A tradition every year that never gets old! The kids always point out little details I may not see in the lights lol I do miss the marshmallow roasting and smore part from the previous years but the hot cocoa this year was THE BEST (different flavors and so many toppings) Definitely check out the Winter Walking Trail though!

If you want to see it, wait in line at 6am!!!!! Just moved here and went, just to not be able to enter. We live 3 miles away, left at 5:45 and at 6:45 not even close to enter. Took 45 minutes to get from Shaw to Bi Lo!!!! The people in charge need to make additions to make it accessible for all. They can do 1) start earlier; like Nov 1st 2) extend the hours till midnight 3) have it open all night every Friday and Saturday 4) partner with Shaw and the bus system and you park there and they drive through with the bus 5) cash only 6) donate online and get a code to show to enter. Have A Merry Christmas and dont go.

My dog and I are beyond thrilled that the breed-specific restrictions were lifted.My only issue was with other park members, not the park itself.Edit* on 11/5/20Our second visit was an even worse experience than the first due to the state of the park, the disrespectful members, and the rude ranger.Multiple dogs rushed the gate and owners were not able to call, or did come over quickly to leash their dogs to allow us space to come in.Multiple dogs rushes us once we were finally allowed in. I kept my dog on leash the entire time. The owners did nothing to retrieve their dogs or stop them from rushing us, nor did they leash their dogs.We stayed on the perimeter of the park. Still leashed the entire time.The park ranger Zack then came and started harassing me. He asked why my dog was leashed. I said because we keep being repeatedly rushed by other dogs whose owners will not stop them.I reported it to the office and was told there had been multiple reports of MY DOG being aggressive, when he was repeatedly rushed and one of the few dogs on leash.Oh, and there is feces all over the park and parking lot.

Perfect for a nice walk or rent a bike to see the whole park. It was only $5 for a hour on the bike. Was a really nice park. You can see the river from a few selected spots but not great for photo opportunities. Lots of birds and squirrels. Plenty of BBQ grills, picnic spots with shade of plenty and bathrooms. Can rent tubes or kayaks also. Come get u some fresh air out doors. Get off your electronics and go play.

Absolutely beautiful park! Tons of trials that are super family friendly. My family of four loves this park! From the road to the restrooms its always very clean. Saluda Shoals is a wonderful park! The holiday lights are outstanding and are a great experience for the whole family!!!

They have a very nice park for the handicapped. I wish there were more parks similar to this one around Columbia. I would love it if Saluda shoals would add a real climbing gym, a gymnasium, a Olympic size pool, a pool to teach kids how to swim. It would be nice if along some of the paved trails there were some stations where you could work on your bike like there is on Greensboro NC!

I love this park and the bonding time with my son. It feels like your miles away from the city, untouched.

Had a full day hiking with the grandbabies! There is plenty to do! Hiking, playgrounds, splash pads and more! Definitely recommend!

We used the park for a quick little day trip to get out of the house over the weekend on Saturday and tried fishing. I could not find any signs or markers for where to fish. The staff simply said you can fish at any point from the bank. This will take a little more research to find a few nice little spots to actually catch something. We followed up with a Sunday trip and rented kayaks for a 2 hour rental. It was a nice little stretch of the Saluda River. The staff was very accommodating and put us right into the water and gave us a crash course on where to explore and end at. There are plenty of signs and a 2 hour rental gives lots of time to explore the stretch of riverfront. The kayaks and vests were in great shape. I can confidently recommend this park to anyone that is looking for a nice little get away. The park has a $5 entrance fee and the kayaks are $35 for a 2 hour rental a piece.

Love this place Christmas lights are amazing to drive through with the family don’t miss it this year!

We love the dog park here! All kinds of pups show up and they have all been respectful to our new, one year old Lab. Its about 3.5 acres, 2/3 grass and 1/3 woods. Theres a fire hydrant water fountain, three dog pools with drains and a hose so you can change the water.

