Our South Carolina State Parks Adventures

In April 2022, my husband (Dan), my beagle (Athena), and I became Ultimate Outsiders. That means we’ve visited all 48 South Carolina State Parks! This process was an amazing experience where we got to visit every corner of the state, learn about the culture and history in different parts of the state, and see some beautiful places. Not to mention the memories we made along the way! I hope this post helps you choose a park to visit, and answers the questions you may have about becoming an Ultimate Outsider yourself.

What is the South Carolina Ultimate Outsider program?

If you visit all 48 state parks in South Carolina, you will receive a certificate and a t-shirt. You will also be part of a mailing list for events that are only for Ultimate Outsiders, like picnics, tours, and an online scavenger hunt.

What do I need to become an Ultimate Outsider?

The only thing you truly need is a state park guidebook. Each park has its own page with a spot to get a unique stamp. This is what you will need to show the park rangers for them to verify that you’ve visited every park. Click here to purchase your guidebook online, or pick one up for free at a state park office.

Something that’s not mandatory, but I HIGHLY recommend, is buying an annual state park pass. This is $99 and covers the admission for anyone in your vehicle at all state parks for a year. Although not every park has a fee, the fees can be up to $12 per person to enter a park. This can quickly add up to more than the $99 you’ll pay for the annual pass, especially if there are multiple people in your car and you’re trying to visit a lot of parks in a year. This pass also gets you into some of the buildings and events, such as Atalaya Castle and the Hunting Island Lighthouse. Click here to purchase an annual pass, or buy one from any state park office.

Something you can do for fun is complete the South Carolina State Parks scavenger hunt with the GooseChase app. There are different items on the list that will require you to either tag your location or submit a photo. For example, you can tag your location when you’re standing on a bridge that the challenge describes, or you can submit a photo you took of a spoonbill and put the name of the park in the caption. Once you’ve become an Ultimate Outsider, you’ll be invited to another scavenger hunt, which may include more than just what’s in the state parks, and you can win prizes.

What do you do at the state parks?

It depends on the parks! Some parks mostly serve as an access point to a lake, where you can boat, fish, or swim. Others have historical places you can learn about, hiking trails, and natural landmarks. Some host events, like guided hikes or festivals. 38 of the parks in the system are considered state parks, 8 are considered state historic sites, 1 is considered a state recreation area, and 1 is considered a state resort. For navigating through this post, you can search for words like “trail” in your browser and it’ll bring you to where I’ve mentioned hiking.

What’s your favorite state park?

I don’t really have one, but I liked the ones in the mountains and at the beaches the best. The ones that come to mind as my favorites are Table Rock, Caesars Head, Devils Fork, and Hunting Island. After we got all the stamps, we made note of which parks we wanted to revisit and what time of year would be best to revisit them.

How did you choose which park would be the last stamp?

As we crossed some parks off the list, we realized that some of the smaller parks don’t always have a ranger in the park office, so we needed to choose a more popular park to guarantee a ranger would be there to check our book. We looked at the parks we had left and determined we would end at Sesqui. This was partly because it’s pretty popular, so we’d be more likely to find a ranger to check our stamps, and partly because we thought it’d be cool to end in the state capital.

How did you visit them all?

We’re lucky to live in Greenville County, where lots of parks are within an hour and a half of our house. Some of the parks were their own day trip, like if we were doing a hike, but there were other times where we visited multiple in a day. For example, we easily visited Oconee, Oconee Station, Devils Fork, and Keowee-Toxaway in one day to get a stamp for each, but we’ve also made separate day trips for each of them. We had a few camping trips where we would camp at one park and visit others that were nearby. We stayed the night with a friend for a weekend trip where we visited five parks.

Can you stay overnight at the parks?

Most of the parks have overnight accommodations. Some have drive-up campsites for your car or RV, some have hike-in campsites, and some have cabins. Hickory Knob is a resort with indoor accommodations and dining services. We chose some of the less popular parks for camping so we could have a quieter place to sleep and we could get to know those less-visited parks better. The less popular ones also tend to have lower fees for camping and more availability. For example, when we got a beachfront campsite at Hunting Island, it was more than twice the cost of a campsite at Givhans Ferry, with only a few sites available on the weekend we were looking at. Each park will have their overnight options listed on their page, if they offer them.

Are all the parks dog-friendly?

Each park allows dogs in outdoor areas, as long as they’re leashed and not disrupting people/wildlife, but might exclude them from certain places, like the Animal House at Charles Towne Landing. Dan and I took turns with things like touring Atalaya Castle while the other stayed behind with Athena. I did get stressed out over having her in some of the places where alligators hang out though.

Can you get married at the state parks?

Some of the state parks have actual wedding venues: Table Rock has the Gaines Lodge, Huntington Beach has Atalaya Castle, and Charles Towne Landing has the Legare-Waring House and Founder’s Hall. Others have pavilions and amphitheaters you can ask about using. If you’re eloping, you have a little more freedom with where to have a ceremony with a pretty view because you’re not having a huge gathering of people that would disrupt other visitors, so you’ll want to call the park office for the park you’re thinking about to see what their policies are. You can read more here about how to elope in South Carolina, and I have some suggestions here for where to do it!

I’m scared of alligators and bears. How do I avoid them?

I’ve never actually seen bears in South Carolina, but I know they tend to be in the mountains. You may see warning signs for alligators at pretty much any park that’s south or east of Columbia, but they tend to not come out in the colder months. If you’re in a place where there may be gators and you don’t want to see one, try to stay away from fresh water, including boardwalks over marshes. At Hunting Island, we were told that the gators tended to be further inland, away from the ocean. I stumbled upon one in the tall grass by the observation deck at Huntington Beach.

Are there national parks in South Carolina?

South Carolina is home to Congaree National Park, a cypress swamp east of Columbia. There are also several other places in the national park system:

  • National Historic Sites: Charles Pinckney, Ninety-Six

  • National Historic Park: Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, Reconstruction Era

  • National Military Park: Kings Mountain

  • National Battlefield: Cowpens

  • National Historic Trail: Overmountain Victory (NC, SC, TN, VA)

And now, here’s a list of all 48 South Carolina State Parks and our experiences with them!

Sunrise at Hunting Island State Park

The Parks

(in alphabetical order with a few notes about our experience)

Aiken State Park (Windsor/Aiken County): There are 4 lakes at this park, which are along the blackwater Edisto River, so it’s great for anything water related. There is a kayak trail here, and some artesian wells with really good-tasting water.

Andrew Jackson State Park (Lancaster/York County): Andrew Jackson was born in a village that is now considered to be on the border between North and South Carolina. It’s unknown where exactly he was born in that village, but he verbally told someone he was born in South Carolina, so South Carolina claims him as the only president to be born here. This has some cool buildings to explore, like an old schoolhouse. There is a dog statue here, and seeing other dogs arrive one by one to bark at it was pretty funny. Athena didn’t seem to mind it though.

Baker Creek State Park (McCormick/McCormick County): This is one of three parks on Lake Thurmond, which is about 71,000 acres, so it’s a good place to take a boat. The other two parks on Lake Thurmond, Hamilton Branch and Hickory Knob, are a short drive away. There are mountain bike trails and campsites here. It has a big pavilion that overlooks the lake.

Barnwell State Park (Blackville/Barnwell County): This is a small park in a rural area that’s mostly used for fishing. There are three small ponds here and I thought the white bridge was really pretty. They hosted a movie night here over the summer. Alligators and wild turkeys are no strangers to this park. The Healing Spring is nearby, where you can fill containers of water that’s said to have healing powers.

Battle of Musgrove Mill State Historic Site (Clinton/Laurens County): This is the site of a Revolutionary War battle between Patriots, Loyalists, and British soldiers. There are a couple trails here that lead you to small waterfalls, and it has some notable trees.

Battle of Rivers Bridge State Historic Site (Ehrnhardt/Bamberg County): This historic site has an interpretive trail through a Civil War battlefield. This is part of an area with a lot of preserved Civil War history—we drove past a MASSIVE re-enactment site on the way here, with a cavalry, tents, and everything! We loved walking through the Spanish moss along the Salkehatchie River and Three Mile Creek.

Caesars Head State Park (Cleveland/Greenville County): Although the area near the visitor center seems small, this is actually the largest state park in South Carolina. The overlook is the highest point in any South Carolina park, and there are two trails that lead to the largest waterfall in South Carolina (Raven Cliff Falls). The overlook is easily accessible from the parking lot and you can easily see Table Rock, as well as some of the other mountains in the area. This is one of the best places to watch the sunset in South Carolina. This is one of two parks within the Mountain Bridge Wilderness area, but you will need to drive to the other trailheads. While you’re here, check out Pretty Place, Wildcat Wayside, and Bald Rock - you can see some photos of them here!

How beautiful is this spot for a fall proposal? Click here for more photos from Caesars Head.

Calhoun Falls State Park (Calhoun Falls/Abbeville County): We loved camping here! It felt pretty secluded and there weren’t a ton of people. Cell signal was pretty spotty, so it was easy to unplug for the weekend. You can play tennis or basketball during your trip here. Our campsite was pretty close to a water spigot and the bathrooms, but it also overlooked Lake Russell. Contrary to the name, there isn’t actually a waterfall here. There is a short and easy trail through the woods that you have to drive to from the campsite.

Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site (Charleston/Charleston County): This is one of the more popular parks. There are two wedding venues here: Founder’s Hall and Legare-Waring House. There is an Animal House (a zoo), which does not allow dogs. The English settlers landed here around 1670 and you can explore a replica of a big ship they may have used. The Lowcountry scenery here is gorgeous, with the tree tunnels, Spanish moss, marshes, and gardens.

Cheraw State Park (Cheraw/Chesterfield County): This park has a beautiful lake with cypress trees, which is a great spot for kayaking. We loved the boardwalk that went over the Lake Juniper. There is an 18-hole golf course here, so if you’re into golf, you can stay in one of the cabins for the weekend. There are also two boat-in campsites if you want a little more seclusion.

Chester State Park (Chester/Chester County): This park is mostly used for fishing, but there’s one trail here that goes on a bridge across the lake and around the pond. We didn’t finish the trail because it was partially flooded, but we enjoyed the rest of it. There is a 9-hole and an 18-hole disc golf course here.

Colleton State Park (Walterboro/Colleton County): Don’t be fooled by its size. This 35-acre park is easy to get to from both I-26 and I-95, but feels pretty remote once you get there. There’s a short trail in the woods that leads to a beautiful spot where you can see the cypress trees in the blackwater river. This park is so close to Givhans Ferry that you can kayak 23 miles to it down the Edisto River!

Phone photo of Athena on the boardwalk on the blackwater Edisto River at Colleton State Park

Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site (Summerville/Dorchester County): This is a cool spot with church and wharf ruins and a swamp. There’s a lot of oyster shell construction here from the 1700s. We saw a really pretty woodpecker while we were here.

Croft State Park (Pauline/Spartanburg County): One of the most popular things to do at this park is ride horses! There are also a few trails here, one of which leads you to the ruins of an old bridge.

Devils Fork State Park (Salem/Oconee County): This is the only public access point to Lake Jocassee, which is the best combination of water and mountains you’ll find in South Carolina. We’ve taken boat rides out here and seen a bunch of islands and waterfalls that you can only see by boat. Not only is it one of the prettiest views in South Carolina, this is also some of the cleanest water in the whole state. Devils Fork is also known for the Oconee Bell flower, which was thought to be extinct until it was discovered here. Click here to see more photos from Devils Fork!

Click here to see more photos from this session at Devils Fork State Park

Dreher Island State Park (Prosperity/Newberry County): This is very much geared towards fishing. The park spans 3 islands along Lake Murray. There are some short trails around here, one of which leads to the ruins of Billy Dreher’s home. If you’re into birds, you can see Purple Martins here.

Edisto Beach State Park (Edisto Island): We camped here, but used the park as more of a home base as we explored other areas. This island is deceptively remote compared to the rest of the state—it was almost 2 hours from Hunting Island—but I think the seclusion adds to the mystique of the lowcountry scenery. There were tree tunnels, Spanish moss, beaches, marshes—I mean, look at the view that we had all to ourselves from our campground! This was in the Live Oak campground and it was the farthest campsite from a bathroom, water spigot, and where our car was parked. The latter was difficult because we had to keep all our food in the car to keep the possums and raccoons away, so it felt like we spent a lot of time walking to and from the car. There is another campground closer to the beach, and there’s an ice cream truck that comes through every day!

View from our campground at Edisto Beach State Park (Live Oak Campground)

Givhans Ferry State Park (Ridgefield/Dorchester County): We camped at this one and were happy with the camping accommodations, including electricity and a water spigot at each campsite. We saw a massive wild turkey here. One thing that we liked about it was the proximity to other parks; we went to Colonial Dorchester and Charles Towne on a day trip from here, and you can kayak 23 miles down the Edisto River to Colleton State Park. There are rare plants that grow here, and there are limestone sinkholes. I loved watching the sunset over the blackwater. You can find shark teeth in the surf here!

Phone photo of the sunset over the blackwater Edisto River at Givhans Ferry State Park

Goodale State Park (Camden/Kershaw County): This is considered one of the best parks for canoeing and kayaking. There’s even a canoe trail through the cypress forest! Keep your eyes open for alligators here though.

H. Cooper Black State Recreation Area (Cheraw/Chesterfield County): This is a recreation area, so you can hunt, fish, or ride horses. There are events related to all of these, including training your dog to be a hunting dog! You can also camp here. It seemed to be a busy day when we went, so we didn’t stay here long.

Hamilton Branch State Park (Plum Branch/McCormick County): I honestly don’t have much to say about this one, and the ranger on staff didn’t have much to tell me other than it’s a good place to go camping or boating on Lake Thurmond. It definitely felt like a peaceful place to be on a day that isn’t super windy!

Hampton Plantation State Historic Site (McClellanville/Charleston County): This is a former rice plantation that was thought to be part of the Underground Railroad. This site not only tells the story of the people who were enslaved, but how they lived after they were freed. It hasn’t been used for agriculture for a while now, so it’s gone back to looking wooded and marshy. Between the three historic sites that are former plantations, I liked the scenery here the best, but the mosquitoes here are worse than any mosquitoes I’d ever encountered! This park is free to enter, but the fee for a tour of the house is included in your state park pass fee.

Hickory Knob State Resort Park (McCormick/McCormick County): This is a resort, so there’s an actual hotel here with dining services, along with a variety of cabins to stay in. There’s plenty of opportunity to play golf, go skeet shooting, or go camping.

Hunting Island State Park (Hunting Island/Beaufort County): This was the first one we decided to come back to for a camping trip after we got our stamp, and we stayed busy the whole weekend we camped there. This has the only publicly accessible lighthouse in South Carolina, which is free to enter with your state park pass. The visitor center has a really cool mural around the whole interior, and the nature center has a lot of animals. We hiked through the palm trees to a really cool driftwood beach. You can take the St. Philip’s Island ferry from here, but we haven’t seen that yet. There are plenty of alligators that live here, to include one that lives in the pond by the visitor center. This is also pretty close to Beaufort, which is a beautiful area with a ton of picturesque South Carolina scenery.

Hunting Island Lighthouse at Hunting Island State Park

Huntington Beach State Park (Murrells Inlet/Georgetown County): The beach here was really nice, but it also has some cool marshlands where you can see gators, waterfowl, spoonbills, herons, and painted buntings in the summer. We came across a lot of people who came here specifically to take pictures of birds because of how easy it is to see them from the overlooks or the bird feeders. You can take a tour of Atalaya Castle (free with an annual state park pass, but otherwise $2), a Moorish-style mansion where artist Anna Huntington lived with her family. We liked that our campsite had a metal cabinet for keeping your food safe from animals. This is about 30 minutes from Myrtle Beach State Park. Tip: don’t walk in the grass between the road and the pond if you don’t like alligators or have a dog with you.

Atalaya Castle at Huntington Beach State Park

Jones Gap State Park (Cleveland/Greenville County): If you like waterfalls, this is the park for you. Some of the toughest trails in the whole state come through here, and some trails lead to Caesars Head State Park, the other park in Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. In front of the visitor center, there’s a fish hatchery. Before you get on the trails, there’s a bridge over a beautiful stream with some rocky rapids. The two trails I've done here are Jones Gap Falls and Rainbow Falls. I’d love to do a session at Jones Gap Falls, which is fairly easy and short. Rainbow Falls is one of my favorite spots in the whole state, and it was a beautiful fall day when we visited!

