Lake Wateree reveals a distinctive side of Kershaw County: the 13,025-acre lake lies within the county. Eight public boat access areas are maintained by Duke Energy and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The Department also manages Lake Wateree for recreational fishing and maintains 17 fish attractors there. This makes boating and fishing visible as separate recreational interests on the same body of water.
The Lake and Nature from Different Perspectives
At N.R. Goodale State Park, the focus also turns to plants: among others, pitcher plants and sundews can be seen in the park. The N.R. Goodale Canoe/Kayak Trail offers another way to explore. The canoe trail is three miles long, laid out as an out-and-back route, and rated moderate. The stated distance therefore includes the trip there and back; the rating provides a concrete indication of the tour’s difficulty.
Camden Riverfront Environmental Park is a 26-acre ecotourism destination. Alongside the large Lake Wateree, an explicitly ecotourism-focused park is therefore part of the county’s nature offerings. Visitors particularly interested in a specific kind of nature exploration can consider these different highlights without treating the lake, plants, and trails as a single experience.
Camden’s History: Homes, Tours, and Exhibits
Historic Camden offers two types of guided exploration: self-guided tours take visitors through seven historic homes; guided tours share stories about free and enslaved people who lived and worked in colonial-era Camden. Guided tours of the Camden battlefield are also available. The formats therefore differ both in subject and in whether visitors explore the homes on their own or join a guided tour.
The Camden Archives & Museum features permanent and changing exhibits on the history of Kershaw County and Camden. Those interested in the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution will find a dedicated destination to explore the subject at the Rev War Living History Park in Camden. Together, the homes, historical stories, exhibits, and park offer different ways to explore history rather than limiting it to a single tour.
In Historic Boykin, the Boykin Mill Pond community is especially significant as the site of the last battle fought in South Carolina during the Civil War. This connection makes Boykin another historical subject in the county, alongside Camden’s attractions and exhibits.
Equestrian Activities and Outdoor Trails
The South Carolina Equine Park is a 60-acre center in Camden designed for a wide range of activities, horse breeds, and user groups. Offerings include Hunter/Jumper, dressage, and ranch horse shows, as well as Quarter Horses, Paint Horses, breed shows, and youth events. The variety of disciplines and groups mentioned gives equestrian enthusiasts several specific themes to guide their explorations.
Camden Battlefield and Longleaf Pine Preserve has three miles of hiking trails with interpretive signs. The combination of trail distance and on-site information sets this offering apart from the guided battlefield tours at Historic Camden: here, the focus is on hiking trails with signs, while there the focus is on guided tours. This makes it easy to choose the preferred way to engage with history and landscape.
Explore more destinations: Chester County, York, Jasper County, Cherokee County, Colleton County, Dillon County, Abbeville County, Williamsburg County
For the full travel overview: South Carolina.
