Sandwiched Between Charlotte And Myrtle Beach Is A South Carolina State Park With Golf, Camping, And Lake Fun

With breathtaking pure landscapes, thriving cities, and ample southern appeal, it is no shock that South Carolina is the preferred state to maneuver to in America. One of the state’s most scenic settings is discovered between Charlotte and Myrtle Beach close to the North Carolina-South Carolina border. Outside of Cheraw, a reasonably small city with jazz roots and river views, lies Cheraw State Park. The park was developed in 1934 after over 7,300 acres had been donated for South Carolina’s first deliberate state park. Members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), an initiative for offering jobs in the course of the Great Depression, reworked the donated land right into a park by growing artifical Lake Juniper, constructing the park’s cabins, and extra. In the Nineteen Nineties, an 18-hole golf course was constructed alongside Lake Juniper’s northern shores. Today, Cheraw State Park has endured for practically a century as a beloved vacation spot for a variety of outside adventures.

Lake Juniper brims with enjoyable actions, from swimming and fishing to renting boats and exploring its 360-acre floor. Back on land, you’ll be able to tee off on the golf course or hike and bike on devoted trails. To actually immerse your self on this pristine Carolina panorama, spend a weekend tenting within the state park (there are even tenting areas solely accessible by boat) or staying within the cozy cabins, which date to the park’s founding within the Nineteen Thirties however have since been modernized.

Cheraw State Park is free to go to, although there are charges {for golfing}, tenting, and boat leases. The park is open each day, and actual hours depend upon the season. Cheraw is a few two-hour drive from each Charlotte and Myrtle Beach. The nearest airport is Florence Regional Airport, a few 50-minute drive away in Florence, South Carolina’s underrated metropolis with out of doors adventures and mouth-watering eats.

Lake Juniper is the centerpiece of Cheraw State Park. Fringed by cypresses, the lake is a pristine haven for having fun with enjoyable aquatic actions. The finest entryway to the lake is Cheraw State Park’s petite sandy stretch going through the lake’s clear waters. Open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the park’s seashore is swimmable; nonetheless, there is no such thing as a lifeguard supervision. In the park, you can too lease kayaks, canoes, stand-up paddleboards, and johnboats between April and October (charges begin at $15 per hour, on the time of writing). With a South Carolina fishing license, anglers can fish for a variety of freshwater fish within the lake’s depths, together with smallmouth and largemouth bass, catfish, and crappie. The boardwalk that strains the lake’s shore is a peaceable spot for fishing, and you’ll merely stroll right here for gorgeous sundown views as effectively. For a singular lake expertise, the park hosts Moonlight Paddle Float journeys as soon as a month in April, May, September, and October, the place company can canoe or kayak from sundown till after dusk.

In the shadow of the park’s pine tree forest lies Cheraw State Park Golf Course, an 18-hole championship-level course. The course is effectively maintained and boasts expansive fairways and lake views from a few of the greens. “The front nine runs inland but the back is where this course comes into its own,” wrote a GolfDigest reviewer. “Every hole is a manicured, strategic gem.” The golf amenities right here additionally embrace a professional store, follow placing inexperienced, and driving vary. The inexperienced charges usually vary from $35 to $50 per spherical, relying on the season. However, be aware that the golf course will probably be closed for renovations from March 2026 to October 2026, although the professional store and driving vary will stay open.

Cheraw State Park provides year-round tenting on the scenic shores of Lake Juniper, accommodating each RVs and tented tenting. The 17 most important campsites are arrayed in a round formation beneath a cover of towering timber with six websites that includes prime waterfront footage. The campground has electrical retailers and operating water, in addition to clear loos and showers. Tucked on the lake’s southern shores, the campground is a quiet sanctuary set throughout the water from the favored day-use areas, but additionally inside strolling distance to all of the motion. There are two boat-in tenting areas for skilled campers who’ve their very own boat and are ready for primitive situations (there is no such thing as a electrical energy or operating water). 

Visitors who wish to keep in a single day in Cheraw State Park — however who want extra facilities than the campsites provide (resembling air-con, WiFi, and TVs) — can e-book one of many 9 cabins. There are eight one-bedroom cabins and one four-bedroom cabin, which all boast cozy, wood-paneled interiors, comfy leather-based sofas, and full kitchens. The one-bedroom cabins are romantic for nature-loving {couples}, whereas the spacious four-bedroom cabin, which may sleep as much as seven company, is ideal for a gaggle searching for a summer season camp-inspired expertise. Each of the cabins additionally has an out of doors fireplace pit for the custom of roasting s’mores underneath the celebrities. Clustered between the golf course and seashore, and near the lakefront boardwalk, these cabins are an enthralling and cozy hideaway inside proximity to the entire park’s amenities.