Rainbow falls at Jones Gap State Park

Keowee-Toxaway State Park (Sunset/Pickens County): If there’s one park that I think is seriously underrated, this is it. It sits right between Table Rock and Devils Fork, which are both really popular, so it’s easy to see how it’s overlooked. The Raven Rock trail goes over a natural bridge and brings you to a small, but very beautiful, overlook on Lake Keowee. I felt that this trail was moderate when I first did it in the winter, but it was pretty hard when I did it late on a summer day with all my camera gear. I really want to come back here in the fall when the leaves change! This park is now home to Upstate Zipline.

Proposal at the Raven Rock overlook at Keowee-Toxaway - click to see more photos

Kings Mountain State Park (Blacksburg/Cherokee County): This is a cool spot with some hiking trails and a living history farm to replicate what one of the early villages in the upstate would look like. This is also pretty close to Kings Mountain National Military Park, which has a paved trail through the Kings Mountain battlefield.

Lake Greenwood State Park (Ninety-Six/Greenwood County): This is also pretty close to Ninety-Six National Historic Site. There’s an unfinished wall at the entrance with everything exactly as the CCC workers left it when Pearl Harbor was bombed and they abandoned their work in the parks.

Lake Hartwell State Park (Fair Play/Oconee County): Along with Sadlers Creek, this is one of two parks on Lake Hartwell, one of the largest lakes east of the Mississippi River. Like any park on a big lake, it’s a good place for boating, fishing, swimming, and camping. It’s super easy to get to—it’s off of I-85 right when you cross into South Carolina from Georgia.

Lake Warren State Park (Hampton/Allendale County): This park is known for its gazebo with a watermelon weather vane. It had a cool nature trail with stops with fitness equipment. Since we went early in the year, we only saw one alligator swimming off in the distance. Otherwise, this is a pretty popular spot for gators!

Phone photo of the watermelon weather vane (pointed away from me the entire time we were there) at Lake Warren State Park

Lake Wateree State Park (Winnsboro/Fairfield County): We went here on a freezing cold day in January, so we didn’t stay long, but it was super peaceful in front of the 13,000 acre lake!

Landsford Canal State Park (Catawba/York County): This park is known for their population of rare Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies that blooms in May and June. You can kayak up to them or take the nature trail that leads to them, but you’ll only see them up close if you kayak. If you don’t have your own kayak, you can rent one from the end of the kayak trail. It’s also known for its canal system, so you can see the old locks and where the lock keepers lived.

Lee State Park (Bishopville/Lee County): This is super easy to access from I-20. I loved how much Spanish moss was here. This is one of two parks with artesian wells, where you can drink super clean-tasting water.

Little Pee Dee State Park (Dillon/Dillon County): This is the park that felt the most remote. It’s not really close to any of the other parks, and we took some back roads to get here on the way back from a North Carolina beach. This park is part of a Carolina bay and has a sand rim around the lake from where there used to be a coastline. There’s a pretty white bridge over the water here, and the day that we went, the water reflected the blue sky and clouds so well!

Phone photo of the white bridge on the reflective water at Little Pee Dee State Park

May Forest State Park (Charleston/Charleston County): South Carolina’s first state park in about 30 years is in its “soft open” phase, meaning you can visit during visiting hours, but there aren’t any other services or events yet. This park used to be a convent, so there’s a pretty little pink chapel among gardens and Spanish moss, with a stunning view of the Charleston Harbor and skyline.

Myrtle Beach State Park (Myrtle Beach/Horry County): The description I kept hearing was that this was “surprisingly nice, peaceful, and green for Myrtle Beach,” and that’s correct. We camped here and it was some of the nicest camping accommodations we’ve experienced so far - there was an outlet and water spigot at each campsite, and it even had a laundry room! One thing that was unique about camping here was that there are so many out-of-state retirees who make annual RV camping trips here. I loved waking up and being able to walk to the beach for the sunrise. The only thing I didn’t like was that the campsite we had felt pretty close to a lot of other campsites, so it wasn’t as quiet when we were going to sleep.

