3 Days in Greenville and The Upstate: 3-Day Itinerary

Itineraries › 3 Days in Greenville and The Upstate

3 Days In Greenville And The Upstate: a 3-day plan with 11 stops, with hours, costs and closed days from each operator's page and the date we read it. No drive times, because no official page gives them.

Days3plan, then adjust
Stops11each with a source
Free1as the operator states
Indoors0for a rainy slot

Trip Kit

Plan It With Your People

Pick a start date, then send the plan to your group chat, put every day in your calendar, or open each day as a route in Google Maps.

Start date

Day 1 Downtown GreenvilleFalls Park on the Reedy Swamp Rabbit Trail Greenville County Museum of Art Greenville ZooRoute
Day 2 Mountains and state parksParis Mountain State Park Table Rock State Park (Carrick Creek Falls) Caesars Head State Park (Raven Cliff Falls overlook) Jones Gap State Park (Rainbow Falls)Route
Day 3 Oconee County fallsIssaqueena Falls and Stumphouse Tunnel (Stumphouse Park) Yellow Branch Falls Oconee State ParkRoute

Day 1 Downtown Greenville

Falls Park, the trail, a museum and the zoo.

Falls Park on The Reedy
Downtown Greenville park around the Reedy River falls, with gardens, the Liberty Bridge and a lawn for picnics. source
Hours
6 am to 10 pm daily. Public restrooms and elevator 7 am to 9 pm.
Cost
Free ($0 admission).
Kids
City page offers a free Falls Park Activity Guide (PDF). A city ordinance bars under-18s from the central business district including the park after 10 pm Friday and Saturday nights unless with an adult.
Dogs
Pets must be kept on a leash at all times; owners must clean up (bag stations in the park).
Where
601 S Main St, Greenville, SC 29601
Read
November 3, 2026
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Multi-use greenway for walking and biking along the Reedy River and an old rail corridor, linking Travelers Rest, Greenville and Fountain Inn. source
Cost
No cost stated on the pages read.
Dogs
County page: keep dogs on a short leash and clean up after them.
Read
November 3, 2026
Greenville County Museum of Art
Free
Art museum with the world's largest public collection of Andrew Wyeth watercolors, plus Jasper Johns works and a Southern Collection. source
Hours
Wednesday-Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm.
Cost
Admission is free.
Kids
Page asks visitors to keep young children by the hand; strollers are permitted; no running or rough play.
Dogs
Only service dogs are permitted.
Closed
Closed Monday and Tuesday. 2026 closures listed: Jan 1, Apr 5 (Easter), Jul 4, Oct 14-16 (museum event), Nov 26-27 (Thanksgiving), Dec 24-25.
Read
November 3, 2026
Greenville Zoo
14-acre city zoo in Cleveland Park with giraffe, monkeys, lions, giant tortoises and Amur leopards (animal list from the City of Greenville page). source
Hours
Fall/Winter (Nov 2 to Mar 6): 10 am-5 pm daily. Spring/Summer (Mar 7 to Oct 31): 9 am-5 pm daily. Last admission 4 pm.
Cost
Adults $15; children 3-12 $12; 2 and under free; seniors (65+ with ID) $12; active or retired military and spouse with ID $14; children of military with ID $11. SC EBT holders: up to six tickets (two adults, four children) at $5 each.
Kids
Children 3-12 $12; 2 and under free.
Dogs
Pets not allowed on zoo grounds; trained service dogs welcome.
Closed
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year's Day; open other holidays. Annual maintenance closure February 2-13.
Where
150 Cleveland Park Drive, Greenville, SC 29601
Read
November 3, 2026

Day 2 Mountains and State Parks

Paris Mountain is close to the city; Table Rock, Caesars Head and Jones Gap are a drive north.

