Bird/Wildlife Watching

Hill's Landing & RV Park

Hill's Landing & RV Park in Cross, South Carolina, offers full-hookup RV sites on a big-rig-friendly property between Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie, with a marina, boat ramp, boat docks, boat storage, and on-site fishing guides. A general store, laundry, and on-site dining serve anglers in Santee Cooper country. Full-hookup RV sites carry water, sewer, and electric on a layout sized for big rigs. A general store, laundry, propane fills, restrooms, showers, firewood, and WiFi handle the practical side, with on-site dining for meals and boat storage for guests who leave a boat between trips. The marina is the property's center. A boat ramp and boat docks give direct access to the Santee Cooper system, and on-site fishing guides are available — a real advantage on water this large, where local knowledge separates a productive day from a long one. Fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and water sports all run from the property, with walking trails, hiking, biking, corn hole, and strong birding besides. Cross sits in Berkeley County on US-176 between Moncks Corner and Santee, on the isthmus between South Carolina's two largest lakes. Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie together cover 110,000 acres and form the most celebrated freshwater striped bass and catfish fishery in the American Southeast. A state park is nearby. Fishing season runs long in the Lowcountry, with spring striper runs and fall drawing the heaviest demand. Reserve ahead if you are booking around a guide trip.

Bells Marina Campground

2 RV Sites, 1 Cabin

On the northern shore of Lake Marion—South Carolina's largest lake—Bells Marina Campground delivers the full waterfront camping experience without the complexity that larger resort destinations often bring. Located near the small community of Eutawville in the South Carolina Lowcountry, the campground is built around a full-service marina and blends water recreation, comfortable accommodations, and access to a surprisingly rich regional landscape into one well-rounded destination. Whether you arrive by road or by water, the experience centers on the lake from the moment you pull in. The full-service marina sits at the heart of the property, giving guests direct boat access to Lake Marion's vast surface area—roughly 110,000 acres of water spread across the former Santee River bottomland. RV sites, cabins, glamping accommodations, and hotel-style rooms give the campground the flexibility to host everything from a solo fishing trip to a family reunion. Kayaking and paddleboarding let guests explore the shallower coves and cypress stands at a slower pace, while the campground restaurant means dinner doesn't require a drive to town. Bird watching is exceptional along the lake margins, where great blue herons, osprey, and bald eagles work the water year-round and the cypress-lined coves provide outstanding habitat. Lake Marion has earned a well-deserved reputation among anglers as one of the premier bass fisheries in the Southeast. Largemouth bass, stripers, catfish, and crappie are all well-represented, and the flooded timber and cypress-studded coves that define much of the lake's interior provide ideal structure for a productive day on the water. The surrounding Lowcountry landscape amplifies the wildlife experience: alligators sun themselves along the banks, wood ducks move through the cypress swamps, and the entire area carries the lush, subtropical feel of the South Carolina interior at its most atmospheric. The regional draw extends well beyond the lake. Congaree National Park—the last significant old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the Southeast—lies within reach for a half-day trip through ancient trees and elevated boardwalk trails. The Eutaw Springs Battlefield, site of one of the final engagements of the American Revolutionary War's Southern campaign, preserves important history just minutes away. Santee National Wildlife Refuge and Indian Bluff Recreation Park expand the natural options, while six golf courses within fifteen minutes keep links enthusiasts well supplied. The combination of history, wildlife, and water recreation gives this part of the South Carolina Lowcountry genuine staying power. Bells Marina is a year-round destination, and each season brings something different to the lake. Spring and fall offer ideal fishing conditions and comfortable temperatures for outdoor exploration, while summer keeps the water recreation humming. The mix of RV sites, cabins, and glamping accommodations makes it accessible to visitors at every comfort level, from hard-core anglers to families looking for a Lowcountry getaway. Whether you're planning a serious bass fishing trip, a history-minded tour of the Santee Cooper country, or simply want to spend a few nights on South Carolina's biggest lake, Bells Marina Campground has the waterfront setting and the facilities to make it memorable. Book your spot and get on the water.

