Best Cabin Camping near Barnwell, SC

Recent Cabin Reviews near Barnwell, South Carolina

53 Reviews of 5 Barnwell Campgrounds

• 

  Meg W.

  Guide

  

  Nov. 3, 2019

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Everything you need, just not close to other things

  Magnolia Springs State Park is a nice Georgia State Park. Located just north of Millen, GA, the park offers ample camping for both RVs and tents.

  Spots are flat and easy to park campers and set up tents with enough room between each for a bit of privacy and a few walk-in tent sites for increased privacy. Cabin rentals are available as well as a group lodge. There is a bath house in the main campground that is well kept complete with flush toilets and showers, as well as a coin laundry machines.

  Kayak, canoe, pedal boat and bike rentals are all available from the visitor center to explore the spring fed lake and mostly flat trails in the park.

  This is a lovely park to camp and spend time in, but is a 2-3 hour drive to Atlanta or Savannah if you are interested in exploring GA. The town of Millen has fast food options, as well as ample opportunity to pick up essential goods.

• 

  Ashley W.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 16, 2022

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Magnolia Springs

  We stayed here on a weekend during the summer. I really liked this campground and park. It is the site of a Civil War prison camp and has a museum onsite as well as previous earth works from the site which you can walk to. Our site was nice and large with lots of shade. It was possibly the best pull thru site in my opinion due to its proximity to the playground and bathhouse for my kids. Site 16 would be the best back in site since it is right on the lake. The bathhouse was clean and large. There was a laundry area as well. There is usually a splash pad available during the summer but it was closed when we went due to COVID. There is also obviously a spring there and it was really neat to look at because the water is so clear. There were also alligators and turtles in the pond. The turtles would swam up to the railing wanting someone to drop them some food. There was a little trail through the wooded area beside the springs going back to the campground and we did hike it. There were other trails through the woods by the campground lake which we hiked as well. In addition to campsites they did have cabin rentals as well. You can put in your own boat and fish in the lake if desired or rent a boat. We rented canoes and rowed around the lake. It was very nice. There were lots of alligators in the lake. It was hard to fish from the dock and shore due to the alligators trying to get your bait. We did really enjoy this park and would go back. It is pretty rural as well but there were a few small restaurants and stores within a 10-15 minute drive.

• 

  Michelle M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 12, 2018

  Colleton State Park Campground

  Great place to stay!

  We stayed in the Cabin which was great with a baby! AC kept us cool in the heat of the summer but we were still close to our friends in tents and campers... nice tree coverage and close (quick drive) to the Edisto river/beach. Where you can raft or hang out at the beach.

  Right by the cabin is a walk down to the river for fishing. Don’t recommend swimming here! undertow could be dangerous... there’s a path to the water on the other side of the camp where we set up to fish also but lost a lot of lures in the brush. Kids had a blast anyway!

• 

  Bethany E.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 1, 2021

  Barnwell State Park Campground

  Great Value Camping Spot

  Overall good experience with this campground. The ranger was super sweet and helpful. We enjoyed the trails, and they were nice and easy to get through and just long enough to feel like you got a bit of hiking in. They offer rentals for John boats, paddle boats, and kayaks for a very reasonable cost. We rented two paddle boats and had a blast (it was exhausting though). There is wifi at the office and meeting building, which came in handy for communication since cell service was spotty at best.

  The sites are kind of on the smaller side and close, so if you are bringing a large camper it might be a challenge. There were lots of campers, so it's definitely doable though. We were in a tent so the pad size was perfect for us. The pad is mostly sand over clay, rather than gravel, which was great with the tent. The sites have power and water. Lots of trees, so it's perfect if you have hammocks. They also sell fire wood on site, if you need it.

  My only minor complaints were the bathrooms, office hours, and wasps. The bathrooms are clean and fully functional but oddly proportioned so the showers and stalls are really cramped but the sink area is huge. The office is only open a couple hours a day, which was understandable but inconvenient. There were a lot of wasps around the fishing pier and the boats. Didn't have any problems with them in other areas or at the camp site, so that was good at least.

  All in all, the trip was very enjoyable and we look forward to going back to Barnwell as well as making our way through the other state parks.

• 

  Michelle H.

  Traveler

  

  May. 17, 2021

  Colleton State Park Campground

  Really well-kept quiet little state park

  This one one of the cutest, most well-maintained State Park Campgrounds we’ve been to. The groundskeeper Larry is the nicest man and was so welcoming from booking to departure. You can tell he takes pride in caring for his site. There’s a nice big field for the dogs to play in and we were able to rent kayaks from the outfitter across the creek to explore the Edisto River. There’s a good burger place 3 miles down the road (Lee’s) too. The cell and WiFi worked great for full time remote work and locationally Colleton is about 1 hour between Charleston, Savannah, and Congaree National Park. I think this is also the smallest state park in South Carolina.

• 

  Joy D.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 5, 2018

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  A state park rich in national history

  This state park has a beautiful natural spring that is home to aquatic turtles, fish and aligators. It has history as a prisoner of war camp for the civil war and you can see some of that natural history as you walk it's many trails. The knowledgeable rangers work hand in hand with the local college and it's students in archeology to uncover more and more of it's secrets. Here you can play on athe playground with its water splashpad, go down the slides, and walk around the stream looking for aligators (don't feed the aligators) There is birdwatching, kicking and canoeing or paddleboats if you prefer on the lake. You can primitive camp, use a tent or RV space with water and power or rent a cabin. The friends of the park and the rangers host many various activities to make your stay a memorable one. Enjoy!

• 

  Jil S.

  Guide

  

  May. 16, 2020

  Barnwell State Park Campground

  Overall great little park

  I’ll put my gripe first and get it out of the way. Site 16 was awful to get into. Two trees are only about 10 feet apart and once you clear those you have to jackknife and nearly scrape your tow vehicle on a tree just to get close enough to the utility pedestals and to have some space on the door/awning side. The site slopes by the utilities and I had to get onto 4 leveling blocks and was still slightly off kilter. Ok. Gripe over. The rangers and crew were friendly and amazing! The park (during the week, late May) was pretty sparse with only 7-8 of the 25 sites occupied. Come Friday it fills up (and group near me noisy).. the park is beautiful, but small. Has a really nice fishing pier and beautiful hike around the lake. The two towns on either side (Blackville and Barnwell) are just enough for supplies. Overall a great and affordable place to visit!

• 

  Courtney B.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 30, 2020

  Barnwell State Park Campground

  The perfect place to relax during the hot SC summer

  This campground is a breath of fresh air and my new favorite campground. The park is clean and so are the bathrooms! The sites are spacious and if you get site 11 during the week, you might be the only ones in a large section of the camp.  The cheaper sites (the non-"full service" ones) still have electricity and water.  The bugs seem to be under control here, too.

  There are at least 8 geocaches, a self-led park BINGO, a swimming beach, paddleboat rentals, fishing ponds stocked with catfish, and a tackle loaner program. Note that the park office is only open from 11a-noon and 4-5p. The rangers are super-friendly.

  If you get a chance to go to nearby Blackville, make sure to dine at Miller's Bread-Basket, an Amish-Mennonite restaurant with a Southern touch.

• 

  Michael R.

  Traveler

  

  May. 23, 2018

  Barnwell State Park Campground

  nice park

  great little park 29 sites, very friendly host amd rangers. lakes are very well stocked only down fall is most sites are sand. be sure to read site info to be sure your rig fits. trails are very well maintained. bathrooms very clean

• 

  Joseph C.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 8, 2018

  Barnwell State Park Campground

  To close to each other! The worst camping that I have done!

  The camp site are so close to each it is ridiculous! The hiking trails were good and clean. We left early it was that disappointing.

• 

  Neith F.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 9, 2021

  Barnwell State Park Campground

  Camping

  Great trip overall, camp sites were nice and tidy, restroom and shower facility's we're well stocked and clean, camp host had firewood. Trails were nice, some of the boards on the boardwalk area were getting soft. No lake view from campsite.

• 

  Jay B.

  Ranger

  

  Mar. 19, 2021

  Barnwell State Park Campground

  March 19-21 2021

  This is a typical state park, not exciting, but mostly quiet.

