The Scenic Drive To Cleveland Park Is Almost As Beautiful As The Destination Itself
By AnneMarie|Published April 03, 2023
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AnneMarie
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South Carolina has been home for AnneMarie since 2001. Her favorite part of the state is Lake Jocassee. An App State alumna, it's always the mountains; the lake bonus makes it heavenly. When not writing about the state, she may be spending time with family, relaxing by the pool, or out somewhere enjoying nature.
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.
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.
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.
