20+ Things To Do In Greenville In Fall

Fall for Greenville

October 13-15, 2023

I think it’s safe to say that Fall for Greenville is the fall festival in town. This weekend long event takes over the city. Several blocks of Main Street are closed off and, if the weather is nice, there are some serious crowds.

But what is Fall for Greenville? It’s basically a food and music festival (which is why I stuck it in thsi category. Over 40 restaurants come and set up tents along Main Street. You can then purchase (with tickets) items from each. Some items are small, just a bite. While others are much larger (think like a turkey leg).

There are also 7 stages scattered around the festival and, my favorite, a craft beer garden (usually down McBee). The festival is free to attend to but you’ll need to buy tickets for the food and drinks.

Read Next: Beginner’s Guide to Fall for Greenville

Main Street Fridays

Fridays from March 17, 2023 through September 29, 2023
5:30pm-9:30pm

One thing I love about Greenville is how often the city blocks off parts of main street for various events. And the tradition continues on Friday nights (if Thursday night didn’t quench your thirst for live music). As with Downtown Alive, the entry and music are free, but don’t forget your cash for food and drinks.

Fidelity Moonlight Movies

Every Thursday Night in September & October
6:00pm-10:00pm

Want to watch a free movie in Falls Park? Yep every Wednesday evening in May and September you can catch a free movie right in Falls Park. There’s even a special Halloween edition in October. The movie itself is projected on a huge screen and starts once it gets dark out.

You’ll want to bring your own chairs and/or blankets. They’ll be a food truck on site but if you want to drink, it’s BYOB. Just make sure to purchase a wristband ($1) first. What kind of movies do they show? The classics. Ranging from Alfred Hitchcock to The Goonies to Jurassic Park (my favorite).

Indie Craft Parade

Friday, September 15, 2023: 6-9pm
Saturday, September 16, 2023: 9am-6pm

Greenville has an amazing arts scene. There seems to be an event every season celebrating our local artists, and fall is no different.

The Indie Craft Parade is a weekend event showcasing amazing artists and craftsmen from around the region. Though it does have an entrance fee, this is a great way to shop local and support our artists.

Travelers Rest Harvest Market

Every Thursday night in October: 5:30pm-8pm
Small Business Saturday Market – November 25, 2023: 12-3pm

Head out to Trailblazer Park in Travelers Rest for the town’s fall market. You can expect local vendors, food trucks, and live music at this harvest market. The Travelers Rest Farmers Market in the summer is one of my favorites and I’m excited to head to their fall markets!

TD Saturday Market

Saturday Mornings, May-October: 8:00am-12:00pm

Join the crowds downtown on Saturday Mornings to find everything local. Greenville blocks off a couple blocks of Main Street for various vendors. Here you can buy vegetables, fruits, plants, meats, cheeses, fresh pasta, jewelry, crafts, and more. You’ll find a bit of everything here – this is not your standard farmer’s market.

The last market in October is the Autumn Harvest where children can participate in a costume contest and trick or treat with the vendors.

Albino Skunk Music Festival

October 5-7, 2023

With a description like “the best music festival in South Carolina” you know right off the bat what you’ll find here. This tri-annual event features some of the best Americana, Folk, Roots, and Bluegrass artists, plus a whole lot more. And you can camp there for just $35. Ticket prices are a lot more (~$50-~$150), but I love that you can stay there all weekend for a very low price.

November 11-12, 2023

This annual event opens the studios of local artists to the public in order to provide free and easy access to the arts, create a community of artists, and to encourage dialogue between artists and the public.

This year the format will be a bit different. Instead of a weekend event, Open Studios is organized around a self-guided tour. The tour will feature 133 artists and studios can be found in Greenville, Easley, Greer, Travelers Rest, and Simpsonville.

The artists will choose their own hours, so be sure to make an appointment or participate virtually through Open Studio’s YouTube and app.

Renaissance Fair

September 30 through November 19, 2023
Saturdays & Sundays ONLY: 9:30am-5:30pm

This is my chance to dress up, watch some jousting, shoot a bow, and eat some turkey legs.

Greenville’s small Renaissance Fair was cancelled and isn’t coming back. But there’s a larger one up in Charlotte every fall.

And yes, I do dress up. If you’re looking for one with tons of different events, I would consider the Charlotte one. But definitely get there early since traffic can be a pain.

Read Next: 5 Tips for Your Visit to the Carolina Renaissance Fair

Sippin’ Safari

Fri, September 1, 2023
6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

So I love our local zoo. Actually, now that I think about it, I love almost all zoos. And I’m especially crazy about red pandas (my favorite at the zoo). So when I discovered that our local zoo had a special wine event, I signed up.

Sippin’ Safari is a ticketed event that features over 40+ wines, appetizers, and live music. I loved strolling around the zoo trying all the wine. Plus the animals become more active at dusk. Just be sure to have a designated driver or Uber there and back. You will be trying lots of wines and you will probably get a bit tipsy.

Read Next: Getting My Wine On At Sippin Safari In Greenville, SC

Euphoria

September 14-17, 2023

Want something a little bit more upscale than Fall for Greenville? Enter Euphoria. This 4 day ticketed event features multi-course dinners, tastings, wine seminars, small concerts, cooking demonstrations, and more.

One of the objectives for Euphoria was to “create a destination event for food, wine and music lovers across the country.” And I believe they’ve succeeded. But know that this is not a cheap festival (though you can buy separate tickets for the events you want to go to).

VIBE

Saturday, September 23, 2023
2:00-5:00pm

Or the Very Independent Beer Event brought to you by Community Tap. Before you scroll on, realize that this isn’t your normal beer festival. With limited tickets, this is an exclusive event. It’ll feature world class, rare pours that are paired with some chef-inspired nibbles.

