Purchase of Additional Acreage
Several hundred acres of land adjoin the Hollow to the South that could be potentially purchased to expand the area for expansion of the trail system and protect the Hollow from commercial development. None of this acreage has been developed only logged in the last 30 years.
Entrance and Exit Road
A new entrance and/or exit road off County Road 52 would need to be developed to allow traffic to enter one way at one point and exit one way at another entrance into County Road 52 to avoid traffic tie-ups.
Parking Area
A parking area located near the entrance to the Hollow would need to be developed to handle the increased amount of traffic to the Hollow.
Visitor & Interpretive Centers
A quality Visitor Center and Interpretive Center would be a valuable asset to facilitate and encourage visitation and the overall experience for a visit to the Hollow.
Viewing Towers
The highest point in the Hollow is around one thousand feet. When the leaves are off In the winter, from that vantage point the visitor can see the foothills of the Appalachians, ridges of the Great Valley to the East, and to the West, the Cumberland Plateau and the incredible sunrises and sunsets in the Great Valley. A thirty-foot-high viewing tower would make seeing the Mountains, Great Valley, Cumberland Plateau, and the sunrises and sunsets of the Great Valley possible year-round.
Trail Upgrades
Bridges were developed to be strong with pressure-treated lumber and timbers. These would eventually need to be replaced with more long-lasting bridges on the concept of the Cumberland Trail bridges. Some trails in high-traffic areas would need to be paved with a hard surface solution such as asphalt or concrete.
Sunshine Hollow and the Self Sufficient Park Concept
Sunshine Hollow has always been operated as a profit-producing entity, not to make a personal fortune but to generate enough capital to reinvest it into creating the Gardens, garden trails, natural area trails, access roads, irrigation system, current buildings and to pay for the labor and equipment work to accomplish all of this. This was done by establishing a Daylily and Hosta business, continuing the baking of Pecan Fruitcakes, and opening the Gardens to visitors with Lunch, Wagon Tours, Golf Cart Tours, and Weddings.