The first phase of Greenville's newest park will be unveiled this weekend during a pair of events.

 

An invitation-only ribbon-cutting event for Wildwood Park will be held Friday, October 15, at 4:30 p.m. at the park, which is located at 3450 Blue Heron Drive. Members of the media are invited to attend.

 

Wildwood Park will then officially open for the public during a grand opening event on Saturday, October 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free, and a variety of activities will be offered including water sport activities, inflatables, food trucks, a nature trail scavenger hunt, camping platform demos, face painting, art stations, and more. The Switch will also be performing live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

The recently-completed first phase of Wildwood Park includes a sandy beach area, a floating dock with boat slips, a 1.5-mile natural trail, a kayak launch, a waterfront camping platform, paved parking and other shelter and site improvements. On October 11, the City Council approved the park's future development plan, which includes a second phase with features such as an observation tower, BMX pump track and mountain bike trail, boardwalks, additional trails, more camping platforms, and a nature-themed playground.

 

The estimated cost for the first two phases of the park is $24.12 million with the City relying on public and private funding. The park's primary sponsor is Grady-White Boats.

 

Wildwood is located just north of the Tar River on the east and west sides of US 264. It includes approximately 360 acres of land that was purchased by the City in September of 2019 and December of 2020.

 

For more information about the ribbon-cutting and grand opening events, call the Greenville Recreation and Parks Department at (252) 329-4567.