from $73/night

Outside Inn Campground

Immerse yourself in farm life while you camp at Outside Inn Campground, a one-of-a-kind getaway in Santee, South Carolina, near beautiful Lake Marion. Nestled on 55 acres of peaceful countryside, our family-friendly campground offers 25 full hook-up RV sites, glamping accommodations, complimentary Wi-Fi, and nearly 2 miles of scenic walking trails. What makes Outside Inn special is our interactive farm experience, where guests can meet and enjoy friendly animals, including our beloved Highland cow, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, and chickens. Whether you're looking to slow down, reconnect with nature, or create unforgettable family memories, there's something for everyone to enjoy. From relaxing around the campsite to exploring the farm and surrounding attractions, Outside Inn is the perfect place to unplug, unwind, and experience the charm of country living. Join us year-round and discover why so many guests return to make lasting memories at Outside Inn Campground.

from $45/night

North Myrtle Beach RV Resort and Dry Dock Marina

230 RV Sites, 12 Cottages

North Myrtle Beach RV Resort and Dry Dock Marina in Little River, South Carolina, offers 230 RV sites and 12 cottages on the Intracoastal Waterway, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, ADA-accessible sites, and rigs accepted to 75 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. A full marina, boat docks, splash pad, and hot tub sit behind a gated entrance. Two hundred thirty sites span back-in, water-and-electric back-in, premium back-in, premium pull-through, and pull-through categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with cable TV, sized to 75 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Accessible sites are available. Twelve cottages round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, firewood, and boat storage handle the practical side. Sites along the activity areas fill fastest — the resort is busy through summer and school breaks. The marina is the distinguishing feature. Boat docks, boat rentals, kayak rentals, and dry dock storage give direct Intracoastal access for boating, fishing, paddle boarding, and canoeing. A splash pad, hot tub, sports courts, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, corn hole, an arcade, craft room, playground, dog park, and golf cart rentals fill the grounds, with a bar, on-site dining, snack bar, and live music besides. Pets are welcome. Little River sits at the Grand Strand's northern end, with beaches, golf courses, and an amusement park close. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $160/night

Norwood Campground

25 RV Sites, 10 Tent Sites

Norwood Campground in Norwood, North Carolina, sits at Morgan Mountain on the shores of Lake Tillery in Stanly County's Piedmont foothills — a well-equipped campground with 86 full-hookup RV sites, primitive tent camping in the hardwood forest, and exclusive Lake Tillery beach access that gives guests the combination of developed campground infrastructure and genuinely fine lake waterfront that makes Norwood a destination campground for the Charlotte metro, Piedmont Triad, and central Piedmont regional market. Lake Tillery's 5,000-acre Yadkin-Pee Dee River impoundment and the surrounding Uwharrie National Forest's ancient eroded mountain terrain give the campground a natural setting of understated but genuine Piedmont distinction. Eighty-six full-hookup RV sites with level pads and the infrastructure for comfortable extended stays, alongside primitive tent sites in the surrounding hardwood forest, give the campground the accommodation range from fully equipped RV travelers to minimalist tent campers who want Tillery-access and the Morgan Mountain forest experience. The campground's exclusive Lake Tillery beach access gives guests a private waterfront amenity that distinguishes Norwood from the surrounding area's public lake access points — a private beach in walking distance of the RV sites creates the daily lake swimming, fishing, and kayaking access that Tillery's warm Piedmont water sustains through the full camping season. Pets are welcome. Lake Tillery, one of four Yadkin-Pee Dee River lakes managed by Duke Energy through the central Piedmont, provides largemouth and smallmouth bass, striped bass, crappie, bluegill, and catfish fishing across its 5,000 acres of river-corridor lake water. The lake's combination of cove structure, rock bluffs, and the submerged river channel sustains a diverse and consistently productive recreational fishery that the Stanly County and surrounding Piedmont counties' fishing community has relied on since Tillery's impoundment in 1928 — one of the oldest hydroelectric lakes in the Carolinas, with the fishing character of a well-established natural system. The Uwharrie National Forest, west of Norwood in Montgomery and Randolph Counties, preserves the remnant Uwharrie Mountains — an ancient eroded mountain range whose Precambrian volcanic and metamorphic rocks represent some of the oldest exposed geology in the eastern United States, predating the Appalachians by hundreds of millions of years. The forest's hiking trails through the ancient ridges and hollows of the Uwharrie Range, the Birkhead Mountain Wilderness's primitive backcountry, and the Uwharrie Trail's 20-mile through-hiking corridor give Piedmont-based outdoor recreation guests a mountain hiking experience within an hour of Charlotte's urban core. Norwood Campground operates through the Piedmont Carolina camping season, with the spring and fall seasons from April through May and September through October delivering the most comfortable temperatures for Lake Tillery fishing, hiking, and extended outdoor activity. Summer heat in the Stanly County Piedmont is genuine but the lake's water recreation — swimming, kayaking, and evening fishing — moderates the seasonal challenge for water-focused guests. Charlotte, 45 miles west, provides the metropolitan service access, professional sports, and cultural programming that makes a Norwood campground base practical for guests combining lake recreation with metropolitan day trips. Reserve full-hookup sites ahead for spring and summer weekends when the Charlotte-area regional market's lake camping demand consistently fills Tillery-access campgrounds.

