Free Things to Do Outside in Columbia, SC

Go on a walk: Head to Columbia’s Riverwalk for a walk with your family. With more than 20 miles of river walk and trails, it’s the perfect place to enjoy the outdoors. You can find shade under the trees and bridges, and parking is free!

Have a picnic at the Horseshoe at the University of South Carolina: The Horseshoe at USC is a perfect place to have a family picnic and spend the afternoon. Bring some outdoor toys and bikes and enjoy the weather together. While there’s plenty of shade, you will need to bring a little money to park.

Historic Columbia

• Historic Columbia’s gardens are a great place to walk around and have a picnic lunch.
  Gardens are open Monday through Saturday 10:00 am-4:00 pm and Sundays 1:00 pm-4:00 pm
• Museum of the Reconstruction Era at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home – 1705 Hampton Street
• Robert Mills House – 1616 Blanding Street
• Hampton-Preston Mansion – 1615 Blanding Street – includes a children’s garden with two tree swings
• The Seibels House’s gardens are open Monday through Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – 1601 Richland Street

Play tennis: Head to one of Columbia’s public recreational tennis courts.

Cool off at a pool or splash pad: One of the most fun things to do in the summer is to take your kids to a pool or splash pad. While the Maxcy Gregg and Greenview Pools have a small fee ($3 – $4 depending on age), the splash pads and spray pools are free and open to the public. 

We have a huge list of 30+ places to cool off, swim, and splash in Columbia, SC. Many of them are totally FREE!

Spray Pools and Pads in Columbia: *Be sure to call the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department at 803.545.3100 or check online for operating hours.

• Anna’s Park – 1315 Liberty Hill Avenue
• Drew Park – 2102 Walker Solomon Way
• Edisto Discovery Park – 1914 Wiley Street 
• Emily Douglas Park – 2500 Wheat Street
• Heathwood Park – 800 Abelia Road
• Hyatt Park – 950 Jackson Avenue
• Lorick Park – 1600 Lorick Avenue
• Mays Park – 4100 Trenholm Road
• Melrose Park – 1500 Fairview Road
• Pacific Park – 200 Wayne Street
• Pinehurst Park – 2300 Pinehurst Road
• Roy Lynch Park – 900 Abbeville Street
• Sims Park – 3500 Duncan Street

Play at one of the local parks or playgrounds:

What kid doesn’t love to run around at a cool playground? There are plenty of beautiful parks with great playgrounds in the Columbia area.

Moore Park, Elmwood/Roy Lynch Park, and the Owens Field Skate Park & Pump Track are all great parks with playgrounds and other amenities such as walking trails, ball fields, zip lines, and splash pads.

If you are looking for a great park with shade to avoid those famously hot Columbia days, Hollywood Park is an excellent choice. For the days you’re wanting to be more immersed in nature, check out Doko Meadows Park.

If you are needing an all-inclusive playground, then Leo’s Landing is definitely the park to go to.

In West Columbia, Carraway Park has an amazing playground space!

Sesquicentennial State Park has lots of amenities, including $5 kayak rentals. Park admission is required unless you have SC State Park Annual Pass. If you do, admission is free.

Check out all the parks and playgrounds in Columbia. 

Ride bikes: Grab your bikes and go on a bike ride. Download the Sprocket app, an app created by The Cola Town Bike Collective, to help you find the perfect, safe bike route for you and your family.

Go fishing: Enjoy free fishing thanks to the South Carolina Fishing Tackle Loaner program where you can borrow a rod, reel, and tackle box for FREE. Some fishing spots to consider are Lake Murray (head to Dreher Island State Park) or Saluda Shoals Park.

🎣 Here’s where to go fishing in Columbia, SC.

Go Swimming at Lake Murray: Enjoy the beach and swimming area on a sunny day with your family. Be sure to make reservations ahead of time.

