A new South Carolina Welcome Center is being constructed in Dillon County.
The new center was designed to reflect the tourism appeal of the Pee Dee region, and it carries the traditional architecture of a tobacco house, according to Dawn Dawson-House, the director of Corporate Communications for the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism.
Construction has been delayed as the Coronavirus disrupted schedules. The new building is the third in the system to be completely rebuilt. The others that were rebuilt are welcome centers at I-77 south in Fort Mill and I-95 north in Hardeeville. There are nine total welcome centers in the state, located on interstate borders and one on US 17 in Little River and mid-state at I-95 in Santee, Dawson-House said..
The renovations are part of the vision of SCPRT Director Duane Parrish, who wanted to expand and update these “South Carolina front porches” to accommodate today’s traveler needs. Our original buildings were constructed mostly in the 1970s.
“Today’s protocols for guests in the buildings adhere to DHEC guidelines for social distancing and sanitation. We have removed brochure racks to prevent disease spread on those surfaces. We are limiting the number of people who can enter the center at a time, and we have increased sanitation in rest rooms and in the welcome center lobby,” said Dawson-House.
Construction started in early 2019, and the building is not finished yet, nor occupied. Their team is still working out of their temporary building on site.