A very peaceful park with long walks by the Saluda River. Picnic areas, water and play area for the kids. Cycling, dog play park, boat ramp. Something to do whatever your age group.

I love this place. Membership costs are reasonable, day passes are available, and there are lots of things to see and do here. Fishing, running, walking, hiking, biking, bird watching, canoeing, a dog park, playgrounds, a splash pad, an athletic complex; outdoor activities are pretty well covered. Then of course they have the locally famous holiday lights, a jazz music series, and they host a variety of events.No place is perfect, but I have found that the administration is very conscientious about addressing issues that are brought to their attention. The staff seem invested in keeping the park in good shape. Visitors to the park are a fairly diverse bunch, and most of the folks that Ive met who are first timers plan on returning.I brought my kids here to do their homework and play when they were little. My wife and I renewed our vows here. I bring my dogs here daily. It is a local treasure, in my opinion.

A terrific way to spend the day in this hidden gem. Bring your own bikes or rent some, you can rent or bring your own tubes and kayaks to go down the river. They have pick up service for rental patrons. A enviromental center with play area for kids. As well as tons of paved and non paved trails for walking and bike riding. They also have a splash pad and covered play area and a handicap accessible nice new play ground and sports fields and tennis courts.

Beautiful park, super clean, fantastic way to spend a day. Very child friendly!

Wonderful park! Clean, family friendly, and plenty of activities and space. The splash pad and Leos Landing are always favorites for us!

Awesome Christmas lights display, the wait was alittle longer than desirable, but it was well worth it. Big shout outside to Lexington medical center and all big and small sponsors that made this a great experience.

The park is very well kept, and so peaceful. Whether its a day of bike riding, the doggy park, or boating, Saluda Shoals has it all

Leos landing the new Park for all kids ages is fantastic! So much to do and plenty for everyone. The drone flying field is really nice also. Bathrooms, water fountains and spray misters are all nice to have as well

The River Center is beautiful. This is an awesome venue for events..

We rode through today oh, and it was beautiful, cannot wait for the Christmas lights!

Great smaller venue. Attended South Carolina Paracon and got to meet some amazing paranormal celebrities. Not too big and plenty of room for speakers, vendors, fans, and therapy dogs!

This is one of my favorite parks in the northwest. Lots of trails to walk around, a small area for tubing or kayaking, a huge dog park, and an amazing all inclusive playground.

Awesome Christmas light display. Incredible amount of thought and time went in to this so everyone should check it out. We used to make a mini vacation to James island in Charleston to see their lights, but these are just as good or better now.

One of the finest restaurants in Arizona, everybody needs to go there at least once. Every time I have been there it has never been nothing but the finest food and the finest service.Id have to say this place is by far the best Ive had for a restaurant! I love how the manager left me a birthday card. That was so sweet of him. Our waiter was awesome. He checked on us often to make sure everything was great and he greeted me happy birthday which was nice of him.

Im giving them 3 stars. The place was beautiful. I just think the hayride could have been a little more interactive.

It was a gorgeous park, no doubt about it. Customer service really leaves something to be desired.

New park is great! Lots of activities for the handicapped!

They have a beautiful Christmas lights show

The boys had a blast at the new all inclusive playground!! Had so much for all types of children and young adults. Bathrooms right on site, only hope that while they finish construction they put in some picnic areas. They do however have benches around and inthe playground itself

Had to bring my son in for kindergarten testing. Very confusing, I have never been here before.

Looks peaceful.....looking to throw a bridal shower here!

Love this place. Clean restrooms, nice trails, great views of the river. Perfect for picnicking and birthday parties. The lights at Christmas are amazing. Been coming here for years, never gets old.

Really beautiful park. Canoes, kayaks and tubes are available to rent. Fun nature center for kids. Lots of trails to walk/bike.

I have a Chihuahua Shepherd mix and I go to the dog park all the time I have a membership the cleanest nicest people

My grandsons 3rd birthday party was held here. Theres inside rooms available for parties. After the party you can enjoy the park with family and friends.

