Best Tent Camping near Charleston, SC

Sprawling park and campground right between Charleston and Folly Beach. There is a camp store which is well stocked and stays open till 8pm. The predominance of this campground is RV sites. The sites are well maintained and with enough space between each site.

The tent camping site and group tent sites are hike-in. The hike in is really not that far at all from where you park your cars, so no worries. The individual tent sites sit back in the woods, with a nice tree canopy, which gives it a real "primitive" feel to it. The sites are raised and contain a gravel bed.

There are bathrooms and private showers on site in a few locations. The bathroom and showers for the tent sites lay next to the group site, which is a short walk.

Shopping and stores are on hwy 117, just a few short minutes from the park.

Small campground not far from Charleston and very close to Bee City Zoo. This campground has several shelters one with a fireplace at both ends. The tent camping area is awesome and has a great layout with lockable chuck boxes on each site along with power and water. There are several large fields to let the kids run wild. There are also a few hike in sites in the very back with some bathrooms.

We camped at Hunting Island over a long weekend and had a great time. We were in a 30 foot 5th wheel and stayed in site 95. In my opinion it was one of the best sites there. Nice size and lots of vegetation surrounding. The beach was just over the dunes. We couldn’t see the beach or ocean from our site but it was just a short walk away. The store was well stocked and people were very friendly. The tent sites looked very nice and if I was still tent camping I’d definitely be happy with the accommodation. They are also easier access to the beach. We had water and electric at our site. Two Dump stations available and were easy in and out. Bathhouse in each area was nice and clean. We visited Beaufort and fell in love with the cute town! Lots of water view restaurants to choose from. From the nature center we explored the path to the boneyard and was glad we took the 15 minute walk out there. Enjoyed our time and will definitely be back!

This is a good sized park with a good bit to do. There are meandering walking trails through the woods. There's the beach. There's the lighthouse, which is very blustery uptop, and quite a lot of stairs to get there. There are some historical museum type things around the lighthouse. Giftshop and hotdogs on the beach. The volunteers were great here--nice, helpful, funny.

Camping, especially tent camping, is just inland of the dunes. There's no water or power at tent sites. There were a million RVs and it was pretty loud with generators even though we were somewhat separated. It was also Spring Break season, so that lends to crowds.

There were lot of solo campers here, I guess due to being on the East Coast and perhaps a good road trip stop over for a night's stay. However, we actually didn't get to stay the night day two! It was so windy (no rain or storm) that there was no way we could sleep there. Taking down our tent and putting everything away while being blown sideways was exhausting. Only one tent camper remained when we left, and they were actually working with a hammock-station wagon combo. Off we went to a hotel and dinner in Beaufort, which is a nice, sleepy, old town on the water.

This county park makes an excellent base camp for visiting the Charleston area. Tent camping is done festival style, with no specific sites. Everyone is in a big open field which is a lot of fun but does not offer much privacy. Staff was very friendly and helpful. There are many activities available at the park, including a dog park and dog beach, a waterpark, and a lake. It is just a short 20 minute drive to get into Charleston or down to Folly Beach. Make reservations. Would definitely stay here again.

Edisto has a beach camping area and a wooded area. The option for RV or tent camping without all the excessive price.

Clean sites and facilities. Quiet atmosphere. We stayed at the walk in tent sites and they were very nice.

Organized campsites on pristine barrier island near Beaufort SC. Accessible via bridge. Tent camping and RV sites. Several rustic trails . Literally can camp next to the beach. There is a historic lighthouse and grounds  there a available for tours. Across the channel from Fripp Island.

We spent one night at a tent site. The amenities (bathrooms and showers) we very clean. Very busy. On Easter weekend, there was only one empty site. Most campers seem to be in RVs.the neighbors were nice and Edisto Beach was very clean and the people were so welcoming and friendly.

Located only 15 minutes from downtown Charleston and 10 minutes from Shem creek this campground is gorgeous and spacious. They offer kayak and bike rentals. There’s a beautiful lake that allows catch and release fishing. Some tent sites and cabin sites are right along the water and offer nice views. There’s a one mile loop trail through the woods and along the lake. There are waste bags scattered throughout the park and a huge dog park. (But it’s quite far from the campers) There are multiple playgrounds and many kid friendly activities to do including corn horn and other games. The price is more expensive than we’d like to pay, especially for a site with only water and electric. No dump station. The bathrooms are clean and accessible to wheelchair bound guests. The store has everything you may have forgotten! Overall our stay was great!

Short-stay is a beautiful camp right on Lake Moultrie a short distance from Charleston, SC. They have descent wifi and an pretty well stocked camp store, but the main attraction is huge Lake Moultrie. Great for fishing, swimming, camping, RV, and much more. There is a swimming beach and the camp store has boat kayak rental and propane tank refill. The sites on the lake have full hook-up and there is a dump station for those that do not.

