This grassy spot is located near downtown York, across from the library and near the police…read moredepartment and city hall. A well smoothed concrete path from the street leads to and encircles a granite monument that lists the names of those who served and sacrificed in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam and Operation Enduring Freedom. Too many names. There are a few benches nearby if you'd like to stop and think about that. [Review 13890 overall, 1212 of 2020, number 650 in South Carolina.]

This was a really nice and easy hike. I did the loop, counter-clockwise so I got the reward of the…read moreobelisk marker near the end. If you just want to see that, walk clockwise. This is a smoothly paved 1.5 mile loop trail that covers the ground where the Battle of Kings Mountain took place on October 7, 1780. Considered by Thomas Jefferson, "The turn of the tide of success" this decisive military battle pitched the Patriot forces, known as the Overmountain Men, against the American loyalist militia that was led by British Major Patric Ferguson. Ferguson was killed in the battle and nearly 700 of the Loyalists were taken prisoner. I would consider this slightly harder than easy as there are some inclines. There are benches and captions and a telephone audio tour along the way, so plenty of opportunities for breaks. The site was designated a National Military Park in 1931 and before that, hosted major commemorative events including a speech by President Herbert Hoovery in 1930. There is a gift shop (of course) with mementoes. They also host a breech-loading rifle demonstration if that's something that interests you. Lots of parking and plenty of shade. [Review 672 of 2025 - 1295 in South Carolina - 24233 overall]

Kings Mountain is located in South Carolina not far south of the North Carolina state line. There…read moreis easy access off I-85 to the small mountain. Although small in the scope of mountain size, it holds a huge place in the history of the country. Kings Mountain was the site of an important battle in the southern campaign of the Revolutionary War. Although I had only one Revolutionary War ancestor from South Carolina, the campaign is particularly interesting for me. It was brutal with those who fought in South Carolina being loyalists & patriots who were previously friends & neighbors. Such was the case with the Battle of King's Mountain, fought on October 7, 1780. Led by British Major Patrick Ferguson the loyalists outnumbered the patriots who were a group of volunteers called the Overmountain Men. The group mustered in Abingdon, VA and crossed the Appalachian mountains on horse & foot, adding to their ranks by individuals along the way, to the battle site in Western South Carolina. They weren't experienced soldiers. But they knew the mountain ways and weren't at all frightening by Ferguson's threats, In the end it was a decisive patriot victory with Ferguson being killed & buried on the mountain. A large tombstone was erected along the path up what is more of a hill than mountain. Thomas Jefferson called the victory "The turn of the tide of success." On the day I visited it was very hot. My Golden Girl & I quickly went through the Visitor's Center to the path up the mountain. I felt as if I were walking the path of history as we trudged the hilly path to the monument at the top of the hill. We stopped at Ferguson's grave, along with that of another who never made it off the mountains. It was our tribute to the Overmountain Men, who saw the need and left their homes for the uncertain future waiting in the form of Tory militias. We owe them such gratitude for the role they played in achieving our country's independence.

Free admission to this national battlefield includes the museum in the visitors center and access…read moreto walk around the battlefield. When we visited there was a film in the special exhibit room, and another film in the larger room. Both were informative. The battlefield trail also has a few benches throughout and a few signs to read. Part of the trail is paved, part is gravel. Total trail length was about a mile, mostly a flag and easy walk. I recommend the stop if you're in the area.

Good location of American history. Visitor center has 2 movies about the history of battles. One is…read morethe southern battles in general, one is specific to Cowpens. There is a walking loop that's about 1 mile that goes through the battlefield area. It's mostly paved with black top, with some peagravel areas.

This is an amazing and exemplary park. It is named after the prominent Barnet family. This is the…read morepremier outdoor gathering place for all outside cultural events in the Spartanburg, S.C. area. Today they were having an event showcasing the Ukraine. Not all events that occur here are no admission charges. There's a ticket booth if that were to become necessary. There's no doubt that without the financial support of the Barnet family; this facility would not exist.- absolutely beautiful park!