from $40/night

WyldStay Greenville

10 Glamping Sites

Occupying 30 acres of working Highland cattle farm near Fountain Inn, South Carolina, approximately 20 minutes south of downtown Greenville, WyldStay Greenville offers a waterfront glamping experience that occupies an uncommonly specific niche in the South Carolina outdoor hospitality market—premium, ensuite tent accommodations on a functioning farm property with a genuine pastoral character that distinguishes it sharply from both traditional campgrounds and conventional hotel lodging in the greater Greenville area. The property's combination of luxury safari-style accommodations, farm setting, and proximity to one of the South's most acclaimed mid-sized urban cultural districts gives it a versatile appeal across a broad range of guest types. Accommodations are premium Bushtec Safari Tents with private ensuite bathrooms—a configuration that delivers the sensory outdoor experience of sleeping in a tented structure alongside the sanitary infrastructure of a fixed building, without requiring guests to share facilities or compromise on comfort. Waterfront site positioning along the farm's water features provides views of the Highland cattle pastures and property landscape that reinforce the rural farm setting, and the secluded nature of the property's layout gives individual accommodation units a degree of private separation suited to the romantic retreat, couples getaway, or small family escape that WyldStay's accommodations are most naturally designed around. The Highland cattle that give the farm its agricultural identity are a distinctive feature of the property's sensory experience—large, shaggy-coated cattle whose docile temperament and photogenic appearance make them a memorable backdrop to a stay that emphasizes genuine farm immersion alongside glamping comfort. The working farm character of the property is authentic rather than performative, and the combination of cattle, pasture, water features, and woodland gives the 30-acre landscape a multi-layered natural quality that rewards guests willing to explore the property on foot across their stay. Greenville, South Carolina, consistently ranked among the South's most desirable small cities for its combination of dining, arts, outdoor access, and walkable urban design, is accessible within a 20-minute drive from the property. Falls Park on the Reedy, centered on a 60-foot waterfall in the middle of downtown Greenville, anchors the city's Main Street dining and retail district in one of the most architecturally successful urban waterfall park developments in the Southeast. Paris Mountain State Park north of Greenville provides hiking, mountain biking, and lake swimming within the city's immediate hinterland, and Lake Hartwell's extensive shoreline on the South Carolina-Georgia border is accessible for boating and fishing within a practical drive from the farm. WyldStay Greenville operates on a reservation basis with accommodations available across the spring, summer, and fall seasons—the periods when the South Carolina upstate climate most rewards outdoor stays in a tented safari tent with ensuite amenities. Spring offers the most comfortable daytime temperatures and the greenest pasture scenery, while fall provides cooler nights and the foliage color of the surrounding upstate woodland. The property's positioning as a couples and small-group retreat means accommodations should be reserved with advance notice, particularly for weekend stays during the spring event season in Greenville and the fall when the upstate South Carolina outdoor hospitality calendar is most active.

