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

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Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Christmas Lionel Train Scavenger Hunt
Dec 3 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Model Trains Station

Families love Model Trains Station’s Christmas Lionel train display with scavenger hunts set to the theme of “Frozen” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”. Get into the holiday spirit by visiting the snowy mountains near the North Pole or taking a peak at Charlie Brown’s fictional town of Pinetree Corners. There are seven displays running 21 trains with interactive controls for little engineers. Model Trains Station located in Taylors Mill is a family Christmas adventure worth finding.

The Utley Collection of Brass Instruments
Dec 3 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Carolina Music Museum

The exhibit features selected pieces from one of the world’s finest collections of over 600 historic brass instruments from the Joe and Joella Utley Collection of Spartanburg, SC. In collaboration with the National Music Museum (NMM) in Vermillion, South Dakota, which will soon house the Utley Collection, Dr. Sabine Klaus, curator of the Utley Collection, worked closely with Tom Strange, Curator and Artistic Director of the Carolina Music Museum to prepare the exhibit.
Tuesday – Saturday 10-5 Sunday 1-5

United Community Bank Ice on Main
Dec 3 @ 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Village Green

United Community Bank Ice on Main, located in the heart of downtown Greenville, is an open-air ice skating rink. Since 2011, more than 86,000 skaters and countless spectators have enjoyed Greenville’s favorite holiday tradition.

 

Come out from November through January every year, to celebrate the holiday season with one of America’s favorite winter traditions – ice skating!

Operating Hours

Monday – Thursday: 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

School Break Hours

Saturday, December 21 – Sunday, January 5:
11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Holiday Hours

Wednesday, Nov. 27: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 29: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Christmas Eve: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Christmas Day: CLOSED
New Year’s Eve: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
New Year’s Day: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday, January 19: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Martin Luther King Day/Closing Day: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Empower Hour
Dec 3 @ 11:30 am
YWCA of Asheville

Join us for Empower Hour, a one-hour program and facility tour where you will experience firsthand the YWCA’s work to bridge gaps in earning power, education, health & wellness and access to childcare.

Empower Hours take place twice a month on the first and third Tuesday at 11:30 am.
Lunch is served as part of our Empower Hour, so reservations are required.

To make a reservation: contact Elizabeth Alvandi, Advancement Assistant, at (828) 254-7206 ext. 103 or [email protected].

A Season for Believing
Dec 3 @ 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm
The Shops at Greenridge

FREE to the public, including photos with Santa who will be arriving at 4:30pm via horse-drawn carriage. Guests will need to bring their own camera/phone for Santa photos. Activities will be centered around a Polar Express theme, so kids are invited to wear their holiday pajamas. Other festive activities will include a hot chocolate bar, crafts, balloon artists, a train ride.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride
Dec 3 @ 5:00 pm – 6:15 pm
Bryson City Depot

About This Trip

Over 90,000 guests rode THE POLAR EXPRESS™ with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in 2018 and we hope to see you in 2019! The 1¼ hour round-trip excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS™, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ begins November 8, 2019, and operates through December 31, 2019.

Dickens of a Christmas
Dec 3 @ 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Main Street in Downtown Spartanburg

With carolers dressed in Victorian garb, live festive Christmas music, living window displays, horse-drawn carriage rides, and of course the lighting of the Christmas tree at Denny’s Plaza, you don’t want to miss Spartanburg’s signature yuletide celebration.

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland
Dec 3 @ 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Tryon International Equestrian Center

Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland presented by Ingles
Tryon Resort is thrilled to be the newest location on the Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland circuit. This two-mile journey weaves through hundreds of thousands of animated Christmas lights coordinated to music for an estimated 30 minutes of holiday enchantment. The Wonderland also features giant, custom-built displays of Santa and his pals on vacation in the mountains, hang gliding, rock climbing, ice fishing, lounging around the campfire, and more. This playful portion of the show is sure to please everyone, young to old.

The tour finishes in Tryon Resort’s Winterfest Village filled with more fun for the whole family. The tour is $25 per carload with additional pricing for group vans and buses available. Tickets are available online in advance or at the exhibit entrance, and discount tickets are available at any Ingles location. Tours are self-driven and open from 6pm-10pm seven days a week beginning November 15, 2019 and ending on January 5, 2020.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride
Dec 3 @ 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm
Bryson City Depot

About This Trip

Over 90,000 guests rode THE POLAR EXPRESS™ with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in 2018 and we hope to see you in 2019! The 1¼ hour round-trip excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS™, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ begins November 8, 2019, and operates through December 31, 2019.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Bon Secours Festival of Trees
Dec 4 all-day
Downtown Greenville

Each year, the St. Francis Foundation celebrates the holiday season with the Greenville community and area visitors through the St. Francis Festival of trees. This event offers holiday magic and many surprises. Enjoy the beauty of the holiday season by strolling through spectacularly decorated trees lining the interior of four hotels in downtown Greenville. 

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Courtyard by Marriott Greenville Downtown, Hampton Inn & Suites Greenville Downtown @ RiverPlace, and Embassy Suites by Hilton Greenville Downtown RiverPlace

Skating on the Square Spartanburg
Dec 4 all-day
Morgan Square

Skating on the Square

Regular Hours

Monday – Thursday 3 – 8 pm
Friday 2 – 10
Saturday 11a – 10 pm
Sunday 12-8

Special Holiday Hours

December 20 – January 5th 11am – 10pm (excluding holiday hours listed below)
Thanksgiving Day 4-10 pm
Christmas Eve 12-8pm
Christmas Day 3 – 10 pm
New Years Eve 11am – 10 pm
New Years Day 2pm-10 pm
Martin Luther King Jr Day (Closing Day) 11a – 10p

“Dressing for the Occasion: Mid-Century Sandburg as Celebrity and Family Man”
Dec 4 @ 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Carl Sandburg Home

Sandburg Clothing on Exhibit

“Dressing for the Occasion” offers visitors a window into the style, culture, and feel of mid-century America. The family’s clothing and accessories weave together the roles of Carl Sandburg as a prominent writer, celebrity, father, and husband. This temporary exhibit offers an exciting opportunity for the public to view objects that are normally in storage or in the possession of Sandburg family members. Tours of the Sandburg Home are offered daily from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Tickets are available first come, first served, each day from the visitor information area in the ground level of the Sandburg Home.