Great YMCA with a fantastic staff! All class instructors are great, the facility is top notch and…read morealways clean. Even locked our keys in the car and a staff member personally called the locksmith and made sure we got back in our car...went way beyond the call of duty.

So yesterday, July 9, 2022, I went to this facility for a tour; I was considering joining. I'd…read morecalled several weeks ago to see if I'd need an appointment to tour, but I was told no, just come in when convenient. Great. When I got there, at sometime around 3:30-ish, I went to the front desk, and asked the young man working there for a tour. He looked around, said he'd find "Jonathan" because "Ron" wasn't around, but he couldn't do the tour because he was alone at the desk at the moment, and after that there was "no overtime." He seemed rather merry about that; not sure why. A few minutes later, a young woman had shown up, and did a (rather shrill) loudspeaker request for "Jonathan." I guess Ron (I think that was his name) was still unavailable. Jonathan did show up; he was very personable. The time I spent with him was pleasant and he was rather amusing. The problem with him was that he could answer absolutely no questions about any room but the weight area, because that's where he works and that's what he knows. Say what? Why would they waste my time giving me a tour led by a guy who can't answer any questions? The point of a tour is, for me, the prospective member, to see the facility and to ASK QUESTIONS. Jonathan took me back to the front desk when he was done showing me around and told me that the young woman there (yes, Ms. Shrill) could answer questions for me, and off he went. Also standing at the front desk, on the side, was a somewhat rotund man with a pink Y shirt on and a name tag I couldn't read. Was this the missing Ron? I'll never know. So I had a copy of the class schedule, I'd seen the facility, and had no questions answered. I looked at Ms. Shrill and asked: Can you answer some questions for me? She replied: That depends on what you ask. She then dashed off to police some clean towels that a member was trying to take. All this time, Mr. Pink Shirt was standing there, leaning on the front desk, just looking around. Some back story: A few years ago, I was in much better shape. I was doing four brutal classes per week at Orangetheory Fitness (in Orlando at East Colonial where the best head coach of all time, Sammy, kept me on track and motivated). My work schedule got too busy for me to continue, and then I eventually ended up moving to Spartanburg. During that time, I put on weight, and my mood darkened. I realized that I missed the physical activity and the camaraderie a great workout in a great class with great staff can give. I had to ask myself: Am I going to find that at this YMCA? I was hesitant to go back to OTF because I'm seriously out of shape. I was looking at the Y because of the pool, and I knew they offered some yoga classes. I thought easing back into exercise might be the best way to go. Did I think I was going to find what I was looking for at this YMCA? No. Other than a couple of lifeguards, Jonathan, Ms. Shrill, Mr. Pink Shirt, and no overtime guy, I saw no other staff. No classes were being taught, and there didn't appear to be any personal training going on. Basketball? Forget it. The (lazy) staff there allows extreme play, which isn't encouraging, or safe, for someone like me. Nor did I see any cleaning going on. And that place needs some cleaning. The barely controlled chaos in the general pool was off-putting. There was some kind of party going on in what I guess was the "spin" room, and when those awful kids exploded out of that room, they were loud, inconsiderate, and underfoot. Were there parents with them? Yes. Did their parents do anything to control their awful kids? No. And apparently there are no standards at the facility; the few staff members there showed no interest in asking parents to control their offspring. We don't all love kids, and I for certain can't stand yelling, ill-behaved brats. Here's another thing: Kids don't belong everywhere. There should be a clear, and an enforced, policy about children. Anyhow, as I stood there looking around, and pondering everything, I understood where I needed to be. And as I turned to walk through the lobby to leave, not a single member of the meager staff there said a word to me. Not Ms. Shrill, and not Mr. Pink Shirt (who was still taking up space by the front counter for no visible reason). No effort was made to ask me if I had additional questions and/or concerns; no one made the slightest effort to persuade me to give the place an extra look and a chance. If that's all they're willing to do -- nothing -- when an opportunity to get me to join and spend there presents itself, how much more neglect will I face once they have my monthly fee? I'm going back to Orangetheory, pronto. No, the one in Spartanburg won't have Sammy, and that makes me sad. But it's going to give me everything the much-bigger Y doesn't, but should.

