Events Calendar

Meet at the Ticket Plaza in the Chimney Rock attraction.

Join us as we explore a new trail in the park! This strenuous 4.6 mile round trip hike will lead up along the Weedpatch Mountain trail from the top of Eagle Rock to Flapjack Rouck. On this hike you can see excellent views of the north face of Rumbling Bald Mountain as well as parts of Rumbling Bald Resort.

The hikes are free for current Friends members, and advanced sign up is required. Chimney Rock State Park annual passholders may attend for a donation.Please call 828-625-1823 to reserve your space today! Space is limited.

Please wear appropriate shoes and clothing for tough mountain terrain and variable mountain weather. Bring plenty of water, snacks, & a lunch. Programs are scheduled but ending time may vary based on the abilities of the group.

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This series of guided hikes is sponsored by the Friends of Chimney Rock State Park and led by our Park Rangers. These hikes take you into the backcountry areas where access is limited, and few folks get to see.

From pristine streams, to majestic rocks, to breathtaking scenes, join us for the best of the Hickory Nut Gorge and Chimney Rock State Park, with the best tour guides we could ever ask for: our incredible State Park Rangers!

https://www.facebook.com/events/2346600438903953/

“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.

Take care of your holiday shopping list with us at our Downtown Spartanburg Holiday Pop-Up Shop! Featuring local African American entrepreneurs and retailers offering a wide variety of gifts.  This unique holiday offering will connect downtown visitors with new gift-buying options while encouraging inclusion and equity in Downtown Spartanburg.

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.

Capture photos of your friends and family members enjoying the vivid hues of fall and enter them into our photo contest. We’ll use the winning entries on our website and Facebook album, and you’ll win some fun prizes. Photos must be taken within the Chimney Rock section of the Park.

No additional costs to enter.

The first-place winner will receive an overnight getaway to Hickory Nut Gorge with a stay at the Historic 1927 Lake Lure Inn & Spa, two passes to the Park, brunch for two at the Historic 1927 Lake Lure Inn & Spa and two tickets for a tour with Lake Lure Boat Tours.

The contest’s second-place winner will receive two passes to the Park, lunch for two at the Old Rock Cafe and two tickets for a tour with Lake Lure Boat Tours.

Chimney Rock’s Facebook followers will select the People’s Choice Award winner. Followers will have a week to like and share their favorite photo from an album of Winter Photo Contest entries posted on the Park’s Facebook page at facebook.com/chimneyrockparknc. The People’s Choice Award Winner will receive two passes to the Park, lunch for two at Old Rock Cafe and their photo will be featured on the Park’s Facebook page.

Shutterbugs interested in capturing Mother Nature’s wintry beauty can do so by entering Friday through Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the Park’s winter hours.

All entries must be submitted to [email protected] or to the Parks’ Facebook page through Facebook messenger.

https://www.facebook.com/events/354841472011965/?event_time_id=354841605345285

A curated mix of handmade giftable art, home goods, jewelry, and children’s items will be available for purchase. The Pop Up Shop makes it simple for Greenville to buy handmade for the holidays.

Finally, on Saturday November 30th after Thanksgiving, we’re excited that it’s Kid Hop time again! Kid Hop Hooray (our awesome indoor family dance party that happens monthly all winter long) is back. This event is for kids of all ages, with family-appropriate music from DJ Oso! Drop in anytime – it goes from 10am til 1pm. There will be FREE Glow accessories for little dancers while they last, plenty of room to run, dance, and get their sillies out while it’s cold outside, and snacks for purchase from Asheville Pizza Co and the Hop Ice Creamery, as well as popcorn and juice boxes! And of course, The Orange Peel bar will be open for mom and dad’s refreshments.

Padded area available for crawlers and new walkers to play and explore.

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

Catherine Bush has created another magical Christmas story – this one about Clement Moore, a hard-working newspaper writer at the New York Chronicle. His wife needs an expensive operation in order to survive, but instead of advancing him money, Clem’s boss gives him an impossible assignment: to write the best Santa Claus story ever. Clem, who considers Santa Claus a fanciful idea, puts aside his cynicism for one moment and wishes on the Christmas Star. What follows is a night of magic that not only changes Clem’s life forever, but changes how the whole world celebrates Christmas.

