The past year has brought a wealth of new and significantly refreshed parks to the Charleston area, with two more opening soon. Here, we fill you in on public spaces from Summerville to James Island that suit all ages, interests, and abilities. Load up friends or family—four-legged members included—and find your fun outdoors!
Written By Anna Miller
The public scored access to one of the largest swaths of undeveloped natural land in Summerville—a whopping 306 acres—when Pine Trace Park opened in August. “With our area exploding in growth, it’s rare that you have the opportunity to build a park anywhere, but especially one of this size,” says park manager Chris Bornfleth.
Five miles of paved and blazed trails wind through mature hardwood forest and wrap around a six-acre pond that serves as the centerpiece for picnic shelters and an inclusive playground. The fishing pier invites visitors to cast their lines for bass and bluegill, and fishing poles are available to check out at no cost. Paddlers can put their own vessels in at a launch area or rent kayaks, starting at $4 per half hour.
Pine Trace also boasts an 18-hole disc golf course—the first in the Dorchester County Parks system. “The 1.5-mile course was designed by top disc golf company Innova, and the disc golf community—myself included—is very excited,” says Bornfleth, who encourages newbies to rent a disc ($5) and try their hand at the sport.
Dogs will also have their day, as Pine Trace includes separate areas for pooches big and small.
The Essentials
303 Chandler Creek Rd., Summerville. Daily, dawn to dusk. $2; free for children under three. Website.
The whole family can get moving at the highly anticipated addition to Mount Pleasant’s Memorial Waterfront Park that was revealed this summer. For ages 13 and up, a 3,500-square-foot fitness area features an obstacle course, plus muscle-building stations such as a tire flip, battle ropes, and push-up bars.
Just across the splash pad (complete with reproductions of an iconic Old Village water tower and the Ravenel Bridge’s diamond-shaped towers) is a quarter-mile track that circles a lawn and curves past a pint-sized playground. Nearby sports courts are lined for both basketball and pickleball, and two fenced dog parks let pups run freely, too.
The expansion’s amenities are conveniently puzzle-pieced around a restroom building with a shaded pavilion. To reach the original part of Memorial Waterfront Park, with its playground, snack shop, and fishing pier, just follow the path across Harry Hallman Boulevard.
The Essentials
99 Harry M. Hallman Jr. Blvd., Mount Pleasant. Daily, 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Free. Website.
In 2020, neighbors banded together to spearhead the renovation of Riverland Terrace’s cherished neighborhood park—ultimately raising $280,000 to contribute to City of Charleston funds—and the love is evident in this truly fantastic (and fantastical) play space.
While grown-ups luxuriate in the views of Wappoo Creek, kids can scale a gnarly tree trunk, hop across faux rocks, and climb rope spider webs. A wolf peers from the base of the windmill, inviting little ones to venture into its ground-level hideaway or head up top to point a telescope at James Island’s Fire Station 3, just across Plymouth Avenue. Friends of Plymouth Park made sure to keep a favorite element from the old playground: the spacious sandbox that is stocked with toys for sharing. A new pavilion shades a party-sized picnic table, and restrooms will be added soon.
The Essentials
35 Plymouth Ave. Daily, sunrise to sunset. Free. Website.
After a six-month closure, park regulars were thrilled to see their running, fishing, dog-walking, and soaking-in-the-views spot reopen in June.
The park—built on the remains of the bridge that took trolleys and later cars from Mount Pleasant to Sullivan’s Island—got a micromobility makeover. In other words, it’s now more accessible for people in wheelchairs, bikes, golf carts, and other lightweight vehicles.
The Town of Mount Pleasant enhanced the cul-de-sac at the bridge’s entrance, adding ADA-accessible spaces, as well as those for golf carts. There are now sidewalks, marked parking spots along Pitt Street, and separate pedestrian and vehicle lanes. And paddlers can hit the water from a new kayak launch.
The project also involved stabilizing the banks around the roadway so one and all can enjoy this historic locale and its unparalleled views for years to come.
