McClellanville Travel Guide

"Exhibits at The Village Inn Museum demonstrate a time line of history beginning with villages of the Seewee Indians and the settlement at Jamestown by the Huguenots, through the rice planting on the great Santee Plantations and the establishment of the village of McClellanville. Displays also tell of the simple lifestyle of the postwar farmer, the rise of timber harvesting in the 20th century and the growth of the local seafood industry. Facilities include Interpretive Tours, Picnic Area, Museum Store, and Visitor Information"

The docent at the museum recommended this place for lunch.

Favorite Dish: I had clam chowder, forgetting that it would be the Carolina kind with a clear broth (which do I like, but not as much as New England), and an open face English muffin with crab meat, tomato and cheese on it.

Bob had a tuna sandwich. They both came with a couple of strawberries and some greens and Bob had cole slaw and I had potato salad. Lunch was $19.10.

We see this campground each time we go to Charleston on the ICW

Situated on the site of the old Buck Hall Plantation just 6 miles southeast of McClellanville, this premier recreation area is located on the Intracoastal Waterway. It provides the best access to Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, 77,000 acres of marsh, tidal creeks, and beaches, and Bulls Bay, the best area for shrimp baiting on the coast.

It boasts14 full hook up camper slots, 5 tent sites, 2 bathrooms, showers, a picnic shelter, and a boat ramp with the capacity to launch 3 boats simultaneously, 2 floating docks, and lighted parking for 175 vehicles with trailers.

Fees: All visitors must pay to use the facility. There is a self-pay station along the drive into the recreation area. Camping is $20 per full hook up unit, $15 for tent camping. Check out is 2 p.m. Parking for all noncampers is $5 per vehicle per day. A yearly parking pass is available from the Wambaw Office for $25 a calendar year.

Directions: From Charleston, take US Highway 17 north to Buck Hall Landing Road(FS 242). Turn right to the recreation area. Buck Hall is about 30 miles north of Charleston.

In the past, LELAND MARINE SERVICE did NOT monitor any radio AFAIK, and would only respond to the phone. They also would not take any reservations. We got there about 5 p.m. (much later than we like), and when we got there there were 2 or 3 sailboats rafted with shrimp boats, two large power boats rafted together, and another large power boat rafted with a shrimp boat. Neither the owner nor the working person on the docks was there when we got there. Never did see the owner.

I understand that Mr. LeLand died last year, and the new owners are putting in floating docks and making the place more attractive to the transient traffic. This is good, because it is the only marina between Georgetown and Isle of Palms.

Equipment: They have a phone line down at the docks, and they sell fuel. This is primarily a working yard and shrimp boat dock that does take some transients.

They were charging 60 cents/ft and $2-3 for electric, but you may have to raft off of other boats. Now I understand it is $1.00/ft without any extra charge for electricity

The docks were fixed and the tide is about 6 feet. Our deck was even with the top of the dock at high tide. At low tide we could not have gotten off the boat.

Favorite thing: The reason that there are no other stopping places between Georgetown and Charleston iis that McClellanville is in the middle of the 350,000 acre Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge, the Francis Marion National Forest, and the Santee Coastal Reserve.

The community was originally founded by rice planters after their summer colony at the mouth of the Santee River was destroyed by the hurricane of 1822.

The Statistics and Facts section of their web page says:

The population of McClellanville is approximately 333.
The approximate number of families is 183.

So you can see it is a small town. It has a few shops, and the Village Museum.

Fondest memory: Today, the principal economic activity is commercial fishing as Jeremy Creek, is home port to a large fleet of shrimp boats. The primary reason for cruisers to stop here is to get fresh seafood. We were so tired when we got here and it was so late that we didn't make the walk into town - plus we were going to be at my son's the next day. (See Intro page for the story.)

In early May there is the annual Lowcountry Shrimp Festival.

So if you are there during that time it might be worth a visit. The web page says:

"The town returns to a much simpler time when good, old fashioned fun revolved around the celebration of life's events and the whole town turned out to celebrate together.
Enjoy the boat parade, the blessing of the fleet, or indulge in some good Southern seafood.
"The Festival also features live music and entertainment, exhibits of interest, displays by area artists, and a special children's area.
The event benefits the Archibald Rutledge Academy and a donation of $1.00 per person is suggested. "