SCVB Blog

The Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB) proudly announces Spartanburg as host of the Teach Them Diligently Convention on March 15-17, 2012. The convention will be held at the Spartanburg Expo & Event Center off I-26 at New Cut Road.

 According to the event’s organizer, David Nunnery, this will be the first year the convention has been held. The Teach Them Diligently Convention came from a recognized need for more events celebrating the focus of Christian home school families.  The convention will focus on missions, discipleship, and parenting, as well as the normal home school focus on teaching techniques and use of curriculum.

 “Our company has an international platform and voice, and we chose Spartanburg for several reasons:  a nice concentration of homeschooling families in the area, plus ideal weather in March, and also because Spartanburg has really opened their arms to our convention.  Spartanburg has made it known that they want us here,” said Nunnery.  He said they are expecting over 2,000 homeschooling families from all over the country to attend.

 The convention will bring noted speakers such as Ken Ham of Answer in Genesis, Voddie Baucham, Jr., of Voddie Baucham Ministries, Doug Phillips of Vision Forum, Stephen Kendrick, writer and producer of such films as Fireproof, Facing the Giants, and Courageous, as well as notable legislative leaders on the local, state, and federal level.

 “We are excited to have the opportunity to host this inaugural convention here in Spartanburg,” said Patricia Byrd, Sales Manager for the SCVB.  “We expect more than 900 room nights from this convention, and we look forward to welcoming people from across the country to our community.”

 If you are interested in attending the event, becoming a vendor, or for more information, visit www.teachthemdiligently.net.

The Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB) proudly announces Spartanburg as host of the North American Ethnic Ministries Summit on April 19-21, 2012. The summit will be held at Evangel Cathedral.

 “Ethnic America Network (EAN) has sponsored the annual summit since 2001, but the conference has always been held in much bigger cities, with major league sports teams,” according to Dr. Jim Goodroe, co-chair of the 2012 summit. The 2010 summit was held in Boston and the summit will be held in Chicago in 2013.

  EAN, headquartered in Wheaton, IL at the Billy Graham Center, promotes cross-cultural advancement of the gospel and intercultural unity in Jesus Christ. Summit attendance is typically two-thirds from the local region and a third from across the nation. This is the first summit which has had three years to prepare, and a large multi-ethnic, interdenominational coalition staffs its twenty task forces. Conference organizers expect over a thousand registrations and over 3,000 in the evening services.

 “We are excited to have the opportunity to host this event and be able to showcase Spartanburg to people from around the nation,” says Chris Jennings, Executive Director of the SCVB.  

     Summit evening sessions at Evangel Cathedral are free & open to the public. Plenary speakers for these multi-ethnic worship services are announced on the summit Website (www.interculturalnetworkcarolina.org). Friday & Saturday daytime sessions, by paid registration, include affinity groups and four seminar periods (choice of fifty topics).

     For more information, email 2012summit@bellsouth.net or call 864-582-2564.

Whether you’re a longtime local, recent transplant or just in town for a few days, The Underground Guide reveals a side of Spartanburg you probably didn’t know existed. The new 100-page guidebook, compiled by Hub City Press, has just been released, revealing “the authentic, gritty, strange, exhilarating and soulful side of Spartanburg.”

From jam nights to bike trails, from obscure eateries to dive bars, this little book has the lowdown on the Hub City’s often-overlooked attractions.

More than two dozen writers and photographers, led by editor Joe C. Mullinax, helped create the guidebook, funded by the Spartanburg Convention and Visitors Bureau as part of the County Tourism Action Plan. The $6.95 book will be for sale at the Hub City Bookshop, online, and retailers around the county. An E-book also will be available in late February.

If you’re looking for late-night music, anti-gravity yoga, international groceries, oddball yard art, funky coffeehouses or flea markets, this guidebook is for you. The book tells you where to find your music gear, get a tattoo, rent a kayak, and chow down after midnight.

You haven’t experienced all that Spartanburg has to offer until you’ve gone underground!

Spartanburg is often known for its rich history and its thriving arts scene; however, it is about to add something else to that list-sports tournaments. In March, Spartanburg’s first major regional park opens. Tyger River Park features 12 youth baseball/softball fields arranged in four-field clusters, along with a championship stadium with seating for up to 600 people. The fields can accommodate baseball for ages 4-15 and fastpitch softball for any age.

 With a top notch clubhouse, concession areas, meeting rooms, umpire changing rooms and lounge and a VIP suite, wireless internet and ample parking, this park is already on the radar screen for tournament directors. The Spartanburg Parks staff has already secured tournaments for every weekend thru December 2012. Some of these tournaments will fill up hotels throughout the county and overflow into surrounding cities.

Sixty-five tournaments are already scheduled over a 40-week period in 2012. Over the weekend of March 17-18, the first major tournament will be played at Tyger River Park. The USSSA Spring Kickoff Tournament will bring in fifty teams to the park. In July, the NSA Girls Fastpitch World Series will be held at Tyger River Park and an expected 5,000 people will flock to Spartanburg. The community is working hard to make sure that not only do these girls and their families have a successful tournament, but also enjoy all the other things there are to do in Spartanburg.

 For more information on the Tyger River Park, visit their website.

The wait is over! The Official 2012 Spartanburg Visitor Guide is now available.

This book is full of useful information to help you plan the perfect vacation to Spartanburg County. We have divided the guide into categories ranging from arts and culture to history, agri-tourism, recreation, accommodations and more.

 You will learn everything from what airport you need to fly into, what events you don’t want to miss, where to rest your head and where the locals suggest you should eat. If you or someone you know is planning a trip to Spartanburg, this book will help make the job easy.

 You can pick up a guide at all of the South Carolina Welcome Centers, AAA travel agencies throughout the state of South Carolina, or by requesting a copy by phone or online via our website. The book will also be available online as a downloadable PDF and e-book on the website. We hope you enjoy!