Watson Mill Bridge State Park is in the design phase for an 18-hole disc golf course, with the help of Friends of Watson Mill Bridge State Park, a volunteer organization.
The group is working alongside Authentic Disc Golf for a course design that can host tournaments, said Melanie Burroughs, the treasurer for Friends of Watson Mill Bridge State Park.
“Visitors to Watson Mill have requested additional activities at the park that would be suitable year round,” Burroughs said. “A disc golf course was something we thought we could provide while not taking away from the natural beauty of Watson Mill.”
Park superintendent John Mark Shelnutt said the park also is developing a 9-acre area into a “pollinator walking trail,” teaching visitors about ecology and prescribed burning.
“We’re hoping it's going to be like a meadow of wildflowers that people can walk through,” Shelnutt said. “We’re working on that with some more volunteers and some people that are educated about that.”
Shelnutt, with the help of senior ranger Clint Wilkes, have added signage throughout the park and plumbing improvements to both of the park’s campground comfort stations, which serve as bathrooms for visitors.
“All the hot water works. We’ve got more functioning showers,” Shelnutt said. “We are a campground, and that’s important.”
Shelnutt began his role as park superintendent in September 2024, after stints at Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and Cloudland Canyon State Park.
Alongside safety and function improvements, Shelnutt said Watson Mill Bridge State Park is also expanding its options for recreation.
Watson Mill Bridge was built in 1885 by Washington W. King, whose father, Horace King, was a well-known bridge builder in the 19th century. The bridge is held together by a town lattice truss system and wooden nails.
Long-time favorite activities include guided paddles on the Broad River and guided hikes, and under Shelnutt’s leadership, the park has strengthened its educational outreach with students in the surrounding community.
“We love working with teachers to design programs,” he said. “We will tailor a program to what their students, or the context of what their students are learning about.”
The park offers tours of the bridge, which is the longest active covered bridge in the state of Georgia, “at least every other week,” Shelnutt said.
“If you just want to relax, be in nature, listen to critters that are protected, hear the murmuring of the water, Watson Mill is the place,” he added.