The Come-See-Me Festival was first held in 1962 as a community project to invite visitors, relatives and friends to see Rock Hill during its most beautiful season. It started as a weekend event and has expanded to 10 days.

The Festival was the idea of its first chairman C. H. "Ickey" Albright, former Rock Hill Mayor and State Senator, and was nurtured by nationally acclaimed illustrator Vernon Grant, a Rock Hill resident who created cereal's celebrated gnomes, "Snap, Crackle, and Pop".®

The Festival's mascot, "Glen the Frog"®, was also created by Mr. Grant, who designed over 30 different "Glens". A new logo representing each new festival is selected yearly with an updated design and new colors.

A central focus of the Festival has always been the historic, award-winning Glencairn Garden, created by Dr. David A. Bigger and given to the City of Rock Hill in 1958. Over 3,500 azaleas are surrounded by camellias, dogwood, wisteria and a variety of flowers and trees.

The Come-See-Me Festival is considered the largest, all-volunteer festival in South Carolina and attracts over 125,000 participants and visitors each year. The festival has been ranked in the Southeast's Top 20 Spring Festivals.