FAIRFIELD COUNTY, S.C. -- Rather than spend New Years Day sitting on the couch watching a parade of football games, the people who ventured outside here on a wet Monday were living their sport.

Carolina Adventure World, the new, 2,600-acre motorized recreation park off Interstate 77s Exit 46 about 20 miles north of Columbia, rang in 2007 with a preview of the park.

Visitors couldn't wait to get mud-caked at the scenic spot that's like a Disneyland for outdoor enthusiasts.

Nat Humphries, a Lake Wateree resident, brought his wife, Liz, and three sons, Scott, 7, Alan, 4, and Mark, 3, for a first-time look at the off-road complex that features 100 miles of trails.

"We've been waiting for this place to open for two years. This is what this area has needed," said Humphries, a member of the North Carolina Hare Scramble Association, a riding organization.

Added Scott as he splattered by on his trail bike: "That's a lot of mud!"

Jim Blank, executive vice president of Carolina Adventure World, said owner Don Wilburn envisions the park as a family-friendly destination.

"Its just a fun place, no matter what age or what sex you are," Blank said. "You control what you do, where you go, how fast you go. There's something for everybody."

If you're not into the breakneck pace of four-wheelers or dirt bikes, you can take a leisurely ride in a golf cart around the wooded acres that include a beaver pond, a lake, streams, waterfalls and picnic areas.

The park will open to the public in the spring. For now, only annual pass holders will be allowed on the trails until the eventual grand opening. Memberships cost $350 for an individual and $500 for a family of four.

Jim McPherson of Cameron, N.C., was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.

"I'm almost ready to move down here. There aren't a lot of places like this. This is pretty impressive," said McPherson, who cited the family- and youth-friendly nature of the parks trails.

His friend, Vann Gibson of Sanford, N.C., who has ridden motocross bikes since 1978, came away just as impressed.

"Its one of the nicest courses I've ever ridden on," Gibson said. "The motocross track is what lured me down here. The layout is awesome."

Gibson laughed when asked if he would rather be indoors watching football.

"We're enthusiasts. We don't play golf. We dirt-bike ride. Its not a middle-class type of sport. Its a way of life. This is good exercise. Its not like riding a bike down the highway. You're fighting it, you're maneuvering it out here."

Tim Couse of Huntersville, N.C., pulled up in his pickup. Inside the truck were his wife, Tracy, and sons Tyler, 8, and Trent, 5. The truck was hauling a trailer that carried an all-terrain vehicle and three dirt bikes -- all shiny new Christmas presents primed to kick up a lot of mud.

"From everything we've seen, it seems like its going to be ideal for us," said Couse, who grew up in upstate New York riding all-terrain vehicles.

Tyler, sporting a snazzy new racing suit, agreed. "I can lift my dirt bike off the ground," he boasted.

Blank chuckled at the thought of how much busier the park might have been with sunny skies, but a little rain wasn't about to dampen the visitors enthusiasm.

Robert Brumfield of Lexington, his wife, Stephanie, and brother-in-law Ryan Walt of Dacula, Ga., were just thrilled that Brumfield didn't have to load up his camper for a trek to Georgia or Tennessee to engage his passion for riding ATVs.

"We've been looking forward to this place opening because its close to home," Brumfield said.