Just an average place. You need to pay $5 as entry fee.

Trails for days. Rented bikes with my kids they loved it

Nice trails 4 biking

Saluda shores park is a multi talented place. You have a water park you can take the kids too. Paved trails to walk your dog on. A dog park to let them free. A boat launch ramp, places to fish (You can get a fishing pass and go to the park anytime you want 24/7). They have wooded trails that feel secluded (A great way to relax.). Easy aces to various spots on the river. Thy even have pavilions you can rent. And on top of all that they ost various events through the year. This Christmas lights are a must see.

My granddaughter and I went to see the Christmas light displays they have each year. They were really nice and have added more since last year. The cost is $20 per car so load up some people, but even at that price it was worth it. We went through twice and stopped at the activities center for roasted marshmallows and to get the prize candy canes for filling out the scavenger hunt for kids. We also road the train for $2 apiece. Be aware, there is no cover on the train or hayride, so if it is raining or really cold, you will be out in the elements for the entire ride. All in all we loved it.

We have been going to the Christmas lights at Saluda Shoals for the Christmas lights and Santa for 5 years now. We love it! They always have the same Santa and plenty of activities, including a train ride, a hayride, and tubing. It truly is a Christmas tradition.

Loved the Holiday lights. Get in line about 5:25 pm and had to wait until they open. Unfortunately the sheriff didnt arrive to direct traffic until 6pm and alot of people were cutting in line behind Aldis and a few on the main road. They should have traffic control start earlier this close to Christmas. Spent about 1.5 hours inside between driving through it and stopping to ride the train.

Great venue for celebrations and weddings

They used to be free. Now they just looking for a profit. When I was younger we could go in without paying you could use the water park you were allowed to fish and everything else but now yall turn around and make sure we pay to walk around a park. Kinda sad.

Lights were beautiful

Nice park. Good for kayaking and canoeing. Well maintained shelters with fire places for groups . Sometimes during week days school field trips can be noisy. Great enclosed dog park.

I went to Saluda Shoals here in June with hopes to wade in the river and fly fish for trout, but the water was our way too deep to wade safely. However, its a great place for a picnic or kayak, canoe, or float tube. I dont know if the water gets lower later in the year or not. If I learn that it does so I can wade... Ill be back!

Great park in the summer, but really neat light show during the holidays, which is why we were there this trip.

Absolutely beautiful Christmas light display. It is a new favorite family tradition

Love the christmas light show. But 20 bucks is a little pricey. But overall a great experience

If you like the outdoors, like to hike, or want to enjoy the river and nature, this is the place for you. This place has much to do if you like these types of activities. It also has a playground for the kids. If you visit more than a couple of times, I would suggest getting an annual parking pass as there are many trails and walks to explore. Fun for the whole family.

Awesome park with lots to do! Kayaking, dog park, and trails. Convention rooms and more.

One of the best places to host small to medium sized meetings. The River Center and its staff are the best you can find in the Columbia area.

Im giving it 5 stars because it TRULY MADE IT WORTH THE $50 I spent just seeing how excited my 3 year old daughter was seeing Santa for the very first time ever. She was in complete awe with absolutely everything to do with Santa. She was literally watching his every move from the moment she laid her little eye on him. When she finally got her turn she walked right up to him and gave him the biggest hug and looked him right in the eyes and said I love you Santa. She got up in his lap told him she wanted him to bring her a PURPLE ROCKING HORSE please she was more than

The Christmas lights show was worth the drive, the wait, and the money. The lights were beautiful, and some where down right funny. I believe I will be back next year, hopefully with more family :)

