Bandera Farms Park in Summerfield is now open to the public.
The 120-acre park includes a playground, 4.5 miles of wooded horseback riding trails, and one of the first completed sections of the Piedmont Greenway. It will eventually be expanded to a 19-mile path connecting Winston-Salem and Greensboro.
Piedmont Land Conservancy began buying the property in 2020. The town of Summerfield owns and manages the park now. But Conservation Planner Palmer McIntyre says PLC still has control over any future development.
“Bandera Farms Park is forever protected by Piedmont Land Conservancy," McIntyre says. "We hold a conservation easement on it, so regardless of who owns it in the future or if the town changes, it will always be mostly natural. That's a very positive thing for the community.”
In addition to Summerfield, Greensboro, Guilford County, and the town of Oak Ridge helped fund the park. Piedmont Land Conservancy also received nearly $4 million in grants for the project.