A Q&A with Troy Diel of Old Santee Canal Park

Troy Diel is the park director of Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner, SC.

Q. What makes Old Santee Canal Park special?

A. We’re located in Berkeley County, just 30 minutes from downtown Charleston. Old Santee Canal Park was originally the site of a plantation built in 1845. Our 195 acres border the Cooper River and commemorates the first canal in American history—the Santee Canal that connects the Santee and Cooper Rivers.

We have four miles of natural trails for hiking, a 15,000 square foot interpretative center, the Berkeley County Museum, and canoe and kayak rentals for exploring the swamp and waterways.

Q. Why did you choose to contract with General Recreation for Old Santee’s playground designs and updates?

A. We’d had a great experience working with General Recreation when they installed a Cedar Forest structure in the Little David Children’s Garden. Gerald was involved in every aspect from the design to construction. 

Q. Why did you go with a natural play theme?

A. Our park commemorates South Carolina’s beautiful natural resources and history. The Little David Children’s Garden, our educational area for kids, explores these resources. It was only fitting to add playground elements that fit into that environment. The new structure includes a tree house, stumps, climbing boulder, and natural bark elements.

Q. What makes a great relationship with a playground design/build company?

A. It’s important that the designer can take your vision and translate it into the design. Gerald was able to do this with each of our park’s projects. He made everything very clear and easy.

With the new playground structure, our children’s garden is even more special than before. Working with Gerald to install the new playground structure helped us seamlessly implement our vision. This made the children’s garden even more special.

For more information on how General Recreation can help you, call Gerald Hitch at 866-304-1062 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .