Things to Do in Anderson

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.

What began as fewer than 30 paintings hanging in two rooms has since grown into the Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery, a collection of more than 400 baroque paintings displayed in 30 galleries. The paintings—works by Rubens, van Dyck, and Murillo that date from the 14th through 19th centuries—are thoughtfully displayed in context, surrounded by furniture, sculptures, tapestries, and popular emoticons from their respective time periods. Architectural elements also add texture to the various galleries, flooding them in colorful light from stained-glass windows or framing their walls with the carved corners of fireplace mantels.

At Heritage Green, a satellite location boasts special exhibits of works pulled from the main galleries or on loan from private and public collections. Up on the second floor, interactive exhibits educate visitors of all ages on works by the old masters.

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.

Evincing a history that dates back to 1881 and includes stints as a city jail and a silent-film palace, the 426-seat Newberry Opera House is a spectacle in itself. A recent multimillion-dollar renovation project modernized the institution's eclectic Victorian craftwork by adding state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems and removing the horse-drawn curtain-raising system.

Monkey Joe's immerses kids aged 2–12 in a cushy world filled with bright yellows, reds, and greens. Amid the air-filled structures, kids enliven imaginations and burn off pent-up energy by scaling walls, cascading down slides, and drafting the blueprints for their parent's new inflatable summer home. During breaks in the action, they can also hit the arcade to try their hand at air hockey and other prize-redemption games.

Parents can head to the lounge to sip a rich cup of coffee, surf the 'net, and watch TV, confident that their little ones are under staff supervision. The friendly Monkey Joe's crew can also entertain groups in a private suite.

Set in the rolling hills of Cuyahoga Falls, the Blossom Festival summer series welcomes the Cleveland Orchestra on August 28, yielding center stage for a night of world-class classical music. Settle into a pavilion seat and treat ears to a cochlear night out as conductor James Feddeck leads the orchestra through a series of heartstring-plucking pieces, such as Britten’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell, Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes, and Elgar’s In the South. Relax as the music and breeze wash over the crowd, letting the smooth rhythms and swaying melodies fight for ears’ adoration and the last stick of gum.