The Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission (CCPRC) officially opened Old Towne Creek County Park with a celebration on June 30.
Located at 1400 Old Towne Road in West Ashley, the 67-acre park offers the community the opportunity to enjoy recreation and beautiful open spaces, featuring accessible trails and boardwalks, scenic marsh views, a nature-inspired playground, and opportunities to learn about the site’s history and ecology.
"Old Towne Creek County Park reflects our mission to improve the quality of life in Charleston County by providing exceptional parks, programs, and services," said Kevin Bowie, Executive Director of the Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission. “From its scenic trails, playground, and arboretum, to the stories it shares about West Ashley's history, this is a very special park. We're grateful to everyone whose vision and hard work helped bring it to life and look forward to welcoming our community here.”
Features of the park include:
· One-mile loop trail with packed stone surface, featuring beautiful views of Old Towne Creek
· Interpretive signage sharing the cultural and natural history of the site and the surrounding communities
· Boardwalk trails and water views from a dock (no water access or fishing)
· Nature-inspired playground with rubberized safety surfacing and accessible play elements
· Small amphitheater/outdoor classroom
· A variety of beautiful green spaces
· The Giving Tree, an outdoor art installation that serves as a fundraiser for the Charleston County Parks Foundation
· Abundant plant life, including an Arboretum featuring a variety of woody plants, a live oak allée, and blooming ornamentals. To celebrate the park opening on June 30, a live oak was planted in the arboretum as a community tree.
Structures open to the public at the site include:
· The Paddock Pavilion, a shelter located near the playground that features restrooms and outdoor seating
· The Fox Field Shelter, constructed by Clemson School of Architecture’s CommunityBUILD program
· The original “Rain Hut” building was preserved and repurposed as the Welcome Center. The Rain Hut once provided shelter to pupils of the Saint Andrews Riding Academy.
Events and programming will be offered year-round, including the popular Wine Down Wednesday series once offered at the site, with the first event set for Aug. 26. Educational and nature programming will also be offered.
Site history
The land of Old Towne Creek County Park is conserved as a living memorial to Emily Simmons Ravenel (1886-1971) by her late daughter Emily Ravenel Farrow (1915-2011). Both mother and daughter were passionate gardeners, and are responsible for planting many of the ornamental plants at the park today. In her estate plans, Mrs. Farrow established a conservation easement on the property, directing it to be preserved with strict limits on development to ensure the land remains a quiet place for learning and reflection.
After her death in 2011, CCPRC purchased the land from Lowcountry Land Trust. Public input on the master planning process was gathered in 2017. The park master planning process and a separate resource interpretation planning process were both guided by steering committees comprised of local subject matter experts. CCPRC broke ground on construction at the site in 2023. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2026 for its unique landscape setting and Main House and Caretaker’s House architecture.
Old Towne Creek County Park is now open daily. For park hours and additional information, visit CharlestonCountyParks.com.