The Bryson Children's Nature Walk, 63 acres on North Main Street in Six Mile, is scheduled for its grand opening and ribbon cutting on Thursday, November 5, 2026. The property came to the town from the Bryson estate under a conservation easement and has been about ten years in the making.
The Town of Six Mile says the improvements on the property were funded entirely by grants and donations, "and no town funds at all." That funding is why the boardwalk is finished while the learning center is not, why the trail signs carry a local couple's work, and why the town is still taking donations by check at a post office box.
What the Ribbon Cutting Covers on November 5
The ceremony is hosted by the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce and starts at 11 a.m. at 565 N. Main St., Six Mile, SC 29682. The town's project page still calls the date "tentative" and ties it to finishing the major site features. Before heading over, check the Bryson Children's Nature Walk page on the town website for any update.
The invitation also asks people to hold off on exploring for now. "Due to ongoing construction, please visit our site after our ribbon cutting ceremony."
The town describes the project as "10 year in the making," including four years of fundraising and construction. The first goal was September. In a story by Sam Walters that the town republished, The Journal reported that the site was "making steady advances toward its ideal opening date of September." The opening date has since moved to November.
Who Paid for It
The land itself was the first gift. Six Mile resident Conrad Ardell Bryson died in 2003, and his estate later donated the property to the town under a conservation easement. Mayor James Atkinson told The Journal why the town spent years on that arrangement:
"With the way development is in this area, green space is almost becoming an extinct thing. We worked for years to pull off a deal with the estate and acquire this property with a conservation easement."
The town's project page says the easement "prohibits future development." With the land off the table for building, everything added since has come from outside the town budget. The table below lists the contributions the town and The Journal have named.
| Contributor | What they gave | When |
|---|---|---|
| Bryson estate | 63 acres of land under a conservation easement | After Conrad Ardell Bryson's death in 2003 |
| Signature Stone and Stucco of Simpsonville | Construction of the welcome sign and benches | 2024 |
| Trees Upstate of South Carolina | Funding and coordination for a volunteer tree planting | November 15, 2025 |
| Volunteers from surrounding cities | $6,000 raised for a row of trees along the entrance path | November 2025 |
| Dennis and Jane Chastain | Informational and directional trail signage | Before the 2026 opening |
"It's really been from all across the Upstate," Atkinson told The Journal. "The lady who donated the sign has never been here. She said she did it because it was the right thing to do."
Why It Opens One Piece at a Time
When each feature waits on its own funding, the site gets built in stages. The town's August 18 update reported the boardwalk and pond overlook complete, along with duck boxes and birdhouses that volunteers installed. The same update said the garden and Learning Center were still in progress. It called the entrance road significant remaining work and listed signage, border fencing and trail improvements as planned.
Here is how the town's own feature list breaks down by status:
Finished, per the town's August update
- Boardwalk and pond overlook
- Volunteer-installed duck boxes and birdhouses
Open in an early stage
- Children's vegetable gardens, which opened for the spring 2026 season with plots assigned to the first 24 families to register
Listed by the town as being at various levels of completion
- 1.5-mile educational nature trail
- Children's Outdoor Learning Center, also called the Center for Environmental and Agricultural Education
- Agricultural history mini-museum
- SCDOT entrance apron, front entrance drive and parking area
The Learning Center shows how the town plans to keep the site going after opening day. The town describes it as free to use for agricultural and conservation education, with wedding rentals to bring in income "for site maintenance." A property built without town funds also needs a way to pay for its own upkeep, and this is the town's plan for that.
The garden gets the most hands-on use. Families garden alongside their children, and the town says the children learn where their food comes from. The Journal reported that half of the garden was laid out in plots for Six Mile Elementary students and others. Plans call for raised beds, with two of them accessible to people with disabilities. Atkinson summed up the purpose simply: "If you're a child and you plant three tomato plants, that's a big deal."
The spring garden post said fall registration would be announced later, so the town's news page is the place to check for future openings.
The Signs Along the Trail Were Made by a Local Couple
The trail signs were made by Dennis and Jane Chastain of Pickens County. As described in early 2026, two nature trails branch off the main gravel lot, and both carry the informational and directional signage the Chastains made and donated.
On March 11, 2026, the site added a memorial marker honoring the late Dennis Chastain. Karen Brewer's report in The Pickens County Chronicle, republished by the town, lists the groups that held it together: the Town of Six Mile, the Pickens County Historical Society, the Pickens County 250 Committee, Upstate Forever, and the Fort Prince George Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The marker credits Dennis and Jane with mapping the native plants along the trail, the work that made the educational signs possible. At the same event, the Fort Prince George DAR chapter presented a posthumous American History Award medal to Jane Chastain.
When you stop to read a plant label on this trail, you're reading the result of that mapping.
Before Your First Walk
The town posts its rules on the project page, and they follow from the conservation easement. The site is meant for walking and learning, and the land is protected.
- Hours: 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset
- Not allowed: fires, motorized vehicles, mountain bikes, horses, camping, hunting and littering
- Stay on the trail: no off-trail walking
- Leave nature alone: no feeding, touching or removing wildlife, and no removing or altering plants
- Bring what you need: the town warns that cell service may be limited and posts tick precautions
- Liability: the town states that trail use is at your own risk
The project page also has trail maps you can click to enlarge. They're worth a look before you go, since the site covers 63 acres and the main trail runs 1.5 miles.
Parking and the entrance are among the features still being finished. The Journal described a gravel lot with handicap access in early 2026, but the town's current list puts the parking area and front entrance drive among the work in progress. That's one more reason to follow the town's request to visit after the ceremony and to check the project page for access updates.
The Unfinished Pieces Are Still Taking Donations
The town's message on funding hasn't changed. "Donations are always welcome and appreciated to continue construction in process and to ensure upkeep of the site and its capital improvements for perpetuity."
The town takes contributions through its online donation page. Checks are made payable to Bryson Children's Nature Walk and mailed to the Town of Six Mile, P.O. Box 429, Six Mile, SC 29682. The learning center, the mini-museum, the entrance drive and the remaining signage and fencing are among the pieces those donations go toward.
Projects like the Bryson Children's Nature Walk are a big part of what makes the area around Lake Keowee feel like home, and I enjoy keeping up with them as much as anyone. If you have questions about Six Mile or the communities around it, I'm glad to share what I know. Philip Kalchthaler is here when you're ready. Reach Out Today.
