James Island County Park & Campground

I’d vote resort!
Huge, deep spots mostly & would accommodate most big rigs. Our tiny camper scooted in & was so easy to park. Road to get here had low limbs & was very narrow - especially for big rigs. Superb dog park & dog beach. Fun water park (add’l fee). Rock climbing & ropes courses. Paved trails for biles. Plenty to do & yet only 13 from the lively downtown area of Charleston. FHU spots mostly. Quiet. Calm. Beautiful.

This is a beautiful campground. The campsites are fairly close together, however, it is very quiet (aside from the frogs, which are quite loud at night). Some sites have far better distance and privacy than others. We stayed a 12 which was poor, while 34 and 53 were much better. The ponds in the area do have alligators and turtles which are fun to watch. It is a short easy drive to the Historic district, and parking at the visitors center at 63 Mary, works well for RVs. There were always open spots there and the clearance is 12'8". There are fun restaurants on Folly Rd. Magnolia & Middleton Plantations are a 25 minute drive and recommended. McLeod Plantation is even closer. We drove to Folly Beach to ride bikes on the beach at low tide. Parking at Folly is very easy, just go north or south of the center of town; you have to pay at the parking kiosks. The Campground has a shuttle into the historic district of Charleston, which we took one day and it worked out great. It drops you off at the visitor center, which is also where the RV parking is. Charlotte has the most active parking enforcement that I've ever seen. We observed at least 15 parking officers actively checking meters and writing tickets --- so be careful. We saw one young man walking to his Range Rover, just after it had been Booted, and the Parking enforcement officer that had just Booted it told him he owed $493..... OUCH! The Campground Bathhouse was very clean and well laid out. WiFi was the best of any campground I've seen. You could actually stream videos most of the time.

Facilities are clean, FHU works well, level. Our interest was mostly on the historical aspect of Charleston and the start of the Civil War. The store sold out of "Sweedish Logs", a great innovation we've read about before. Didn't try fishing the pond but water fowl doesn't mind all the campers. You can find a place to walk a dog off leash if you tried (but didn't hear it from me.) Took advantage of LP to top off the tank.

You can rent a paddleboard at the same pond that has alligator warnings.
yikes.

The best thing is its close proximity to Charleston. We don't have a tow-vehicle, so we took advantage of the shuttle bus ($10 round trip per person), but we Uber'd back in the afternoon.

Our only complaints were the close proximity of our neighbors and its a little spendy.

The trail system was a great way to see both the park and the beauty of the shorelines. During our visit, a major storm blew through and the park was closed to day visitors. The friendly staff came by each site to warn us of the impending weather and to take precautions. Much appreciated. The bathhouses double as tornado shelters, fyi!

We have camped here once before in October 2017, which was also a great time. Our April 2021 stay was pleasant, other than the cold snap that blew in...Brrr!! The campground is centrally located between Folly Beach and downtown Charleston. This campground has camping for all types, whether tent or Full-Size Motorhomes. 30amp and 50amp available. Some have full hookups (sewer). If no sewer at the site, a dump station is available. We love the bike/walking trails. It has a waterpark during the summer months.

We stayed here for two nights while visiting Charleston. It is very convenient to Charleston. Our site was reasonable level and the bathhouse was one of the best we have had at a campground. There are miles and miles of paved biking and hiking trails. The cost is more and I normally like to pay but it was nice. There is a water park and splash area for the kids in the summer.

This campground has options for many things to do right on site, all within walking or biking distance. However, all of those options are closed in the winter time, and we wished the price for the camp site should reflect that. We felt it was a bit overpriced for what you get in the winter. If you have a larger family or can only go to "big rig" friendly sites then you might make out ok. But for a couple in the winter we wouldn't go back unless there was no openings else where. No privacy and most sites are quite close together, but otherwise quiet and safe place. When you first enter, they told us to make the first right turn which is essentially a U-Turn. OK for us in a 24ft travel trailer, but any larger we worry it would be to tight. If you stay left it also loops to the campground. Location was great though if visiting Charleston SC.

We were surprised by the Festival of Lights. This campground is a South Carolina Christmas Haven. We booked because of the location to Charleston. We had no idea about the Lights. The kids loved the drive through "covid friendly" light display. Normally $20 per car to drive though but included with your stay. We didn't spend much time in the campground because of how short our stay was but were able to do a quick bike ride and enjoy the light display. We stayed here for two full days and spend one day at Folly Beach and one day in Charleston downtown. This campground was perfectly located for both adventures. We were happy with the campground and will try to return. Definitely recommend around Christmas!