Unity Park's playgrounds and splash pad, the Greenville Zoo, free mini golf, the Children's Museum and rainy-day museums, with hours and prices.

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Hours and prices come from each place’s own website and the City of Greenville’s park pages. Prices change; check before you go. City parks: Greenville Cares, 864-232-2273.

Greenville’s best outings for children sit within a couple of miles of Main Street: the city’s newest park with four playgrounds, the zoo in Cleveland Park, a free mini golf course and museums downtown for wet days.

Quick picks

Place Cost Hours
Unity Park playgrounds City park 6 a.m. to sunset
Unity Park splash pad City park May 1 to Oct. 1
McPherson Park mini golf Free 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Greenville Zoo $15 adults, $12 ages 3-12 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Children’s Museum of the Upstate $20, $15 S.C. residents Tuesday-Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Playgrounds and splash pad

Unity Park, 320 S. Hudson St. The city’s 60-acre park has four play areas, according to the city’s playgrounds page:

  • The TD Synnex Playground, 30,400 square feet, with slides, rope climbing, boulder scrambles and two lookout towers modeled on Blue Ridge Parkway fire towers.
  • The Donovan Playground, 13,200 square feet, with swings, a log bridge, sensory equipment and a giant green salamander sculpture.
  • The Ann Watson Trotter Memorial Garden, a natural play area with swings, a climbing wall and a storytelling circle.
  • The Greenville Water Splash Pad, nearly 40 spray jets with a toddlers-only zone, open May 1 to Oct. 1 (1 p.m. to sunset Mondays, 9 a.m. to sunset other days), off when it rains.

Playgrounds are open 6 a.m. to sunset. Surfaces and routes are built for wheelchair access, with adaptive swings and a transfer station. The park also has restrooms in its welcome center and 2.5 miles of looped walking trails.

Cleveland Park playground, next to the zoo. The city’s largest and oldest park is getting a new playground with one of the biggest slides in the city, new picnic shelters and a rebuilt trail. Work is due to finish in late October 2026, the city’s project page says; until then the playgrounds, large shelters and a section of the Swamp Rabbit Trail are closed.

Neighborhood playgrounds are listed on our parks and trails guide.

The Greenville Zoo

The zoo at 150 Cleveland Park Drive is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from March 7 to Nov. 2 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Nov. 3 to March 6, with last entry at 4 p.m. It closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year’s Day, and for annual maintenance in early February, according to its hours page. Walk-up tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for children 3 to 12 and seniors, $14 for military, and free for children 2 and under, its tickets page says. Giraffe feedings cost $5, or $4 for members, the city’s event calendar lists. Zoo: 864-467-4300.

Free mini golf

The city’s 18-hole mini golf course at McPherson Park, 120 E. Park Ave., is free and open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the mini golf page. The city holds free themed pop-up nights through the year; see the pop-ups page.

Rainy-day picks

The Children’s Museum of the Upstate, 300 College St. Three floors and 80,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits for children up to 12, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. General admission is $20, or $15 for South Carolina residents; children under 1 and members are free, and educators, military and seniors pay $12 in person. Children must come with a caregiver 16 or older, according to the museum’s Greenville page and tickets page. Phone: 864-233-7755.

Upcountry History Museum, downtown. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, with its exhibit on the Upstate in the American Revolution running through Oct. 24, 2027, according to the museum’s website. Phone: 864-467-3100.

Greenville County Museum of Art, 420 College St. Home of the world’s largest public collection of Andrew Wyeth watercolors. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday through Thursday. It runs family workshops, some of which sell out, according to the museum’s website. Phone: 864-271-7570.

Story times. The Children’s Museum holds Story Time & More at 11:30 a.m. on most days, its events calendar shows, and the Greenville County Library System runs story times at its branches; see the library’s story time listings. Hughes Main Library, 864-242-5000, is open until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

What this means for you

  • Outdoors: Unity Park’s playgrounds and the free McPherson Park mini golf course.
  • The Cleveland Park playground reopens in late October.
  • On a wet weekend, the museums downtown are open Saturday and Sunday.

More guides: summer camps and pools, free things to do and walking and biking trails.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the Greenville Zoo cost?

Walk-up admission is $15 for adults, $12 for children 3 to 12 and seniors 65 and up, and free for children 2 and under. The zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in spring and summer and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Nov. 3.

Is mini golf free in Greenville?

Yes. The city’s 18-hole mini golf course at McPherson Park, 120 E. Park Ave., is free and open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

What are the Children’s Museum of the Upstate’s hours?

The Greenville museum at 300 College St. is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. General admission is $20, or $15 for South Carolina residents; children under 1 and members are free.

Where is the best playground in Greenville?

Unity Park has four play areas, including the 30,400-square-foot TD Synnex Playground with two lookout towers. The Cleveland Park playground next to the zoo is being rebuilt, with work due to finish in late October 2026.

What can kids do in Greenville when it rains?

The Children’s Museum of the Upstate and the Greenville County Museum of Art are both on College Street downtown, the Upcountry History Museum is nearby, and the county libraries hold story times.