Nearly every room in the historically furnished house museum will be included in the exhibit. Visitors will see the characteristic scarves Carl Sandburg wore as he played his guitar and sang folk songs to entertain his family and guests, the dress Lilian Sandburg wore to meet President Lyndon B. Johnson, and many other mid-century pieces worn by the Sandburgs and their daughters. Historic photographs, paired with the clothing, will provide context.

Christmas Lionel Train Scavenger Hunt
Dec 4 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Model Trains Station

Families love Model Trains Station’s Christmas Lionel train display with scavenger hunts set to the theme of “Frozen” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”. Get into the holiday spirit by visiting the snowy mountains near the North Pole or taking a peak at Charlie Brown’s fictional town of Pinetree Corners. There are seven displays running 21 trains with interactive controls for little engineers. Model Trains Station located in Taylors Mill is a family Christmas adventure worth finding.

The Utley Collection of Brass Instruments
Dec 4 @ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Carolina Music Museum

The exhibit features selected pieces from one of the world’s finest collections of over 600 historic brass instruments from the Joe and Joella Utley Collection of Spartanburg, SC. In collaboration with the National Music Museum (NMM) in Vermillion, South Dakota, which will soon house the Utley Collection, Dr. Sabine Klaus, curator of the Utley Collection, worked closely with Tom Strange, Curator and Artistic Director of the Carolina Music Museum to prepare the exhibit.
Tuesday – Saturday 10-5 Sunday 1-5

United Community Bank Ice on Main
Dec 4 @ 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Village Green

United Community Bank Ice on Main, located in the heart of downtown Greenville, is an open-air ice skating rink. Since 2011, more than 86,000 skaters and countless spectators have enjoyed Greenville’s favorite holiday tradition.

 

Come out from November through January every year, to celebrate the holiday season with one of America’s favorite winter traditions – ice skating!

Operating Hours

Monday – Thursday: 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

School Break Hours

Saturday, December 21 – Sunday, January 5:
11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Holiday Hours

Wednesday, Nov. 27: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 29: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Christmas Eve: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Christmas Day: CLOSED
New Year’s Eve: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
New Year’s Day: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sunday, January 19: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Martin Luther King Day/Closing Day: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride
Dec 4 @ 5:00 pm – 6:15 pm
Bryson City Depot

About This Trip

Over 90,000 guests rode THE POLAR EXPRESS™ with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in 2018 and we hope to see you in 2019! The 1¼ hour round-trip excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS™, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ begins November 8, 2019, and operates through December 31, 2019.

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland
Dec 4 @ 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Tryon International Equestrian Center

Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland presented by Ingles
Tryon Resort is thrilled to be the newest location on the Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland circuit. This two-mile journey weaves through hundreds of thousands of animated Christmas lights coordinated to music for an estimated 30 minutes of holiday enchantment. The Wonderland also features giant, custom-built displays of Santa and his pals on vacation in the mountains, hang gliding, rock climbing, ice fishing, lounging around the campfire, and more. This playful portion of the show is sure to please everyone, young to old.

The tour finishes in Tryon Resort’s Winterfest Village filled with more fun for the whole family. The tour is $25 per carload with additional pricing for group vans and buses available. Tickets are available online in advance or at the exhibit entrance, and discount tickets are available at any Ingles location. Tours are self-driven and open from 6pm-10pm seven days a week beginning November 15, 2019 and ending on January 5, 2020.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride
Dec 4 @ 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm
Bryson City Depot

About This Trip

Over 90,000 guests rode THE POLAR EXPRESS™ with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in 2018 and we hope to see you in 2019! The 1¼ hour round-trip excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the North Pole to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board THE POLAR EXPRESS™, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell. Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot.

THE POLAR EXPRESS™ begins November 8, 2019, and operates through December 31, 2019.

Thursday, December 5, 2019
Bon Secours Festival of Trees
Dec 5 all-day
Downtown Greenville

Each year, the St. Francis Foundation celebrates the holiday season with the Greenville community and area visitors through the St. Francis Festival of trees. This event offers holiday magic and many surprises. Enjoy the beauty of the holiday season by strolling through spectacularly decorated trees lining the interior of four hotels in downtown Greenville. 

Hyatt Regency Greenville, Courtyard by Marriott Greenville Downtown, Hampton Inn & Suites Greenville Downtown @ RiverPlace, and Embassy Suites by Hilton Greenville Downtown RiverPlace

Skating on the Square Spartanburg
Dec 5 all-day
Morgan Square

Skating on the Square

Regular Hours

Monday – Thursday 3 – 8 pm
Friday 2 – 10
Saturday 11a – 10 pm
Sunday 12-8

Special Holiday Hours

December 20 – January 5th 11am – 10pm (excluding holiday hours listed below)
Thanksgiving Day 4-10 pm
Christmas Eve 12-8pm
Christmas Day 3 – 10 pm
New Years Eve 11am – 10 pm
New Years Day 2pm-10 pm
Martin Luther King Jr Day (Closing Day) 11a – 10p