SUMMERVILLE — Kids running around the splash pad and playground. Parents pushing their children on a swing. Families fishing at a pond and singing along to “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get it)” by En Vogue. Retired friends walking along a trail and eating lunch at a picnic table.
You can find all of these in one place — Summerville’s Ashley River Park, which just opened in March.
This is the first and only park of its kind in Dorchester County.
Ashley River Park was years in the making, with the 85-acre property for the park being purchased in 2012, though the construction did not begin until 2020.
Since it’s opened, the park has charged $2 per person for entry and offers annual passes: $40 for Dorchester County residents and $80 for people who live outside Dorchester County.
County Councilman Jay Byars, who also heads the Dorchester County Parks and Recreation Commission, said the park has been well-received.
Becky Davis holds her grandson, Lincoln Ware, 1, as he goes down the slide at Ashley River Park on July 22, 2022, in Summerville. Gavin McIntyre/Staff
“We've had nothing but great feedback from the community, both Dorchester County residents and quite candidly, we've had quite a few visitors from Charleston and Berkeley County, and everybody's just had rave reviews,” Byars said.
Austin Zuniga, director of parks and recreation, said he’s thankful for people’s patience in waiting for the park to open.
“We had really high expectations and the public just blew all those expectations out of the water early,” Zuniga said.
Both Byars and Zuniga said they’ve already surpassed their attendance and revenue goals. As of July 20, over 75,000 people have visited the park and there are 5,062 annual pass members and 245 rentals of picnic shelters or a pavilion, with revenue of over $58,000. Revenue for annual passes and admission is $271,172.
They gather statistics on dogs too; 3,092 dogs have visited the park thus far.
Even though the park is fairly new, there already are plans to expand. Zuniga said the county has purchased property off Miles Jamison Road that’s over 300 acres and hopes to get started on the construction of the park — Pine Trace — there soon. He said it would be an extension of Ashley River Park and annual passes from Ashley River Park would be applicable at Pine Trace.
Ashley River Park recently opened off Bacons Bridge Road in Dorchester County. Visitors will find playgrounds, picnic areas, an events venue, trails and a large pond with piers. Provided
Zuniga said the county also had purchased the property across the street from Ashley River Park with intent to build a library and establish trails. He said he’s been in contact with an engineering firm about building a connector so people can safely cross the street, whether it be a tunnel or an overpass.
“In a perfect world, somebody can go to the library with their kids, go check out a book, enjoy the library and then be able to walk over here without worrying about crossing Bacons Bridge Road and enjoy the park and just kind of make a day out of it,” Zuniga said.
Lawrence Walton brought his three kids to the park after hearing about it from his wife. The kids had already spent time at the playground and the splash pad, and were going to try to go fishing next.
Families enjoy Ashley River Park on July 22, 2022, in Summerville. Gavin McIntyre/Staff
One of Walton’s 5-year-old twins waved his fishing pole around as he decided on his fishing goal: “I want to catch a little baby fish!”
Krista Allison brought her three kids and dog to the park, and even packed a lunch so they would have more time to enjoy it. She said her kids, two of whom were playing at the splash pad, loved the splash pad and zipline the most.
Zuniga said that while the park is up and running, there are still some things that need to be done. There’s the goal of installing a challenge course, and he said they’re currently in the process of finding an events and marketing manager for park. He said they've already talked to several local instructors about teaching yoga, tai chi and karate.
“There’s still some punch-list items that we’re taking care of, which comes with the construction of the park,” Zuniga said.
While park programs aren't up and running yet, they do offer a community bus pass for programs such as the YMCA.
“We have a lot of day care child care facilities come out here during the week, and they bring all their kiddos out, they play in the splash pad,” Zuniga said. “That's kind of what we're providing right now until we can, you know, continue to build the staff to be able to actually handle the programming.
Jeremy Schmidt, along with his wife and two daughters, was in town from Japan visiting friends. Upon visiting the park for the first time, he said he couldn’t believe the park is only a few months old; he thinks the park is very well put-together.
“If we lived here, we'd probably come here every weekend, easily,” Schmidt said.
Ashley River Park is open from dawn to dusk daily.
“This is a park that has something for everybody. Whether it's walking trails, or splash pad, playground, fishing pond, large pavilions for picnic shelters and birthday parties,” Byars said. “Whether you're 3 years old, or 93 years old, there's something for you here.”
