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Paris Mountain State Park

gs3

By gs3
in Greenville Coffee House

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GvilleSC Megalopolis

GvilleSC

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I love the idea. And an easy connection to downtown would be nice, too. :shades:

I always like the towers on Paris Mountain ONLY for recognition purposes when I was a kid. A castle could easily take its place and be the recognition piece for people. I could see something like this easily becoming an icon such as the Liberty Bridge has...

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

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Most of those towers up there are for cell phones. And there is still that old AT&T Long Lines microwave complex (the one with the big triangular cone antennas) that has been up there since the 70s. I would think that most of it could be taken down and/or disguised where they would not be so distracting. Looks like some TV station has managed to put something up there also.

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

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Ahh yeah. That is the old AT&T Long Lines complex. It's a bit scabby looking these days from when I last saw it in person in 1977. They took down their sign but unfortuately the aerial is still there. It used to be the only facility up there. It's a shame they continued to deface that mountain with new aerials. If this was Europe they would not have done that.

113283669_a5733ab629_b.jpg

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g-man430 Town

g-man430

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They could fix the mountain with money from the TRAC plan the county passed. Didn't the CVB said one of the attractions to attact tourists would be something new that is not in Greenville yet. Why not put an observation deck like Ceaser's head has on top of Paris Mtn. and take down those towers. Maybe even have a restaurant like Pisgah Inn's got. Here is the TRAC plan for anybody who wants to see it: http://greenvilleforward.com/TRAC%20PLAN/T...resentation.ppt and here is the tourism plan that goes with it: http://www.greenvilleforward.com/TRAC%20PL...rism%20Plan.ppt and here is what it will create in less than 5 years:

-Taylors Baseball Complex: These facilities will host weekend district, regional and state Little League, USSSA, ASA, ISA, NSA, Dixie Youth tournaments. The facilities will also serve county residents for regular league play. Economic Impact studies of the Big League World Series in Easley, SC at J.B. “Red” Owens Sports Complex and the NSA Girls Fast Pitch World Series in 2001 in York County, SC at Cherry Park showed a total impact on Pickens County to be $280,000 and $10 million on Mecklenburg and York Counties respectively.

-Swamp Rabbit Trail/Tram Line: The old Greenville Northern railroad owned by Greenville County Economic Development Corporation (GCEDC) is already in the process of being converted from a rail line to a trail. Phase 1 will include the demolition of the existing track and railroad ties and the addition of gravel dust type material compacted over the existing ballast to create a trail suitable for walking and mountain biking. Phase 2 will utilize Hospitality Tax dollars to leverage other funding sources to pave the trail. Many state, federal and private grants are available for trails. This trail is a major link in the Reedy River Greenway from Travelers Rest to Lake Conestee. The trail will connect to popular amenities in downtown Greenville such as “The Children's Garden” at Linky Stone Park, The Peace Center, Riverplace, Falls Park and Cleveland Park. Additional plans include links to Heritage Green, which includes museums, a library and theater. The “Swamp Rabbit” is the center piece and links all 3 major facilities (Northwest, Kroc, and Conestee) and is fundamental to the plan.

-Water Parks: Upgrade Discovery Island, which is at capacity every day, and build a new park in the northern part of the county. Discovery Island Waterpark draws visitors from across the upstate regions.

Salvation Army Kroc Center: The aquatics center will become a " Mega Center " as recommended in The Woolpert Study and will anchor the middle section of the Swamp Rabbit Trail.

-Athletic Complex Berea/Travelers Rest Area: Build a tournament facility to anchor the northern end of the Swamp Rabbit Trail

-Lake Conestee Nature Park: Lake Conestee sits almost in the middle of Greenville County and connects to parcels owned by the City of Greenville, Municipal (Braves) Stadium and Western Carolina Sewer Authority. In keeping with keeping Greenville “green”, the Lake Conestee Nature Preserve also follows along with the state tourism plan for the upstate to keep the “downtown, walking city” feel. The master plan is for a facility dedicated to environmental conservation and education, preservation of local history as well as major hub for the Reedy River Greenway. Lake Conestee Nature Preserve, much like Falls Park in downtown Greenville will draw both “day hikers” and overnight visitors to the Greenville area who will dine in restaurants and will utilize local accommodations.

