Looking for the perfect glamping experience near Summerville? Find all the best glamping sites for your Summerville, South Carolina camping adventure with The Dyrt. These scenic and easy to access South Carolina glamping locations are perfect for any adventurer.
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
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.
Guide
There are quite a variety of things to do at this state park, and the camp sites are spacious. There is a little store where you can buy any of the little things you may have forgotten. There were not too many people camping during our visit, but it could be that not many people want to stand the South Carolina heat! Either way, it made the visit quiet. There are also plenty of geocaches around, if you're into that. There are 2 places to shower in the campground, so I imagine that once it fills up, you may have to wait to shower. It was pretty clean and the water was clear, so I guess you could just go for a swim! I wish we had brought our tubes and some rope to float out on the water!
Traveler
When 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.
ScoutWe were here in 2018 and park was great. Not so much now. Several sites are out of commission and the grounds are in bad need of maintenance. No bathrooms,showers,laundry,wifi,cable, and Verizon is sketchy. Host is not very helpful. The place is pretty quiet though with only a few rv'ers staying. Pads are cement and level but close together. Can't recommend staying here even for half the money.
GuideWould be great but as stated you must qualify to stay
ScoutOk.... So it was only $35 per night, so keep that in mind! IF you meet the qualifications to stay (military affiliated), this is REALLY close to the Navy Nuke School! Yes - the camp hosts are salty, as are some of the long term residents (like the people in the first spot on the right), but... It's $35! Spots are flat, full power and water, bathrooms MAY now be under construction, and the lady you book with in building across from the bowling alley is super sweet! 😁
ScoutThe staff (manager Kim) thinks she owned the place. She makes up rules when she pleases. Doesn’t allow dog fences because she doesn’t want to deal with them if a storm comes. This is a military owned campground, but she runs it like it’s hers. I won’t stay there again because Kim is not a nice person. The campground is not kept up. Playground is closed and the park is just dirty. If the Navy saw the condition this place was in, they would be embarrassed. Not coming back.
TravelerGreat place for a couple days
Guide
Stayed 10 days in site 20 with our 39ft 5th wheel.
Overview: The park is very clean and well kept. On weekends it was packed, Weekdays 1/2 capacity and quiet. There is access to the Edisto River for swimming, canoeing and kayaking. Park is in the boonies but within an hours ride to Charleston and many nice tourist spots. All sites are sand and some crushed stone. Outer ring sites are divided by foliage. Inner sites are much closer together and back to back.
Cons: Our site was listed as 45x75. We were lucky if it was 25x47. It also had a tree in the middle of it making it tight to back in the 5th wheel toy hauler. Their site descriptions need to be updated on their website. No cell service or wifi. MOSQUITOES!! We couldn't sit outside due to the little vampires. They did spray pesticide at 1 am 2 nights before we left. However, they didn't warn us they were doing so. So anyone with windows open or in tents breathed it in. If you're allergic to poison ivy be careful. It's everywhere including the sites.
Overall its a nice place to stay for a short visit. Bring lots of bug spray.
ScoutVery nice clean
RangerWe 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.
TravelerI 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.
TravelerVery nice small campground. Ranger/ hosts easy to find. Sites well spaced.
ScoutWe camped there 3 nights during the week. It was quiet and peaceful. We have a pull behind camper and the lots are very easy to pull into. Nice place to escape back to from the crowd.
TravelerFirst of all, when people say it’s nowhere they mean it. Nowhere can be good. But this is the opposite. There is chain link fence surrounding the park. The “hiking trail” runs along the road and cars barrel down it. The sites are not level and the ground is almost sandy (ie: your camper will stay dirty). No privacy and all the sites are super close together. There is nothing to do at the park or anywhere close by. Booked 4 nights and we are leaving after one. Be prepared for almost zero cell service.
ScoutFull hook-ups, a short waking trail and access to the river.
Limited internet/ cell (call that a plus or minus, you decide)
ScoutThis is a great park. 30 foot trailer backed in no issues with plenty of room to pull truck in beside rig. They have some full hookup sites which is what I got. Most have water and electricity. They have RV and tent only camping. Lots of trees and shade. Would recommend going through the web site and making reservations. The only issue is no cell service at least for us and we use att and Google fi.
GuideSmall but nice park on the river
TravelerQuiet spot, easy access to the Edisto River. We rented kayaks and had a great time.
TravelerSmall 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.
TravelerThere is no boat access from the park but there Is access so you can float down the river on Kayaks or floats. Just make sure you have a car further down the road because the currents wIll not let you back up the river. There is an easy trail and Geocaching. Can be really hot in the summer with little breeze.
ScoutFebruary 2017. Spent 2 nights with a decent sized group of friends. There was a renaissance fair going on, bunch of people LARPing like it was medieval times. Knights and swords and peasants and stuff. 10/10 would watch again. Creek is fun to float in the summer.
ScoutNice campsite, full hookups, enjoyed the lightning bugs, great place to enjoy camping and getting away from electronics since no cell phone signal for T-Mobile and no wifi in campground, definitely need to wear your bug repellent
GuideThe park itself is nice, and the hike-in sites were private, which was nice. But they smelled strongly of urine, and were covered in poison ivy. We had children along for the eclipse, and it was nerve-wracking to worry constantly that they'd end up getting poison ivy.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Summerville, SC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Summerville, SC is Campground at James Island County Park with a 4.6-star rating from 57 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Summerville, SC?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 glamping camping locations near Summerville, SC, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