My boyfriend and I had a tradition of trying to see as many Christmas light displays possible during the holidays, so I had the idea of making a trip from Savannah to see these. I was HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED IN MY EXPERIENCE. We arent familiar with the area so we were using a GPS to get there and were about to merge onto the road where it was located, but they were only allowing the left lane to turn into the display and wouldnt allow anyone to get in that lane. So we had to drive turn around and get back in the other side of the lane to get in line. We drove all the way here, so we decided to wait and ended up waiting an hour and a half to see these lights. The traffic control was managed so poorly. We finally get there and the lights are neat but there was NO SIGNS ANYHWERE directing you. We ended up having to go around twice because the left lane allowed you to park and get out and the right lane took you to the exit. We finally park and go to check out the walking portion only to learn that it was roped off due to rainy weather earlier in the week. There was NOTHING POSTED ON THEIR WEBSITE ABOUT HALF OF THE EXPERIENCE BEING CLOSED! I was so frustrated, we should have at least gotten to pay - $5 because a portion wasnt open. Lastly we find out there is hay rides and train rides so we decided to do a hay ride. We thought we were going to see something different and cool, but what does our driver do.... HE GETS BACK IN THE LONG LINE OF CARS AND JUST TAKES US THROUGH THE SAME LIGHTS. I couldve been in my warm car listening to Christmas music, not on a hay ride with no hay. They need to change it to a Tractor Ride because thats what it was. I just paid $5 to see the same thing. We just hopped off the tractor 1/4 of the ride because we were done. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE AT ALL. If you are interested in Christmas lights go to James Island County Park in Charleston, its wayyyy better.

There is plenty of paved trails along the river for walking, jogging, bringing the dog and bike riding. The park is very well maintained. It is $5 per car which is very reasonable. We also enjoyed other aspects of the park like the wetlands. Perfect place to spend some relaxing time with a picnic lunch.

Its a great park but the female employee driving around in the mule is very rude and on a power trip.

Shorter bike trail than I realized so I didnt stay very long but clean, bike / walking trail paved, has dog park that seemed to be getting good use,the park attendant was pleasant and welcoming. Nice park, not convenient for me but if I lived in area I would consider returning. $5 entrance fee so when I go back will make a full afternoon of it.

Great park! Its a great place to walk the dog and take the stroller. Our dog loves cooling off in the river when its hot out.

The park is fantastic. Its always clean and there is plenty of parking. My friends and I use the park to go tubing on the river all summer long and its so awesome that they have rangers who will pick you up at the end for 5 bucks a person. They even have rentals if you need a tube. Additonally they have great trails for all levels and I love that they have events and things to do all year long.

Have been a Barking Lot pass-carrying member for years. I have nothing but positive remarks for this amazing place. So much to see in nature, so much to do physically. There is an activity for all ages and the best place anywhere to take a four-legged family member.

Took the pup to see the lights & she was thoroughly intrigued. A great experience for the entire family.

The lights were beautiful. A drive through display.

Great space for events.

Christmas lights were awesome . We will definitely make it a tradition!

Love walking the trails it was really nice!

Visited the Holiday of Lights tonight and had a wonderful time! I was in my electric wheelchair and had no problems getting around. We were able to leave my wheelchair where you board the train and ride. Prices are awesome! $1 for each food or drink item and light up toys were $5. Im not sure about the cost of photos with Santa but it was free to visit with him. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. The gift shop is very tiny. We will go again!

We spent our time at the splash pad and had a great experience. Thus, this review focuses on the splash pad area. It wasnt busy (it was a Friday), and folks were pretty nice. Id say there were probably ten to fifteen kids on the splash pad at any time ranging in age from about 2 or the low teens. The entire area was clean, and their were plenty of places to toss out a towel, blanket or chair and set up our own area. Most people were barefoot, and there were not any apparent hazards to this.All the equipment seemed to be in working order. It was nice to have seating, a playground, the splash pad, and bathrooms all in the same area. I didnt use the bathrooms myself, but my wife describes them as utilitarian and about the same as other park bathrooms. She did not report any specific negatives about the bathrooms, but did mention that changing areas were available. A life guard showed part of the way through our visit, which was nice.We paid about $5 for parking and $3 per adult for use of the splash pad. Not a bad deal at all.