Some of the most expansive views of the Hickory Nut Gorge can be captured during the winter months, when leaves have fallen from the trees. Grab your coat, hat and camera and show us your shots of the Park during its quietest time of the year. We’ll use the winning entries on our website and Facebook album, and you’ll win some fun prizes. Photos must be taken within the Chimney Rock section of the Park.

Cost: No cost to enter

https://www.facebook.com/events/229502051313980/

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.

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.

Get your day rolling with the early-bird tour to three iconic Greenville breweries, starting with an intimate guided tasting at Quest Brewing before they even open to the public. Next is a full facility tour by owner Bill Davis at Greenville’s oldest and largest brewery, Thomas Creek, followed by a guided tasting with owner Jack McDonald at the always creative 8th State Brewing. Cost includes all beer samples throughout the tour, snacks and bottled water, plus a very special beer gift and plenty of insider beer knowledge to take home!

*Enjoy special-access, behind-the-scenes facility tours with the brewers, hear their stories, and sample at least a dozen various ales and lagers throughout your tour.

*Learn how beer is made and packaged and enjoy guided tastings at each stop.

*Make new friends and enjoy a safe ride on the beautiful 12-passenger van as they play ‘Gary Gose Gump,’ our hilarious, professionally produced beer-themed parody of Forrest Gump.

Tickets are all-inclusive, with snacks and bottled water provided along the way.
Two public tours (11:30-3:00 and 3:30-7:00) are offered each Saturday, while private, custom tours for groups of six or more are available 7 days a week by request, featuring door-to-door pick-up/drop-off at your home, hotel or rental house.
Call 828.216.1343 or visit www.thebreweryexperience.com.
Cheers!

Forget tourist-filled museums, make your own memories with a photo scavenger hunt tour in Greenville! On a Let’s Roam scavenger hunt, you and your team will work together to wander throughout Greenville, racking up points and laughs along the way. Greenville Adventure is the perfect small group activity for anyone looking to spend an enjoyable afternoon in Greenville.

Some of the more memorable landmarks you’ll see are: NOMA Square, Swamp Rabbit Trail, Greenville Drive Baseball Stadium, Baseball Library..

Let’s Roam scavenger hunts work great for outdoor team building games in Greenville too! Whether you work in Greenville or are just visiting, you are sure to learn some new facts about the city as well as your teammates on this creative corporate event! This is one of the happiest hours your team will spend together!

Fear not, maids of honor, these hunts are sure fire ideas for Greenville bachelorette parties! Bachelors and bachelorettes will both enjoy roaming around on their wedding-themed Greenville scavenger hunts. Why just bar hop when you and your team can jump for joy as you complete hilarious photo challenges and see the best that Greenville has to offer!

Looking to check out a different part of the city? Check out Downtown Asheville Scavenger Hunt, Classic City Culture & History, and Lap Around Charlotte as well!

Here is some more info about this hunt:

Follow the Blue Ridge Mountains and you’ll find one of South Carolina’s most picturesque cities. On this fun-filled Greenville scavenger hunt, explore the storied buildings, great green spaces and cultural institutions.Is there a waterfall in NOMA Square? Who left their sox in the baseball stadium? Find out on this scavenger hunt of Greenville!

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.

Grab your friends, lace up your skates and shake up your weekly routine at The Well! Bon Secours Wellness Arena offers a friendly atmosphere where you can enjoy ice skating while listening to music and socializing with family and friends. Get a free skate rental when you donate! Bring 5 canned goods or a case of water to assist our STAGE partners, Loaves and Fishes and Habitat for Humanity.

Ice walkers are free and available first come, first served. Free parking is available in the VIP lot off of Church Street. Free ADA parking is available in the loading dock parking lot off of Academy Street.

Adults: $8 (age 7 and older)
Children: $6 (age 6 and under)
Skate Rental: $3

Group Rate (groups of 15 or more):
Adults and Children: $6
Skate Rental: $3

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.