Finlay Park reopens with impressive new look, amenities, and safety features

After two years of construction and redesign, Finlay Park in downtown Columbia is ready to reopen to the public. ABC Columbia recently covered the grand reopening of the park and spoke with Jenny Horne, a principal of landscape architecture at Stantec, to discuss the new design and additions to the park.

Amenities will include a concert stage, large playgrounds, a splash pad, public restrooms, food trucks, and a place to rent roller skates and remote-controlled sailboats.

Multiple water features, streams, and rapids cover the 17 acres of the park, with over three miles of sidewalks and five miles of walking trails.

There is also a pickleball court, outdoor gym, frisbee disc golf course, a reservable indoor area above the ranger station for weddings, corporate events, or other happenings, and reservable outdoor grassy areas for families and friends—now available through the city’s website.

Every beam, boulder, and feature was thought out by multiple design and engineering teams, led by Stantec, while respecting the park’s original designer, Robert Marvin.