Savannah Lakes RV Resort

284 RV Sites, 6 Cabins

Savannah Lakes RV Resort in Hardeeville, South Carolina, offers 284 RV sites and six cabins with 30 and 50-amp full hookups, cable TV, EV charging, and rigs accepted to 88 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Eight site categories — including lakeside, forest, and K9 Corner back-ins — sit behind a gated entrance, open all year, minutes from Savannah. Two hundred eighty-four sites span standard and mid-size back-ins, deluxe pull-throughs, forest back-ins, lakeside back-ins, and K9 Corner back-ins for guests traveling with dogs, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 88 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Six cabins round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, firewood, a business center, and EV charging handle the practical side. The amenity roster is resort-grade. An outdoor pool and splash pad anchor the warm months, with a hot tub, sauna, fitness center, clubhouse, recreation center, and game room besides. Pickleball, shuffleboard, bocce ball, billiards, and sports courts fill the competitive calendar, with walking trails, a lake, a playground, a dog park, a pet washing station, and golf cart rentals across the grounds. Planned activities run through the season. Pets are welcome. Hardeeville sits in Jasper County at the I-95 crossing into Georgia. Savannah's Historic District, City Market, Bonaventure Cemetery, the SCAD Museum of Art, and Tybee Island are all roughly 30 minutes away, with Hilton Head and Beaufort close behind. Winter and spring draw the heaviest Lowcountry demand. Reserve ahead.

from $65/night

Growing Faith Farms

Enjoy all that nature has to offer at our mountainview glamping retreat. Growing Faith Farms is a small farm and glamping retreat located in the Brushy Mountains of NC. We are about 30 minutes from Boone, 15 minutes from Wilkesboro or Lenoir, and 90 minutes from Charlotte. Owned and operated by Joseph and Christina Angott, Growing Faith Farms was established in 2021 to introduce people from all walks of life to a slower pace. There is so much history and beauty in these mountains just waiting to be explored. Come visit and see where humanity and heritage unite to form a magical connection with the land and nature in a unique experience.

from $30/night

Barefoot Landing Camping Resort

19 RV Sites, 9 Cabins

Lake James, a 6,800-acre reservoir in the mountain foothills of McDowell County, North Carolina, is one of the clearest and most naturally beautiful lakes in the southern Appalachians — fed by the cold streams draining off Linville Gorge and the Table Rock massif, and held in a setting where the Southern Blue Ridge mountains frame the water on every side. Barefoot Landing Camping Resort occupies 65 acres of gated lakeside terrain on Lake James, providing seasonal RV sites, cozy cabins, and comfortable cottages in a full-service resort that makes the lake's recreational character accessible without requiring a private lakeside property. The resort's activity lineup is built around the lake — paddleboarding, fishing in a secluded cove, swimming in the summer-ready pool, and boat launching for guests who bring their own vessel or want to explore Lake James's 150 miles of shoreline by water. Golf cart rentals make getting around the 65-acre property effortless, and a dedicated dog park serves traveling guests with pets. Gem mining adds a distinctly western North Carolina activity to the recreational roster — the McDowell County area sits in one of the most geologically productive gem-bearing regions in the eastern United States, and the mining experience resonates particularly with families and younger guests. The Fourth of July celebration is one of the campground's signature annual events, drawing guests who plan their summer calendar specifically around it. Lake James's water clarity results from the cold mountain tributary streams feeding the reservoir, and the resulting transparency makes underwater viewing and kayak touring unusually rewarding compared to the murkier piedmont reservoirs further east. The surrounding scenery — with Linville Gorge, Table Rock, and Hawksbill Mountain visible from the water — gives Lake James a mountain lake character more reminiscent of the western United States than the typical southern Piedmont reservoir environment. Linville Gorge Wilderness, just northwest of Marion, is one of the most spectacular and least-visited wilderness areas in the eastern United States — a dramatic canyon carved by the Linville River through billion-year-old Precambrian rock, with hiking trails to Chimney Rock, Table Rock, and Hawksbill overlooks that rank among the most rewarding in the southern Appalachians. Grandfather Mountain, with its mile-high suspension bridge and nature museum, is within easy driving range and provides a world-class mountain experience accessible without technical preparation. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs through the high country north of Marion and delivers some of the most iconic mountain driving in the East, particularly in October when the hardwood foliage reaches peak color across the ridgelines. Barefoot Landing Camping Resort is open through the outdoor season, with summer bringing peak lake activity and the July Fourth celebration that anchors the summer calendar. Fall foliage in McDowell County and the surrounding Blue Ridge terrain is exceptional — October stays combine Lake James's natural beauty with the hardwood color of the surrounding mountains for one of the most visually compelling camping weekends available in the Carolinas. Reserve cabins and waterfront RV sites well in advance for summer and fall weekends.

