Stephen Nottingham came to Richmond Hill in 2020, and just like many before him, he saw something very special about this unique corner of the world. He also knew he’d created an idea worth writing home about. A place for learning, exploring, imagining, and even healing. Later this year, if everything goes according to plan, Stephen will break ground on a magical undertaking called FREN Park.

“It’s hard to adequately describe what FREN Park will be,” Stephen says, “because, to my knowledge, nothing like this exists anywhere else in the world. It will be an indoor/outdoor space where school children, teenagers, families, vacationers, and even retirees, will come to experience the world around them through new and different lenses. A place to appreciate nature, to see it and understand it in a totally new way. Imagine if you could take a walk on the moon this afternoon; or meet face to face with a shark; or interact with nature in a way that allowed you to see it as you’ve never seen it before. Maybe come to understand it—and appreciate it—in a whole new way. FREN Park will be a place for experiencing the world we live in on a new and deeper level.”

As he speaks of the place, you can see the vision in his eyes. But in fact, it is more than just a vision. Stephen has done this before, only on a smaller scale. The interactive children’s space at the Telfair Museum in Savannah is one example, as is the children’s wing at Memorial Hospital. “Both of those spaces were designed to engage children with their surroundings,” he says. “Draw them in, let them participate. Children can learn a lot through observation, but they learn a lot more—and retain a lot more—through engagement.”

FREN Park, he notes, will take the concepts he and his designers developed for the Telfair and Children’s Hospital to a much different, and much higher, level. “It’s going to be a place that redefines recreation and community engagement,” he says. “Both the indoor and outdoor spaces will never be quite the same on any two visits. One month the learning space will look, feel, and function just as if you’re walking on the moon. You’ll see the earth, the planets, the entire universe from that vantage point. The next month, visitors to that same room will experience what it’s like to walk in a snowstorm. In that regard, it’ll function as lab space for elementary, middle and high school students—a place to experience the world in new and unfamiliar ways.”

“The plan,” he continued, “is to bring in speakers and exhibits and ever changing themes depending upon the time of year and on what’s happening in the world around us. It’ll be a place for families to come with their children. As a community resource, it’ll be a multi-generational gathering place. It will provide jobs.

The plans call for 47,000 square feet of interactive space indoors, blending traditional play with modern technology. This includes a corridor lined with an interactive LED wall and a virtual sandbox to give the perception of playing in different environments without leaving the room. The Park will also include an outdoor area with playgrounds for older and younger children, a mini-golf course, and a splash pad complete with music and lighting.

And some will tell you that it couldn’t come at a better time. Our region is among the fastest growing areas of the country.

Construction of the park is planned in concurrent phases beginning in 2026, with a hoped-for opening in late 2028. “The FREN Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is leading the $30 million capital campaign to bring the project to life. Founding partners are being secured prior to groundbreaking and will help define the final scope, programming priorities, and experiential ambition of the campus.”

The capital stack to bring this project to life will ultimately shape not only where the park is built, but what it becomes. It’s worth noting that projects like this often rely on more than donations alone. Across the country, communities use economic development programs (grants, partnerships, and targeted incentives) to help bridge the gap between vision and reality, especially for destinations that create jobs and long-term community value.

“FREN Park will be an extraordinary destination, designed with intention and heart. No matter how often you come, there will be room to play hard, laugh often, and feel like you belong. The coastal region is the perfect place to bring this together.”

For more information visit FrenFoundation.org