The Upcountry History Museum is just one of the cultural institutions found in downtown Greenville’s Heritage Green, which itself is a historical treasure.
The land was once owned by Vardry McBee, the businessman and benefactor often called “the father of Greenville.” (Hint: Pronounce it MAC-bee or Greenvillians will know you are not a local.) McBee donated the property with just one catch—it could only be used for educational and cultural purposes. When the Greenville Women’s College moved from the site in the early 1960s to merge with Furman University, the idea of a public art and history park was born. The 11-acre campus takes up an entire city block and is home to the main county library, the Greenville Little Theatre and three more notable museums.
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Greenville County Museum of Art
Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday
Admission: Free
Details : Visit greenvillemuseum.org or call (864) 271-7570.
The gallery is best known for its large collection of paintings by Jasper Johns and Andrew Wyeth, two of the 20th century’s most famous artists, but there are works dating to the 1700s. “Our collecting philosophy is to provide a historical context of American art,” says program manager Anne Barr. A new exhibit of more than 50 watercolors by Charleston artist Mary Whyte opens March 9. Titled “Working South,” it depicts jobs such as cotton picker, wooden boat builder and textile mill worker that are fading away. The gallery’s collection of Wyeth watercolors is the largest in America and will be on display beginning April 6. If you go, don’t miss the watercolor titled “Apron,” says Barr. The wrinkles on the woman’s face are Wyeth’s fingerprints.
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Museum and Gallery at Heritage Green
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
Admission : $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for students.Children 12 and under admitted free.
Details : Visit bjumg.org/heritage_green or call (864) 770-1331.
The Museum and Gallery at Heritage Green features selections from Bob Jones University’s massive collection of European art, says Amy Basinger, the museum’s events coordinator. The most famous work is Rembrandt’s “Head of Christ,” (See it while you can—in April it will be loaned out to the Louvre) but the gallery also features the work of many other Old Masters. The museum’s second floor includes interactive displays where guests can duplicate classic paintings using modeling clays, see how fashion has evolved since the 1600s and use green-screen technology to add themselves to famous paintings.
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The Children’s Museum of the Upstate
Hours: Extended hours this month are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday; 1 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Regular hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed Mondays.
Admission : Discounted prices this month are $10 for adults, $9 for children ages 2 and older, $9.50 for military and seniors. Regular prices are $12 for everyone ages 2 and older.
Details: Visit tcmupstate.org or call (864) 233-7755.
Sure, it’s designed for kids, but the Children’s Museum of the Upstate will delight adults, too. Among the highlights: A replica farm where children of all ages can milk a cow, pick eggs from a chicken coop and slop the pigs; a mock construction site where you don a safety vest and plastic hard hat to load bricks and rocks; and the infrared light display where you can take a picture of yourself—in pitch dark. This month, the museum is celebrating its second year with expanded hours, discounted admission and special programs.