SCVB Blog

Spring is here and not only does that mean beautiful weather and flowers in bloom, it also means some of Spartanburg’s most popular attractions are opening their doors and expanding their hours.

Take a ride on the wild side at Hollywild Animal Park. Interact with free roaming animals on their Outback Safari Ride. You will have the opportunity to feed the animals right out of your hand. With over 70+ acres of land, Hollywild is home to a wide range of animals, including fallow, sika, white tail deer, zebras, bison, watusi cattle, Scottish Highlanders, donkeys, emus and more! Be sure to take your camera, because there are quite a few celebrities who call Hollywild home! Over 65 movie credits, countless commercials and hundreds of special events have featured some of the animals you will encounter at Hollywild Animal Park.

Hollywild is now open seven days a week, rain or shine. Weekday hours are 9am-1pm and they are open on weekends from 10am-5pm. The cost to visit is $10 for adults and $8 for children 2-12 years of age.

For the history buffs, be sure to visit Walnut Grove Plantation, an 18th Century plantation which portrays living conditions in Spartanburg County prior to 1805. Take a guided tour of the home (offered on the hour) and learn about the home, the furnishings and the lives of the people who lived there. Stroll on the grounds, and perhaps even see a blacksmith at work.  Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy under the shade of the pavilion.

Walnut Grove Plantation is open Tuesday-Saturday from 11am-5pm and Sunday from 2-5pm. Admission for adults is $6, youth (6-17) $3 and children 5 and under are free.

Now that spring is here, Spartanburg residents and visitors can enjoy more than just warm weather. The arrival of the season means that delicious local produce will be available at the Hub City Farmers’ Market, Strawberry Hill U.S.A. and produce stands throughout the County.

Seasonal crops like cabbage, onions, lettuce and broccoli will be available from local farms, if the weather cooperates. And, of course, strawberries will be ready to enjoy as well.

There are plenty of locations to find local produce in Spartanburg and to get to know your local farmer.

The Hub City Farmers’ Market will open on May 8, and besides fresh produce, there will be bedding plants, meats, honey and coffee available. And because the Hub City Farmers’ Market is a producer-only market, shoppers can be certain that everything sold at the market was grown or produced locally.

Strawberries will not only be available at the Hub City Farmers’ Market, but also at Cooley’s Strawberry Hill U.S.A. There you can pick up a basket of berries at their roadside shed or venture through the fields and pick your own. Strawberry lovers get a juicy seasonal treat that’s a great source of vitamin C and high in antioxidants.
    
To get your local produce visit any of the following locations:

Hub City Farmers’ Market
Saturday Market
8am-noon
May 8-Nov. 13
Magnolia Street Train Depot-298 Magnolia Street

Hub City Farmers’ Market
Wednesday Market
4-7 pm
June 2-Oct. 27
Dunbar Street (next to Morgan Square)

Hub City Farmers’ Market
Inman Farmers’ Market
4-7 pm, Thursdays
June 10- Sept. 30
Location TBA

Strawberry Hill U.S.A.
3092 Highway 11 West
Chesnee
 

Come out on Saturday, May 1st from 8:00am – 4:00pm for the Grand Opening of the Hub City Railroad Museum!  Did you know that Spartanburg County once produced more peaches than the entire state of Georgia?  That is because the rail system throughout our county was so strong and connected to every part of the United States. We became known as the Hub City!  A hub for rails, education, art, agriculture, textiles and so much more, which you will be able to experience when you see the new museum.  

There will be hour long trolley tours running throughout the day (8:30am; 10am; 11:30am; 1pm) taking you through the history and noting specific places that transformed the rail industry in and around the new museum.  The tours will leave from the Magnolia Street Train Depot, located at 298 Magnolia Street,  and the proceeds will go back to the museum for upkeep.  A videographer will be at the Museum from Noon until 2pm to collect a living history of the trains in Spartanburg County.  Whether you were a child or an adult during its heyday, we want to hear your memories!  

Enjoy the other festivities going on downtown but make sure you stop in to see the working telegraph machine and learn how Spartanburg was truly deemed the Hub City!  For more information, call 864-596-3501.

Dust off your old bicycle; it is time to get it in gear!  Spartanburg is celebrating National Bicycle Month in May with activities for the whole family!  

To kickoff the festivities, the Spartanburg Regional Classic is Friday, April 30 in downtown Spartanburg.  The 6th annual downtown professional cycling criterium will provide an exhilarating experience for thousands of spectators.  This race is set on a half mile course and has been likened to Nascar or horseracing on two wheels, running from 3:45 – 9:15 pm.  For families attending the race, children are welcome to participate in Team Spartanburg’s annual Kid’s Bike and Big Wheel Race and Safe Kids’ Bicycle Rodeo.  

In addition to the race, May is filled with bicycle-related activities for all ability levels.  Bike Month happenings include: Kids’ Bicycle Pageant, a bicycle commuter class, Yoga for Cyclists, a family-friendly Rideabout and Walkabout, Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day, Art Cycle, Assault on Mt. Mitchell, a women’s mountain bike ride, Stump Jump and many more!

Bike Town is a collaborative program spearheaded by Partners for Active Living that culminates each year in community-wide celebrations during May.  The program began in early 2005, after the Mary Black Foundation awarded a multi-year grant for Spartanburg’s pursuit of the national designation as a Bicycle-Friendly Community.  Spartanburg will reapply for the designation in August 2011.

For additional information about National Bike Month events in Spartanburg, including the Spartanburg Regional Classic, please visit www.BikeTownSpartanburg.org or call 864.598.9638.