The best date night in Spartanburg, SC fits on one street: the 200 block of W Main St downtown packs dinner, drinks, and a competitive activity - axe throwing - into a two-block walk. Park free once, eat at Cribbs Kitchen or across the street at a rooftop restaurant, throw axes next door, and finish with a brewery nightcap in the same building.
We run Craft Axe Throwing in downtown Spartanburg at 226 W Main St, Suite D - same building as Cribbs Kitchen and RJ Rockers Brewing - so we watch couples do this exact loop every weekend. Here’s the honest itinerary, including the spots we don’t own.
The one-street date night at a glance
All walk times start from 226 W Main St, where free parking is available in the RJ Rockers lot or along the street.
| Stop | Place | Address | Walk | Vibe / price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinner | Cribbs Kitchen | 226-B W Main St | 0 min (same building) | Upscale-casual Southern, $$-$$$ |
| Dinner (dress-up) | Rick Erwin’s Level 10 | 225 W Main St, 10th floor | 1 min | Rooftop fine dining, $$$$ |
| Dinner (pub classic) | Delaney’s Irish Pub | 117 W Main St | 3 min | Irish pub with patio, $$ |
| Dinner (special occasion) | The Kennedy | 221 E Kennedy St | 9 min | Chef-driven small plates, $$$-$$$$ |
| Activity | Craft Axe Throwing | 226 W Main St, Suite D | 0 min | 8 lanes, games, full bar |
| Nightcap | RJ Rockers Brewing | 226-A W Main St | 0 min (same building) | Craft brewery taproom, $ |
| Late night | Main Street Pub | 252 W Main St | 1-2 min | Sports bar, open to 2 AM Tue-Sat |
Only one worthwhile detour breaks the pattern: Willy Taco at 930 E Main St, about a four-minute drive, if tacos are the love language.
Where should we eat before?
Cribbs Kitchen is the zero-effort answer - it shares our building at 226-B W Main St, so dinner-to-axes is a walk across the sidewalk. Expect upscale-casual Southern and American plates (pimento cheese fritters, burgers, ribs, salmon) with entrées roughly $19-35. Closed Mondays.
Rick Erwin’s Level 10 is the dress-up upgrade: rooftop fine dining and cocktails on the 10th floor of the AC Hotel, directly across the street, with skyline views over downtown. It’s closed Sundays and books up on weekends - reserve ahead at (864) 531-8825.
Delaney’s Irish Pub, three minutes down the block at 117 W Main St, is the low-key classic: shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, and a patio, family-owned since 2003 and open daily until around 11:30 PM.
The Kennedy is the anniversary pick. It’s a nine-minute walk (or two-minute drive) to 221 E Kennedy St for chef-driven contemporary American small plates and craft cocktails in an art deco building - small plates from about $9, entrées roughly $23-52. Reservations recommended: (864) 586-5554.
What’s the actual date activity?
Axe throwing is a target sport where you throw a small axe at a wooden bullseye - and it’s built for two people: alternating throws, keeping score, and talking trash for an hour beats sitting silently in a movie.
At Craft Axe Throwing Spartanburg you get:
- 8 throwing lanes with standard axes plus specialty throws - ninja stars (small and large) and “The Stick All” are included in all sessions
- Between-throws games: darts, pool, shuffleboard, cornhole, and table games, so nobody stands around waiting
- A full laid-back bar with cold craft brews, seltzers, and other beverages, plus HDTVs
- Food delivered to your lane - Main St. Pub can be ordered onsite and brought straight to you, so the date doesn’t pause to eat
Our coaches run a quick safety intro before you throw, and first-timers are the norm, not the exception. We’re open Tuesday through Sunday - until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, which is exactly date-night territory. Book a lane in Spartanburg before you head downtown; weekend evenings fill first.
Where do we go after?
Three options, in escalating order of effort:
- RJ Rockers Brewing Company - suite 226-A, literally the other end of our building (our free parking is in their lot). A working craft brewery taproom with a rotating event calendar, including paint-and-pints nights and beer releases.
- Rick Erwin’s Level 10 - if you did casual dinner, flip the script and go up ten floors for a rooftop cocktail with a view instead.
- Main Street Pub - 252 W Main St, a one-to-two-minute walk. Casual sports-bar energy and the latest hours downtown: open to 2 AM Tuesday through Saturday.
What about a cheap or rainy date night in Spartanburg?
Downtown has real free options. Sparkle City Mini Putt is a free downtown mini-golf course where you borrow a putter from participating downtown businesses - genuinely zero-dollar and reliably funny. Downtown Spartanburg is also a state-designated cultural district: ArtWalk opens galleries for free on third Thursdays, and in spring and summer the Music on Main concert series brings live music to Morgan Square on Thursday evenings.
If it’s raining, the core itinerary barely changes - Cribbs, The Kennedy, axe throwing, and the RJ Rockers taproom are all indoors. Swap the mini putt for a pool or shuffleboard match at our place and the night is fully weatherproof.
Why this beats driving all over town
A good date night has momentum, and momentum dies in a car. The 200 block of W Main St removes every transition: one free parking spot, dinner and the activity in the same building, the nightcap next door, and late-night a block away. Nobody checks a map, nobody’s the designated navigator, and the whole evening stays a conversation.
Start by reserving your axe throwing lane in downtown Spartanburg, then build the rest of the night around it - it’s all within two blocks.