Escape into nature and disconnect from daily life with glamping near Folly Beach. Glamping near Folly Beach is a great way to travel off the beaten path. Find the right glamping site for you with our user-submitted photos, reviews, and tips. The Dyrt's camping photos, reviews, and tips are an easy way to find the right South Carolina glamping spot for you.
Enjoy the natural beauty of James Island County Park, with year-round fun for the entire family. Just a short drive from downtown Charleston, the 643-acre park offers an abundance of exceptional recreation offerings and natural beauty.
With the Campground and Cottages at James Island County Park, it has never been more convenient to explore historic Charleston and the Lowcountry. Come discover our history, charm, fine dining, antiques, plantations, parks, and sandy beaches. Just minutes from all of these attractions is your private retreat within the 643-acre James Island County Park.
$35 - $70 / night
For overnight accommodations, furnished cabins sit nestled in the woods for rent, as well as campsites which can be found along the Edisto Island oceanfront or in the shaded maritime forest. Wifi is also available in select areas, as well as bathrooms, showers, and electrical hookups in most campsites. In fact, 120 sites can accommodate RVs or tents, with 115 sites offering 50 amp electrical service.
Buck Hall Recreation Area offers a premier location to enjoy the outdoors. It is situated along the Intracoastal Waterway and provides great access to Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, 65,000 acres of marsh, tidal creeks and beaches; and Bulls Bay, the coast's best shrimp baiting area.
The area is primarily used for shrimp baiting and fishing. Anglers can expect a huge variety of fish, including bass, flounder, sea trout, snapper, mackerel, swordfish, crab, shrimp, clams, oysters and more. The campground provides access to boating and ocean sailing. Fishing boats and often very large pleasure boats can be seen as they travel the popular Intracoastal Waterway. A long portion of the Palmetto Trail, which leads from the marshes of the ocean to the mountains of South Carolina, is accessible from the recreation area. Most of the trail is unpaved and can be used for hiking, biking or horseback riding, although a few sections are restricted to foot traffic only.
The popular campground sits at sea level, alongside the Intracoastal Waterway. It is part of the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina. The campground itself is grassy and open, with very few trees and limited shade.
Charleston, South Carolina is about 30 miles southwest of the campground.
Reservation Fees In addition to camping fees a non-refundable reservation fee of $8.00 for telephone bookings and $6.00 for website bookings applies. Cancellation Fees Cancellations up to 2 days before a reservation start date incur a $10.00 cancellation fee in addition to the non-refundable reservation fee. Late Cancellations A cancellation the day before or on the day of arrival incurs a $10.00 cancellation fee and will also forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for single night's reservation will forfeit the entire use fee but no cancellation will apply. Non-refundable reservation fees still apply.
$20 - $45 / night
Guide
So much to do— quiet and family friendly. Bike rentals, dog park, fishing pond, laundry, water park, etc. Large corner lot with plenty of shade. 20 mins from Folly Beach! Will be back!
RangerPerfectly situated near folly beach! Awesome trails. Pet friendly ,great fishing. Clean restrooms.
GuideAmong the best. Well maintained, very clean and adequate bathhouses, level gravel sites with reasonable spacing. Even WIFi ! Location is very convenient to downtown Charleston and Folly Beach.
ScoutThe wooded areas needed to be trimmed and it had a lot of poison ivy. But the rest of the grounds was pretty awesome. Brand new remodels in the bathrooms. Tons of activities for children. Very pet friendly. Close to Charleston and Folly Beach.
ScoutAwesome dog park with separate areas for large and small dogs, a water park, climbing wall, bike/walking path and much more. Close to historic Charleston and Folly Beach. Friendly and helpful staff, nice clean bath houses with laundry and kitchen facilities. Super nice campground!
ScoutGreat campground with a lot of amenities and thing to do. Not to mention you're near Downtown Charleston, Folly Beach and Mount Pleasant. The campground has Level sites and a great doggie park. A lot of walking and biking trails too. A great place to visit.
TravelerI was so lucky to get a spot for two nights in this campground. Lovely camp hosts, pristine clean bathrooms, laundry facility. There are paved trails around the campground, dog park and even a fishing pier. The views are stunning every turn you take. It's incredibly close to downtown Charleston and Folly Beach. I'm so glad I stopped here.
ScoutThis 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.
LegendThis county park is a great one, but it is especially awesome during the Festival of Lights. People all over Charleston want to come check out the lights, so being able to stay in the park during the festival is amazing. You are right there with all of the festivities, but the park is set back a little so you don’t have to be in the hustle and bustle if you don’t like. The location is the best you are going to get for checking out downtown Charleston. Also, Folly Beach is the closest beach and isn’t far away at all. There are some great restaurants nearby and grocery stores too.
GuideIt will be hard to share how much we loved this spot! First off, the location to Charleston, Folly Beach, and Mt. Pleasant doesn’t get much better! We planned on staying just 3 nights but made it 4 once we realized how great of a spot it is. They have bike trails, a dog park, a water park (which is obviously closed in the winter), laundry, a camp store and very clean bathhouse! It’s a bit pricey but for the location and all the amenities it’s worth it!!!!
Also... if you are looking for nearby things to do I highly recommend taking the hour drive south to Botany Bay Plantation to see the driftwood beach!
GuideSprawling 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.
ScoutWe found this campground well maintained and quiet. The bath house was recently remodeled and now has air conditioning. I found it to be one of the nicest bath facilities we have ever used. The campsites have full RV hook-ups and come with a picnic table and fire ring. The park does allow pets and has a dog park with a beach; it seems like the pups were having a marvelous time playing chase on the beach.This is a County Park with trails for walking or leisure biking. A new water park is under construction and should open this summer. The camp store is well stocked and the staff was very friendly and helpful. One downside was the WIFI (one of the perks at this place) did not work the entire 5 days we were there. I need to work remotely so this was a BIG problem. I had to go to the Starbucks to work...bummer! Positives were the easy drive and parking at nearby Folly Beach during the week, and the close proximity to Historic Charleston.
LegendShould you be driving an RV, hitched to a 5th Wheeler or hauling a trailer, whatever your mobile camping experience might be, there’s 116 campsite options to choose from here at James Island Co Park, which offers both pull-through & back-in sites (maximum 80 feet), which provide a great launching pad to explore more than 643 acres of pure outdoor bliss offering perhaps one of the most expansive list of amenities and attractions (see more below). Once you arrive here at this RV Campground from James Island Parkway, you’ll pass the Ranger Station and will circumnavigate the circle-like exterior of the park until you arrive to this very CG, turn right and check-in at the main office, which also serves as the CG marketplace.
This RV Campground is basically the expanse of 2 lateral football fields with an east and west side, dissected on the east side by 3 simple short lanes and a restroom / shower / laundry facility located right in the middle. Over on the west side, there’s a single loop that isn’t dissected at all, but has a second, narrower loop on its northern flank, where hereto, a central restroom / shower / laundry facility has been plotted right in the middle of this circuitous loop.
RV Campground Amenities include: FHUs with 20 / 30 / 50 amp electric, water & sewage, 24-hour staffing, activity center, super-clean, new bathhouses and restrooms, designated dump station, complimentary WiFi, campground marketplace, coin-operated laundr-O-mat, stand-up grills / BBQs, fire rings, picnic tables, propane-refueling station, trash / recyclable containers, cottages available to rent as well as ice + firewood for sale.
