NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- The world’s largest inclusive playground opened near Park Circle over the weekend.
The City of North Charleston says the entire $20 million Park Circle Reimagined project was a labor of love. The playground has everything a kid could want; slides, swings, jungle gyms. You name it, this park probably has it.
“It’s a great investment that they brought it here,” said parent, Reagan Stuart.
And it’s meeting a huge need, according to parents like Stuart.
While he lives in Park Circle, Stuart was driving across town to Goose Creek for his son to play on a good playground.
“We needed it in the area. I would drive 15 minutes, half an hour just to get to a nice playground. It was very exhausting sometimes with traffic,” he said.
The playground isn’t just meeting the needs of the neighborhood, but also children with disabilities.
“It accommodates anyone and everyone,” said North Charleston Recreation Director, TJ Rostin.
It’s designed to be an inclusive haven for people of all ages and abilities.
Rostin said, “We have some transfer stations at each of our pieces of equipment where you can get in and out of your wheelchair very easily. All of our sidewalks and ramps are double the size, so if I’m in a wheelchair with my friend we can pass each other and talk to each other.”
City leaders in North Charleston say their hope is when families step on these grounds, they have the best possible experience.
“Me and my staff joke all the time, we just like to put out a lawn chair and watch all the kids have fun and watch the families enjoy it. We know if you were to stand out here and count how many people are using this every day, that number is quite high,” Rostin said.
It doesn’t stop with just the playground.
The project also included a new baseball field and community building.