State park to include new kind of overnight camping for SC • SC Daily Gazette

People kayak along the Black River. After approval from the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, conservation officials can move forward with looking at land to expand the expected park. (Open Space Institute/Provided)

COLUMBIA — A new state park along South Carolina’s scenic Black River will also offer overnight visitors a unique camping experience after lawmakers approved buying Airstream trailers to rent.

The state parks department recently received permission to buy five Airstream trailers. The iconic aluminum travel trailers will be permanent fixtures near the river, creating a first-of-its-kind campground for a South Carolina state park.

They’re expected to be available to rent starting in fall 2026, according to documents provided to the State Fiscal Accountability Authority, which approved spending $1.44 million on the campers, plus electric and plumbing connections to them.

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The Airstream village “will create a new recreational opportunity like no other in the SC State Park Service,” according to the documents.

Accommodations at other state parks include cabins, lodges, lakefront villas, or pitching a tent for the night.

The most similar offering in other state parks are camper cabins, which fall between camping in a tent and sleeping in a cabin. Visitors have a roof over their heads and a mattress to sleep on, instead of a tarp and a sleeping bag, but camper cabins do not include private bathrooms or kitchens. The Airstream campers do.

Specifically, the state is buying Airstream Flying Cloud 30FB campers. The 30-foot-long layout also includes a dinette for meals and socializing. A queen bed, bunk beds and a sofa can accommodate up to eight people, according to the company’s website.

“Airstream is an iconic brand that stands as a timeless symbol of adventure, fun, and comfort, making it a great fit for state parks,” Samantha Queen, spokeswoman for the Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism, said in an email. “We believe it will attract a wide range of overnight visitors who want to enjoy the Black River but don’t own a camper, don’t like tent camping, or are just looking for a really unique travel experience.”

Around 125,000 people are expected to visit the Black River State Park annually, according to estimates the agency provided the state’s fiscal oversight board.

The campers will increase visitors’ access to the Black River water trail, while generating revenue for state parks, the agency said.

How much the state intends to charge to stay in the Airstreams is not yet known.

A two-night stay in a camper cabin, the minimum required by the department for a reservation, starts at $140, according to the department’s website.

Eventually, the parks department wants to add two more Airstream campers, Queen said.

They will be set up near each other, likely on a set of high bluffs along the riverfront, “to create that village atmosphere, while still providing plenty of space for privacy,” Queen said.

The state park, which does not have an official opening date yet, consists of a series of patchwork pieces of land that wind along the Black River for about 70 miles through Williamsburg and Georgetown counties.

Parts of the more than 5,000 protected acres along the river are already available for use, and officials hope to open more to the public late next year, Queen said.

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The eventual goal is to install enough access ramps for people to take day trips from any starting point along the river, department director Paul McCormack wrote on the agency’s website.

The agency rents out 22 cabin campers located at five parks across the state. Two more could be coming to Lake Warren State Park in Hampton following a separate vote of approval from the state’s fiscal oversight board.

That $1 million project will also upgrade the existing primitive campground to include power, water, sewer and a bathhouse, according to documents provided to the board.

“Creating these amenities can extend recreational experiences into the evening hours, allowing overnight guests to enjoy peaceful nights by the water,” the request reads.

by Skylar Laird, SC Daily Gazette October 28, 2024

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Skylar Laird covers the South Carolina Legislature and criminal justice issues. Originally from Missouri, she previously worked for The Post and Courier’s Columbia bureau.

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