Finlay Park

While this place is aesthetically pleasing with the pond and landscaping, there are way too many hobos. I feel completely unsafe (with my full grown dog), even during the day.

It’s a fun park to walk your dog, play Frisbee, attend a live music event or go jogging but don’t go by yourself after dark. Many homeless people mill around and will badger you for money. During the day it’s great though!

Beautiful park! Creatively designed. Just not the place to stop with toddlers for a break on a long trip. The playground is at the bottom of 10,000 steps. The bathrooms are at the top. Really? It was surreal because as all parents know — as soon as you hit the playground the toddler who is newly potty trained will have to poop. It wasn’t a pleasant climb back 10,000 steps!

The enjoyment you get out of FInlay park is dependent on the time of day you go to the park. If you go in the morning or afternoon to run or walk your dog then it is a pretty enjoyable experience. I like running the big pond it’s a nice area to bring the dog’s to play frisbee or just run loose for awhile.
Saturday nights are great with the free music. I like all genres of music, so I can listen to anything. When you can go and walk under the stars with that special someone and enjoy soothing music than it makes it all the while. It turns a regular date into a romatic getaway.
Walking the waterfall is relaxing in itself and swinging on the swing seats can carry conversation for the whole night.
That is one of the problems though, late night at Finlay park isn’t the best place to be by yourself or on a date with. Their are homeless people and I’m not saying that they are scum, evil, or bad, but you should always be cautios in any park late at night.
Finlay park is a great place to relax and unwind during certain parts of the day. Just be weary of hanging around too late. Other then that enjoy the park and it’s beauty and don’t litter, keep it a place that people can go to for years!

Want a man-​made waterfall with the water tinted grossly blue? Want to see hundreds of homeless sunning themselves? Want to be approached by wino’s for money? If so, you’ve found the place. The worst park I’ve ever been to in any city. Not a place to take your family, or even your dog.

Finlay Park on a Saturday Night!
This a great venue for any city! Free Music in a Nice City Park!
Wow! Columbia should be applauded for this. A nice safe place to hang out on a Saturday night, enjoy the company of an eclectic group of people, with an enjoyable group of musicians playing their hearts out! Life is good in the citay!
Bring your lawn chairs or blanket, spread out in the nice grassy areas and enjoy the free music. This is a nice park with several areas of interest– nice little lake, plenty of running water to sit by, nice fountain to photograph, nice play area for the kiddo’s… The list goes on and on!
The people were friendly and well behaved– I did see three of Columbia’s finest on patrol– it look like they were having a good time also!
I will definitely try this again– pack up our beach chairs, fix a little cooler box, and try some R&R at the park!

Been there many times to enjoy lunch or just a weekend getaway outdoor with my 4 years old. IMHO the park got better over time with its gorgeous man-​made waterfalls (also a very popular family photo back drop… see attached photos), lake surrounding pathways and much cleaner playgrounds and picnic areas.
Yes there are still plenty of homeless people hanging around (as in any other city I’ve visited) but they will not bother you and they usually cluster in just few spots. Speaking of people without a home go visit the eye opening inspirational exhibit at the Columbia Museum of Art (two blocks away from Finlay Park)…

This is Columbia’s equivalent to NY’s Central Park. The entire park is 14 acres and includes green space, picnic tables, a waterfall, and a playground. Many outdoor events & concerts are held here such as Oyster Fest & the Summer Concert Series. During the summer, outdoor movies are played on Friday nights. Yes, it is a homeless hangout, but who knows the outdoors better than the homeless? Follow their lead and visit them!
The park offers the best view of Columbia’s skyline and gives the area a semi big city feel. This is an awesome place to read, play ball, or have a picnic.

This is a small park near downtown Columbia. This park is pretty nice and it shows that the city is trying. However, when I was there the fountain had smelly green water flowing through it. Also this place seems to be a homeless persons hangout or home. This does provide some nice green space for the residents of Columbia as well as a nice view of downtown skyline. Another negative is the metered parking.