If you've walked past the northwest corner of Daffin Park lately, you've probably asked the same thing everyone else has: when does that fence come down?
The City of Savannah's most recent release scheduled the final inspection for Oct. 22 and promised an update after it. The City has said it will announce the date in November and hold a ribbon-cutting after that. The project was planned as a four-month build when crews started in September 2025. It's late, but what's left is now a short, numbered list. Meanwhile, the Midtown Farmers Market has spent that same year turning Wednesday afternoons on Victory Drive into a weekly habit.
A four-month build, more than a year later
The timeline is the clearest way to see how far the playground has drifted from its first schedule.
Date | What happened |
|---|---|
Nov. 14, 2024 | City announces an open house on the playground design for Thursday, Nov. 21 |
Sept. 3, 2025 | City announces construction, estimated to last four months |
Sept. 22, 2025 | Construction start date reported by WSAV |
Oct. 22, 2025 | Midtown Farmers Market goes weekly and year-round at Daffin Park |
Oct. 6, 2026 | Crews begin installing drainage pipe and regrading the site |
Oct. 14, 2026 | City says the opening is delayed until repairs are done |
Oct. 22, 2026 | Final field inspection expected |
November 2026 | City expects to announce an opening date |
The City's September 2025 construction notice called the playground a capstone of the Recreation Re-Imagined initiative and one of the largest single investments made under it. City Council approved that initiative in 2021, and the City says it has put more than $4 million into recreation upgrades across Savannah since then. A four-month build starting in late September would have finished around the start of 2026. This fall, the site is still fenced off.
Standing water held up the opening
The City's Oct. 14 news release explains the delay. After the first round of construction, the drainage didn't work well enough and water began pooling on the site. The City says it held off on opening "in the interest of the safety and well-being of all families, visitors, and guests of the playground."
On Oct. 6, the City's Capital Projects team began laying drainage pipe and bringing the site back to the correct grade. On a splashpad playground, that matters. A play area built around water has to drain properly before anyone can call it safe.
The Savannah Morning News reported the delay on Oct. 17 and said an updated timeline would follow. Community Services Chief Ashley Reynolds Marshall gave the City's own target in the release: "We will announce an opening date in November, once the site has passed its final inspection and is ready for fun and laughter!"
What's left before opening day
The City listed the remaining work in order, so the next milestones are spelled out:
- Drainage work and site restoration, expected by Oct. 19, weather and proper drainage permitting
- Termite treatment, expected by Oct. 21 once the site work is done
- Final field inspection, expected by Oct. 22
- New mulch and the rest of the fence from Recreation & Leisure Services, with the Facilities team cleaning and stocking the on-site restrooms
- Operational readiness, declared once staffing, maintenance and signage are in place and the site is confirmed safe for the public
Steps one through three had target dates. Steps four and five didn't. Mulch, fencing, restrooms, staff and signs all come after the inspection, and the City has tied the opening date to finishing them. The City said its next update would come after the Oct. 22 inspection, and the Daffin Park Signature Playground project page is where it has said it will post the details.
What's behind the fence
The City designed the playground for children ages 2 to 12. It's fully ADA compliant and comes with a new restroom and a new splashpad. The City's 2024 open-house announcement gave a wider age range, starting at six months, but the later project releases say 2 to 12.
The September 2025 notice says there are seven zones and names these six:
- Splish-n-splash zone, around the splashpad
- Twist-n-turn zone
- Bump-n-jump zone
- Story time zone
- Swing-n-things zone
- Mega zone, with two large climbing units, several activity stations, slides, an inground whirl, a seesaw and shade cover
According to WSAV's construction coverage, the playground also has swings, rock climbers and zip lines. WSAV reported the design is meant to include children with physical, emotional, mental and social disabilities. The station also said the area is fenced and lit, that the project adds parking on Warren Drive, and that the new playground sits beside a play structure installed the year before rather than replacing it. The 2024 open-house materials described ADA-compliant surfacing with tactile and visual features, an inclusive tower and musical elements.
The parking detail matters if you live nearby. A lit, fenced playground with a splashpad and its own parking is the kind of place families drive to from across the city, not only from the blocks around Daffin.
The Wednesday market got its year first
About a month after playground construction started, a different project on the same side of the park reached its own milestone. As of Oct. 22, 2025, the Midtown Farmers Market switched to a weekly, year-round schedule on Wednesdays, WSAV reported. The station also said vendor fees had dropped to $25. A Savannah events listing shows the market had already moved to Daffin Park by mid-August 2025, selling local produce, honey, meat and seafood.
So by this fall, the market has run at Daffin Park every week for a full year, through the same months the playground behind the fence was supposed to be finished.
The market is run by Midtown Farmers Market Savannah, Inc. Its current listing on the Savannah Master Calendar places it at Daffin Park on Victory Drive from 4 to 7 p.m. and promises produce, fruit, sweets, sauces, quail eggs, breads, candles, crafts and more. WSAV's 2025 story gave a 3 p.m. start, so go by the current 4 p.m. listing.
Upcoming Wednesdays on the listing:
Month | Market dates, 4 to 7 p.m. |
|---|---|
November | Nov. 4, 11, 18 and 25 |
December | Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 |
The Nov. 25 market falls the day before Thanksgiving, and Dec. 23 and Dec. 30 are both on the calendar too. If the City names a November opening day, families could have a working playground and a weekly market in the same park within weeks. For now, the market is the part that's open.
Nov. 7: Porchfest a short walk away
Savannah Porchfest takes over the Baldwin Park neighborhood on Saturday, Nov. 7, from noon to 7 p.m. According to the event listing, front porches become stages and yards become venues for a free, one-day local music festival.
Organizers say parking is extremely limited and ask people to walk, bike or rideshare because the festival takes place on residential streets. If you live within walking distance, that's the easy way in. If you live on one of Baldwin Park's streets, expect more foot traffic and fewer open curbs than on a normal Saturday. Performer and schedule details are on the Savannah Porchfest website.
Between now and the end of the year, here's the Midtown calendar: Porchfest on Nov. 7, the market every Wednesday, and an opening-date announcement from the City expected sometime in November.
When the City names that date, I'll be watching right along with you. And if a park like Daffin is part of what you're looking for in your next Savannah home, or you're wondering what Midtown's growing list of amenities means for the home you already own, Lisa Ortiz knows these streets and is happy to talk them through with you. Let's Connect.
