While the ribbon-cutting ceremony isn’t until Sunday (November 19th), the fences surrounding the ambitious Downtown Cary Park have quietly been removed overnight.
During last night’s town council meeting, town manager Sean Stegall held up the first brace removed from the fencing surrounding the new park, announcing that the removal of the fencing surrounding the park has begun.
“Assuming everything goes well throughout the night and according to plan, the park will be open tomorrow (Friday) at 7:00 AM and visitors will be welcome to come inside” Stegall explained last night. “Market 317 and the Bark Bar will be opening, but there will be no programming in the park until we get to the official ceremony on Sunday.
Luckily, everything did go according to plan, and the park is indeed open for visitors. It will be open during its normal hours of 7:00 AM – 11:00 PM.
Even at 7:00 AM, the park has quite a few visitors already. The iconic fountain, splash pad, and a couple more features will not be operatable until Sunday.
Market 317 is open from 7-7. This is the park’s cafe that sells grab-and-go meals, pre-packaged snacks, as well as coffee/espresso beverages. They also have hats, bakery items, and various other merchandise available for sale. It is surprisingly roomy inside the market.
The 7-acre park feels incredibly big. One thing that is hard not to notice is the abundance of green and trees, even as we begin to enter the winter months. According to the park, there are 66,000 new plants planted throughout the park, which becomes extremely evident as you walk around the area.
The opening of the park does mean that the social district begins today. We have confirmed with Cotton House that they will indeed be serving to-go cups for the social district this evening. You can also grab a drink over at the Bark Bar located in the park.
“You’ll recall the activation of the social district that covers the park’s street lock is tied to the park’s opening. So the social district … also goes into effect tomorrow,” Stegall also mentions during last night’s council meeting.
You can read more about the social district here. It’s important to note that only beverages purchased at the specific businesses participating in the social district are allowed to be openly carried – you can not bring in any outside alcohol.
We will get an extended look at everything the park has to offer after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. If you wanted to get a quieter look at the park before the surge of visitors, now would be the time to do it! You can read more about the park on its official website here.
Check out some pictures from today’s opening below!
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