For Immediate Release:
August 5, 2026
Contact:
Olivia Mitchell
Marketing Manager
Culture & Heritage Museums
www.chmuseums.org
803.792.2572
Museum Opens New Garden and Trail Features
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Exploring Carolina Piedmont plants and animals extends beyond Museum of York County’s hallways and galleries. Outside the museum are a variety of gardens, an observational beehive, plus a quarter-mile trail loop that wanders through a Piedmont forest and along Big Dutchman Creek. Recent upgrades to these spaces make them more engaging than ever before.
A Pollinator Garden has been added to complement the existing Monarch Way Station and Carolina Fence Garden. The Pollinator Garden was generously provided and installed by South Carolina Wildlife Federation, and features native plants and educational signage that helps visitors learn about these helpful insects.
Outdoor musical instruments, shaped like larger-than-life insects and handcrafted by UK based company Percussion Play, are located throughout the new Pollinator Garden. Visitors will find a ladybug, bumble bee, butterfly, dragonfly and firefly to interact with, bringing music and rhythms to life. The purchase and installation of these instruments was made possible by a gift from an anonymous donor and grant funding from the York County Community Foundation.
The Museum’s Nature Trail now has more to offer as well through the Kids in Parks’ TRACK Trail program, a nation-wide network of trails that aims for families and kids to unplug and connect with nature on outdoor adventures. Trail users are encouraged to pick up an activity booklet and scan the QR code at the TRACK Trail Mini kiosk found at Museum of York County’s trail head. From there, they can track their adventure and start earning prizes through the Kids in Parks website, such as free interactive e-adventures, badges, stickers, prizes and more all guided by the TRACK Trails beagle mascot.
The addition of Museum of York County to the TRACK Trails network comes just in time for National TRACK Trails Day on Aug. 15 and is one of 25 new TRACK Trails opened this year, the 96th trail in South Carolina and the 376th one nationwide. Join us on Aug. 15th at 2 p.m. for a ribbon cutting and trail walk to celebrate the launch of Museum of York County’s TRACK Trail Mini.
Learn more at www.kidsinparks.com/location/museum-york-county-nature-trail. TRACK Trail signage and activities at Museum of York County are made possible through generous support from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
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IMAGES:
- Kids beginning their exploration of the trail with activity booklets
- Nature Trail with TRACK Trail
- Pollinator signage with firefly instrument in the background
Images courtesy of Culture & Heritage Museums. Contact omitchell@chmuseums.org for high resolution images.
About Museum of York County:
Museum of York County highlights the world of natural history in the Carolina Piedmont through award-winning exhibits, planetarium shows, and special programs. “Before the Ice Ages: Miocene and Pliocene Beasts of the Southeast” is Museum of York County’s newest permanent exhibit that looks at the strange and bizarre creatures that roamed the southeast before the Ice Ages of the Pleistocene. “Ice Age Carolinas: Exploring Our Pleistocene Past” is a journey-back-in-time experience that features the gigantic and fantastic beasts that once roamed the Carolinas. The Naturalist Center, with over 2,500 natural history specimens, provides hands-on opportunities for self-guided discovery and educational programs. The Settlemyre Planetarium presents a changing array of full-dome digital planetarium shows. The Museum Store has a selection of local handmade pottery and goods, locally produced food products, and nature-themed gifts. Outside, the museum has a picnic facility and a three-quarter mile nature trail.
Museum Membership:
Become a Culture & Heritage Museums member and enjoy one year of exclusive benefits including free general admission to all CHM museum sites: Historic Brattonsville, Museum of York County and Main Street Children’s Museum. Membership helps support the work of preserving and communicating the cultural and natural history of the Carolina Piedmont. Consider becoming a CHM member and/or give the gift of CHM membership. Details at chmuseums.org/membership.
Museums for All:
As part of the Museums for All initiative, all Culture & Heritage Museum sites provide reduced admission for low-income families; visit museums4all.org for more information. Culture & Heritage Museum sites are also KultureCity® Certified and Sensory InclusiveTM.