News from campus and beyond
The Comeback: For the Curious
The Upcountry History Museum.
Photo provided by UHM.
Curiosity leads to questions.
Questions lead to answers.
Answers lead to innovation.
It’s all here in Greenville.
Furman University fills its halls with exceptional students, and each one of them had to start somewhere. Many of those students come from Furman’s own backyard as young minds seeking information and education of any kind. And, as alumni, many of you return to Greenville and to Furman to continue a lifetime of learning and exploration because our community has a way of nurturing the minds of all ages in a myriad of ways.
It’s as simple as making a paper airplane to see how it flies or as involved as learning a new technology or understanding the entire history of a region and the people who live and have lived there.
Molding minds is important. But more important is giving those minds every opportunity to grow, learn and pass along what they know to others. Here are just a few of those spots:
The Children’s Museum of the Upstate.
Photo provided by TCMU.
Sensory experiences and learning-by-doing are literally the names of the games at The Children’s Museum of the Upstate. With locations in Greenville and Spartanburg, every inch of these vast facilities is designed with young minds in mind. Each floor is filled with unique activities from bottom to top, including an Animation Station, a two-story climbing fun zone, a putt-putt course and an immersive Construction Zone. It’s fun with a whole lot of learning along the way.
Greenville Culinary Tours.
Photo provided by Greenville History Tours.
Greenville’s culinary scene has been booming for the better part of two decades thanks to cuisine from farm to table and around the world. But less known might be Greenville’s long history as it relates to food. Greenville Culinary Tours bridges that gap by showcasing the city’s barbecue, soul food, international fare, local coffee roasters and more. Guests are invited to peruse downtown Greenville through the lens of historical revelations while taking in some of the best food in the region.
greenvillehistorytours@gmail.com
The Greenville Theatre.
Photo by Wallace Krebs Photography.
Few things in life can be as eye-opening as a trip to the theater. The Greenville Theatre makes Broadway musicals, concert series and youth productions accessible to all thanks to generous support from the community and a staff that continues this tradition of the arts into a 99th season. Upcoming plays like “Dial M for Murder” and “Sister Act” will bookend a concert series celebrating James Taylor and Stephen Sondheim, while productions geared toward young people introduce a new generation to the magic of the stage.
Jing Chen, right, directs Bruce Fitzgerald during an OLLI Cooking class at the Herring Center on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.
It’s never too late to learn something new, and there is always something new happening at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, aka OLLI. Members can discuss the history of rock ’n’ roll, Star Trek or unique characters in American history, and then register for a class on behavioral finance, cross stitch, guitar and fly fishing. Or simply sign up for a hike through Paris Mountain and a kayak trip on Lake Roberts. If you are looking for something specific or have no idea what you want to do, a solution will be found through OLLI.
furman.edu/osher-lifelong-learning-institute
An instrument on display in the Sigal Music Museum.
Photo provided by Sigal Music Museum.
What started with a collection of keyboards has grown into one of the best new museums in the country. The Sigal Music Museum boasts one of the largest collections of unique instruments from around the world, each more significant in the annals of music history. The museum changed names in 2020 thanks to the donation of the Marlowe A. Sigal collection and made this institution one of the most impressive single collections of instruments in the world. Look, listen and learn your way through music history right in the heart of Greenville and enjoy their monthly teatime events.
Museum guests touring the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville, SC. Photo by Hal Cook.
Experience the Upstate through the ages at the Upcountry History Museum. Each floor and each exhibit tell a different story specific to this part of the state starting with its Indigenous people and taking visitors through the frontier age, into the Civil War, Reconstruction and Industrial Revolution and highlighting what transformed this part of the country into what it is today. And when the basics of history aren’t enough, the Upcountry History Museum, which Furman supports, entices young and old alike with pop culture exhibits and trendsetting events that you won’t find anywhere else.