Friendly gate staff. Beautiful, clean nice park and trails.

Long line, but well worth the wait.

I loved it me my family had a lovely time there everything was nice I will visit again

Beautiful area to visit. Picnic tables and building facilities that provides areas for parties, meetings and weddings, receptions etc.

Fun Christmas light display. Definitely worth going.

South Carolina does not have a of sidewalks, or really anywhere to exercise outdoors. Saluda Shoals is right on the side of the Saluda River. It is a 3 mile paved walking path thats great for an out and back run! Theres also small walking trails that fork off of the main trail. In the summer there is a splash pad by a shaded playground. Perfect for exercise, fishing, pets welcome. The view was breath taking. This resturant has two locations. We had dinner at the one on the lake. It was amazing. We had a good waitress who recited the specials from memory.

We rented a shelter for a recent event and the staff were incredibly courteous and helpful.The trails are well maintained, the playground was clean and well maintained, plenty of parking and easy access to the Saluda river.

We had a birthday party at one of the picnic shelters and everyone who works at the park was so easy to work with. The prices are reasonable, and the park has something for all ages.

Beautiful locations. Could be a great venue for a wedding or family reunion

Loved the lights on the river. Nice long ride through the park. The gift shop was nice. Hand crafted items to purchase for gifts or myself. Great variety

Clean friendly place to visit and from the employees I enteracted with very pleasant and helpful.

The holiday lights were as good as or better than James Island, and thats not an easy thing to do. My family had a blast. The activities were fun, especially tje hay ride, but they did not compare to all that James Island has to do outside of the lights. I highly recommend bringing the whole family out to Saluda Shoals, you will have a great time!

Kids had a great time with the science show and we all learn a lot from the dirt display and the night time star demonstration

Beautiful place to spend a day. Nature trails. Bike trails. Fishing and kayaking and canoeing. Awesome museum. Water park for the little ones. Peaceful and tranquil.

Went to an Xmas party at night. Beautiful setting, spacious rooms for events

4.5 stars customer service left a little to be desired but the park its self and the facilities are great

I wasnt expecting anything as magnificent as it was! Very highly recommended!

This park has a very good Christmas lights display every year. Also, there are hay rides and other attractions such as roasted marshmallows and hot chocolate. If you havent visited this park at Christmas, you should. $20 a car (during the 2018 season).

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ONLY REVIEW- $20 is a little steep for people who JUST want to drive through. Disappointed that the Christmas music wasnt incorporated with the light show this year...

Opinion of the dog park membership: just meh. Quality not worth the cost when there are cheaper options available with equal to better quality.Cost was $85 for the year, prices have increased since then. Have to buy annual parking pass in addition to annual dog park pass.Pro: half large open space/half shaded wooded area, pools provided, access to park trails and the river, gazebo for owners to sit underCons: price, OTHER OWNERS (dont pick up pet waste, sneaking in unfixed dogs, not removing nuissant animals), lots of pet waste all over wooded half

We always rent bicycles here. Always friendly staff. Helmets are provided, and required.

Clean park, friendly staff, and great prices on rentals.

My family I love going here whatever event that comes up within our family. We have had a lot of laughs and enjoyed each others company while visiting this park.

Beautiful park, excellent facilities. Great place for an event!!

Wonderful place to spend time in nature

Great events at Salida Shoals. We have visited the Park every year for Christmas lights and are never disappointed. The kids activities as the environmental center are great too! Staff is already friendly and helpful.

Great place to have events or just family time out in the park.

Great park for families to gather. Nice shaded playground for kids, right by the water play area. Plenty of shelter to reserve for group celebration. Nice public restrooms. Great river for fishing various fish such as bass and trout.Friendly staff and very helpful. Reasonably entrance and activity fees.

The best family hiking place to be!!!

We took the kids to the splash pad and they had a amazing time. Park was nice and neat.