-Re-use of Municipal Stadium: The great access to I-385 and I-85, the connection of the Reedy River greenway from Travelers Rest to the Lake Conestee Nature Preserve, and the location within the county all make this site ideal for a major tournament complex. Families visiting the facility will be able to take advantage of Lake Conestee Nature Preserve, and the area restaurants and hotels in downtown Greenville and Mauldin. The facility would also serve as a monthly concert venue in the summer and for Freedom Weekend Aloft.

-“Destination Attraction”: NEW! in Greenville as envisioned by our Convention and Visitors Bureau

-Camp Spearhead and Pleasant Ridge Retreate Center: New retreat center specifically designed for impaired visitors with the capacity to serve 250. The camp will be the only one of its kind in the South East and will draw guests who cannot experience the outdoors without special accommodations. The upgrade of Pleasant Ridge as an overnight facility will include the upgrade of the campground and cabins and the park infrastructure.

-Soccer Complex: The addition of six fields to the already 10 existing fields creates a public/private partnership soccer facility that will be able to host state, regional and even national tournaments. There is a possibility to connect to the neighboring Enoree Landfill. With a major soccer tournament complex in the area, the upstate will have the opportunity to draw thousands of visitors to the area throughout the year. The RBC Soccer tournament in September 2006, filled 4,000 hotel rooms, and organizers had to turn away 50 teams because of lack of fields.

-David Jackson Park: Build a new baseball tournament facility in the Blue Ridge area

-Enoree and Piedmont Landfills: The landfill at Enoree, owned by Greenville County, closes this fall making it available for conversion to a major passive park that will service the upstate area. The park will serve as a greenway along the Enoree River , including hiking trails, playgrounds, large shelters and a youth golf tournament/training facility. The golf facility will host youth play and draw from NC, SC and GA. The site is adjacent to the MESA soccer complex, increasing the marketabity of the entire complex.

-Piedmont Landfills: Piedmont Landfill is looking at being converted to a passive park with trails, picnic shelters and playgrounds as well as possibly being used by Freedom Weekend Aloft as a balloon launch site. Freedom Weekend Aloft has the capability of drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the upstate over the Memorial Day weekend. The area is currently being used as a model airplane club.

-Westside and Lakeside Parks: Add “spraygrounds” to Westside and Lakeside Parks, both existing tournament venues, to increase their marketability.

-Sterling Center: Renovations to the Sterling Center to preserve African American cultural heritage. The center draws alumni from across the south and beyond.

-Public Safety: Pay expenses for public safety to support new tourism facilities and events

-The Children's Museum and History Museum: Provide capital and operating funds to facilitate museum openings to create a significant tourist attraction at Heritage Green to complement the Little Theatre, Bob Jones Museum & Gallery, and the Hughes Library.

-Pavilion Recreation Complex: The Pavilion Recreation Complex is host to regional figure skating competitions and sessions as well as ice hockey leagues and tournaments. The facility is the only sheet of ice within 90 miles. Upgrades to the 15+ year old facility will increase usage and the quality of the experience for the visitors. The addition of another active recreation field outside would serve as overflow for tournaments held at the new Taylors area complex.

-Sterling Center: Preserve African American cultural history with upgrades to the center and build a new tournament and reunion venue.

-Existing Facilities: These facilities include the major district parks which draw people from surrounding areas to use active and passive facilities for family gatherings and will serve as overflow facilities for major tournaments. Riverbend Equestrian Center has the possibility of being a regional facility for horse shows, dog shows, etc… with upgrades such as a covered arena, camping areas, shelters and upgrade to the trail system.

-Tournament Recruiter: Hire a full time professional to recruit recreational athletic tournaments to Greenville.

