Most of what has opened at I-95 Exit 82 sits on one short street. Pioneer Way now holds a Kessler Collection hotel, a Starbucks and a new strip of shops called The Row. Half a mile east, The Outfitters clubhouse has a lawn, a playground, trails and a kitchen serving breakfast and lunch every day. Heartwood built all of it, but nearly all of it is open to anyone in Richmond Hill. The pool and its pavilion are the only parts kept for residents.
The interchange connecting I-95 to Belfast Keller Road opened to traffic on Jan. 22, 2021. Almost six years later, the exit is a place to stop and stay a while.
Pioneer Way Is the Address to Know
As recently as February, Savannah Morning News described Exit 82 as an eight-acre parcel, once a stand of trees beside the interstate, that was turning into a commercial district about ten minutes from the heart of Richmond Hill. At the time, Starbucks and Zaxby's were open and a 200-room hotel was still under construction.
That hotel has opened since. It's Courtyard by Marriott Richmond Hill Savannah at 190 Pioneer Way. The developer, Richard Kessler, also renovated the Mansion on Forsyth Park and opened the Plant Riverside District in 2020. He told Savannah Morning News that the hotel's design nods to the "old school road trip." The plan he described included a refurbished 1968 Ford Mustang GT, the car from the film Bullitt, displayed inside, plus a Ford Model A and 45 palm trees in the parking area. "It will be the most beautiful roadside development along I-95," he said.
Kessler also told the paper he planned one or two standalone restaurants and more development on property north of the hotel. Meanwhile, the first new street-level businesses opened right behind the hotel.
The Row Gives the Exit an Evening
The Row is a strip of shops in the Poplar Place section of Heartwood's Town District. It sits behind the Kessler hotel and Starbucks. The ribbon-cutting was Thursday, Sept. 24, with brunch and live music on Pioneer Way. Heartwood's list of businesses there:
- Pin High Indoor Golf
- Keller's Woodfire Pizza
- Hawg's Golf Cart
- The UPS Store
- LuFinity Nails
- An upscale barbershop
Heartwood says more businesses are on the way.
Pin High stays open into the evening four days a week. The Pin High website lists E6 golf simulators with more than 300 courses, real-time shot data, room for up to six players per bay and hourly tee times. It also has a full bar with craft beer and cocktails, plus seasonal leagues open to all skill levels. Play starts at $58 an hour. A full bay of six splits that to under $10 a person per hour.
The hours are built around weekends, so check them before you drive out:
| Day | Pin High hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Wednesday | Closed |
| Thursday | 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. |
| Friday | 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. |
| Saturday | 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. |
| Sunday | 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
Keller's Woodfire Pizza is on The Row's lineup too. Its Bryan County Chamber listing describes it as a veteran-owned food truck serving wood-fired pizza. Its website has a booking calendar for private parties and events.
Half a Mile East, the Public Line Is Drawn Narrowly
Most of the clubhouse side of Heartwood is open to the public too. The Outfitters is half a mile east of the interstate at 35 Outfitters Park Drive. According to Heartwood's own FAQ, here's what's open there and who can use it:
| At The Outfitters | Who can use it |
|---|---|
| Playground for ages 3 to 12 | Open to the public |
| The Green, a one-acre lawn for movies, food trucks and gatherings | Open to the public |
| Public trail system | Open to the public |
| Bleu Coat Kitchen, breakfast and lunch daily, dinner on Fridays | Inside the clubhouse |
| Pool and pavilion | Residents only |
The lagoon there is used for paddleboarding and kayaking. The trails connect Heartwood's neighborhoods to the parks and The Outfitters, and the network keeps growing as building continues. Golf carts are allowed on Heartwood's streets and trails.
A morning at Bleu Coat or the playground and an evening at The Row are both in one small area off one exit. Heartwood's monthly calendar fills in the time between. On Friday, Nov. 13, there's a Friday Morning Social, and on Saturday, Nov. 14, there's Bingo After Dark. The events calendar marks each listing as an event for everyone or for residents, so check the label before you go.
Dec. 4 Puts the Whole Exit on One Friday Night
The best introduction for anyone who hasn't been out there comes on the first Friday of December. Heartwood's Annual Christmas Tree Lighting is a holiday edition of its Live After Five series. It runs Friday, Dec. 4, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Outfitters, and it's listed as open to the public. There will be live music and holiday crafts, and Bleu Coat will sell food and drinks.
The timing lines up with the rest of the exit. Pin High stays open until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays, so a family could see the tree lit at The Outfitters, drive half a mile back toward Pioneer Way and book a bay for the rest of the night. Later in the month, the December calendar lists Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 19, and a Monday Evening Walking Crew on Dec. 7, 14, 21 and 28.
The Drive Out Is the Next Thing to Change
More people driving to Exit 82 means more traffic on the roads that get you there, and Bryan County has two projects aimed at it. Savannah Morning News reported in April that the county is widening 1.2 miles of Belfast Keller Road from I-95 to Cranston Bluff Road. Part of westbound Great Ogeechee Parkway will become four lanes, and a new roundabout will go in at Heartwood Avenue. The $16.1 million project was expected to finish by the end of 2026.
The second project is at the interchange itself. A traffic study is looking at changing the Exit 82 roundabout to add lane capacity. The work is estimated at $4.7 million, paid with federal funding and a 20% local match, and construction is expected to start in 2028.
More places are planned on both sides of the exit:
- Outfitters Village, with Hop Atomica among the first businesses named
- The Arbor Marketplace, a 95-acre site planned for a grocery store and smaller outparcels, in the southeast quadrant of the interchange beneath the new water tower
- A new dog park and a 23-acre regional park
- Crosstown Commercial Park, across from the Loblolly neighborhood
Pioneer Way is Exit 82's first real street. Most of the planned projects will open within a short drive of it.
New gathering places are one of the things we watch closely in South Bryan, because they change how people use their own town week to week. At Robin Lance Realty, we track what's opening at Exit 82 and across Richmond Hill, and we're glad to talk through how that growth affects your street and your home. When you want a clear picture of where you stand, start with Get Your Home Value.
