Wannamaker Park North Trail

The Wannamaker North Trail runs within the north portion of Wannamaker County Park in North Charleston and also is accessible from Goose Creek. The 8-mile trail is designed for and open to mountain bicyclists of all experience levels. The trail is also open to hikers, walkers, and runners, but pedestrians should know that the terrain contains tight curves and elevation changes.

Design & Terrain
Trail designer Brad Phillips and volunteers from local mountain bike group, Lowcountry Fat Tire Freaks, donated over 1,500 hours of work to build the ultimate mountain bike trail experience. Trails wind by beautiful live oaks and beech trees, while offering thrilling natural and man-made trail elements. More experienced bicyclists will enjoy traveling the northeast section of the trail, following along and over-top of an elevated ridge.

Hours & Admission
Open daily from sunrise - sunset
$1 per person
Free: Individual and Gold Pass Members
Directions
The physical property address is: 455 Westview Blvd. (Google Maps, Bing, and Map Quest are not reliable for directions, so please see information below.)

GPS
LAT 32.998999 / LONG -80.059173

From I-26
Take Exit 209A, merge onto U.S. 52 W/Rivers Ave. toward Goose Creek (go 5.0 miles)
Slight left onto St. James Ave. (go 0.6 miles)
Left onto Westview Blvd. (go 1.0 mile)
Driveway to the trailhead will be on your left; follow directional signage to parking area

From Wannamaker County Park Main Gate
Left onto University Blvd. (go 0.9 mile)
Take ramp on right toward Rivers Ave./U.S. 52 W (go 0.9 mile)
Continue onto Rivers Ave./U.S. 52 W (go 0.9 mile)
Slight left onto St. James Ave. (go 0.6 miles)
Left onto Westview Blvd. (go 1.0 mile)
Driveway to the trailhead will be on your left; follow directional signage to parking area

Plant swap at Park Circle

On April 28, 2012 a community inspired Plant Swap will take place at the Gazebo in Park Circle.  Set up and browse at 10:00am, with the swap beginning at 11:00am.

So how will this work? Bring ALL of your extra plants, if it grows it will go. Both outdoor and indoor plants, edible and decorative.  Also, bring any garden related items, hoses, garden art, containers, etc. The swap is a fun and exciting free-for-all.  The organizers will prompt the attendees to grab one item, and after everyone has a plant, the process is repeated.  Nice and simple!

There will be a potluck style picnic after the plant swap.  Plates, napkins and hot dogs will be provided, but bring your own drinks and your favorite hot dog side dish to share amongst the group.

For more details, visit http://www.facebook.com/NorthCharlestonPlantSwap, email thecitrusguy@netzero.com, or call 200-5818.

New park and state of the art sports complex coming to North Charleston

In Spring 2013, city of North Charleston residents will begin playing ball at Wescott Park, a new state of the art sports complex with a Ripken Training Facility, which broke ground on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 10:00 am. The 48-acre park will be located behind Fire Station 11 at 9002 Dorchester Road.

Each of the three ball fields at Wescott Park have been designed differently to scale of Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park, Atlanta Braves’ Turner Field, and San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park. The field in the image of Boston’s Fenway Park will even feature the “Green Monster.” Each field will be equipped for baseball and softball for athletes 12 years old and under.

A Ripken Training Circle, patented by Cal and Bill Ripken, will be incorporated into the facility for instruction and practice of our rising baseball players. The design of the Circle allows for bases and home plates to be substituted for teaching of fundamentals and drills, maximizing the efficiency of instruction. To complete the park as a Ripken Training Facility, batting cages and pitching mounds will be incorporated.

Apart from being a sports complex, Wescott Park will feature passive areas for visitors to enjoy, including an amphitheater for outdoor performances, greenspaces and multi-purpose fields, walking trails through the park’s wetlands, and a number of enclosed and open air shelters for a variety of community and family events.

In cooperation with our school partners, the park will have a direct connection to Fort Dorchester Elementary School. With a direct pathway in close proximity to the school, Wescott Park will add to the recreational opportunities for Fort Dorchester’s students and teachers.

Renderings of Wescott Park