Best RV Parks & Resorts near Santee, SC

Family owned RV campground with full hook-ups and a food truck on the property! We were there on a Thursday evening and had delicious chicken street tacos. Easy to get in and out of the campground with our 28 foot travel trailer. Pull thru, level sites. Peaceful location surrounded by trees. You can hear the birds chirping and the neighbor's rooster while you sit outside enjoying the morning sun. All the sites have 20, 30 and 50 amp power, and a water hook up. The plumbing at each site is housed in whiskey barrels which we thought was a clever idea. Most sites had sewer as well. We had a picnic table and fire ring at our site also. Our Verizon phones worked fine with 4G, two bars. The campground is new, and small(16 sites) which we liked. The owners have plans to add activities and events in the near future but it currently has everything an RV camper would need. They were working on an axe throwing building and an activity area for kids when we were there. It's in a great location for exploring Summerville or Charleston, or for spending the day at one of the many nearby beaches. They offer a discount if staying a week which is wonderful since there is so much to do in the nearby towns.

We called to reserve a week long stay and were told they had sites available, which turned out was only one. The campground is definitely a “no frills” park and mostly used by long term/permanent residents. The host/owner had us pull right next to his own rig, it was a tight fit and we had zero privacy. He then proceeded to sit on his RV stairs and smoke and stare at us both when we were outside and when we were in our rig. We could smell the smoke which isn’t ok with us. We didn’t even bother to put the slides out. When we set up the electricity we had fire ants attack us. We decided quickly that we’d only stay the night and we’d leave first thing in the morning. Across the street is a nice state park and campground (Colleton State Park) but they unfortunately didn’t have any sites open big enough for our 30 ft class A. I’d recommend staying there over this campground if you want to be in this exact area. We luckily found another campground closer to Charleston to stay at.

Sweetwater Lake Campground is a small RV campground. There is electric and water hookup and a dump station. Lots are decent size and fairly level on grass or gravel. The owners are very nice and available, if needed. Reservations are not taken, so you pull in and pick your spot. Drop your money in a lock box. The property has a nice size lake and all spots face it. There are fire pits and hammocks. The best and most fun part about this campground are the rescue donkeys. Their shelter and grazing area is situated directly behind the camper row. You can hear them bray and they will come to you and let you pet them, although, you should use caution as they warn you that donkeys bite. This is a very nice, quiet campground surrounded by private property of fields and lake. I really enjoyed our stay here!

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.

This is one of the two campgrounds at Santee State Park, and it is as different from the other as night and day. Unlike the dirt roads at Lakeshore Campground(the other campground in the park) the roads in Cypress View are paved. The sites are gravel, and many of them are pull-through sites. Although tent camping is allowed in Cypress View, I would feel out of place since most of the campers are RVs. However, our teardrop camper fits right in. Cypress View is a much smaller campground than Lakeshore Campground, but the amenities are the same. Every campsite is a short walk from the lake, and the campground is closer to the store than Lakeshore Campground. Unlike Lakeshore Campground, Cypress View Campground’s sites are much closer together, so there is not as much privacy. The campground is quiet, other than the noise from the highway.   That may be one reason to be in an RV or a travel trailer--to cut out some of the noise at night.

Close to the campground, there is a tennis court, a boat launch, Fisheagle Tours, a picnic shelter, kayak rentals, hiking trails, and more. It is conveniently located to most of the state park’s attractions without having to drive so far. Cypress View Campground is also close to the main office and the boat dock. 

If you had rather stay in a cabin, there are cabin rentals on the water. They are accessed by way of a boardwalk across the water. The bath house is modern and has hot showers. It is centrally located so that it isn’t that far of a walk from any of the campsites. 

Overall, I do recommend this campground, especially if you are in a travel trailer or an RV. If you are tent camper, you would probably better enjoy being at the other campground in the park.