pm
The Logos Theatre

This exciting and creative recital featuring the students of The Academy of Arts Christian Conservatory will include several original cuttings from some of your favorite books and stories of all time! Don’t miss this opportunity to get a glimpse into our unique, hands-on conservatory program. Your attendance will encourage and show your support of each student’s hard work and achievements! Mark your calendar and reserve your seats today!