How We Go Columbia: Splish splashing

In the life of someone who covers sports for a living, summertime offers the best chance to take a few days off and spend time with the family.

Yes, you can catch the McLemores loaded up in the minivan and taking a day trip to Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Charlotte or even to the N.C. mountains for a quick visit to Hendersonville. But there’s plenty to do closer to home.

My wife, Kim, and our three children (Bryson, 11; Colton, 6; Gracyn, 2) can’t get enough of the water, so more than once a week you’re likely to find us cooling off in a pool or lake.

We’re season pass-holders at the Palmetto Falls waterpark on Fort Jackson. Having kids of varying ages makes it a balancing act between spending time at the kiddie pool area and heading over to water slides and deeper waters.

Palmetto Falls is not too big and not too small, so it’s easy to navigate and make everyone happy. And luckily for me, there’s a lazy river.

For a change of pace, we also like the lake.

Lake Murray, Lake Wateree and Weston Lake are all scenic and offer plenty of things to do. We’re not outdoors experts, so we’re usually just swimming and having a picnic. If we somehow commandeer a boat, watch out.

Dwayne McLemore, who leads The State’s digital sports efforts, does not have a license for fishing or boating and is not an accomplished swimmer. Still, he knows that when you live in South Carolina, and especially Columbia, you have to know where you can go to cool off.

This story was originally published July 23, 2015 at 5:19 PM with the headline "How We Go Columbia: Splish splashing."