If you’re looking for a peaceful, family-friendly place to enjoy nature, River Place Park is a total find.

Tucked right behind Middle Tyger Library in Lyman, SC, this natural hideaway is perfect for kids who love to run, play, and explore. Read on for a detailed review from local mom and Kidding Around contributor, Sarah Burnett, with everything you need to know to visit with your kids!

Quick Look at River Place Park
📍 Located behind Middle Tyger Library
170 Groce Rd, Lyman, SC 29365
🚻 Restrooms & water fountains in library
🚗 Free parking & admission to the park
🕗 Open dawn to dusk, every day
👟 0.3-mile paved, level trail
🌉 Scenic bridge overlooking the river
🌳 Shady trees, benches, and picnic tables
🪏 Loose sand perfect for digging & playing

I was reminded of River Place Park on our family’s last visit to Middle Tyger Library. We were checking out their Seed Library, and as my kids ran around the Children’s Section, I realized it would be great if they could get their energy out. I asked the librarian what the nearest park would be, and she suggested River Place Park—literally in the library’s backyard!

Unless someone tells you about it, you would likely never discover this park. River Place Park is not visible from the street or even from the library entrance, and I had managed to completely forget about it until the librarian reminded me it was there! My kids and I headed straight for the door and took off around the side of the building to enjoy the natural escape that awaited us.

Getting There & Parking

River Place Park couldn’t be easier to access. Just put Middle Tyger Library into your map app, and park in their free public parking lot. Then walk around the left-hand side of the building to find a short staircase at the edge of the lot, which will lead you downhill into this quiet park.

For families with strollers, wheelchairs, or other accessibility needs, you can also go back down the driveway to the sidewalk that runs along Groce Road. This sidewalk will lead you directly into the park as it wraps around the back of Middle Tyger Library.

While the park is open dawn to dusk, I highly recommend visiting during the library’s open hours. That way, you can take advantage of their clean public restrooms and water fountains during your visit. You could even check out a book to take with you into the park!

Middle Tyger Library Hours:

• Monday–Thursday: 9 am –8 pm
• Friday: 9 am – 6 pm
• Saturday: 10 am –5 pm
• Sunday: 1–5 pm

Nature Play, Trails, and Riverside Views

If you follow the stairs from the library into River Place Park, you’ll find yourself at the top of a grassy hill overlooking the rest of the park. It is largely hidden from both the library and the street, but you might see the occasional person passing through on the walking trail if there aren’t already families enjoying the park. There are mature trees providing shade all over the place, several picnic tables scattered across the grass, and lots of fun terrain where kids can run, jump, and explore!

A wide, natural trail leads down the hill to your right, and then wraps back around to put you next to Tyger River. This is where you’ll find one of our family’s favorite features in River Place Park! Between the trail and the water, there’s a little hill covered in loose sand. My kids could have spent forever digging and playing on this one hill! When we visit again, I’m definitely bringing our sand toys!

There are a couple benches next to the hill, so you can easily supervise your kids without getting sandy yourself. Keep a sharp eye for water safety this close to the river. Because my kids are younger, I told them that they had to stay on the side of the hill closest to the benches.

The sand was entertaining enough for them, but older children will have even more fun running back and forth to the water! After we left the sand, my kids and I also got to enjoy looking for critters along another (less sandy) section of the riverbank.

For families using the accessible entrance to the park, you’ll be starting at the trailhead of the 0.3-mile walking trail, which is fully paved and level. This trail takes you right across the rushing Tyger River on a picturesque metal bridge, and it’s hands-down one of the best photo spots in River Place Park! Across the bridge, the short trail concludes at a small water treatment facility, just a little farther along Groce Road from where you originally started.

Tips for Visiting River Place Park with Your Family

• Visit during Middle Tyger Library’s open hours.
• Use the library’s restrooms before you go down to the park. Even if the kids say they don’t need to go, we all know how the sound of rushing water can change that!
• Keep a sharp eye on kids around the water. Tyger River isn’t very wide, but it is rocky, rushing, and deep not far from the shoreline, so don’t let kids play unsupervised.
• Pack water bottles, bug spray, and sand toys for the most fun by the water.
• Pack a picnic, bring a lawn game, or borrow a book to spend a day in the shade.
• Wear sturdy shoes for the water, sand, and trails.

Our Thoughts: Review of River Place Park

River Place Park is one of those under-the-radar spots that feels like such a pleasant surprise to discover. Whether you’re local like us or just passing through town, it’s a wonderful place to unwind, let kids roam, and enjoy a little slice of nature in Spartanburg County. Next time you visit Middle Tyger Library, don’t forget to take a few minutes (or a few hours!) to wander down to the river. You won’t regret it!

Address: 170 Groce Road, Lyman, SC 29365
Park Hours: Dawn to dusk, 7 days a week
Parking: Free in library parking lot
Park Website
Trail Information

---

Find more creeks and rivers to explore. Here’s your guide to Creek Stomping near Greenville, SC

Lyman Park is just a couple of minutes from River Place Park, and it has a really fun playground.
Learn all about Lyman Park

---

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.

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

Keep playing!
River Place Park is just a few minutes from Lyman Park.

Find more great places to play!

Kidding Around Greenville Guide to Parks & Playgrounds in the Upstate