Greenville: Museums, Music and City History

Greenville offers several distinct themes for your trip: museums featuring regional history and art, historic districts, venues, and walking routes along the Reedy River. To plan your trip, start by considering whether you are particularly interested in history, art, music or spending time outdoors. The following places differ in theme and format, and can help you turn those interests into specific destinations.

Museums and City History

The Upcountry History Museum presents 300 years of Upstate South Carolina history in an interactive format. It spans the area's beginnings as a frontier region and its heyday as the “Textile Capital of the World” to post-World War II changes, the civil rights movement and economic revivals. The museum also explores the history of the Upcountry’s 15 counties. Its scope therefore encompasses both a long historical development and a look at an entire region.

The Greenville County Museum of Art offers a different focus. Its collection ranges from Federal-era portraits to modern masters; significant holdings by Andrew Wyeth and Jasper Johns give you concrete examples of the art represented there. If you are choosing between regional history and art, these two museums offer distinct subjects.

The historic districts also offer two different points of reference: the Pettigru Street Historic District encompasses 88 structures, while the West End Historic District was designated a historic district in 1993. The number of structures gives you an overview of the scale of the Pettigru Street Historic District; the designation of the West End Historic District can be tied to a specific year. Both places complement the museums with a focus on city history.

Events and Music

The Peace Center is a six-acre destination in the city center, with a variety of indoor and outdoor venues. The 2,115-seat Peace Concert Hall hosts Broadway tours, major concerts, lectures, dance performances and comedy events. The seating capacity refers to this hall; the indoor and outdoor spaces are part of the larger Peace Center. The types of events listed show how varied a visit there can be.

The Mockingbird is geared toward listening to music. The venue was created by renovating and combining the historic Markley and Gullick buildings in downtown Greenville. Music and the history of the two buildings are therefore central to this place. Compared with the Peace Concert Hall’s broad range of events, The Mockingbird has a clear focus on listening to music.

Walking and the Reedy River

For downtown attractions, VisitGreenvilleSC offers self-guided walking tours. You can choose a route that focuses on downtown and its attractions. Since routes may be updated, check which tours are currently available before you go.

Another way to explore the area is the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail. This more than 23-mile multi-use greenway system runs along the Reedy River and connects Greenville County with schools, parks and local businesses. This sets it apart from the self-guided walking tours, which focus on downtown attractions: the trail is described as a longer greenway system that connects different places and facilities.

One park features scenic overlooks, nature trails and picnic areas, as well as a pond with a footbridge, excavated mill ruins, six designed garden areas and the Reedy River waterfalls. This combination of landscaped areas, nature trails and historic remains offers a different focus from the museums and venues. Together, these places offer several ways to structure your stay around your interests: art and history, a performance or music, a self-guided walk through downtown, or time on trails and in park areas.

Discover more destinations: Simpsonville, Mauldin, Batesville, Travelers Rest, Welcome, Judson, Taylors, Greer.

For the broader travel overview: Greenville.