Inside: A South Carolina mom visits the Newberry Recreation Complex with her kids, and shares all the details and tips for a trip to the complex with playground, pickle ball, ping pong, fishing, nature tail, and more.
The Newberry Recreation Complex is hands-down the king of kid’s recreation in Newberry, SC. With extensive sports facilities, fully accessible playgrounds, a splash park, and a hidden lake trail, this place has plenty to fill a whole summer day with excitement for your children. Kidding Around’s Sarah Burnett explored the complex and put together the perfect plan to enjoy all it has to offer!
The city of Newberry is the perfect driving distance for a day trip from all directions! It’s only 45 minutes from Columbia in the Midlands, 1 hour from Greenville and Spartanburg in the Upstate, and not even 2 hours from Charlotte up in North Carolina. If you’re looking to fill your summer schedule with your kids, make sure the Newberry Recreation Complex gets a spot on your list!
Quick Summary: Newberry Recreation Complex
The Newberry Recreation Complex is a must-visit destination for families—especially if your kids love to stay active and explore!
Here’s what makes it unforgettable:
• Hidden Lake Trail + fishing spots 🎣
• Fully accessible playgrounds
• Picnic shelters, pickleball, and ping-pong
• Gully Washer Splash Park 💦
• Exercise equipment & batting cages
📍Newberry, SC – just 45 minutes from Columbia and an hour from Greenville and Spartanburg!
💡Tip: Bring your own gear (fishing, sports, splash clothes) and plan for a full day of fun.
Hike and Fish at the Hidden Lake
The Newberry Recreation Complex opens every day at 8 am, and for the perfect day exploring the park, you’ll want to arrive as close to that as you can! I highly recommend heading straight to Hidden Lake at the far end of the complex.
True to its name, you might have a little trouble finding Hidden Lake, so let me help you out: Follow the signs for the Gully Washer Splash Park (more on that later!) and then drive right past it. You’ll come to the end of the paved parking lot and think to yourself, “Oh no! I must have missed the turn-off!” But you’ll be wrong!
At the end of the lot, there is a gravel drive on the right-hand side, which honestly looked to me like an access road for the facilities team. Leave your car in the parking lot, and then trek down this path into the woods. You’ll pass a couple of facilities buildings (I knew it!) and then come to the lake, with the whole walk being roughly a quarter-mile downhill. Bring whatever you need with you, but just remember you’ll have to walk it back up the hill at the end!
Here, you will find a beautiful view of the lake and access to the nature trail which wraps around it. The lake is about 4.75 acres in size, and Hidden Lake Trail is about 3 quarters of a mile.
The trail has all-natural terrain but is wide and mostly level all the way around the lake. It’s easily navigable with a wagon, and a stroller with sturdy wheels could probably handle it, too.
The walk around Hidden Lake only takes about 15-20 minutes, so my advice is to hike it first and find your perfect fishing spot from there!
Fishing is permitted anywhere around the lake, and you are allowed to catch up to 5 fish per person per day. The state of South Carolina does require a license for fishermen ages 16 and older, so make sure you purchase your license through their website. If you forget to do this before your visit, don’t worry—you can buy one online before you start to fish, and the verification will be sent instantly to your email!
Kids will love the natural beauty of Hidden Lake, and making this your first stop in the morning will increase their chances of having a memorable encounter with local wildlife. You’ll need to bring your own fishing gear and always be vigilant for your children’s safety around the water.
Pickleball, Ping-Pong, and a Picnic Shelter
If your kids are little, your time exploring Hidden Lake might last up to about an hour. If they are older, you could spend considerably longer just walking, talking, and fishing down there. Whatever the case, when you realize it’s time to wrap up, head back to your car to move on to the next phase of the day!
Next to the very same parking lot, you will have easy access to 2 different picnic shelter options, so I highly recommend taking advantage of this interval for a snack or lunch break. Make sure to pack your own food, as there are no concessions available inside Newberry Recreation Complex.
If you forget to pack something, then consider jetting out of the park briefly to visit one of Newberry’s family-friendly eateries like Zesto Drive-In, El Poblano, or Laila’s Place!
If you choose wisely, your picnic shelter might put you right next to one of the most unique features of Newberry Recreation Complex’s sports facilities: regulation ping-pong tables and a pickleball court! You do have to bring your own equipment for these, so definitely plan ahead if you think your family would enjoy one or both of those activities. This is a great option for kids to eat and play before going to the next space in the park!
Playtime at Newberry’s Fully Accessible Playground
Within sight of the picnic shelters, ping-pong tables, and pickleball court, you won’t be able to miss Newberry’s first fully accessible playground!
There are 2 central playsets, one for toddlers and preschoolers and one for ages roughly 5 to 12 years old. The younger children’s playset features a toddler slide and rock-n-boat, while the bigger playset offers a tall double-slide perfect for racing, as well as a longer, low-grade tactile slide! Other play equipment includes interactive sensory panels, a turnabout spinner, and multiple accessible swings.
Right next to the playground, you’ll also see Newberry Recreation Complex’s exercise equipment and batting cages! If you’ve got an athlete in your family, especially a baseball or softball player, they might enjoy bringing their pitching and batting gear to try this out. Just be aware that hitters are required to wear their batting helmet at all times in the cages.
One important note about both the playground and batting cages— These are in a low-lying area compared to the surrounding park grounds, so if it rains overnight, you can expect some puddles that could take most of the day to dry.
Cool Off at Gully Washer Splash Park!
Okay, now your kids have hiked, fished, been fed, and played their hearts out! What could possibly be left to do?? I gave it away earlier, and this is a can’t-miss feature of Newberry Recreation Complex during the summers: Gully Washer Splash Park!
Originally a splash pad like any other, Gully Washer underwent significant redesign and renovations to ultimately reopen as a fully inclusive splash park in 2023. Most of the water features are at ground level or have low-grade designs, making them ideal for kids of all ages and those with physical disabilities. Play structures include misting stations, waterfalls, splash tiles, tube slides, and of course the classic dumping bucket!
Gully Washer Splash Park usually opens around mid-May and closes on Labor Day Weekend each year. Operating hours may vary, but historically it has been open no later than 10 am and closed by 5 pm each day. Be sure to check the Gully Wash Splash Park website when planning your visit for the latest information about the current season’s schedule!
While the rest of Newberry Recreation Complex is completely free to enjoy, daily admission to Gully Washer Splash Park typically runs about $3 per person, regardless of age. Adult supervision is absolutely mandatory and strictly enforced in the splash park.
Your kids will LOVE cooling off from their full day of play in Gully Washer Splash Park, and you are virtually guaranteed to get wet and drawn into the fun while you accompany them! So make sure you pack whatever water clothes and shoes are needed for the whole family, and keep a beach towel and dry clothes in the car for your return journey home.
Maybe even pack an easy dinner and PJs— After a day like that, I know my kids will almost certainly be asleep by the time we pull back into our driveway!
Suggested Packing List: Newberry Recreation Complex
Before you set out, plan to pack…
- Sunscreen and bug spray
- Fishing gear, including bait and portable seating
- Water safety devices for children, such as life vests
- Pickleball or ping-pong paddles and balls
- Picnic lunch, and plenty of snacks!
- Water bottles
- Beach towels
- Changes of clothes, for water play and for the ride home afterward!
There’s more to do in Newberry, SC! Check out our guide to this small town.