Situated just north of where your RV is anchored is the Outdoor Zone featuring a 50 foot climbing wall, obstacle challenge course, 1K sq ft bouldering wall and slackline that will have you and your brood enjoying these backwoods in no time. West of this Outdoor Zone is an 18-hole disc golf course and back towards the center of the park is a Splash Zone Waterpark complete with (2) 200 foot waterslides, 500 foot long lazy river, leisure pool & rainforest play structure, kid’s playground as well as a boat house with kayak, pedal boat and canoe rentals along with direct access to a small lake, round-trip shuttle service (to the nearby Convention& Visitor Bureau, Folly Beach Pier of Folly Beach County Park), Spray Play Waterpark, K9 park, crabbing & fishing dock, 16K acres of freshwater lakes, Santee Stage for live music and events, 4 individual group shelters and countless picnic tables in addition to 5+ miles of paved paths offering hiking / biking bliss.
Insider’s Tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you are one of those RV campers that come towing a Jeep behind them or have somehow managed to transport a golf cart with you and find that the slot you’ve been given doesn’t adequately provide enough space for everything including your RV (let alone the additional transport you’ve brought) have no fear, as there’s substantial, additional parking that exists right in front of the Group Camping area, just due north of where you are stationed; (2) I found it hard to believe that with over 100 sites there was only 2 restroom / shower facilities and every time we tried to use the showers, there was a waiting line – so given this, timing is EVERYTHING as normally everyone is heading to get their showers first thing in the morning – so I highly recommend you either get up SUPER early or simply change your shower schedule to mid-afternoon or early evening; (3) In the event that you wanna try something other than what you’ve been whipping up from the confines of your on-board mini-fridge or roto-molded Cordova cooler, then nearby there’s mediocre fast food options like Zaxby’s or Bojangles, but if you’re OK to drive a smidge further, there’s a great joint called Bohemian Bull that’s one part restaurant / one part outdoor tavern of which I highly recommend the fried green tomatoes and bar-b-cuban sandwich; (4) Should you need to stock up on any supplies while here, there is the county park store over in the RV Campground, but for anything more substantial, just about 5 minutes south of this CG you’ll find a Walmart Supercenter; and (5) IMHO the best slots in this RV exclusive campground are those on the perimeter with the best sites being the ones without anything behind them, specifically on the NW periphery with sites #46 - 55; along the westernmost side with sites #20, #21, #23, #24 and #26.
Happy Camping!
ScoutBeing a new full time rv-liver, lol, I am unfamiliar with many of the parks and camping areas around the country, my plan is to quickly change that! Since this is my first time as an adult alone in an organized camping area.. tons of experience just camping out in the woods, being a hillbilly from Tennessee! My view might be a little from ignorance, but I know lots of people are choosing to give up their big house payments (mine was $3100 a month!) and now exploring and choosing to live instead of just exist to pay bills! My reviews will be geared to others like me, first timers. A little nervous, a little scared but amazingly excited about this new adventure we call life! So here goes.
Make your reservations early! Which is hard to do if you just want to be spontaneous and take off, like me. The first two nights I was in what was called overflow… overflow is a great big treeless field covered by power lines and absolutely NO SHADE! No plug ins and no water. The park itself is great. There are so many things to do and an amazing dog park with a huge lake, all the amenities are great! But the reservation system doesn’t seem logical to me. I had to move three times in the 6 days I stayed there. Just seems if I’m already in a spot and someone is coming in for a night they could be placed in another vacant spot instead of the person who is already set up, unpacked etc, pack up all their gear and move to that empty spot?!? I could understand if a space is specifically requested by another camper and of course that should be honored but if someone is just coming in to spend a night, why move the person who is already in the existing set up camping spot? Since I’m a newbie, maybe someone can explain that to me?
Beaides rhe reservation issues, the park is set up well… great spot for families.. climbing wall, miles of trails, fishing and so close to downtown Charleston and folly beach but it feels like you are out in the country. Very clean and and the staff I dealt with were all very friendly. Recommended!
LegendThis is a great campground in a great area! The staff is super helpful and the facilities are all great. We have been living in Charleston for the past 10 years or so and after selling our house we found ourselves at this campground three different times in the past 2 months!