  The road going into the campground is horrible if you are towing a camper and full of potholes but is manageable. We are tent campers, so this didn’t affect us.

  We tent camped in site #1, and the park was full this weekend. There are only 25 spots here, so it fills regularly. Our site was mostly level.

  We did have a group of about 10,000 scouts camp right behind us in the group site. This never bothers us, it’s always good to see kids out in nature. They were mostly quiet for such a large group.

  The bathroom / shower house is centrally located in the middle of the loop that the campground is arranged into. It was clean and had plenty of hot water.

  They do lock the gate at night, so if you are arriving late, call for the code to the lock on the gate. We made it before the gate closed, but the ranger did call us while on the road (we live about 2 hrs away) to see if we needed the code.

  Nothing much to do here as far as we saw, but that’s why we camped here this time. Just sat and read while enjoying the weather.

• 

  MPK M.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 26, 2022

  Cedar Pond Campground

  Thumbs up

  We had a great little stay. Beautiful cedar trees and pond. Rustic with everything you need and nothing you don’t. Owners super friendly and even helped us park

• 

  Amber R.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 4, 2019

  Cedar Pond Campground

  Geese, ducks, ROOSTER!

  Beautiful place but the rooster! 4:30 in the morning! Maybe get far from the office.

• H

  HeZ 🧜.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 22, 2022

  Cedar Pond Campground

  One week

  The owner was very kind and friendly. There is a very cute love swing by the pond y’all beautiful oak trees. Very quiet and peaceful. I would give 5 stars however one of the long term residents was screaming at me and my boyfriend for walking our dogs at 11 pm and called the police, when the police came he told them my boyfriend “ a black man was walking around” rude and racist.

• B

  Brannen S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 26, 2020

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Great Camp Ground

  Family always enjoys this campground! Beautiful spot, historic and the staff is wonderful.

• 

  Leah G.

  Scout

  

  Jan. 21, 2021

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Little gem

  This was our first stay, but not our last. This small campground is spacious, clean, quiet, with a little hiking thrown in. It was a relaxing stay for us and the dogs loved it. We will be back.

• 

  B+J S.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 1, 2021

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Great Campground for "Campground People"

  I really like this campground. It's a state park that seems to be managed well. 

  Things I Liked:

  Clean. Very clean!

  Bath house was very clean with adjustable hot water - massive plus as we don't have shower facilities in our trailer.

  Nice washer and dryers - did not expect this at a state park - usually only privately owned parks.

  Had a vending machine (which we never use, but can be great for others)

  Quite a bit of wood laying around (we were there on a Sunday night and it was pretty empty).

  Things that could have been better:

  Our site was very open, but it was big and nice. If you're camping with multiple people through multiple sites, it's easy to get to each other. We usually camp ourselves, so if we had chosen a site in the teens rather than site #2, it might have been a little more private.

  Possibility of it getting crazy on weekends since this state park is opening to non campers throughout the entire park - minus the actual campground.

• T

  Thomas

  Guide

  

  Jan. 30, 2022

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Nice place!

  We had a good time. Campsite # 26 was easy to back in, nearly level, close to corn hole boards, playground, and restrooms, and not too far from the dumpster. Very beautiful.

• 

  Nick L.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 4, 2021

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  very clean

  had a great time with family and friends ALL the staff was very nice and friendly. the showers and bathrooms were very clean. i stayed in two of the walk in sites and love them very quiet plenty of fire wood. wish they had power but that wont stop me from getting them again

• 

  Joy D.

  Guide

  

  May. 1, 2018

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Alligators and turtles

  This is our home park. We come for a night or a weekend and sometimes the week. It’s our get out of the house go to park. I love going to the spring and seeing the turtles. Or looking on the banks to see the alligator sunning. Magnolia has just rebuilt their fishing deck to make it wheelchair accessible. I took the trail in my powerchair and was able to go almost the whole trail. Their bathrooms are so clean. We love boating, so using your own boat or renting one of their paddle boats, kayaks or canoes is simple. You will love the friendliness of this park. For the day or for the week, come visit. They have monthly kids movies, and guided tours.

• 

  Jay B.

