James Island County Park — Attraction in Charleston

Very disappointing and unsafe experience at the primitive tent site

We booked a primitive tent site (#11) for one night, and the experience was extremely disappointing from start to finish. First of all, the site was very far from the entrance, and we were shocked to discover that we couldn’t access the site with our car. We had to go back to the front office to ask for a change, and they moved us to a site near the entrance laughing at the same like they already knew. We were completely alone in the entire primitive tent area, which was very unsettling. There were no lights at all in that part of the campground, which felt unsafe, especially for two women camping alone. The restrooms and showers were not even located in the primitive area but in the adjacent group tent section, which was quite a walk away especially at night, in the dark, with no lighting or signs.

To make matters worse, the restrooms and showers in the group tent area were dirty and poorly maintained. In contrast, the facilities in the RV area were clean, well-lit, and even had mirrors and small details that made a huge difference. It was confusing and frustrating that the campground had plenty of empty spots in the nicer area, yet the staff chose to leave us isolated in the dark, bug-infested primitive area.

Speaking of bugs, the mosquitoes were absolutely unbearable. We were wearing mosquito repellent, and they still devoured us. Ironically, there were almost no mosquitoes in the RV area. We have no idea why the difference was so extreme, but it made sleeping in the primitive section impossible.

In the end, we felt so unsafe and uncomfortable that we packed everything up and slept in our car instead of staying on the tent site we paid for.(52$)

Overall, this was one of the worst camping experiences we’ve had. The staff could’ve made a better effort to accommodate us given the low occupancy and the fact that we were clearly not comfortable. Definitely wouldn’t recommend this experience for solo travelers or women looking for a peaceful, secure...

We camped 3 nights in early November. We lucked out weather-wise, which was a nice bonus, but we would have loved the park and facilities even if we'd gotten rained on all weekend. The bathhouses were clean and spacious, the whole park is dog-friendly and truly accommodating (including the camp store!)and the staff and camp hosts were friendly and knowledgeable. There are miles of paves (flat!) Walking and biking trails and lots of well-respected wildlife to encounter. (Including alligators!?!!) Speaking of wildlife, there seems to be a bit of a raccoon "situation" in the campground. They're brazen and plentiful, and seemed comfortable and confident when they crashed our dinner gatherings around the campfire every night! The communal trash and recycling bins have no lids, so the little bandits seem to think they've got a standing invitation to an all-you-can-eat overnight buffet. Considering their status as rabies vectors and the fact that they've evidently learned to be pretty comfy around humans, it might be time for the park to upgrade the trash containers to dissuade the "visitors" a little. The sites themselves are pretty, with lots of tropical-looking flora that made us feel like we were in the jungle, and we loved that. They're also really close together, so over the course of the trip we ended up getting to know our site neighbors quite well without even officially meeting them. (Luckily, they were nice people who loved dogs, otherwise the close proximity might've really been problematic. We will definitely be coming back, though, as the plusses here definitely outweighed...

This was the ideal place for my niece's daughter New Year aka Bday celebration. The play ground was right next to the space we had(togoodo). There were open fields for the kids to run around in after consuming all that sugar(ie...cake, soda, etc.)🤭😇 The JICP has a lot of things to do there as well. We saw a lot of people walking the trails and walking their dogs. There is also a lake or pond where you can canoe or fish.(Not sure about fishing though🤔) The park is busy setting up the different Christmas light displays and has some parking areas closed. This Holiday event is sooo, sooo beautiful. This os something everyone should see and experience along with the activities.(Check their website for more information) The only con about my experience was not being able to park closer to the place we had reserved. (Blocked off because of Christmas event) Having to park in a parking area further down was not a problem but they could have had park attendants there to open the blocked area allowing for us to unload and reload the decorations and food with direct instructions of how close or where to do so without disturbing their displays. (This was very inconvenient) Nevertheless, the weather was BEAUTIFUL and the event was memorable for her(Turned 4). Let me say this again, If you have Not experienced the "HOLIDAY LIGHTS 🎄 FESTIVAL" please do so. You and your family will want to make this a tradition every year! I know it's a little early but, "HAPPY...