This new children’s feature will open this year at the Anne Springs Close Greenway
A new children’s area will open at the Anne Springs Close Greenway.
The Fort Mill nature preserve announced a $125,000 pledge on Wednesday from private donors Marty and Vesime Schroering for a new playscape, the Schroering Forest Playground. The donors have been in discussion on the project for two years. The new feature will be at the Greenway’s Lake Haigler entrance, adjacent to the Domtar Forest Porch.
In an announcement Wednesday, Marty Schroering said the Greenway is a special place for the family.
“After being inspired by playgrounds we saw while visiting abroad, we wanted to bring the same fun and inspiration to Fort Mill to further nurture children’s imagination and creativity,” Schroering said.
The Lake Haigler entrance is the most visited one on the more than 2,000-acre Greenway property. Four years ago a new welcome center opened there.
Leroy Springs & Co. is the parent company of the Greenway. President and CEO John Gordon said the new feature will grow learning and natural play.
“This new amenity will bring more children to nature through the experiences of forest play, activating key sensory skills while developing creativity and confidence in the outdoors,” Gordon said.
There will be a climbing structure for older children and another for younger ones. The addition will be American Disabilities Act accessible. The new structure should open later this year.
The Greenway has had children in mind since its founding, and includes a variety of activities from horses and other animals to kids nights out to special setups like fall hay mazes. A year ago the Greenway announced plans for the Crandall Bowles Children’s Farm with a variety of animals on 18 acres.
This story was originally published April 12, 2023 at 2:00 PM with the headline "This new children’s feature will open this year at the Anne Springs Close Greenway."