This is in a super convenient location for visiting Folly Beach. Folly has a cute downtown with lots of restaurants and bars. There is a fun night scene there as well. The campground is on James Island and not far from Wal-Mart, drug stores and anything else you might need. When we visited during the summer break there were kids all over the campground riding bikes and having a ball!
This is also the most convenient campground for visiting gorgeous downtown Charleston. There is so much to do in Charleston and so many great restaurants to try. Definitely take a walk on The Battery (ideally at sunset) and take a carriage tour.
Here is a little more info on the specific sites we were in:
Site 115: This site is on the pathway to the bath house so there isn't as much privacy when you are sitting outside of the RV as one might like. However, it was really convenient for doing laundry!
Site 48: This was our favorite of all of the sites. It is more private and had the best cell service of the ones we were in. It's a little bit further from the bath house than the other sites we stayed in, but we thought the privacy was worth it.
Site 117: This was the first site we were in. All of the sites in the park are great, but this one was shady and very wet. It rained pretty much the whole time we were there and the site seemed to never dry out!
Site 71: This is a pretty big site so that was nice. It got morning sun and was much drier than 117. Site 71 is a shared site, but it didn't really matter since we were in the site that faced out to the big yard. Site 72 had to stare at our RV the whole week.
We also heard from a campground host that sites 86 and 88 flood when it rains. FYI!
When you are driving into the campground, make sure to follow the brown signs leading you to the campground. The live oaks in Charleston are gorgeous, but some of the limbs definitely hang a little low in places! Following the brown signs will help you avoid them.
Ranger
Nice RV Site if you are visiting Charleston, South Carolina. The site is very hot due to no trees. Currently the restrooms and showers are down, so you need to have a self contained unit. However, very quiet. No pull thru sites. Must back in.
Traveler
There are two sections to Edisto Beach State Park. The Ocean side campground is the best with the ocean breezes, but the marsh side campground is an easy bicycle ride from the beach.
It's South Carolina in the summer, so there are mosquitoes. And the raccoons are pretty fierce so you want to make sure your food is stored securely, so you don't wake up to critters eating your potato chips.
The restrooms and showers are clean.
Edisto Island is one of the least developed islands in South Carolina. There is a Piggly Wiggly grocery store to pick up all the things you may have forgotten. There is an ice cream shop and several restaurants, but it is pretty quiet. My favorite thing about staying at Edisto Beach State Park is bicycling to the beach, bicycling along the paths in the state park that lead to a shell mound, built by Native Americans around 2,000 B.C., and bicycling for beers at one of the little bars overlooking the ocean. Another plus is the park's proximity to Botany Bay.
Legend
Reservations during the main season are key if you have any hope of getting a campsite in this awesome Francis Marion National Forest campground which sits just along the gorgeous intercoastal waterway, about 40 minutes northeast of Charleston, SC! We pulled in without reservations and nearly every site was booked out. The campground host was super helpful, though, finding us an empty spot (due to a cancellation) for a couple nights, then moved us to a non-reservable site for the remainder of our time.
The majority of the sites are designed for very large RVs, with a few very nice waterfront sites designated for tents. Each site is spacious, complete with a picnic table, firepit, 2 lantern poles, and electrical hookups, with a dump station at the back of the campground. The bathrooms are equipped with flush toilets, sinks, and a shower and kept relatively clean.
The campground itself is dripping with live oaks and speckled with Palmetto trees, so lots of shade is available, especially in the tent areas. The boat launch is walking distance from the campground and has a nice picnic area adjacent to it. We watched a pods of pelicans and dolphins come through the area, as well as many other sea birds.