The Essentials
972 Pitt St., Mount Pleasant. Daily, sunrise to sunset. Free. Website.
Boasting South Carolina’s first public food forest, a shaded playground, and a scenic pond, Mulberry Park is ripe for exploration. Add in its proximity to the West Ashley Bikeway (reached via a dock overlooking another pond), and you have the opportunity to pedal, walk, and nature-watch for miles.
The City of Charleston installed the playground last winter, fencing in the colorful new equipment, as well as a sprawling oak tree that’s perfect for picnicking under. Nearby, a pavilion features a living green roof and rain catchment system, and just beyond, a footbridge draws visitors to the food forest. A buzzing pollinator garden and displays of seasonal crops (eggplants and peppers should be producing through November) mark the entrance before paths lead off through the half acre planted by the Charleston Parks Conservancy using a South Carolina Forestry Commission grant.
Food forests include seven layers of edibles—from trees down to ground covers—and the fruits, veggies, nuts, herbs, and berries that this one yields are free to anyone who wishes to harvest them. “I’ve seen people here cutting herbs or gathering a few peaches, blueberries, or artichokes,” says the conservancy’s community garden manager, Sam Haab. However, many of the edibles won’t begin producing for another year or two. In the meantime, there’s plenty of inspiration to be gleaned from the selection of plants (including some, like persimmons, that you may not have thought to grow), as well as the space-maximizing design.
“The food forest has generated a lot of interest from other neighborhoods and communities who would like to see something similar in their backyards,” says Haab. In fact, the Charleston Parks Conservancy is planting a second such forest—this one in the Ashleyville-Maryville neighborhood at the other end of the Bikeway—this month.
On October 17 and 18, the Charleston Parks Conservancy’s Bloom Charleston festival (see page 56 for details) celebrates the completion of a major garden revitalization at Colonial Lake. The park was renovated in 2016, but unforeseen problems arose. Environmental changes brought more frequent flooding, and many of the plants couldn’t handle soaking in salt water. They were replaced with native selections that proved a little too resilient: the small team of staff and volunteers could hardly control them.
Meanwhile, some mature trees died, bringing sun to once-shaded areas and giving aggressive and invasive species the chance to run wild. The row of cypress trees along Beaufain also got too pushy; their roots and knees were damaging the hardscape and infrastructure around the lake. The gardens grew so dense they were blocking views into and out of the park, causing safety concerns.
The conservancy determined that the best option was to clear the beds along Rutledge, Broad, and Beaufain, leaving only large trees (except for those cypresses) and the Insta-famous ‘Peggy Martin’ roses. The group hired Birmingham, Alabama-based Molly Hendry to lead the design of new garden spaces that feature well-behaved, low-growing plants arranged in swaths for a cohesive look and easier maintenance.
In sunny areas along Rutledge, for example, you’ll now find vibrant beds of roses, salvia, and coneflowers buzzing with pollinators. Broad Street features dramatic sweeps of sweetgrass and masses of shade-loving farfugium, ferns, and mahonia. In place of the cypress canopy, fringe trees mix with native black tupelos and the Holy City’s signature peppermint peach trees.
The conservancy is calling it an “idea garden.” Interim director of park operations Kellen Goodell explains, “If a plant grows here despite the flooding and all the challenges of an urban setting—the dogs, foot traffic, and car exhaust—you know it can thrive in your garden at home.”
An 18-hole disc golf course debuted this summer—and not just any course, but one that strives to be a regional destination. With plenty of input from the Charleston Disc Golf Club, Charleston County Parks hired Asheville’s Disc Golf Design Group to create the 1.4-mile loop that leads beneath—and right between—gorgeous old oaks. Each hole features both long and short tee pads so that players can tailor the game to their skill levels, and the baskets can be moved to alternate placements when it’s time for a fresh challenge.
The Essentials
2662 Mullet Hall Rd., John’s Island. Daily, 8 a.m.-sunset through December (hours change seasonally). $2; free for children under three & Gold Pass holders. Website.
