"Bring the troll home."
That was one resident's plea to Cayce City Council on April 22, standing in a room where a wooden sculpture had somehow become the most contested item on the agenda. Council voted that night to postpone a final decision so residents could get more information first, a move that followed pushback from Councilman Byron Thomas, who argued the city should look for funding sources other than hospitality tax dollars. That same evening, an anonymous text featuring an AI-generated image of a troll dumping money into a pot circulated among residents right as the meeting got underway. Five days later, at a special-called meeting on April 27, council gave final approval to a $352,000 base contract with artist Thomas Dambo to build one of his giant recycled-wood troll sculptures along the Cayce Riverwalk, the first of its kind in South Carolina. Mayor Elise Partin called it a smart, forward-looking investment.
If you live in Cayce, you've probably already picked a side. What's easy to miss, because the troll fight ate up months of public comment and two council meetings, is that the actual story of change in Cayce this year isn't happening at the river at all. It's happening on State Street, where two new businesses opened their doors in April while the trail the troll is supposed to sit beside was still only partly walkable.
What the vote actually bought, and when you'll see it
The troll project isn't fast. Design work is scheduled for fall 2026, with fabrication starting in early 2027. The sculpture isn't expected to be fully installed until November 1, 2027, more than a year from now. The money comes from hospitality and accommodations tax revenue, the same pool cities use to fund tourism draws, and city officials point to other Dambo communities that have reported 30 to 60 percent increases in park visitation and economic impact estimated between $1.5 million and $5 million over three to five years.
Those numbers describe what happens in other towns after a troll goes up. Cayce doesn't have one yet. What Cayce has right now is a public debate about whether a wooden sculpture is worth the wait, and a Riverwalk that, if the last two years are any guide, may or may not be fully open by the time the troll actually arrives.
The trail keeps promising a full loop and keeps not delivering one
Here's the part that matters more for how you actually spend a Saturday: the Cayce Riverwalk has rarely been completely open at the same time since Hurricane Helene tore through in September 2024. It reopened in its entirety in mid-May 2025, then a sewer line break closed sections again at the end of that same month. The boardwalk came back in September, except for the stretch around the Naples Avenue entrance, which has stayed closed for construction of a new stormwater culvert.
As of the most recent trail status, that pattern is still holding. Phases 2 and 3 remain closed and the Naples Avenue entry is closed for construction. Timmerman Trail, which ties into the same network, has been swept into earlier rounds of storm-related closures this year as well. That's most of the trail affected at once, on a path the city is simultaneously betting will become a statewide tourist destination.
| Riverwalk section | Current status |
|---|---|
| Naples Avenue main entrance | Closed for stormwater culvert construction |
| Phase 2 | Closed |
| Phase 3 | Closed |
| Timmerman Trail | Caught up in recent storm-related closures |
| State Street / Lyle Street access | Open, best entry point right now |
None of this means the Riverwalk is a bad place to spend an evening. The open segments still deliver the shaded canopy, river views, and access to spots like the Riverwalk Pavilion that make it a genuine daily habit for a lot of Cayce residents. But if your plan depends on the full 7-plus mile out-and-back, check the city's Riverwalk page before you load the car, because the trail that's supposed to anchor Cayce's tourism future has spent more of the last two years partially closed than fully open.
While the river waited, State Street already delivered
George Robert's Wine and Raw Bar opened at 1301 State Street in late April, its second location after the original spot on Dutch Fork Road in Irmo built a following strong enough that diners were already driving in from Columbia and Lexington. Owner Robert Schoolmeester wasn't originally planning a second location. That changed when Bobby Alexander, founder of Pyramid Contracting and a frequent regular at the Irmo bar, pitched him on a spot inside a shopping center Alexander was revitalizing on State Street. The Cayce location sits directly across from Brookland-Cayce High School, with a full raw bar, a large back porch with a fireplace, and a menu built around oysters, lobster rolls, and artisan pizzas. General manager Steve Price has said the goal is for it to feel like a weekly stop, not a special-occasion restaurant.
A few storefronts down, Carolina Arts Cafe and Studios opened the same month, run by a founder named Taylor who originally hoped to land a different building entirely before landing on State Street. The concept is a menu of art projects instead of food, from an ink flight with brush pens to a jewelry tasting board with beads and charms, ten options in total priced between $15 and $28. Taylor has already lined up a summer camp program, an after-school series, and a partnership with the new nonprofit Carolina Blues Preservation Society to host live performances in the space.
Neither of these openings needed a City Council vote, a hospitality tax allocation, or a public meeting to happen. They needed a lease and an idea, and both are already open for business while the Riverwalk's most contested feature is still a year from breaking ground.
Planning your fall around what's actually confirmed
The one date on the calendar that isn't contingent on construction or contract negotiations is October 3, when Cayce Fall Fest returns to Granby Gardens Park with free admission, live music, food and drink vendors, and a kids' area. That's the safest bet on this list if you want a plan that won't change between now and the day you show up.
For everything else, a simple approach works better than assuming the map matches reality:
- Before a Riverwalk trip, check the current closure status on the city's own page rather than relying on last season's route.
- If your usual stretch is closed, the State Street and Lyle Street access point is the most reliable entry right now, and it puts you within walking distance of both George Robert's and Carolina Arts Cafe and Studios.
- Treat the troll as a 2027 story, not a 2026 one. The design phase alone runs through the fall, and installation isn't targeted until November of next year.
Cayce isn't choosing between being a river town and a Main Street town. It's just that one of those identities requires a multi-year capital project and a lot of public patience, and the other one already opened its doors while the debate was still going on.
If you're watching Cayce change and wondering what it means for the neighborhood long term, that's exactly the kind of on-the-ground read Smith Real Estate Group tracks street by street. Reach out when you're ready to talk about what these shifts mean for buying or selling here.
