Recreation
A Real Swan Lake but No Swan Songs
Sumter Boasts parks, playgrounds, and people that combine to make lasting and lifelong memories. Recreation is activity designed for enjoyment. The many amenities in this area have been perfectly arranged allowing you to achieve serenity, fulfillment, and exhilaration.
Parks and Venues
COME PLAY WHERE FUN IS UNENDING AND UNBEATABLE.
With more than 30 recreational and passive parks, Sumter offers a wide range of both outdoor and indoor activities for young and old alike.
The Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department offers thousands of children each year the opportunity to learn teamwork and live healthier lifestyles through its many youth softball, baseball, football, and tennis programs.
The Palmetto Tennis Center hosts numerous tennis tournaments each year in state-of-the-art tennis facilities at Palmetto Park. Open to the public year-round, the Palmetto Tennis Center offers an easy and inexpensive way to learn tennis from the pros. The PTC is also home to four new Pickleball courts. One of America's fastest growing sports, Pickleball is a paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong using a paddle and plastic ball with holes. It is a game that is appropriate for players of all ages and skill levels.
The Sumter Aquatics Center is a relatively new addition to our recreational assets. Located at the South Hope Center, the Aquatics Center offers swimming lessons, lifeguard training, and exercise classes through the spring and summer months. This center meets requirements for competition swim meets and is equipped with a six swim lane pool, an electronic timer, diving blocks, lazy river, open tube slide, and a wade-pool with beach entrance and fountain.
Sumter is also a sportsman's paradise for those inclined to nature-based recreational activities. Boating, birding, hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, and horseback riding come naturally to most residents and visitors.
The world-famous Swan Lake-Iris Gardens feature all eight known swan species and the most intensive plantings of Japanese Iris in the U.S. The Shot Pouch Greenway is a new walking and biking trail connecting Dillon Park and Swan Lake-Iris Gardens. The trail provides a safe and efficient route for cyclists and pedestrians to access local businesses, restaurants, schools, community resources, and other amenities.
Manchester State Forest is home to Poinsett State Park, annual equestrian events, mountain biking and ATV trails, the High Hills Extension of the SC Palmetto Trail, and some of the best hunting in the state. The Lynches River and Woods Bay State Natural Area offer a breathtaking trip for paddling enthusiasts.
Sumter County is also home to some world-class nature-based amenities, like Manchester State Forest, Poinsett State Park, and Woods Bay State Natural Area. These public places feature equestrian activities, hiking, boating, kayaking, and other healthy, family-friendly activities.
The creative community engenders the elements necessary to draw people to a place, keep them there, and make them love where they live.
Melanie Colclough, Executive Director Patriot Hall/Cultural Center
The creative community engenders the elements necessary to draw people to a place, keep them there, and make them love where they live.
Melanie Colclough, Executive Director Patriot Hall/Cultural Center
Restaurants and Tourism
GREAT FOOD AND GREAT TIMES.
The south is known for comfort food; in Sumter it’s no different. Tasty cuisine and beautiful scenes await for exploration, culture, and enjoyment.
Lush greens can be found in the parks or on your plate as you’re enjoying scenic views or a southern dish.
Performances, Concerts, and Festivals
People from miles around convene in Sumter to enjoy live shows, bands, and festivals that promote education, arts, and culture.
Not many cities can boast of a beautiful historic Opera House in the center of town, but then few cities provide Sumter’s harmonious blend of old and new tradition and innovation.
In addition to being an ideal location for growing a business, Sumter County is a great place to raise a family. With a population of more than 105,000 residents, Sumter County has the community to support big city amenities like museums, theaters, and music venues, while maintaining a feel of Small Town, USA.
Sumter County is home to an arts and cultural scene that has seen a lot of growth in recent years. For instance, Sumter's Little Theatre recently completed a million-dollar expansion, while the City of Sumter began hosting live comedy shows at the Historic Opera House.
All-access location.
Perfectly positioned in the heart of South Carolina and encircled with quick connections to a fast-flowing interstate network of I-95, I-20, I-77 and I-26, Sumter County is your all-access pass to success and satisfaction. As an industrial location, Sumter is all business: just 44 miles east of the state capital of Columbia, 100 miles north of the deep-water post-Panamax Port of Charleston, and 145 miles southeast of the booming Greenville area.
Sumter also puts you and your family in the heart of one of the nation’s most breathtakingly beautiful recreational areas, just 100 miles west of the magnificent Myrtle Beach Grand Strand beaches. The spectacular scenery of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Mountains are just 175 miles northwest. Metro amenities are only 105 miles north in Charlotte and 250 miles west in Atlanta. Personally and professionally, Sumter is your location for growth.
All-season satisfaction.
Mild winters here keep recreational options “on play” year-round. The average temperature in January is a temperate 45.4 degrees, and in July it’s 81.2 degrees. Average precipitation is 49.1 inches, with a growing season of 225 days. Stay on the go and grow in Sumter!