Sunrise at Myrtle Beach State Park

Oconee State Park (Mountain Rest/Oconee County): Oconee State Park is one end of the 75-mile Foothills Trail. We loved the Tamassee Knob trail, which led to a small overlook with a view of the mountains. This was also a really beautiful spot to camp, and we were really close to the lake where we could kayak. We were a short drive from a ton of other waterfall trails in the area.

Oconee Station State Historic Site (Walhalla/Oconee County): Oconee Station is a former military compound that became a trading post. This has a trail that leads to Station Cove Falls, which is one of my favorite waterfalls in South Carolina. It’s a super easy trail with plenty to see along the way, and the waterfall is beautiful!

Paris Mountain State Park (Greenville/Greenville County): This is the park that’s closest to home for us. It’s a super popular park because of how easy it is to get there from Greenville. While you don’t really get mountain scenery here, the leaves around Lake Placid are amazing around early November. The trail we’ve liked best so far is Brissy Ridge to Pipsissewa to North Lake. The Lake Placid trail is about .75 miles and doable with young kids.

Lake Placid at Paris Mountain State Park

Poinsett State Park (Wedgefield/Sumter County): We will have to revisit this park because we’ve heard it’s beautiful, but we only stayed long enough to get the stamp because the gnats were unbearable! The drive to Poinsett looked like a place in a post-apocalyptic movie, which was interesting. We heard this had an unusual amount of elevation change for an area that doesn’t have much elevation change, and that there’s a little waterfall.

Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site (Beech Island/Aiken County): The South Carolina African-American Heritage Commission has named Redcliffe one of the Top Ten Places to Visit in South Carolina during Black History Month. Former South Carolina governor James Henry Hammond lived here in the mid-1800s, and the plantation served as an architectural and horticultural attraction. It now serves as a historical site for telling the stories of the people who were enslaved. One attraction of this property is these massive prickly pear-like cacti that are basically bushes. This is the only cactus species native to South Carolina. Nobody knows how old these cacti at Redcliffe are because the written records of it only go so far back and photos only existed so long ago. There is no fee to enter the park, but there are fees for tours of the property if you don’t have a state park pass.

Phone photo of the mega cactus from outer space at Redcliffe Plantation, almost as tall as me.

Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site (Union/Union County): We didn’t stay at this one too long, but this is a former cotton plantation that now serves as a site to tell the stories of enslaved people. The magnolia trees in the front won a tree award. You can pay a fee to tour the house if you don’t have a state park pass.

Sadlers Creek State Park (Anderson/Anderson County): This was actually the first park all three of us visited! Dan and I came here on a camping trip with our fraternity in college, and it was the first park we stopped at with Athena. I loved camping here - the lake was so quiet and peaceful when we woke up in the morning. One of the main attractions here is fishing, and this park is known for their 100-foot fishing pier.

Santee State Park (Elloree/Orangeburg County): This one was a little out there, but it was a beautiful park. There was Spanish moss all over the trees and cypress trees on Lake Marion. A cool thing about this park is that the cabins are over the water! This is definitely one we want to see again.

Sesquicentennial State Park (Columbia/Richland County): This was our final stamp! This is a well-visited park that has a lake and some beautiful trails. It has a splash pad and playground for the kids, and you can buy a tag for the dog park!

Table Rock State Park (Pickens/Pickens County): I like this park because there’s something here for everybody. You can drive right up to a view of the mountains over the water, take a short walk through the woods, get on the 75-mile Foothills Trail here, or you can take a trail that’s somewhere in between. You can use Lake Oolenoy for swimming, fishing, or boating. You can park right in front of the visitor center (which is a few minutes’ drive from the trailhead) and see the mountains from behind the lake. We had our own photos done at the visitor center because I love this spot so much! You may have heard about how hard the Pinnacle Trail and the Table Rock Trail are, but those aren’t the only trails in the park. The Carrick Creek trail will take you to some small waterfalls. Between the Table Rock Trail and the Pinnacle Trail, both are strenuous, but there are some differences: the Pinnacle Trail is one mile longer in each direction, but the first two miles have a pretty minimal incline and it’s a gradual incline after that. Table Rock trail is a pretty consistent incline the whole way. Although Pinnacle Mountain is the highest point entirely in South Carolina, the summit at Pinnacle doesn’t have a view like the one at Table Rock, but it has an overlook near the top at Bald Knob. Pinnacle has more of a variety in scenery while Table Rock has a nice little gazebo about halfway up with a pretty view. Read more about Table Rock here!

