SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. — Greenville County is pushing ahead with a quiet, nature-focused park on roughly 55 acres of the old Oakland Plantation along Adams Mill Road, in the fast-growing Five Forks area near Simpsonville.
District 27 Councilman Garey Collins said the plan is for what he calls a passive park: natural walking trails, picnic tables and a stargazing platform fitted with telescopes so visitors can study the night sky. He said those features came straight out of a round of public input meetings, and that the project has been about 15 years in the making.
Collins pointed to a long-running complaint in the area. Families who wanted a playground or a place to walk have had to drive to Southside Park or the Simpsonville city park. He said the county hopes to bring in local schools and other partners, since the site is meant to double as an outdoor classroom.
The county bought the property in 2024 for $1.2 million, paid for by the South Carolina Conservation Bank along with the county’s Historic and Natural Resources Trust, keeping it out of the hands of developers. The trust notes that by the time the park opens, close to two decades will have passed since the county last opened a regional park. The land also carries ties to Native American history.
The project is still early. County leaders are working out what the improvements would cost, and no opening date has been set.
Filed under: Greenville SC Neighborhood News
