Biergarten, pickleball courts coming to Columbia along Saluda River

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A parcel of land has been sold that will eventually become a biergarten and pickle ball facility in Columbia.

Ryan McCue of Colliers South Carolina brokered the sale of a 4.75-acre parcel at 680 Candi Lane in Columbia, set to be developed into a biergarten and pickleball courts to be called PickleGarden on the River, according to a news release. Colliers represented the buyer, Pickleball Land Holdings LLC.

The property is situated along the Saluda River, a short distance from Riverbanks Zoo.

The development will include 12 pickleball courts, 10,000 square feet of turf and biergarten space, 2,240 square feet of mixed-use space to be utilized as a members lounge or event space, a 3,600-square-foot, climate-controlled indoor/outdoor space overlooking the venue and access to the Riverwalk on the Lower Saluda River, the release stated.

“This property has generated a lot of excitement. Positioned along the Saluda River above Millrace Rapids, it will be one of the only commercially developed, private tracts utilizing one of the three under-utilized Columbia rivers,” McCue, senior brokerage associate in Colliers’ Columbia office, said in the release. “The Riverwalk runs along the water’s edge and will eventually allow for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate from the Lake Murray Dam on the Saluda River all the way to the former SCE&G/Dominion Energy campus in Cayce along the Congaree River.

“PickleGarden on the River is adjacent to a new City of Columbia park and a future footbridge connecting to the other side of the river.”

PickleGarden will be the only food and drink establishment on the same side of the Interstate 126 exit as the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, the release stated. The facility is planned to be in operation by the end of 2024.

The investment cost of the project was not revealed.

“PickleGarden isn’t just about play; it’s about savoring delicious eats, soaking up the outdoors and creating lasting memories with loved ones,” said Abbott Bray, co-founder of PickleGarden on the River, in the release. “We’re bringing joy, inspiring health and promoting the outdoors — one pickleball rally, one craft beer sip, one river walk up the Saluda River at a time.”