Forgot your paddleboard? St. Mary’s County parks now have you covered. The county’s Recreation & Parks department has completed a rollout of self-service equipment rental kiosks at three parks, the final piece of a partnership with the rental company Rent.Fun aimed at making outdoor activities more accessible to residents who don’t own their own gear.
Kiosks at Chancellor’s Run Regional Park and Lexington Manor Passive Park went live in mid-August, and Snow Hill Waterfront Park’s kayak and paddleboard kiosk rounds out the three-park program.
All three operate the same way: renters download the free Rent.Fun app, create an account, then unlock their equipment locker either by scanning a QR code or entering the locker number shown on kiosk signage. After use, equipment must be returned to the correct locker, secured, and confirmed with a photo uploaded through the app.
At Snow Hill Waterfront Park, the kiosk sits at the kayak launch area and stocks three solo kayaks, two tandem kayaks, and three stand-up paddleboards, with paddles and life jackets included in every watercraft rental. Pricing runs $25 for up to two hours or $40 for up to four hours; frequent users can join as a Rent.Fun GO Member for $50 for a full day or $60 for a full week.
Chancellor’s Run Regional Park offers pickleball and bocce equipment from a kiosk near the courts — two paddles with six balls for pickleball, or six bocce balls with a pallino — at $5 per hour per set, available daily from sunrise to sunset.
At Lexington Manor Passive Park, a kiosk near the U.S. Colored Troops Interpretive Center offers a full disc golf set: driver, mid-range, and putter discs, along with a carry bag.
County officials say the program is designed to lower the barrier to trying new recreational activities, giving beginners and occasional players a way to test out a sport like kayaking, pickleball, or disc golf without buying equipment upfront.