The beloved Old Village park reopened this summer after a complete overhaul. At the center of the large, fenced-in space is a playground designed for inclusivity, with features such as a sensory-friendly roller slide, expression swings that allow an adult and child to face one another, accessible ramps, and rubberized surfacing. New sidewalks are also ADA-accessible, leading to restrooms, a picnic area, and a pair of bench swings that look across Middle Street to Alhambra Hall and Charleston Harbor.
The park is spacious enough for kids to play chase among the knot-holed old oaks while adults find peace on shaded benches, watching the daily goings-on in one of the area’s oldest neighborhoods.
The Essentials
131 Middle St., Mount Pleasant. Daily, 6 a.m.- 9 p.m. Free. Website.
The climbing wall has long been a popular feature at James Island County Park (JICP), and now it’s accompanied by a 13-foot-tall, 30-foot-wide bouldering wall with “problems” (technical speak for routes up the wall) for all levels. Bouldering doesn’t require safety equipment such as ropes and harnesses, instead featuring crash pads at the base of the wall.
JICP also just added a zip line course for children ages five to 10. Adjacent to the Challenge Course (for those 10 and up), the new attraction invites the elementary-aged crowd to brave a series of five zip lines, with the longest one stretching 55 feet. For now, the course is only available to groups—including birthday parties—but this spring, the park will begin inviting families to drop in during open days.
The Essentials
871 Riverland Dr. The climbing area is open Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., through October. (Park hours change seasonally.) Park admission: $2; free for children under three & Gold Pass holders. Climbing fees: $15 daily pass; climbing shoes are available to rent for $3. Website.
Charleston County Parks is just a few months away from opening the gates on a green space that’s been years in the making. The former estate of preservationists Ashby and Emily Ravenel Farrow features open fields, gorgeous old oaks, and views of Old Towne Creek—with Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, South Carolina’s first English settlement, just beyond.
Upon her death in 2011, Emily Farrow donated her expansive Ashem Farm property to Lowcountry Land Trust (LLT), knowing that Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission would then take ownership and turn the majority of the land into a public park. LLT is building its headquarters next door to the park.
Because of Farrow’s gift, the public gains access to a mile-plus of trails and boardwalks, an oak-shaded playground, an outdoor classroom, and more. Some Ashem Farm buildings have been preserved, including the “Rain Hut” that once provided shelter to pupils of “Miss Em’s” Saint Andrew’s Parish Riding Academy and will now serve as the Welcome Center.
“Old Towne will give the community the opportunity to enjoy passive recreation and beautiful open spaces while learning about history as well as the natural environment,” says Charleston County Parks’ Cole Thomas. And, she promised, Wine Down Wednesday—which drew crowds to the site before construction on the park began—is sure to be included in the program offerings.
The Essentials
1400 Old Towne Rd. Hours will vary seasonally. Website.
This month, an acre of prime downtown real estate completes its transformation from abandoned parking lot to landmark pocket park, thanks to the locally owned Beemok Hospitality Collection (BHC). Back in 2022, businessman and philanthropist Ben Navarro, founder of BHC, learned about the strip of disused property at 141 Meeting Street, next door to the Gibbes Museum of Art. Until 2015, SCE&G’s customer service office had been housed inside the 1878 building designed by renowned Charleston architect Edward Brickell White. A large parking lot ran all the way back to another building at 174 King Street.
At the time, community members were pulling for the property to be turned into a public park, but condos were seeming to be the more likely result. Navarro to the rescue: BHC purchased the property, ultimately selling the former SCE&G building to The Gibbes for use as offices.
BHC—which also owns The Charleston Place and The Cooper, among other properties—named the park American Gardens to honor Charleston’s significance as one of the earliest US cities, particularly as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary next year. The park stretches from Meeting to King, with an allée of crepe myrtles shading a wide pathway that runs from end to end. Mature live oaks line a central lawn, and on either side, café tables and chairs gather around large marble fountains. Parterre gardens burst with seasonal color. BHC plans to turn the building at 174 King into a café, likely opening in late 2026.
Join in the park’s opening celebration on October 25 and look for family-friendly holiday events in December—the first of many community gatherings coming to this urban retreat.
