Upstate
VisitAnderson.com; @VisitAndersonSC
Often called “South Carolina’s Friendliest City,” Anderson and Anderson County exceed expectations of small market event and meeting planners, according to Neil Paul, TMP, executive director of Visit Anderson. “We are halfway between Charlotte and Atlanta, along Interstate 85, and we’re close to the Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSI),” he says. “Once you get here, you’re greeted with all the amenities of a larger city at the pace and friendliness of a small town.”
Anderson has a vibrant, historic downtown and boasts several cultural offerings, including live performances and event space at various theaters, such as the Electric City Playhouse. Other attractions include the Anderson Arts Center, featuring unique art installations, history at the Anderson County Museum, and a variety of different activities.
Anderson Civic Center features a 28,000-square-foot arena seating 3,200 people in a theater-style arrangement. The venue also has 7,700 flexible square feet of ballroom space, which can be divided into four rooms. In its largest configuration, the ballroom space can accommodate 700 in theater-style seating and 500 in banquet and classroom seating. Other venues include Anderson County’s Main Library location, which fits 180 people in its largest space. The 22-room Bleckley Inn has a 10,000-square-foot venue, Bleckley Station, to host up to 500 people. In Pendleton, the multipurpose T. Ed Garrison Arena and Expo Center (part of Clemson University) features an enclosed arena seating up to 3,000 people and two adjacent 50-foot by 200-foot spaces for exhibit booths. The complex recently added a new 43,000-square-foot Expo Center, which can accommodate 1,500 people for formal gatherings and up to 5,000 in theater-style seating.
Anderson County has 2,300 guest accommodations, while the city of Anderson has approximately 1,000 guest rooms. The 124-room Hilton Garden Inn offers 2,437 square feet of event space and accommodates up to 150 people for receptions in its largest space. The hotel is adjacent to Destination Pointe Event Center, which has several event spaces; its largest space can accommodate 500 people in theater-style seating, 400 for banquets, and 350 for classroom seating. Holiday Inn Anderson, renovated in 2024, offers 1,500 square feet of flexible event space for up to 50 people. New hotel openings this year include Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Piedmont Greenville and WoodSpring Suites Anderson North I-85.