We kayaked along the intercoastal waterway and out into marshy sea grass areas and had one of the most amazing wildlife encounters to date (and we’ve been all over the country). We saw a pod of dolphins in the distance, which appeared to be feeding. We stopped about 150 away and just enjoyed watching them dance and dive in the morning light. Then, two of the dolphins peeled away from the pack and headed straight toward us. As they approached our kayaks, the larger one gave an extra tail fin flap and dove under our boats, coming up just a bit on the other side. As naturalists, our hearts were pounding with excitement! We also hiked and mountain-biked along the gorgeous Palmetto Trail (which is a mountains-to-sea trail across South Carolina, and this campground serves as its coastal terminus).
Also, don’t miss the famous Sewee Restaurant for some downeast coastal Carolina fare, as well as the Center for Birds of Prey just across the highway from this restaurant. This wildlife conservation and rehabilitation center is doing some amazing things for birds and in the region and doing a great job of public education. If you head up the coast, be sure to stop in Boats & Hoagies in McClellanville for a bite to eat. Cute place, great food, awesome service!
The $20 per night fee is a great price for the amenities this campground offers, especially with full hook-ups and showers, and a boat launch. Check out our blog on The Dyrt's Online Magazine about our experience on the coast of South Carolina.
TravelerWhen making reservations at James Island County Park we had modest expectations, but we were going to tour Charleston most of the time, so we decided anything close to the city would be good enough. The campground turned out to be very nice. We wished we had stayed there longer to enjoy not only Charleston, but the nature beauty of the park itself. The campground is located in a huge park with lots of amenities. The sites are spacious, covered with trees, full hookups with 50 amp service. There are a lot of shaded picturesque walking and bike trails in the park. The dog park was amazingly big, with a little doggy beach for water lovers. There is a big kids playground with a fun looking spray play fountain. It is located just 15 min drive from the campground to downtown Charleston. It is a great campground to stay when visiting Charleston. We have a video on our YouTube Channel- Summertime RV Rovers- about this park- Great Campgrounds in Coastal South Carolina: Charleston and Hilton Head Island. Please check for yourself. We camped at James Island County Park in a Motorhome.
ScoutLots to do all year; splash park, paved trails, climbing wall, frisbee golf, dog park, and Christmas lights with Santa Claus
GuideThis is one of the best "all around" campgrounds we have visited. Sites are spacious and clean. plenty of sights to see in Charleston. It has a fantastic dog park and several miles of paved walking/biking paths. Great local restaurants, carriage tours, forts, shopping and more! Awesome place to stay!
RangerEasy access to all of the tourist spots and nice that it was gated.
TravelerGreat place for families. Not very secluded. It is pretty much one big open green space with tent sites circling in a loop around the green space. You cannot park your car right at the site. There is a parking lot so you have to hike in just a little bit. The park there is really nice though and nice trail that takes you to the dock and marsh. There is a shower and they even have laundry facilities. Great play area for kids during the day also with a spray play. Volleyball nets throughout the area and you can rent bikes, kayaks, sup, and pedal boats. Also have a climbing wall. This was a great place to get our feet wet when we first started camping.
ScoutWe didn’t see a bad spot in the whole place. RV sites are secluded, allowing you privacy. The shower houses looked pretty new and were very clean and roomy. There is coin laundry available. It is in a state park and there is a water park, amazing dog park, picnic and outdoor games area. Book early b/c they fill up quick. It is close to just about anything you would want to do in the area.
TravelerWent camping there when my son was young lot of room to camp (tent) keep an one ear on creters. Great trials clean bath house good fishing
GuideIf we had more time then we would have stayed longer to enjoy the lake and more. We pulled in late in the afternoon and then headed right into the city. There were a few sites remaining when we got there but virtually no one in the back lot tent area. They have a large tent only area and big parking area. They could do something to cater to van campers with their big lot out back. The showers were nice and they had a nice park and splash pad next to the pond. They have a nice game room, some yard games, and other amenities. Hookups at all the sites except for the tent area.
GuideWater park in the summer and Festival of Lights in the winter. Clean fun and friendly park.
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