2012 Summer Family Fun in Greenville

Whether you are local or visiting for a few days, there are many fun activities going on in the Greenville area this summer...and some are year-round. And much of it is FREE or very inexpensive!

If you're headed for beautiful downtown Greenville, your family can hunt out the nine unique mice sculptures hidden in surprising places along Main Street. The Mice on Main website gives clues for finding the cute bronze mice.

The fountain at Riverplace off S. Main under the bridge is a great place for kids to beat the heat running through spraying water.

There are many wonderful parks and playgrounds in Greenville, including the Children's Garden at Linky Stone Park (under the bridge at Academy St). This magical garden is full of life-size storybook characters!

We found a couple of new reading programs this year. Check out the Barnes & Noble reading program to earn a free book. Read 8 books, complete printable Reading Journal, and take into your local B&N; store by Sept 4, 2012.
The Woodruff Rd B&N store offers children's storytime on Tuesdays at 10. The Haywood Rd location has story time Saturday at 11 am. Also, Barnes & Noble offers an online story time each month with a different author.

The local library offers great summer activities and exciting guest performers. Get signed up here for the summer reading programs which reward readers of all ages!

TD Bank will deposit $10 in a bank account for any child who reads 10 books and brings the completed form printed from their site into their local branch by Sept 29, 2012.

Fiction Addiction bookstore on Woodruff Road across from Costco has Children's Storytime Thursdays at 10:30.

Introduce your child to Shakespeare in a lively and engaging setting with Summer Shakespeare. This year's show is As You Like it...set in the 70s. It's an hour-long performance and young children who are able to sit that long are invited to attend. Tickets are only $5 and it is always a colorful, fun, and witty performance!

Get a couple of families together and set up a group tour at Great Harvest Bread (1467 Woodruff Road). Enjoy a sample of their delicious breads or bakery treats.

Beat the heat with a super cheap daytime movie. Regal Summer Movie Express has $1 kid movies on Tues/Wed mornings at 10! Greenville locations are Cherrydale or Hollywood on Woodruff. Check out all the details here for cheap summer movies when it is too hot or rainy to play outside! This deal applies to many areas outside Greenville, also.
Great Escape Theater in Simpsonville has free kids movies starting at 9:30 am Tues/Wed/Thur mornings. Download more info here.

Shakespeare in the park! This summer's performace is Henry V, opening July 12. If you haven't been downtown to see a free play at the Falls Park on the Reedy, then check this out.

If you are looking for a FREE family night idea, bring a picnic supper and enjoy the Furman Lakeside concert. Check out the schedule (Thursdays at 7:30) here!

The Shops at Greenridge will be showing FREE Drive-in movies Friday nights in August! Schedule is here.

If you live in Greer, be sure to check out the listings for FREE outdoor Moonlight movies on Thursday nights at Greer City Park.

And if you live in Simpsonville, head over to Heritage Park for some great movies this summer. The gates open at 7:30 and movies start around 9pm on the lawn.

Plan a family outing at Paris Mountain State Park. It is inexpensive and a great family place to play. Pack a picnic or food to grill, and enjoy a summer day of hiking, paddle-boats, swimming, and frisbee! And they have camping sites if you're up for an entire weekend in the great outdoors! Here is the main site.

George the Train is a historic mini-train that runs at the Pavilion. Rides are offered April thru October on Tues/Fri/Sat/Sun. Check here for more info.

Another local miniature train runs at Heritage Park in Simpsonville. You can climb aboard Sat/Sun. Contact info here.

Please leave a comment if you've found any other inexpensive kid-friendly entertainment in the area!