Inside: A local mom reviews all the fun things to do at Lyman Park in Lyman, SC. Is this the most toddler-friendly park in the Upstate? Let’s discuss!
Located just behind the Lyman Event Center at Pacific Place, you’ll find a variety of outdoor spaces for the whole family to enjoy: A gazebo perfect for picnics, playground with multiple playsets for toddlers, wide open greenspace, and an amphitheater! Kidding Around’s Sarah Burnett paid this park a visit with her 3 kids and shares all the highlights below!
Our family recently visited the playground at Lyman Park after a friend recommended it, and we totally agree that it’s one of the best playgrounds for toddlers in Spartanburg County! But more than that, the playsets are surrounded by other outdoor options which easily make this a great place for full-family excursions.
Lyman Park: Quick Summary
???? Why We Love It:?? Two playsets perfect for toddlers, including slides, ramps & a rocking boat?? Swings for all ages, plus a merry-go-all and an accessible see-saw?? Soft artificial turf (goodbye, woodchips!)?? A paved path for tricycles & strollers, benches for parents?? Restrooms available?? A stone amphitheater (hello, little performers!)?? Dog park & picnic gazebo—bring the whole family!
???? Plus, the Lyman Rail Trail is just a short stroll away for an easy, family-friendly walk or bike ride.???? Visit Lyman Park: 81 Groce Road, Lyman, SC
Playgrounds for Littles: Lyman Park
Our family has 3 kids, ages 5 and under, so we are always on the lookout for play spaces geared towards little ones. While signage onsite says the play equipment is designed for ages 5 to 12 years old, we’ve found that Lyman Park’s playground has multiple play sets perfect for littles— and zero play equipment within reach that is inappropriate for their size.
There is a little playset and a larger one, both with multiple slides and gentle ramps for easy access. The smaller playset has one baby slide and two toddler slides, with a large rocking boat with enough seats to easily fit at least 6 kids!
The bigger playset has a baby slide, two side-by-side toddler slides (perfect for races!), and one taller slide more geared towards preschoolers. If babies manage to make it up the stairs to the tallest slide, just keep a close eye for the gaps in the railing up there where ladders come up on either side! There are also both high and low monkey bars attached to the larger playset, perfect for kids eager to swing without the risk of falling too far for their height.
In the surrounding play area, there are even more options perfect for your youngest kiddos. My 5-year-old’s favorite was a low, short tunnel, with climbing handholds covering the outside and an underwater cave appearance on the inside. My 3-year-old loved the merry-go-all, featuring 4 seats so all our kids could easily spin together. Our youngest loved the accessible see-saw, also with 4 seats and easy for our oldest to bounce all by himself!
And, of course, all our kids love being pushed on the swing set, complete with several accessible swings perfect for our whole age range. Plus, the entire play area has a soft artificial base, so no need to worry about messy woodchips!
Paved Path for Parents and Kids
One of the best parts of this play space is the sidewalk encircling the whole thing. It is absolutely perfect for little ones on tricycles and toddler bikes! And it’s a small enough loop that you can walk it without losing sight of your kids or racing to catch them if one starts to wander off. And of course, there are benches, too, if you’d rather get off your feet while your kids play!
This walking path is also a great course to follow for exploring the rest of Lyman Park. At the playground, it will take you right past the picnic shelter, restrooms, and historic library which can be reserved for private events. It also takes you alongside the greenspace to see what else this area has to offer!
Greenspace and Amphitheater
If you are more interested in unstructured play, Lyman Park has two fantastic spaces for that, starting with the greenspace! This flat grassy field is adjacent to the playground, and on our visits, we have seen bigger kids playing frisbee, throwing footballs, and just having a blast chasing each other around. There is a chain-link fence on the far side of the field, creating a barrier between the grass and the road beyond.
Farther down the hill, the walking trail leads to a great stone amphitheater! Our 5-year-old is QUITE the performer, so naturally this is one of his absolute favorite spaces in the park. There are great acoustics in this space with several levels of grass seating surrounding a wide paved circle at the center.
Lyman Rail Trail
From the amphitheater, you can follow the path down the hill to cross over Spartanburg Road and hop on the Lyman Rail Trail. This paved trail runs just a little under half a mile one-way, and it is entirely level as it follows alongside an old railroad. Cyclists and strollers are welcome, and the trail concludes at Lawrence Street.
Bark Park and Gazebo
Got a furry family member? Bring them along! If you turn uphill from the amphitheater instead of downhill, the path takes you around the side of the Event Center, where you’ll find a small enclosed dog park with obstacles for pets and benches for their humans!
I also love the little white gazebo on this side of the Event Center, which has a concrete base and a small wrought-iron table with chairs, in case you are looking for a unique place for a picnic. I definitely plan to bring one the next time we visit Lyman Park!
Visit Lyman Park
81 Groce Road, Lyman, SC
Find more great places to play!
Kidding Around Greenville Guide to Parks & Playgrounds in the Upstate