Go see a movie: The Icehouse Amphitheater in Lexington shows movies every now and then. You can also enjoy a summer movie for free at Doko Meadows park.

Check out this list of free and cheap movies this summer in Columbia.

Head out for a hike: There are plenty of hiking trails in Columbia. From paved multi-use trails to longer, more rugged trails, you’ll find something for you and your family to enjoy. Check out our list of some of the best hiking trails with free admittance in the Columbia, SC area.

• Cayce Riverwalk | Main Entrance: 201 Naples Avenue, Cayce, SC 
• Columbia Canal and Broad River Trail | 312 Laurel Street., Columbia, SC
• Saluda Riverwalk | Candi Lane, Columbia, SC
• Guignard Clay Quarry Loop | 634 Old State Road, Cayce, SC
• Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve | 2207 Conservancy Road, Kershaw, SC
• Peachtree Rock Heritage Preserve | 883 Peachtree Rock Road, Lexington, SC
• Congaree National Park Hiking Trails | 100 National Park Road, Hopkins, SC

Stroll down Main Street for Soda City Market: Every Saturday from 9 am – 1 pm, vendors gather on Main Street for a European-inspired street market for the Soda City Market. Everything sold is unique, hand-crafted, and produced in the Southeast. While strolling and perusing what the vendors have to offer, you’ll hear music and be able to do a lot of people-watching.

Throw a frisbee around at one of the disc golf courses: Grab your disc golf frisbee and play disc golf for free. Udisc has a list of courses in the area.

Go on a public art tour: You can treat this as a scavenger hunt if you’d like, but there are plenty of public art installations around Columbia that you can visit for free. One Columbia has an interactive map for you to find art spots.

You can also visit the Interactive Art Park in West Columbia. It’s free!

Grab the family and head to one of the many Columbia area farmer’s markets! One of the most popular, The Soda City Farmers Market in Downtown Columbia, has tons of vendors and is a lot of fun for the entire family. You can also check out The Market at Icehouse, located at the Icehouse Amphitheatre in Lexington.

First Thursdays on Main: First Thursdays on Main include free live music and even free admission to cultural venues, like the Columbia Museum of Art on select First Thursdays. Food and other items are available for purchase.

Attend a FREE event at Congaree National Park, like the Ranger Guided Owl Prowl hike. You might get a chance to see or hear one of these amazing creatures in the wild! But even if you don’t, you’ll learn a lot and have some fun!

Play pickleball: Pickleball has become quite a popular hobby in the last few years! There are several public pickleball courts all throughout Columbia that operate on a first-come, first serve basis:

• Woodland Park – 6500 Olde Knight Parkway
• Crooked Creek Park – 1098 Old Lexington Highway
• Trenholm Recreation Park – 3900 Covenant Road
• Gibson Park – 244 Duffie Drive 
• Jeep Rogers YMCA – 900 Lake Carolina Drive
• 24-Hour Pickleball – 4590 Augusta Road, Lexington

Go Geocaching: Have you ever been geocaching? We can assure you that this is an activity that your whole family will get hooked on! Geocaching is an outdoor game, very similar to a treasure hunt, where you use GPS to locate different “treasures” hidden by others.

Richland County has set up an interactive geocaching game where you can learn how to keep our waterways clean, experience local art, and hunt for geocaches! Start by downloading a “Drains Aren’t Dumps Passport” and you will quickly be on your way to discovering awesome treasure.

Decorate, Hide, and Find Painted Rocks: Most of us are familiar with discovering painted rocks hidden throughout the city, but what you might not know is that there is a Facebook group called Columbia-SC Rocks! People will post pictures of their decorated rocks and give hints as to where they can be found. Along with hunting for them, it’s super fun to paint a few with your kiddos, go around to some of their favorite places, and hide them for others to enjoy.

