KERSHAW COUNTY, S.C. — Goodale State Park is looking to welcome more visitors.
“We want more people to visit," said Kershaw County Council Member Brant Tomlinson, who serves on the state park's board. "So, we have 35,000 annual visitors. We'd like to bump that up. We have a 10-year goal of 100,000 people."
Tomlinson says the park has undergone a facelift to bring more people into the park.
“We looked into what do we need at the park,” Tomlinson said. He says the 763-acre property received around $175,000 from the state budget for renovations.
“The playground we installed, it's state-of-the-art, ADA-compliant playground," Tomlinson said. "I don't think our playground has been upgraded in 40 years. So, we put a brand new $100,000 playground in, a new kayak launch, which has 4 kayak launches."
Now, the park is looking ahead for new features.
“We’re trying to create more trails. We have 2 trails that are identified trails. One is a 2-mile loop and the other is one is a mile and a half loop," Tomlinson said. So, we'd like to really incorporate an outdoor classroom where you can have pictures, you know, say there is identify the plant, so you can really have students come out. Elementary school-aged students is where it's perfect for, but have them come out and see the signs and learn the plant."
There is no date for when additional work might begin at the park.