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RestedTraveler Metropolis

RestedTraveler

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^^^

I could have sworn that the tourism plan did call for some sort of work to be done to create a regional visitor's center at Paris Mountain State Park. Why not create that here where these towers are located rather than in the current State Park and then somehow tie the two together with a trail (not sure if the rights of way exist to allow for that, yet - haven't looked)?

I think an observation deck/regional visitor's center would be ideal for this spot. Surely the cell phone towers could be located elsewhere (or at the very least disguised to fit in with the natural surroundings as monsoon suggested). Anything that is not currently in use could be removed or sold to the county/GCRD for the creation of a park.

Why not?

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vwsam Whistle-Stop

vwsam

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^^^

I could have sworn that the tourism plan did call for some sort of work to be done to create a regional visitor's center at Paris Mountain State Park. Why not create that here where these towers are located rather than in the current State Park and then somehow tie the two together with a trail (not sure if the rights of way exist to allow for that, yet - haven't looked)?

I think an observation deck/regional visitor's center would be ideal for this spot. Surely the cell phone towers could be located elsewhere (or at the very least disguised to fit in with the natural surroundings as monsoon suggested). Anything that is not currently in use could be removed or sold to the county/GCRD for the creation of a park.

Why not?

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SimCity Whistle-Stop

SimCity

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I'll probably be the lone freak here that actually likes the towers being up there. Call me crazy....I know they are ugly, but it's always nice to see the lights on the towers when you're headed back into Greenville......either by car or by plane, it's something that lets me know I'm "home". Sounds crazy I know. But I grew in Birmingham where Red Mountain (on the edge of downtown and visible from all of Birmingham) was strung with TV towers. As a kid, always like the red flashing aircraft warning lights. :)
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gs3 Metropolitan Area

gs3

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Here is an article from the GV News about Paris Mountain and the old bathhouse being redone into the visitors center. The new center will open on February 26. Don't know my Paris Mountain history, and never realized there was a bathhouse.....the article said it was a changing room for swimmers.......were there ever hot springs?

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...1/1003/BUSINESS

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whitehourseview Burg

whitehourseview

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Here is an article from the GV News about Paris Mountain and the old bathhouse being redone into the visitors center. The new center will open on February 26. Don't know my Paris Mountain history, and never realized there was a bathhouse.....the article said it was a changing room for swimmers.......were there ever hot springs?

http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...1/1003/BUSINESS

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gs3 Metropolitan Area

gs3

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Not that I am aware of. There were of course hot spring facilities in this area, probably the most well known was Chick Springs, but the Paris Mountain building was strictly a changing area for swimmers. I've seen pictures of Strom Thurmond swimming at Paris Mountain in 30's, it used to be the getaway for folks who couldn't get farther north into the mountains, like some of the resorts communities that were on Caesar's Head.
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distortedlogic Town

distortedlogic

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I think that Paris Mtn, perhaps more than anything else Greenville has, has the ability to take Greenville to the next level in terms of tourism and "on the mapnes." If done classy and right, it could be a unique attraction. I like the cog railway someone brought up. I Would love to see a first class park at the top, with a small restaurant, observatory tower, interactive meusem/nature trail, and perhaps something like an outdoor climbing wall. Tie it in with the state park, and the new tourism plan. Have a section in the museum with info about all the mountain waterfalls, biking/hiking trails, and fishing, to bring in the other state parks in the area, and you got something. It has the potential to be much larger than Falls Park IMO.

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goodbye Metropolitan Area

goodbye

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I think that Paris Mtn, perhaps more than anything else Greenville has, has the ability to take Greenville to the next level in terms of tourism and "on the mapnes." If done classy and right, it could be a unique attraction. I like the cog railway someone brought up. I Would love to see a first class park at the top, with a small restaurant, observatory tower, interactive meusem/nature trail, and perhaps something like an outdoor climbing wall. Tie it in with the state park, and the new tourism plan. Have a section in the museum with info about all the mountain waterfalls, biking/hiking trails, and fishing, to bring in the other state parks in the area, and you got something. It has the potential to be much larger than Falls Park IMO.
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