from $49/night

Dogwood Family Campground

52 RV Sites

Dogwood Family Campground in Newport, North Carolina, offers 52 full-hookup RV sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 110 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout — one of the most generous length allowances on the Crystal Coast. Sites are numbered individually, including pond and pond view categories, on a Dark Sky Friendly property open all year. Fifty-two sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp in back-in and pull-through configurations, sized to 110 feet, with site WiFi. Categories are listed site by site — including pond back-ins and pond view back-ins — so you can pick your exact spot rather than a general type. RV storage, firewood, and a playground handle the practical side. The property is deliberately quiet and dark. A pond sits on the grounds for fishing, walking trails run the coastal plain forest, and corn hole and birding fill the rest. The Dark Sky Friendly designation is the distinguishing feature — genuine stargazing on a coast where light pollution usually washes it out. Pets are welcome. Newport sits at the inland edge of the Crystal Coast in Carteret County, which gives the campground unusual dual access: the Croatan National Forest's freshwater recreation and wildlife begin immediately north, while Beaufort's waterfront and the Cape Lookout National Seashore's barrier island beaches are 15 minutes east. A beach and state park are nearby. Open year-round, with summer beach traffic the peak and mild shoulder seasons drawing steady demand. Reserve ahead for warm-weather weekends.

from $67/night

Dixon Landing RV Resort

28 RV Sites

On 130 acres of serene wooded land along Goose Creek in Pamlico County, North Carolina, Dixon Landing RV Resort offers a waterfront retreat that combines the tranquility of the Inner Coastal Plain with over 2,000 feet of creek frontage opening toward the broad Neuse River estuary. Located just 20 minutes from the historic river town of New Bern, the resort delivers full hookup RV sites and a natural setting rarely matched along the North Carolina coast—and its 2025 Campspot Award for "Top for a Quiet Getaway" signals that guests have noticed. For travelers who find the barrier island crowds too much, Dixon Landing is the quiet alternative. Sites provide 30 and 50-amp hookups with sewer and water, along with picnic tables and fire rings that invite lingering. A small dock and boat ramp give watercraft access to Goose Creek and, beyond it, the Neuse River and the vast waters of the Pamlico Sound. Kayak, paddleboard, and canoe rentals allow guests to explore the creek system without trailering their own boats. A clubhouse, camp store with snack bar, dog walk and dog park, laundry, and showers cover the essential amenities, while horseshoes, cornhole, bocce ball, and lawn games provide recreational entertainment between water excursions. Hiking and biking trails thread through the wooded property. Goose Creek's blackwater currents reflect the classic character of eastern North Carolina's coastal plain drainages—tannin-dark, slow-moving, and bordered by bald cypress, water tupelo, and sweetgum in a riverine forest that shelters river otters, wood ducks, and great blue herons in surprising numbers. The creek widens toward its confluence with the Neuse, where the views open to marshland and sky and the scale of the Pamlico Sound ecosystem becomes apparent. Osprey and bald eagles patrol the water year-round, and the spring and fall migrations bring wading birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl to the marshes and creek margins in impressive concentrations. New Bern, the colonial capital of North Carolina and birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, offers a beautifully preserved historic downtown centered on the remarkable Tryon Palace complex—the restored Royal Governor's Palace and formal gardens that rank among the finest colonial restoration projects in the country. The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, on the Bogue Sound side of Bogue Banks, provides an excellent introduction to the coastal ecosystem. Beaufort and Morehead City are accessible for ocean fishing charters, ferry trips to Cape Lookout National Seashore, and waterfront dining that takes full advantage of North Carolina's outstanding local seafood. Dixon Landing operates year-round, with spring and fall offering the most comfortable temperatures for kayaking the creek and exploring the estuarine wetlands. Summer is warm and humid but productive for fishing, and the resort's wooded setting provides meaningful shade. The quiet character of Goose Creek and the surrounding Pamlico County landscape makes this an ideal destination for those who define a great camping trip by the absence of crowds rather than the abundance of amenities. Reserve your waterfront site at Dixon Landing RV Resort and discover North Carolina's Inner Coast at its most peaceful and unspoiled.