Visit the Sandhill Children’s Garden: The Sandhill Children’s Garden is located near the Farmer’s Market on Clemson Road, across from the Sandhill Shopping Center. Here you will find beautiful gardens, birdhouses, neat flowers, and much more. There are sometimes even small events that take place here. Looking to introduce your children to volunteer work? The Sandhill Children’s Garden is almost always looking for new volunteers to keep the gardens looking spectacular!

Eat Free

Kids Eat FREE in Columbia: While you’re out and about on your free things to do adventure, grab a cheap meal by taking advantage of these kids eat free deals.

Free Things to Do Inside in Columbia, SC

See model trains! Visit the Associated Model Railroad of Columbia on most Thursday evenings for free! Learn about model trains, watch the trains chug through the beautiful displays, and kids may even get a chance to drive a train!

Note: They are not open on the first Thursday of the month.
1800 Lincoln Street, Columbia 

Go Bowling: There are several bowling alleys in the Columbia area where kids up to age 15 can bowl for free in summer. You’ll still need to rent shoes or bring your own.

Anchor Lanes – 1000 Columbia Avenue, Irmo
Royal Z Lanes – 8512 Two Notch Road, Columbia
Stars and Strikes – 700 Columbiana Drive, Irmo

Head to the library: Richland County Libraries and Lexington County Library both have children‘s programs you can participate in, which include story time, crafts, and movies.

Grab a free DIY Kit from Home Depot: Home Depot has free Kids Workshop kits that you can pick up on the first Saturday of each month from 9 am – 12 pm while supplies last. 

Don’t miss 13+ FREE Things to Do for Kids Across the USA.

Participate in a DIY-U Lowe’s Event: Lowe’s has both in-store and online DIY workshops that are completely free! Workshops for kids usually take place once each month and are led by Red Vest experts. This is a GREAT hands-on activity that your kids will love! Be sure to register in advance for these events!

Visit a Pet Store:
Fishy Business – Here you can feed koi fish in their indoor pond. Bring quarters, but they will likely give you some if necessary to feed the fish. They also have a large selection of frames, saltwater fish, and supplies. Their staff is super friendly and knowledgeable, so if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask one of their team members.

Creature room has a nice selection of unusual and exotic reptiles. They have a supply of live food and a friendly and knowledgeable staff.  Since they are just steps away from Fishy Business, plan to visit both and maybe even take home a new pet!

Tour the South Carolina State House: Want to get a little education with your activity? Head to the State House for a free guided or self-guided tour. State House Tours are given every half hour from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm Monday through Friday when the chambers are not in session. The State House is also open for tours each Saturday. You do not have to make a reservation, but you can call ahead if you’d like to.

Historic Columbia: One Sunday a month, Historic Columbia hosts Free Sundays for Richland and Lexington County residents. Check out their website to find out which house is available for a free self-guided tour! Events | Historic Columbia

Visit Fort Jackson’s military museum at the U.S. Army Basic Combat Training Museum for an educational trip in disguise. Guests can directly interact with soldiers, ask questions, and learn about the history and evolution of combat training.

Tour the South Carolina Military Museum for free. Self-guided tours are available any time the museum is open, and guided tours just need to be reserved at least a week in advance.

Visit the Melton Observatory on the USC Columbia campus. You’ll get a chance to use their huge telescope to check out the sun, moon, galaxies, planets and more!

Bonus! Are you a homeschooling family? The SC State Museum offers FREE admission to homeschooling families. The South Carolina State Museum is a great place to go explore and learn something new!

Free Events in Columbia, SC

What’s free and happening soon in Columbia, SC? This is a list of upcoming events that are free! That means there is no admission cost to attend these events and may mean there are free crafts, entertainment, food, and more! However, there may be charges and fees for activities or food at some of these events so do check event websites for details.

Just click on each event for more information.

More Fun, Free Things to Do

There are more free things to do in Greenville, SC.

Take a day trip, for free.

Looking for more fun things to do in Columbia, SC? We’ve compiled the ultimate Columbia list for you.