Camping near Orangeburg, South Carolina offers access to diverse ecosystems ranging from sandhills to river lowlands across sites between 100-350 feet in elevation. Winter camping remains popular with temperatures rarely dropping below freezing, while spring visitors might encounter vibrant seasonal wildlife including synchronous fireflies at certain locations. Campgrounds in this region cater to various needs with sites ranging from rustic walk-ins to full-service RV hookups.
What to do
Riverside paddling and fishing: Black Pearl Farms provides direct Edisto River access for water activities. As one camper noted, "Beautiful, well maintained site beside the Edisto river, just as advertised! Private, peaceful, just what we were looking for."
Wildlife viewing and hiking: Longleaf Campground at Congaree National Park offers unique natural encounters. "The fireflies were very pretty and interesting. We saw other wildlife around the campground too. A lizard during a walk during the day. Many frogs during the rain at night," shares a visitor who experienced the diverse ecosystem.
Farm animal interactions: Campers at Outside Inn Campground can enjoy time with rescue animals. A recent guest mentioned, "One of the main attractions are the animals: cows, ducks, chickens, goats, a donkey, turkeys and roosters." Another camper highlighted, "Small RV park which also has a lot of animal's. There is a great trail walk and lots of animals bunnies, pigs, donkeys, chickens, goats and a guinea fowl!"
What campers like
Secluded tent sites: Tent campers find privacy at Longleaf Campground where sites are set back from parking. "About 300 feet from the parking lot so easy to walk into and make trips back to the car or motorcycle in my case. It's lowlands so it floods easily in heavy rains," one visitor observed about the walk-in setup.
Lakefront camping: Sweetwater Lake Campground receives praise for its water views. "All sites face the lake. Cute as it can be," noted one reviewer. Another mentioned, "There is a nice size lake and all spots face it. There are fire pits and hammocks."
Clean facilities: Many campers highlight facility maintenance at Poinsett State Park. One visitor specifically mentioned, "We stayed here for our son's first birthday, in campsite 30! It was beautiful and we felt like we had plenty of privacy. Our site had a trail attached to the back of it which was really nice for hiking and it was perfect distance from the bathroom! On the topic of the bathroom, the toilets were CLEAN! And I mean we were there for 24 hours and the bathroom was cleaned at least twice."
What you should know
Site flooding concerns: Low-lying areas around Orangeburg can flood during heavy rains. A Longleaf Campground visitor warned, "The first night got a lot of rain and storms and several of the campers from sites farther back left saying they were flooded out."
Unpredictable seasonal insects: Bugs can be intense, particularly in summer. A Poinsett State Park camper cautioned, "July? Hottest month of the year? South Carolina? The bugs were massive. I probably could have been carried away by some of the horseflies I saw."