25+ Free (or Inexpensive) Things To Do This Winter

Looking for free or cheap things to do near Greenville, SC this winter? You’ve come to the right place! We’ve gathered up our favorite free and inexpensive winter activities in Greenville. 

Winter can really put a damper on outdoor activities because of the cold but do not fear, here’s a list here of free and inexpensive things to do in the Upstate that will keep you and your kids from crying boredom and will help relieve that cabin fever. “Inexpensive” in this case means the total cost of the activity is less than $20 for a family of four to do.

Looking for more? If our winter list isn’t enough, check out our full list of Free and Inexpensive Things to Do in Greenville.

A quick tip: if you don’t have one already, we highly recommend purchasing a Greenville Attractions Dining & Value Guide ($20), which has great coupons to use at not only tons of restaurants in the area but also has vouchers for many entertainment venues and attractions and significant discounts off of admission to the Pavilion and Pump It Up bounce houses, water parks, and DEFY, among others. I saved over $200 last year using it.

Now to the fun part.

Free Things to do During the Winter in Greenville, SC

Go sledding if it snows!

Typically staying in your own neighborhood is a good idea, especially if the roads are bad (and it’s free). Ideas for improvised sleds: tape up the seams of larger cardboard boxes with duct tape, use pool toys, a large cookie sheet, lunch tray, tops of garbage cans, an old car hood, laundry basket, or plastic kiddie pool. [disclaimer: don’t blame us if these ideas don’t work]

But if you’re looking for something more (that does cost money) KAG readers recommend Maggie Valley,  Moonshine Mountain, and Jonas Ridge, which are all in North Carolina.

Sign up for a free trial toddler class: Piano Central Studios, and The Little Gym.

Eat for free using our Kids Eat Free list.

Library: Both the Spartanburg and Greenville County library systems are enormous and they have a ton of free stuff to do – virtual storytimes, craft kits, and special online events. Most branches have free parking but the ones downtown do charge anywhere from $1-$2.

Enjoy the fish at the small aquarium at Cabela’s on Woodruff Road and have your kids pick out their favorite wild animal on display all around the massive store.

Visit small creatures at local Petco or PetSmart stores, the Greenville Humane Society, or Greenville County Animal Care.

Continue kindness! Just because the holiday season is coming to a close, shouldn’t mean the end of being kind and thoughtful. Write a nice note for a service member and send it with a care package, bake cookies for your local firefighters, volunteer for Meals on Wheels, catch up on thank you notes for all those Christmas gifts.

Go on a driving waterfall tour of North Carolina waterfalls that involve little to no hiking at all. Bonus is that you may get to see a frozen waterfall or two!

Winter Hikes are free (depending on your hiking location) and have lots of fun. Enjoy the crisp, fresh air and a hike without the sweltering summer heat! We have 6 Upstate Winter Hike locations for you to try.

Spend an afternoon at one of Greenville’s Park with Sunny Spaces and Playgrounds.

Inexpensive Things to do During the Winter in Greenville

Warm-up with hot chocolate at these places with great hot chocolate in Greenville.

Splash in the fun indoor slide and play area at the Kroc Center Pool (daily passes available, $5-10). Reserve space online.

Family Fun Gym at Acrosmith Gymnastics is offered Mondays-Thursdays at 9:00 am and 10:15 am, and Fridays at 10:15 am. The 9 am time slot is for kids walking through six years old and the 10:15 am time slot is for kids up to age 12. It is an open gym with parent participation, remaining within the arm’s reach of the child. Kids get to bounce around on trampolines, try the balance beams, and test their ninja skills on the obstacle course.
You must pre-register. Registration closes at the start of Tot Time.  The cost is $6 per session, and sessions are limited to 50 children – winter schedule available online.

Take children ages 6 and under to DEFY, a trampoline park, for the KidsJump hour every Monday-Friday from 9 – noon. It’s $15.99/child and parents/caregiver jump for free.

If you buy a membership pass to Big Air, it works out to be inexpensive fun. They offer open jump as well as Toddler Time, Homeschool Jump, and Cosmic Nights! That coupon book we mentioned earlier can really save you a good bit at Big Air too.

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