Tourism and Recreation

 

 

“Teams/fans discovering the area’s attractions through sports-related visits. Use tax funds to invest in/expand that message and capture the audience to generate return visits.”

 

There is clearly a lot that can be capitalized on when it comes to tourism and recreation in Pickens County, from the natural resources and attractions to festivals and athletics. The weaknesses/threats listed largely had to do with doing more to promote those attractions.

 

 

Strengths and Opportunities

  • 123 connects cars—use corridor for trail: Greenville–>Easley–>Clemson–>Seneca
  • Airport
  • Athletic facilities
  • Beautify and expand Doodle Trail
  • Beer – new venues (ale house/pint station)
  • Bike park
  • Clemson University
  • Develop downtown Easley (art gallery, shops, and  restaurants)
  • Doodle bike park
  • Doodle Trail (4 responses)
  • Gateway to Anderson/Greenville and mountains
  • Great outdoors activities—great fairs, arts, Fall for the Arts, Azalea festival
  • Hagood Mill
  • History (2 responses)
  • Jocassee Gorge
  • Lakes
  • Many natural attractions
  • More downtown restaurants/entertainment in the downtown areas
  • Mountains and lakes are a great asset
  • Natural beauty
  • Natural resources and features (2 responses)
  • New SWU/Town of Central competitive mountain bike trail
  • Our natural topography
  • Parks and trails
  • Pickens County Performing Arts Center
  • Recreation opportunities—we have a lot of pieces that should be put together similar to Oconee County’s PRTM (parks, recreation & tourism management)
  • Rivers and lakes
  • Small town feel
  • Table Rock
  • Teams/fans discovering the area’s attractions through sports-related visits. Use tax funds to invest in/expand that message and capture the audience to generate return visits
  • The opportunities of parks across the county
  • Tourism money from grants to enhance towns to be destination places with unique reasons to visit
  • Tourists become second home purchasers, who become new residents, who ultimately become investors in new businesses—create the pipeline
  • Upcoming Pickens County race series and future cycling series

Threats and Weaknesses

  • Bike/ped access connecting living areas
  • Cities have massive visual clutter (strips) not cohesive
  • Cohesive Wayfinding for sites in Pickens County. Clemson, Pickens, Easley have Wayfinding, but not Pickens County.
  • Embracing the digital age of communication
  • Fear of zoning
  • Hwy 123 intersection at Hwy 133 needs concentrated improvement—not band-aid
  • Lack of coordinated or county programs for recreation for all ages and many interests along with sustainable funding
  • Lack of county-level leadership
  • Lack of facilities
  • Lacking promotion
  • Liberty is center of the county between growth from Clemson and Easley/Greenville
  • Liberty should be center of recreation facility/tourism beause it is the center of the county and can attract from Oconee County
  • Limited signage and advertising for natural attractions
  • Need a unified county approach to tourism
  • Need to clearly identify all the great places to see with signage, website, social media to market tourism = growth
  • No non-auto paths to tourism sites
  • No tourism or notable destinations
  • Pickens County does not seem to have a uniform vision
  • Roads in Pickens County—condition of existing roads, planning for new roads
  • Sunday beer sales
  • Trash pick-up along major thoroughfares