Warren Mary Ellen
Ranger
I had to go to the Columbia, SC area today and was near this park so we checked it out. We have actually rented a campsite there but last year when the weekend came up, it was one of many with monsoon like storms so we never went. We wanted to see what we missed. The park is on Lake Murray which is a large lake in the Columbia area. With the city nearby, the lake is a popular place especially on weekends. This is a nice place with plenty of fishing opportunities and they run a lot of fishing tournaments from here at the marina in the park. Several short trails, picnic shelters and playgrounds are located in the park.
The campground has 97 sites spaced on two loops. We liked the larger loop which is deeper into the park. The sites are paved are standard sites with water, electricity, fire ring and picnic table. Mostly back in sites and especially if you want to be on the water. We did notice site 79 was a pull through site and on the water. If you look carefully, you can find some that are further from neighboring sites or are at least just close to one. The loop was very shady which is good as the Columbia area is known as one of the hottest places in the state. The first loop was smaller but the sites were very close together. This one was called the Anglers Loop and did put you closer to the boat ramp, but you won't have much privacy from you neighbors on either side. It was at least shady. Both loops offered good views of the water and should be great for sun rises or sunsets depending on which direction you face.
The park is 20-30 minutes from downtown Columbia which has the University of South Carolina in the downtown area and it is the capital city. Near the park is some of the higher priced suburbs of the city and the lake helps drive that. You are close to a lot grocery stores and other shopping but out at the park should be pretty quiet. If you go past the state capital, look for the gold stars that help you see the spots that have some damage from the end of the Civil War. Weekends with home USC football games are probably busy weekends at the park and possibly noisy ones too.
If you try the BBQ in the area, be prepared to have mustard based sauces and it will be mostly pork with some chicken usually available too. The yellow sauces throw some people off especially if they don't know they are coming. The state has 4 distinct BBQ regions and the sauces are what are different. BBQ joints will also have Hash on the menu and it will be served over rice. It is finely ground meat (don't ask what it is) and is a little soupy which is why it is served over rice. Basically, it is sausage not stuffed into a casing. You won't find in my part of the state but I do like it. The BBQ will probably be served as a sandwich and this true across the state no matter what the sauce is based on. Like North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City and Texas, BBQ is taken seriously and you can start a war if you criticize the locals way of doing things. LOL, I would tread carefully before criticizing the BBQ if you don't like it. In this part of the state, the yellow sauce does and that even be people from within the state that don't come to the central part of the state much. You've been warned. LOL!
Dreher Island | South Carolina Parks Official Site
The campground has 97 sites spaced on two loops. We liked the larger loop which is deeper into the park. The sites are paved are standard sites with water, electricity, fire ring and picnic table. Mostly back in sites and especially if you want to be on the water. We did notice site 79 was a pull through site and on the water. If you look carefully, you can find some that are further from neighboring sites or are at least just close to one. The loop was very shady which is good as the Columbia area is known as one of the hottest places in the state. The first loop was smaller but the sites were very close together. This one was called the Anglers Loop and did put you closer to the boat ramp, but you won't have much privacy from you neighbors on either side. It was at least shady. Both loops offered good views of the water and should be great for sun rises or sunsets depending on which direction you face.
The park is 20-30 minutes from downtown Columbia which has the University of South Carolina in the downtown area and it is the capital city. Near the park is some of the higher priced suburbs of the city and the lake helps drive that. You are close to a lot grocery stores and other shopping but out at the park should be pretty quiet. If you go past the state capital, look for the gold stars that help you see the spots that have some damage from the end of the Civil War. Weekends with home USC football games are probably busy weekends at the park and possibly noisy ones too.
If you try the BBQ in the area, be prepared to have mustard based sauces and it will be mostly pork with some chicken usually available too. The yellow sauces throw some people off especially if they don't know they are coming. The state has 4 distinct BBQ regions and the sauces are what are different. BBQ joints will also have Hash on the menu and it will be served over rice. It is finely ground meat (don't ask what it is) and is a little soupy which is why it is served over rice. Basically, it is sausage not stuffed into a casing. You won't find in my part of the state but I do like it. The BBQ will probably be served as a sandwich and this true across the state no matter what the sauce is based on. Like North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas City and Texas, BBQ is taken seriously and you can start a war if you criticize the locals way of doing things. LOL, I would tread carefully before criticizing the BBQ if you don't like it. In this part of the state, the yellow sauce does and that even be people from within the state that don't come to the central part of the state much. You've been warned. LOL!
Dreher Island | South Carolina Parks Official Site
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