  Ranger

  

  May. 12, 2020

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  3 day escape

  We stayed 3 nights in the “walk in” tent area of this state park. The park called the day prior to our reservation to see if we would need firewood, a big plus. “Walk in” is a little deceiving, because, gladly, you can drive to the 3 tent spots and park a vehicle in this area. We stayed in spot 29. The three tent spots all have water at each site. They all have spacious tent pads in a wooded, heavily shaded area. 29 has the tent pad very close to the “road/trail”, but there was very little traffic on it. We arrived at night, and the camp host was friendly and directed us to the site. The park was full, but the sites were spaced well and the park was pretty quiet. The bathrooms were very clean and did have hot water. There were numerous signs posted for alligators and bears. I didn’t put a lot of stock into the bear signs due to the fact that none of the garbage cans or anything were “bear-proof”. We did finally see one gator as we walked by the spring one of the days. I thought that we had seen on their site that no hammocks were allowed, or anything tied to the trees, so we didn’t take our hammocks. This was not the case, as there were many hammocks up when we were there. You can look up the history of this place on their website. We were there May 8-11 and only had one colder evening and weather in the 70’s during the day. We would definitely go back.

• T

  Taylor H.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 25, 2019

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Quiet And Clean

  Not much to do but the campground is quiet and clean, a good passing through place.

• 

  Lani N.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 15, 2019

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Beautiful

  A great quick stop. It served us was a quick respite from the road. Friendly staff and pretty, quiet environment let us relax and soak up a beautiful day by the springs.

• 

  Scott S.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 20, 2019

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Very clean

  Nice and friendly staff

• 

  Cathy C.

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 3, 2018

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Historic, quiet and underutilized.

  Plenty of trails with birdwatching and animal watching including alligators. There is a beautiful natural spring and the site has a museum. Campground has spacious sites. Bath house is well maintained. There are several playgrounds and a splash pad for the kids. We usually try to get here two to three times a year.

• 

  Sarah F.

  Guide

  

  Dec. 29, 2019

  Magnolia Springs State Park Campground

  Great Family Campground

  We camped here in a small hybrid with 3 kids ages 8, 6, and 3. In the center or the campground there is a small playground. The kids didn’t end on it too much, but it was a nice addition. There is also some permanent (concrete) cornhole setup, but you’ll need your own bean bags. There is also a covered picnic area beside the bathhouse and playground with 3 picnic tables and it’s own fire pit. It wasn’t used while we were there, but if you were camping with a few other families it would be amazing!

  Each site has electric and water, no sewer. I’ll get to which ones look like the best ones below. Some of the sites are awkward curving instead of straight back in, but most are pretty easy to get into. The only down side is that most sites have large concrete picnic tables and the fire ring is very close while also near a corner of the raised gravel parking level. This makes it a bit more challenging to set up chairs around the fire.

  There is one bathhouse, which includes men and women’s bathroom and showers, a laundry room with a large sink (there is no sign that says you can’t wash dishes in this sink), and an all gender accessible toilet/shower room. This shower has a waist high spicket as well as a normal height one. The lower one worked really well to shower the 3 year old covered in vomit after my less than stellar decision to swing her in the hammock all nap time. 🤷‍♀️ The bathhouse was clean and the water hot. They had added a place to hang clothes while showering. There is not bench to set things down, and that would be my only suggestion. My husband said the shower in the men’s room was plumbed backwards and hot was cold and cold was hot. No issues in the women’s.

  The rangers were fantastic and friendly. We participated in a hike with the park manager where she told us about the animals in the park and even let us feel grey fox and beaver pelts. We saw vultures and an armadillo. That finished with hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows! On Saturday we took the beginner archery lesson with another ranger. She was so patient with our 6 year old who gets frustrated very easily. It was so much fun! It was obvious that this particular ranger was great kids. The archery lesson was fun for the adults too. Later in the afternoon we participated in a scavenger hunt. Also done very well, definitely geared towards kids, (as expected) but it was definitely fun for the whole family. All the activities were well done. You can also rent paddle boats, canoes, kayaks, and bikes. All the trailers are family friendly. I think this park is perfect for families with young kids.

  See this pictures for the best campsites. In short, 16 is the best site by far. Only one with a lake view. 12&14 would be my pick for two campers camping together.