Paris Mountain State Park
About 1,700-acre state park near downtown Greenville with trails, lakes, camping and Civilian Conservation Corps history. source
Hours
Park open 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. daily; no seasonal change shown. Park office 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri-Mon and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue-Thu. Self-serve kayak kiosk 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
Cost
Adults $6; SC seniors (65+) $3.75; children 6-15 $3.50; 5 and under free. Admission includes the swim area when open.
Kids
Children 6-15 $3.50; 5 and under free.
Dogs
Pets allowed in most outdoor areas on a leash no longer than six feet; not allowed in or around cabins or other lodging.
Closed
None listed.
Where
2401 State Park Rd, Greenville, SC 29609
Read
November 3, 2026
Table Rock State Park (Carrick Creek Falls)
Trails take hikers past mountain streams and waterfalls to the tops of Pinnacle and Table Rock mountains; park page notes Carrick Creek Falls. Notice on page: construction on the Nature Center deck and Carrick Creek Falls access improvements began 7-27-2026; Nature Center and trailhead restrooms closed to the public. source
Hours
Su-Th 7 a.m.-7 p.m. (extended to 9 p.m. F and Sa); Su-Th 7 a.m.-9 p.m. (10 p.m. F and Sa) during Daylight Saving Time. Office M-Su 8 a.m.-6 p.m. (winter 9-5).
Cost
$6 adults; $3.75 SC seniors; $3.50 children 6-15; ages 5 and under free.
Dogs
All pets must remain leashed, including on trails; not allowed in indoor areas, most cabins, or on the swim beach.
Where
158 Ellison Ln, Pickens, SC 29671
Read
October 26, 2026
Caesars Head State Park (Raven Cliff Falls Overlook)
Park page: Raven Cliff Falls trail is four miles round trip to a scenic overlook of the 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls; a 6.6-mile round trip hike reaches a suspension bridge above the falls. All trails are rated advanced and in a wilderness setting. Parking is limited and often reaches capacity on weekends in October-November; highway parking and walk-ins are not allowed. source
Hours
9AM to 6PM daily (9AM to sunset during Daylight Saving Time); trails close one hour before dark year-round. Office 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Cost
Trail access cost: $3 adults; $1.50 SC seniors; $1 children age 6-15; age 5 & younger free
Dogs
Pets allowed in most outdoor areas on a leash no longer than six feet.
Where
8155 Geer Hwy, Cleveland, SC 29635
Read
October 26, 2026
Jones Gap State Park (Rainbow Falls)
Visitor survey on park page: Rainbow Falls is reached by a 2.2-mile, 1,200-foot climb to the base of a 120-foot falls. All trails are considered advanced; hikers fill out a registration card at the trailhead; phone service is unavailable at the park. Roadside parking not allowed. source
Hours
9AM to sunset daily year-round; trails close one hour before dark. Office 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Cost
$6 adults; $3.75 SC seniors (65+); $3.50 children 6-15; ages 5 and under free.
Dogs
Pets allowed in most outdoor areas on a leash no longer than six feet.
Where
303 Jones Gap Rd, Marietta, SC 29661
Read
October 26, 2026

Day 3 Oconee County Falls

The Walhalla area packs several falls into a short drive.

Issaqueena Falls and Stumphouse Tunnel (Stumphouse Park)
Run by the City of Walhalla. Discover South Carolina (state tourism): Stumphouse Tunnel was begun in the 1850s as a railroad tunnel (1,600 feet, stays about 50 degrees year round); Issaqueena Falls is a 200-foot drop reached by a wide dirt and gravel path. source
Hours
stumphousepark.com (City of Walhalla): 'Park is open daily from dawn to dusk.' Discover South Carolina article says 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Christmas; the two pages disagree.
Cost
$5 per vehicle and $15 per bus to enter; annual passes $50 and $60 (stumphousepark.com). State and county park passes are not valid there.
Where
Off SC 28, Walhalla (street address not on pages)
Read
October 26, 2026
Yellow Branch Falls
Forest Service: moderately difficult out-and-back trail to the base of a 50-foot vertical cascade. From Walhalla drive west 6.8 miles on SC Highway 28, turn left into Yellow Branch Picnic Area; hike 0.2 mile on the Yellow Branch Nature Trail to the Yellow Branch Falls Trail, then 1.3 miles to the waterfall. Creek crossed up to four times. Waterfalls can be very dangerous; do not climb on the rocks. Cellular service unavailable at the parking area and unreliable on the trails. source
Dogs
Leashed pets are welcome (USFS)
Read
October 26, 2026
Oconee State Park
Lake with boat rentals (pedal boats, kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards, jon boats), Lake Trail around the lake, historic cabins. Park page does not name a waterfall. source
Hours
Su-Th 7am-7pm; Fri-Sa 7am-9pm (7am-9pm daily during Daylight Savings Time); store and office 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. daily
Cost
$5 adult; $3.25 SC seniors; $3 child 6-15; ages 5 & under free
Dogs
Pets allowed in cabins 14-20; allowed in most outdoor areas on a leash no longer than six feet.
Where
624 State Park Rd, Mountain Rest, SC 29664
Read
October 26, 2026

FAQ

Is this plan good with kids?

Falls Park, the trail and the zoo suit most ages. Check each stop’s kids line and the source before you go.

Are the hours current?

Each stop shows the date we read the operator’s page. Hours and prices change by season, so use the source link before you go.

What We Could Not Confirm

Not confirmed: we looked for these on official pages and did not find them. Check with the town or operator before you rely on them.

Driving and walking times between stops: we give none, because no official page states them. Each day links a route button for current directions.
Hours and prices change by season. Each stop shows the date we read it and links its source; confirm before you go.
Swamp Rabbit Trail length: the county page says a 32-mile network and the City of Greenville page says nearly 14 miles from Travelers Rest to Greenville. Both are official; we do not choose between them.
Greenville County Museum of Art street address: the page we read did not state one.

Sources

Read on October 26, 2026. Stops dated October 26, 2026 were read on that day; stops dated November 3, 2026 were read this session. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? Tell us.

Cite this page: It's South Carolina, “3 Days in Greenville and The Upstate”, itssouthcarolina.com/itineraries/3-days-greenville-and-the-upstate/ (updated 2026-11-03). By the It's South Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.