11 Best Sights in Greenville, The Midlands and Upstate

If you missed your true calling as a race-car driver, BMW lets you live out your dreams at this two-hour experience. A pro driver radios in instructions while you put the pedal to the metal and slide around curves in each of the automaker's fastest cars, including the all-electric i4M50 and the M8. Afterward, cool down on the off-road course, where you'll drive a BMW X SUV through an artificial river and onto two wheels as you navigate rocky outcroppings.

In this urban outdoor oasis, sloping green hills, giant boulders, and winding walkways offer great views of the Reedy River, but the best views of the waterfalls are along the architecturally ingenious Liberty Bridge. The Peace Center amphitheater hosts moonlight movies, Shakespeare plays, and open-air concerts during the summer.

This rails-to-trails masterpiece runs 22 miles from downtown Greenville to Travelers Rest, with ample waypoints and scenic views along the way. Reedy Rides rents modern cruisers for $30 per half day. Three miles out of town, the backyard seating at Swamp Rabbit Cafe & Grocery fills up on weekends with bikers grabbing gourmet sandwiches after a morning workout. If you push all the way to Travelers Rest, walk the charming downtown strip and fuel up for the return trip with a chili-rubbed tuna or cowboy rib-eye taco from Farmhouse Tacos.

Part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area and best known for the Raven Cliff Falls here, Caesars Head is about 30 miles north of Greenville. The trail leading to the 420-foot-tall falls can be reached a mile north of the park's main entrance; along the way there are spectacular views of river gorges and pine-covered mountains. Cross Matthews Creek on a suspension bridge; the view of the falls is worth the terror of knowing you're held in the air by nothing but wire.

This 80,000-square-foot facility is packed with hands-on exhibits that cover everything from science and music to construction and race cars. There are also special areas for kids five and younger.

At this park on Lake Jocassee, known for its hiking, boating, and fishing, Lower Whitewater Falls plunges more than 200 feet over huge boulders to splash into the lake waters. You can view the falls from an overlook or from a boat on the lake. The park has accommodations, including both comfortable villas and camping facilities.

This Southern-focused gallery—reopening in 2024 after a renovation—is home to American paintings dating from the colonial era, along with more modern works by Andy Warhol, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Jasper Johns. It hosts the world's most comprehensive public collection of Andrew Wyeth watercolors.

Famous for its trout fishing and the Rim of the Gap Trail, which has views of Rainbow Falls, Jones Gap is 6 miles east of U.S. 276 and is part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. Pick up a trail map and register before venturing into the wilderness; some of the trails are long and strenuous.

This collection is housed in the former home of baseball great Joe Jackson, who along with seven other White Sox players, was accused of throwing the 1919 World Series. Though he was found not guilty, Jackson was banned from playing baseball. The museum, which is open only on Saturday from 10 to 2, has records, artifacts, photographs, and a film, along with a library of baseball books donated from fans around the country. At the end of each summer, staffers challenge their peers at Georgia's Ty Cobb Museum to a vintage baseball game.

It's a scenic drive and then an easy hike to these picturesque double falls on Reedy Cove Creek, where the left and larger of the falls pitches from a height of 75 feet and white water swooshes over wide gray boulders on the right. Don't give in to the temptation to climb the rocks leading to the top of the falls; not only is the view not much better, but also the stones are very slippery. The trail is on public property, a ¼-mile hike one way.

This Smithsonian-affiliated museum gives a visual portrait of the history of the 15 counties of the South Carolina Upstate, including life-size dioramas. There are two floors of interactive displays and a small theater where special programs are regularly presented.