Is Riverbanks safe?
Columbia, South Carolina · safety score updated nightly
Yes — it is one of the safer places in the metro to walk around.
VibeLoco rates Riverbanks as “Go”.
Gogo's take on Riverbanks
“Go. Riverbanks is an active, family-oriented tourist and recreational hub centered around the zoo and riverfront parks. While parking lot property crimes like vehicle break-ins occasionally occur, the area is safe, well-monitored, and welcoming for visitors.”
About the area
Riverbanks encompasses the scenic corridor along the Lower Saluda and Broad Rivers, dominated by the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden and surrounding green spaces. It serves as one of Columbia's premier visitor destinations, offering family-friendly recreation, river trails, and quick highway connectivity to downtown.
- Family-Friendly
- Nature / Parks
- Tourist Hub
- Car-Dependent
Walking and biking in Riverbanks
Walk score: 28/100 · Bike score: 42/100
Columbia's Blue Bike share is largely concentrated downtown, but Riverbanks connects directly to the paved Three Rivers Greenway multi-use trail system.
Reasons to go, and reasons to think twice
Pros
- Low rates of violent crime with high daytime foot traffic and park security presence
- Well-maintained recreational infrastructure along the Three Rivers Greenway
- Easy vehicular access via I-126 with abundant dedicated visitor parking
Cons
- Occasional opportunistic property crime, such as vehicle break-ins in large public parking lots
- Very car-dependent outside the enclosed park grounds with limited walkable retail
- Pockets of industrial and commercial highway buffers create isolated pedestrian zones at night
Homelessness: Visible homelessness is minimal within the zoo grounds, but occasional individuals or temporary camps may be spotted along more secluded, wooded stretches of the riverbanks and highway underpasses.
What Riverbanks is like at each time of day
- Morning · 5a – 11a
- Peaceful and safe, with early morning joggers and walkers frequenting the river trails.
- Afternoon · 11a – 5p
- Bustling and energetic with families, tour buses, and visitors filling the zoo and trailheads.
- Evening · 5p – 10p
- Quiet as visitor attractions close; remaining safe around open riverwalk trailheads and hotel corridors.
- Late night · 10p – 5a
- Desolate with very little activity, so standard caution is advised around unlit parking areas and highway off-ramps.
Transit, parking and getting around
The COMET (Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority) operates bus routes nearby along Broad River Road and Greystone Boulevard (such as Route 83L), but service is infrequent, and there is no light rail in Columbia.
Ample designated surface parking is available at the Zoo and Garden (paid during operating hours, free for members), with free public parking lots at the Riverwalk trailheads.
Things to do in Riverbanks
- Explore the botanical exhibits and animal habitats at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden
- Walk, run, or birdwatch along the paved Three Rivers Greenway Saluda Riverwalk
- Kayak or tube the scenic waters of the Lower Saluda River
Local favorites
- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden · Zoo & Botanical Garden · 4.7★ (16400)Top-ranked destination featuring over 2,000 animals, lush botanical gardens, and historic canal ruins.
- Greystone Restaurant · Southern Restaurant · 4.5★ (420)Longstanding local staple nearby serving classic Southern comfort food and daily meat-and-three specials.
- Palmetto Outdoor · Canoe & Kayak Rental · 4.8★ (510)River outfitter offering tubing and kayaking rentals along the Saluda and Congaree Rivers.
Scores are safety-driven — recent reported crime and local news plus Census income, poverty, housing, education, household and access data — refreshed nightly. Walk and bike scores are shown separately and do not affect the safety score. A guide, not a guarantee — conditions change street to street.