from $40/night

Meraki Escape

2 Cabins

Meraki Escape in Brevard, North Carolina, offers a luxury Nordic Spruce log cabin lodging experience in the mountain forests of Transylvania County, combining high-end accommodation craftsmanship with the natural splendor of the southern Blue Ridge that has made Brevard one of the most beloved outdoor destinations in the eastern United States. The property's name—drawn from the Greek concept of pouring soul and creativity into one's work—reflects an attention to detail in cabin design and guest hospitality that distinguishes it from the broader spectrum of mountain lodging in western North Carolina. The Nordic Spruce log cabins are the defining feature of the Meraki Escape experience, constructed with a Scandinavian-influenced aesthetic that emphasizes natural wood grain, thoughtful interior finishes, and integration with the surrounding forest setting. Hot tub and sauna access offer restorative thermal experiences after long days on the trail—a combination particularly appealing after full days in Pisgah National Forest's steep terrain. An on-site dining option provides meals without requiring guests to leave the property after exhausting hiking days, and the overall lodging philosophy prioritizes intimacy, privacy, and sensory comfort over volume or throughput. The landscape surrounding Brevard is among the most biologically diverse in the temperate world, a consequence of the southern Appalachians serving as a glacial refuge that allowed species to persist through ice ages that eliminated them farther north. Transylvania County's more than 250 waterfalls, fed by 80 inches of annual rainfall, cascade through hemlock hollows and rhododendron tunnels that create a layered, lush environment unlike any other in the eastern mountains. The property's forest canopy provides both visual screening between cabins and a natural sound buffer that enforces the quiet that guests come to this corner of North Carolina to find. Pisgah National Forest, which begins essentially at Brevard's edge, provides more than 600 miles of hiking trails spanning terrain from gentle streamside walks to strenuous ridge climbs reaching elevations above 6,000 feet. DuPont State Recreational Forest to the south protects the famous waterfall cluster used as a filming location for The Hunger Games, with High Falls, Triple Falls, and Hooker Falls all accessible via well-maintained trail networks that reward the effort with dramatic cascade views. Asheville's nationally recognized brewery scene, farm-to-table restaurant culture, and vibrant River Arts District lie approximately 30 minutes northeast, providing a cosmopolitan contrast to Brevard's forest immersion. Meraki Escape operates year-round with peak demand concentrated in summer waterfall season, fall foliage weeks in October, and the romantic winter cabin season when snow-dusted spruce trees and hot tub soaks under cold mountain skies create a particularly compelling draw. The property's boutique scale means reservations fill quickly during these windows, and booking multiple weeks in advance is standard practice for high-demand periods. For travelers seeking elevated mountain lodging that combines design quality, thermal wellness amenities, and positioning within easy reach of the southern Appalachians' best outdoor terrain, Meraki Escape represents one of the more distinctive options in the Brevard market.

from $319 $278/night