Best Glamping near Ridgeville, SC

We 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.

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.

I like the primitive camping area. The bathroom and water source is nearby, as well as a pavilion/shelter. There are three sections, with multiple areas for camping in each one. Each has 2-3 tables and a fire ring. 

I hammock camp, and there are plenty of trees useful for this purpose. This is primitive, so there is no electrical or water spout, although the bathroom has both. There is a 1 1/2 mile walking trail nearby, that runs along the Edisto River.

I haven't actually frequented the other camping areas: RV drive-up and walk-in, so I can't review them.

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.

Stayed at #52 and it was very private, level, and clean!

The gravel kept the camper clean; the deck with bench, table and chairs, gas fire pit was super nice; the grill with picnic table were awesome. The plot abuts the grassy area but wasn’t too buggy.

We went on a walk with our girls around the camp site, to the doggy area (small bjt super cute with some see saws, etc.), around the lake, and read the historical signs. We checked out the giant chess board, playground, horse shoes, and corn hole.

COVID restrictions were really well explained. Masks suggested, pool sign up with rules posted. We signed up for 6:30 and the team thoroughly cleaned between us and the precious crew.

The food and store was super and reasonable.

Next time I will def check out the nightly wine or beer tasting.

Can’t say enough good things - will def be back!!

We camped here over the weekend with the pups. The state park has 2 different campgrounds. We decided for the Lakeshore one. It's pretty big with over 100 campsites. They have the usual amenities like fire pit, and picnic table with bench. Our was private, but the sites in the middle are not. The bathhouse was very clean with nice hot showers. The park has several trails, a visitor center, cabins on the water, at least 2 boat ramps with a bait shop. There are no trash cans near the campsites, there is one big dumpster at the entrance of the campground. It's about 1.30h to Folly Beach. We would definitely camp here again.

This park is one of the best that we visited so far. It was pure luck, but our dates were during their Festival of Lights. The entire park was decorated with holiday lighting scenes, all sponsored by various Charleston businesses. The displays were awesome! Even the walking/biking paths were decorated. They must have spent months on this. The campground was clean and the sites were nicely separated by trees and shrubs. Bath houses were immaculate. Apparently some folks come every year around this festival because individual sites were also decorated with lights- even in the trees. We camped at James Island County Park in a Travel Trailer.