We love this spot for a spring get away before the heat and bugs are bad. We prefer the walk in tent sites close to the beach. Bathhouses are immaculate and recently remodeled. Camp store is super convenient. Gorgeous unspoiled beach. Great campground for the kids to bike around. Also a few trails to bike or hike to the lighthouse.

We spent a lovely weekend at Givhans State Park. It's definitely a small park, and its big draw is its location on the Edisto River, with lovely river-tubing to boot. 

We stayed in the tent sites, which have water and electricity at each site. There is a central parking area, and then you must carry in your stuff to your site. Ours, T-28, was one of the first, and from the closest parking spot, it was 200 steps along flat ground (just to give you an idea). 

The tent sites are right behind the only public restroom, which means that the restroom gets filthy after a day of the river-goers going in and out. There is only an outdoor shower. You can walk into the RV loop to get a larger, cleaner, and more private restroom with showers. 

The only trash dump we could find (apart from the small cans in the restrooms) is located just off the entrance of the park. The park has a strong WiFi signal at the main house/office, but the rest of the park doesn't get WiFi and barely any cell service. The staff keeps the park clean and it's very pleasant, especially on weekdays! Don't forget the bug spray! And steer clear of the poison ivy, which is everywhere.

This place looked promising at first. I arrived on a Friday night and there were multiple tent sites available. Very pricey, but Charleston accomodations are like that, and the park looked pleasant and well developed. I set up my tent and was happy... at first.

Right after I went to bed, a major thunderstorm rolled in. I'd weathered such storms before, and my tent usually performs well. My campsite had a raised tent platform filled with sand, which I assumed would drain well. It did not. The tent was "floating" for a while. Standing water under the floor. Only a little water leaked in, luckily.

When I got up in the morning, the tent pad had mostly drained, but the rest of my campsite had turned into a swimming pool. I walked around the campground and it looked like my site was the only one that had flooded like this. "No problem," I thought, "I'll just book a second night in one of the other campsites." Nope. They were booked solid. Had to pack up my wet equipment and never really got to enjoy the park.

I imagine this could be a very nice place to camp under better conditions, but I did not have a good time.

Side note, there was a chorus of extremely loud frogs here that kept me awake at night. Cute but annoying.

Hunting Island State Park is a lovely place, but our camping experience was less than ideal. We tent camped on a full hookup site so we would have water and power. Had a lovely set up, but the mosquitoes and biting flies were off the chart! Also, was very hot and muggy. The bath house was like a sauna. Even after a cold shower, you came out sweating. It was also not very clean. The saving grace was the lovely beach which was a short walk from our campsite. Would definitely recommend going when the weather is a bit cooler and dryer!

Park Ranger Larry is everything you would want in a ranger! He is proud of this park and it shows - everything is clean around the campground and in the bath house. Site 11 was riverside and had a great view! If we could pick any site, we would probably pick Site 9 as it had a slightly better view. There isn't much to do in the area, but the campground is only about an hour from Charleston, SC. However, we chose to camp here for the kayak trip! We had a great day (despite the super high level of the river) kayaking 23 miles down to Givhan's Ferry. An added bonus was the great cell service!

Fantastic Campground located right on the beach in Edisto Island, SC!

First off, I've visited the state park since I was a child, but normally we would go to walk the long beach to the northern inlet area. This was my second time camping here and first time tent camping. It was a pure joy and I'll be back whenever I can.

The only drawback is its popularity. I ended up only being able to spend one night at the beach campground because it is fully booked all the way into October.

There are usually available sites in the Live Oak Campground located on the marsh, but the beach sites go quickly.

We stayed in the Live Oak campground portion of the State Park at a walk-in rustic tent site. These sites have the most privacy in the park. There are six walk-in sites all with beautiful views of the salt marsh and pleanty of space (within and between sites). The sites are located on one of the many trails in the state park. All trails are open to pedestrians and cyclists alike, and none of the trails are challenging in length or terrain. Matthew and I were able to bike them all in a morning. We visited in early May and had excellent beach weather without much of a crowd!

We stayed in the tent sites, which are located right behind the dunes.  The website says that you have to walk into your site, but you can actually bring your car in to unload.  Once you have unloaded, you have to park your car in a parking area, but the parking spots are very close.  There isn't a whole lot of vegetation separating the sites, but they have planted vegetation to help with this.  Even with the close sight-lines to neighbors, it was great to be in an area that didn't have generators going, you could hear the surf, and have a short walk to the beach.  The bathrooms were good with hot showers.  I will definitely return.

There are sites for everyone. Some are private some are not. The ones closer the the beach/tent sites don’t have much shade or privacy. Most of the others have privacy. Some are level some are not. The bathhouse is clean and shower is nice. Staff is friendly. Check in was super easy. Loved the beach. Deer greeted us in the mornings. Raccoons visit throughout the day. My 1 and only complaint is that there are not trash cans throughout the campground. The only dumpster is located when you first come into the campground. BYW the lighthouse is closed for maintenance for about 6 mths . They do have wifi and the camp store does have a variety of supplies.