Spartanburg, South Carolina

About Spartanburg

Spartanburg was founded in 1785 and incorporated in 1831, named for the Spartan Regiment that fought at the Battle of Cowpens. Morgan Square, the original courthouse village, is still the center of downtown. The city is home to Wofford College, Converse University, Spartanburg Community College and a medical school.

Downtown has been rebuilt over the past decade with new hotels, a minor league ballpark and mixed-use blocks, and most of the restaurants and bars sit within a few blocks of Morgan Square, Main Street and Church Street. The city's visitor office is on North Pine Street.

The Freewheelers cycling club has been here since 1973 and has run the Assault on Mt. Mitchell and Marion out of downtown since 1975. The city also hosts a downtown criterium each year.

Riding in Spartanburg

In town, the Mary Black Rail Trail is a 2-mile paved rail trail just south of downtown with a bike park (wooden berms, rollers and jumps) along it. Croft State Park, at 450 Croft State Park Road on the south side of the city, is South Carolina's largest state park with more than 16 miles of mountain bike trail, including the 9.7-mile Southside Loop and a 12.6-mile stretch of the Palmetto Trail.

Road riding is rolling Piedmont farm country with the Blue Ridge escarpment about an hour north. The Assault on Mt. Mitchell route is the classic: 74 miles of rollers to Marion, North Carolina, then the Blue Ridge Parkway to the summit. Summers are hot and humid; spring and fall are the riding seasons.

Getting to Spartanburg

Greenville-Spartanburg International (GSP) is about 19 miles west of downtown, under half an hour by car. Charlotte (CLT) is about 69 miles northeast, roughly an hour and 20 minutes, and has more flights. Spartanburg sits where I-85 and I-26 cross, so it is an easy drive from Charlotte, Asheville, Greenville and Atlanta. You will want a car; downtown itself is walkable.