Good bike trail 2 miles down pull up bar work out park, for a nice bicycle trail for the kids trees…read moregive me a cool breeze always nice atmosphere and good vives

This trail isn't too bad in the off hours when there aren't a lot of people there. It's kind of…read moreboring though, it's flat and straight. No real workout. If you ride a bike there is always a guaranteed to be two people that walk side by side taking up the entire path. Then they give you the stink-eye when you pass them as if you are the problem. Some people will even start backing out in front of you because you approaching at a blistering 11 mph throws a wrench in their already bogged down mind. Be careful on the the side that ends on Country Club Rd. There is always broken glass from all the auto break ins.

Shame on me for not knowing that Spartanburg has a nature preserve! Similar, yet different from…read moreConestee Nature Preserve in Greenville. I used to live in Spartanburg County back from 2009 - 2011 and never knew this place existed. Edwin M. Griffin NP has a couple of entry points from Snydor Rd./Beechwood Dr. As per Google: [It is a] 115-acre urban preserve featuring over 5 mi[les] of wooded trails, wetlands & a variety of wildlife. We chose it as our 5th family hike. There is no significant elevation change, just some ups and downs; my parents handled the 4.2 mile walk (minus the boardwalk part) fine. Google will also state that the hours are from 7 am - 9 pm, however, it is more accurately from sunrise-sunset or according to the website from dawn to dusk. There is wheelchair accessibility on some parts of the trail, but there are no restroom facilities, so make sure you go before you visit (at least not from our entry point). We mainly traversed the Cottonwood trail. On the western part of the trail you pass underneath the bridge where Fernwood Drive passes overhead and there's evidence from graffiti artists left behind; at one picnic area we saw that someone had somehow managed to draw an owl into a dead tree that has fallen over; that was pretty cool. Cottonwood Trail does loop back to the east via the Loblolly Trail where there is another entry and parking area from what I read for water access (kayaks, etc.). I'm not sure how navigable Lawson's Fork Creek is though, because we saw a lot of tree debris in the creek, which I think would make it difficult to go the water route. My favorite part was definitely having the creek to one side where birds were flitting to and fro; we even saw a crane or heron type bird, which reminded me of birds in Florida. That was neat! My parents decided to take a break on a bench as we checked out the boardwalk, which I read was renovated and looks very nice. It leads to Highlands Trail, which is definitely the more elevated part of the preserve and is NOT stroller-friendly (the rest of the trails weren't so bad). Other highlights from the "hike" were that we ate mulberries straight from the trees and saw elderberry bushes growing (they were not fruiting yet, but their flowers are so pretty). We did not check out the Powerline Trail (yes, there are powerlines), which leads to another entry point with parking on Woodburn Rd. - have to save something for another time, right. There are a few other, shorter trails as well. We definitely enjoyed this hike even though it was longer than the other ones we have done before. The boys did really well and our toddler had it easiest being chauffeured in a stroller (can I be young again, please?). Be aware that the parking area leading to the middle of Cottonwood Trail is not an actual parking lot, but just a gravely few spots where cars park across from residential homes. We saw a lawn care company taking advantage of a spot as they serviced one of those homes. We did take pictures at the butterfly/flower sculpture to memorialize our newest adventure (it could do with some retouches of bright and vibrant paint). I'm really glad to have checked it out and would like to return in the foreseeable future. I'm sure the scenery changes based on the seasons and brings something different every 3 - 4 months. By the way, dogs are allowed to join humans, but must be leashed; we also saw a couple of cyclists (not quite mountain biking, but a good intro for it). Again, love these types of nature preserves in urban cities and wish there were more of them. Happy yelping!

I needed some place for my 2 year to go when i was at school. Foundation of Boiling Springs was…read morebrand new. The teachers were amazing my baby has learned so much through stem learning. If there was an incident like she fell at playground they call and let you know or text through the App. There was an issue with the front desk staff and the director took care of the matter and now have wonderful office staff that truly care. i had a great experience couldn't ask for anything better.