The Scenic Drive To Cleveland Park Is Almost As Beautiful As The Destination Itself

Interstates are certainly useful for travel, but sometimes you want a scenic route where you can see more than billboards, off and on ramps, and other vehicles traveling alongside you. It’s an opportunity to “stop and smell the roses,” so to speak. Thankfully, when it comes to getting to Cleveland Park in Spartanburg, there’s a nice drive you can take that runs parallel to the interstate but with much better views, some almost as pretty as those you’ll find in this sweet little city park. This scenic drive in South Carolina takes you along a portion of Highway 176, which stretches through the entire state from Landrum to Charleston.

We'll start our scenic drive at the Irmo area of Highway 176 and highlight some of the scenery along the way! Here you can see a pretty little small waterfall that's at an Irmo neighborhood entrance.

A little ways down the highway, you'll pass by a beautiful Sikh temple, Gurdwara Guru Nanaksar, where Sikh scriptures are recited or sung and sermons are delivered.

Throughout this drive, there are many churches and at least one other cemetery you'll pass by.

Some parts of this drive will be more scenic than others, with some stretches of nothing but trees and others residential areas, businesses, and other attractions. Pictured here is a farmhouse at Chestnut White Oak Farm in the tiny town of Little Mountain.

Also along your route is the Alston Trailhead of the Peak to Prosperity Passage, a small portion of the Palmetto Trail, which when finished will be 500 miles stretching through the entire state of South Carolina.

These sights are so much more appealing and interesting than interstate scenery!

Roll your windows down and enjoy some fresh air along the way, too.

You'll be driving right through the middle of the Sumter National Forest on this trip, which is one of two forests in South Carolina managed by the United States Forest Service.

On the Spartanburg end of this drive, you'll pass through Pacolet, one of our top best quiet places to live in South Carolina. It's a prettier stretch of this part of the drive, with trees planted along the median, and Croft State Park is located in this area as well.

Finally, you'll reach Cleveland Park, located on North Cleveland Park Drive in Spartanburg, and you're in for a real treat! It's an award-winning park, recognized by The Knot Magazine in "Best of Weddings" category.

Owned and operated by the Spartanburg County Parks Department, Cleveland Park was recently improved and offers multiple picnic shelters, a large playground, pond, island gazebo, walking trails, outdoor fitness equipment, and the John B. Cleveland Event Center, which often hosts numerous community programs and events. Facilities are available to rent for private functions.

Whether you're coming for an event or just to enjoy a relaxing afternoon at the park, it's such a gorgeous setting!

Bring the kids to experience this neat playground. They may not want to leave when it's time to go!

Visit the Spartanburg County Parks Development website for additional details, especially if you've got an event you'd like to consider this venue for. While at the park, you're sure to work up quite the appetite ... head over to the restaurant in Spartanburg that always has a line out the door for a bite to eat!

Have you ever been to Cleveland Park in Spartanburg? What’s your favorite scenic drive in South Carolina? Share with us in the comments section below!