Columbia Parks & Playgrounds :: Carraway Riverwalk Park

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Columbia is the stomping ground for preserving beautiful public parks. And one of our favorites is Carraway Riverwalk Park. 

Public parks have always served as a pillar in communities, as they have a way of connecting residents together through play, political activities and programming. Our parks have tons of programs geared towards keeping our communities active. They offer physical classes for the elderly, community sports for our youth, and also serve as voting polls during elections.

Growing up in my small town, the recreational parks was our extended connection of “it takes a village.” It was where many of our role models were birthed and created. Parks are where we meet our newest best friends and were the place where our parents never met a stranger.  Our generation of kids are also no stranger to the outside and local parks. They love parks and could play there all day if we let them.

Recently, we started to keep track of the parks that we have visited in the area. Some of our favorite places are Doko Meadows, Killian Park, Martin Luther King Park, Riverfront, and North Springs, to name a few. Amongst all of these we love their location, the community of parents we meet and the richness of the area it serves.

There is one park that sits at the top of our list for so many reasons. That is Carraway Riverwalk Park.

Location

Carraway Park is located just across the Gervais Street bridge in West Columbia. It sits near one of the entrances to Riverfront Park where you can take a long stroll on its trails, jog, cycle, tube, kayak and canoe on the beautiful river. The park also oversees the tall buildings of downtown Columbia and nestled behind one of the newest vibrant restaurants, The Black Rooster. Carraway Park gives you upbeat, modern, young and vibrant feelings.

Features

  • Covered picnic area
  • All-inclusive playground
  • Separate play area for children under 5 years old
  • ADA Accessible Family Restrooms
  • Swings
  • Slides
  • Climbing structures
  • Rubber foundation
  • Free Little Library
  • Benches
  • Access to the West Columbia Riverwalk Park across the street

What We Love About It

If you’re like me, I have an entire family that suffers from allergies in season and out of season, even grass make them sneeze! So, for my family, one of the most attractive pieces about the park, compared to others, is that its foundation of the park is made of rubber. This it totally eliminates the allergy responses that we get often get from playing in other parks with grass, rubber mulch, or wood chips. It is golden for parents with children who are like mine, who loves the outside but wants to avoid the endless itching and sneezing that comes along with other parks!

As you enter the park, it is covered with huge wood beams that cover several picnic tables for a perfect basket lunch, great conversation, and an office for on-the-go parents who can work from home.

The park has play areas specially dedicated to small children. The color play systems come in some of the coolest gadgets we have ever seen.

There are fun pieces of the park such as the standing ride that slides from one end and returns you back to the other end by way of traction and weight. Some classic pieces still remain, such as the around the world spinner, slides, swing sets, traditional play set systems.

The park is also a great place for a colorful photo op or to post some new vibrant content on Instagram!

Here are some tips for your next visit to Carraway Riverwalk Park: 

  1. Pack a Lunch – Snacks and drinks are key to surviving with young kids at the park, plus it’s fun to eat outside when the weather is beautiful. 
  2. Bring a Book or Journal – Since the park is separate from the picnic area, you can find some time to read a book or journal about your week. A 10-minute breather can totally change your day.
  3. Bring a Camera – You can catch some really cool shots here, capture your next social media post or just some photos of the kids as you create new memories
  4. Bring your business cards – Parks are always a great way to meet new moms and who knows, they can be your next play date or girls night partner. We all desire friendship and parks are a great place to meet new people.

So what you waiting for? Pack up and take your next trip to the cool Carraway Riverwalk Park, you won’t regret it. One thing for sure you don’t need any bug spray or Benadryl!! 

Have you been to Carraway Riverwalk Park? What do you love best about it?

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Rhonda Sims
Rhonda is a licensed professional realtor who services clients in South Carolina with their home buying and home selling needs. Married to her husband Jermaine now for 5 years who serves as an active-duty officer in the US Army, Rhonda has made Columbia her home after attending USC. Being a blended family (on both sides) with a household of four children under the age of ten, “we have to master chaos and schedules at all times.” Rhonda is passionate about breaking ceilings in the motherhood community that pushes women to have transparent and vulnerable conversations about their motherhood journey. She uses her podcast called “The Mom Mic” to highlight everyday moms through topics and conversations that are sometimes seen as uncomfortable. Rhonda is also an advocate for wellness and taking the natural healing journey to restore and revitalize the body. Rhonda believes that Moms have superpowers; “people often ask me how do you do it?”, I say, I really don’t know but I believe that we have been equipped to do such a divine assignment that God gives us all we need. You can often find Rhonda practicing Yoga, meditating, listening to her favorite podcast on Apple Tunes, shopping, interior decorating stores, and spending time with her close friends and family.

1 COMMENT

  1. Thank you for the wonderful article!! Carraway Park is in West Columbia, SC. Located across the river from Columbia in Lexington County. 212 Hudson St, West Columbia, SC 29169. West Columbia is a separate city from Columbia. Would you be able to update the article?

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