An Outdoor-lover’s Guide on How to Glamp, Kayak, and Hike your way through some of South Carolina’s Best State Parks
Nestled in South Carolina’s Piedmont region, the Olde English District is truly an outdoor-lover’s paradise. This hidden gem is home to some of the best paddling trails East of the Mississippi, rare and beautiful flora and fauna, and more state parks per capita than just about anywhere else. Whether you’re looking for a quiet and relaxing weekend immersed in nature or an adventure-packed outdoorsy getaway, the Olde English District is the place for you!
We’re so excited to team up with the Olde English District Tourism Commission to show you where to eat, stay, and play in north-central South Carolina in hopes that our recommendations will help you to have as much fun exploring this charming (and highly underrated) region as we did.
Getting To & Navigating the Olde English District:
The Olde English District is located in north-central South Carolina making it just about an hour from both Columbia, South Carolina and Charlotte North Carolina, 2.5 hours southeast of Asheville, 5 hours southwest of Richmond, Virginia, and just over 7hrs from our home in Washington, DC. When we say it’s worth every minute of the drive to get there, we mean it! We road tripped from DC, but if you’d rather cut out the drive time and fly, we recently saw some incredibly affordable ($52) round trip flights from Baltimore (BWI) to Charlotte (CLT)!
One obvious benefit of road tripping is the ability to have your car with you. The Olde English District is made up of seven counties and you’ll definitely want to have a car to get around to all of the best spots!
Where to Stay in the Olde English District: Glamping at Chester State Park
We centered our adventures in Chester County and booked one of Chester State Park’s camper cabins. It was situated right on the lake and made for the perfect home base for our weekend!
The park has two of these cabins available to rent year-round and they both have two sets of bunk beds, a refrigerator and microwave, heating and air conditioning, indoor lights and electrical outlets, and a drip coffee pot/local Chester County coffee. They’re also equipped with an outdoor water spigot, fire ring, and charcoal grill. While there isn’t running water inside, the cabins are located close to the shared bathhouse. Don’t forget to bring your own pillows and linens as well as charcoal if you plan to grill! The park also offers primitive group camping and RV sites.
Friday: Exploring Downtown Chester, SC
After checking into our cozy camper cabin, we headed out to explore Downtown Chester. We went to Hill Side Restaurant for dinner, live music, and a spirited game of corn hole out on the sidewalk. We ordered brick oven pizza and craft cider– both of which were delicious.
Afterwards, we bopped around some of the shops in town before making our way to Wild Bees Bottle Shop for drinks and provisions. We spent some time chatting with the owner, and making friends with literally everyone who was there, and we just felt so welcomed and at home. It was the cherry on top of a perfect first day in town!
Saturday: Hiking, Paddling & U-Pick Produce
We spent the morning at Chester State Park. We caught sunrise from the fishing pier, enjoyed some local coffee from our porch, and the set out on a hike along the lake. We took the 1.3 mile Caney Fork Falls Trail and saw birds, the cutest little frogs, lots of lizards, and a unique CCC-built spillway.
The park is also home to a boat house with kayaks, jon boats, canoes, stand up paddle boards, and pedal boats available to rent. You can fish for bass, crappie, bream, and catfish from the pier, trail, or the on the park’s 160-acre lake. If you’re looking to get a bit more active, you can also play a round of disc golf on the park’s 18-hole course.
We visited Cotton Hills Farm for lunch and to pick up some local cheese + veggies. This family-owned farm offers seasonal U-pick flowers and produce, and serves up some delicious BBQ on Saturdays!
After lunch, we drove over to Camden County to Goodale State Park. We rented kayaks and paddled the park’s 3 mile backwater Canoe Trail. It starts near the park’s spillway, leads across an open water pond, and winds through blooming lilies and ancient bald cypress trees. In addition to unique flora, you’ll also have a chance to see ducks, kingfishers, osprey, bald eagles, otters and alligators as well. It’s such a unique trail and has been called one of the best places to paddle in South Carolina!
The park’s 2 mile Nature Trail is also a great option for spotting wildlife and wildflowers from land. Depending on the season, you may spot blooming rhododendrons, carnivorous pitcher plants, wood ducks, blue herons, turtles, and maybe even an alligator along this sandy loop trail!
For dinner, we headed back to Chester State Park and grilled some steaks and the veggies we got from Cotton Hills Farm. If you’d rather sit down at a local restaurant, head to the nearby Salud Tequila Bar. They have a beautiful space, extensive menu of both food and tequila, and were voted the best Mexican food in Camden!
After dinner, we walked over to the boat house and took out one of the park’s pedal boats. We caught sunset from the lake, and capped off the night with s’mores by the fire.
Sunday: Rare Lilies, Ruins & Brews
We grabbed a delicious breakfast (consisting of a gourmet red velvet donut, ham and cheese croissant sandwiches and Thai iced tea) at Nova Donuts Cafe and then headed across the county to Landsford Canal State Park.
When we got there, we met up with our guide, Mike, of Great Falls Adventures, who led us on a guided paddle down the Catawba River to see the largest population of Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies in the entire world. The flowers bloom annually from mad-May to Mid-June and are truly a sight to be seen. Paddling among them was nothing short of magical! We also spotted some Bald Eagles fishing and learned so much about the area from Mike. He operates the only local guide service and limits group sizes to no larger than eight kayaks. We were in town a bit past peak and were the only ones on the tour, so we got a private experience and great views of the lilies that were still in bloom!
Before we left, we hiked the Canal Trail to see the remnants of the original 1800’s-era Landsford Canal. This trail is part of the Carolina Thread Trail, and beyond winding through the unique canal structures, it also provides views of the Spider Lilies and a massive Bald Eagle nest.
After adventuring we headed to Benford Brewing for lunch and some craft beer. It’s located about 20 minutes from Landsford State Park on a picturesque farm, and as soon as we pulled into the lot, we were greeted by the friendliest farm dogs, and we knew that it was the perfect spot to wrap up our Olde English adventures.
This region truly checked all of our boxes for a “perfect outdoorsy weekend” destination. With so many opportunities for camping, glamping, hiking, paddling, and fishing, South Carolina’s Olde English District has something for every type of nature lover and is a true “hidden gem” on the East Coast!
