Anderson, SC Outdoor Activities

Featured on NBC and CBS, John Nolan’s Greenville History Tours provide access to the city’s storied past via educational strolls through the West or South End, landmark-peppered drives, and samplings of the city’s restaurant scene. Nolan founded the company in 2006 after spending a decade immersed in local history as a museum docent and time-traveling crime fighter. Since striking out on his own, Nolan has authored A Guide to Historical Greenville, South Carolina and has remained at the top of TripAdvisor’s rankings. Participants can reap the benefits of Nolan’s knowledge of history, culture, and architecture on traditional tours as well as special VIP tours.

Founded in 2010, the EHCL's Greenville Road Warriors don't have the rich legacy of their parent squad, the NHL's legendary New York Rangers. But judging from their first two seasons, the team is eager to make up for lost time. The Road Warriors took the league by storm in their debut season, earning the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference before losing in overtime of Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs. Their quest for Kelly Cup glory continued in the 2011–2012 season, when they yet again made it to the playoffs and fell in the conference quarterfinals. Although championship hardware may have eluded the Road Warriors in their short history, the squad has produced enough top-notch regular-season performances to keep NHL scouts, fans, and trophy-case carpenters on their toes.

The altitude fiends at Climb Upstate entreat climbers of all skill levels to practice their vertical vernacular in the architect-designed indoor facility. Climbers clamber through a simulated cave while perfecting their mole-people dialect or emulate a bouldering adventure on more than 100 feet of continuous scaling space. Numerous routes designed for every ability take advantage of the facility’s ample lean-back walls, 35 feet of roof climbing, and top-rope stations, two of which stretch all the way to the ceiling. Between ascents, guests may relax in the party space and catch screenings of climbing movies on a 42-inch flat-screen or dust off their chalky hands for a round of table tennis on the facility's ping-pong table.

Icy coats clothe the hills at Snowy Joe's Winter Park from December to February as riders cut through winds atop inflated rings. At the top of the massive mound, bodies are postmarked express and delivered to the end of 350-foot alleys. Younger racers hike to the top of a shorter hill to shoot down smooth, 60-foot chutes. The venue welcomes large groups or birthday parties, providing pizza or special rates for family gatherings. Riders can also gather around a crackling open fire and sip on free hot chocolate.

Paranormal researcher Jason Profit has earned the title of "Greenville's Ghost Hunter." He has worked with the spirit world since an early age, watching his mother banish spirits from neighbors' homes and selling lemonade to specters unable to sate their thirst for vengeance. He developed a passion for the unexplainable and, now, tirelessly studies the history and rumors surrounding known haunted sites. On tours, Profit shares his research on local hauntings and gives guests the opportunity to explore the location of mysterious deaths and accidents.

The idea for an annual barbecue expo began slow-cooking in 2010 at a family lunch. The Boyds thought about organizing a little barbecue competition and ended up luring 8,500 barbecue enthusiasts to their "small" cook-off and fundraiser. Now in its third year, the charitable event continues to develop flavor and raise money for local schools while packing bellies with some of the area's best barbecue recipes.

With napkins in hand, attendees can follow the smoky scents and sounds of sauce-splattered high-fives from the tents of a variety of vendors. Ten teams of grilling gurus face off in a whole-hog cook-off, with the winners earning a cash prize and a spot in the state championship later this year. A new Chick-fil-A sauce competition sifts through the day's top toppings until a winner is crowned. Between bites, guests can also savor the festival's many attractions, including a police dog demonstration, a petting zoo, and a BMX bike show, where riders wow onlookers by performing tricks and bunny-hopping over smokers.