If rare craft beer is your thing, then this festival might just be yours.

Greenville Craft Beer Festival

Saturday, October 21, 2023

Greenville has its fair share of beer festivals. Heck, I try to go to one every summer. But this was my first beer festival in Greenville. Hosted at Fluor Field there are SO MANY BREWERIES HERE.

Literally you will not be able to taste everything. We weren’t even able to meet our goal of trying at least one beer from every brewery (though we did give it our best shot).

And this festival has all kinds of beers from IPAs to Pilsners to Lagers to Ales. I like to use this festival to try beers from new breweries. Several years ago this was where I discovered Catawba and the White Zombie (one of my favorites to this day).

Drink Some Pumpkin Lattes & Pumpkin Beer

Fall is the season of pumpkin. And it’s my favorite type of beer I might add. It’s so delicious. And pumpkin-y. Plus pumpkin spiced lattes. But I go for ones from my local coffee shops.

So I’ve created a fall drinking guide to help you find all of the pumpkin and fall-themed drinks you can handle.

Read Next: Your Fall Drinking Guide in Greenville

Apple Orchards, Corn Mazes, Pumpkin Patches, & Sunflowers

There are fall festivals galore this time of year at your local farms and orchards. Think hay rides, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches.

Apple pie, applesauce, apple cider, caramel apples, and apple donuts. I always go apple picking each fall. And if I don’t get lost in a corn maze, is it even fall yet?

Where To Go Apple Picking Near Greenville, SC

So here are some spots to get that fall farm feel:

• Sky Top Orchard: apple picking, hay rides, & apple cider doughnuts
• Denver Down Farms: pumpkin patch, corn maze, & loads more at their fall festival
• Stewart Farms: pumpkin patch, corn maze, & wagon rides (no pets allowed)
• Fishers Orchard: fall festival
• Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard: apple picking, pumpkin patch, & corn maze
• Strawberry Hill USA: pumpkin patch, hayrides, apple cider slushies, & corn maze
• Grandad’s Apples: apple picking, pumpkin patch, & corn maze
• Little Cane Creek Farm: corn maze, hayrides, & pumpkin patch
• Greyrock Farm: corn maze & pumpkin patch
• Nix Pumpkin Patch: pumpkin patch
• Jeter Mountain Farm: apple picking
• Coston Farm: apple picking
• Justus Orchard: apple picking
• Windy Hill: apple picking
• Chattooga Belle Farm: apple picking
• Bryson’s Apple Orchard: apple picking

Oh and did you know you can also pick sunflowers in early September? I love me some Sunflowers, and Beechwood Farms has some glorious ones.

Read Next: Where To Go Sunflower Picking in Greenville SC

Hike Paris Mountain

Time to get your fall on! And for me that means more hiking. Because hiking in the summer can be brutal. I’ve done it, but it’s always a sweaty affair. But in the fall it’s glorious.

If we’re just in the mood for a quick jaunt on an afternoon, we’ll head to Paris Mountain State Park. Less than 20 minutes away, we can be out of the house and on the trails in about half an hour.

I’ve done several of the trails including Lake Placid, Mountain Creek, and the Brissy Ridge Trails. Plus in the fall, you can usually catch some music in the afternoon on Saturday.

Read Next: Where to Go Hiking in Paris Mountain State Park

Bike the Swamp Rabbit Trail

Cooler weather means I can actually bike the swamp rabbit trail without getting heat exhaustion and wanting to die. This is one of the things to do in Greenville.

The trail runs from Greenville up to Traveler’s Rest (for about 20ish miles). If you’re not into biking then know that you can walk parts of it too.

There are a lot of business on the route so if you need to grab something to eat (Swamp Rabbit Cafe) then have no fear.

Interactive Map of the Trail

Day Trip to Gorges State Park

Want to hike to see a pretty impressive waterfall? Then head to Gorges State Park!

It’s located right over the border in North Carolina (about an hour and a half away). Ryan and I went one year in early November. It was cool enough that I wore a long sleeve shirt, but that was it. Perfect fall hiking weather.

And the main standout at the park? Rainbow falls! This is the main hike in the park and is only about 3 miles (roundtrip). And the falls themselves are pretty impressive!

Smoky Mountains

Some of the most impressive fall colors can be seen in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As well as an auto tour up to the Newfound Gap, there are lots of hikes, waterfalls, and wildlife watching available. Just be sure to go early in the fall. At the high elevations, the leaves will turn early!

Apple Picking in Hendersonville

Hendersonville, NC is a wonderful little town between here and Asheville. And along with their amazing restaurant and brewery scene, so many amazing apple orchards and farms abound. It’s easy to make this a full day trip.

Catch the Fall Foliage at Caesar’s Head

More hiking! (Can you tell this is my favorite season for hiking?) And Caesar’s Head State Park is not a bad choice. Ryan and I have done the Raven Cliff Falls hike (sadly before I bought my camera) which is about 4 miles roundtrip.

Not into hiking? Just head to the main overlook behind the visitor center to catch one of the best views around.

Swamp Rabbits Hockey Game

Opening Game: October 21, 2023

Okay so you know Greenville has a very popular minor league baseball team, but what about hockey? Meet the Swamp Rabbits. Though the name has changed over time, I still love to go and watch a game. (Hockey being one of my favorite sports to watch in person.) And with lots of tickets for under $20, it can be a great date night.

Clemson Football

This is obviously what a lot of people look forward to when they hear the word fall. And this is Tiger country. I hope you like the color orange.

When I was a graduate student, we went to a handful of games a year. Since then we’ve gone back a couple of times to tailgate and watch some football. Since South Carolina doesn’t have a professional team based in the state, college football is the football here. You gotta embrace it.