A couple’s session I did at the Table Rock State Park visitor center - click to see more

Woods Bay State Park (Olanta/Florence County): This was the only park where we saw exactly zero people and zero cars. We didn’t even see a park ranger or a ranger’s vehicle while we were there! We took a boardwalk trail through the swamp, where there were tons of cypress trees in the water. It totally looked like a place in a Disney movie where alligators live. We broke through spiderwebs, which wouldn’t have been there if other people had been on the trail that day, so that was a little concerning since we were there later in the afternoon. We saw one alligator, but it was far away and went back underwater when it saw us. This boardwalk abruptly ended in the middle of the swamp, which seemed odd, and we had to turn back around and walk through the alligator and big spider territory again to get back to our car. It made for an interesting story though!

Phone photo of Woods Bay before I got on the boardwalk. I kept my phone in my pocket after that so I could be alert for alligators!

So there’s some of our experience through all 47 South Carolina state parks! I’m happy to answer any questions you have, and I’m happy to help you pick a park that’s perfect for your photos.

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Falls Park Proposal | Jen and Joe

Joe wanted to move closer to family, so he looked into Greenville, South Carolina. As soon as he saw that he could have a downtown apartment within walking distance of a waterfall, he knew he had to check the place out for himself. Fast forward, and that waterfall became the place where he got engaged to someone he met at his downtown apartment building!

When Joe got the phone call from the jeweler to tell him the ring was ready, he knew he had to act quickly. Thanksgiving was only a few days away, and he wanted to be able to celebrate their engagement while they were with Jen's family for the holiday. Joe reached out to me the day after the ring came in, which was also the day before he wanted to propose. I showed him a proposal photo in Falls Park a few months earlier, and he said that spot looked perfect. Joe and Jen planned for an early dinner at Jianna, one of their favorite restaurants in downtown Greenville, but stopped at Falls Park along the way. I was sitting on the bench a few yards away, so I didn't hear what Joe said as he stood there with his arm around Jen, but I know that Jen said "yes" after Joe got down on one knee!

There was a street performer playing along with Frank Sinatra songs, so we had a romantic jazzy soundtrack on this fall day in downtown Greenville. We took some photos in front of the waterfall, but we also took some in front of the Medusa Tree and further into the woods, towards the Governor's School, where there aren't as many people. We ended in front of the street with a red maple that was lit up with Christmas lights!

Enjoy some of my favorite photos of Jen and Joe's proposal in Falls Park!

If you’re looking for a photographer in Greenville, read about my engagement and elopement services, and check out some of the other photos I’ve taken around downtown Greenville!

Ready for the best day ever?

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Engagement Photos in Falls Park | Krissie and Peyton

Krissie and Peyton are engaged!

They went to high school together in Illinois and started dating in college. Eventually, Krissie accepted a job in Greenville, while Peyton stayed in Illinois for medical school. One weekend when Peyton came to Greenville, he proposed to Krissie in Falls Park, so they wanted their engagement photos to be in the same place. They will be married in May in Illinois, right after Peyton finishes medical school.

We scheduled their fall engagement photos in downtown Greenville for the day after Peyton came into town. The temperature had just dropped significantly from the day before, giving us a cool, but still sunny, day for their photos. Even though most of the trees had lost their leaves by then, we still had some yellow in the trees and some brown leaves on the ground. I even found some maple leaves on the ground for the photos of Krissie's engagement ring, which coordinated with their burgundy outfits that seemed to contrast beautifully with every spot we found. Krissie and Peyton wanted some photos where Peyton proposed, which was on a rock in front of a smaller waterfall where the Reedy River flows in front of the Grand Bohemian Hotel. Falls Park was busy, but that spot was a lot quieter and more intimate.

After many years of taking photos in downtown Greenville, it's always so fun to hear about the places that stick out to other people because they might not be spots that I'd thought about before. We headed over to the part of the park that runs into the woods, past the Medusa tree and towards the Governor's School. It's really shady there and there's a tiny waterfall with some beautiful stone steps. We also really liked the stone bridge with the ivy on it, so we took some photos there. We finished the session over by the Wyche Pavilion and stood at the top of the stairs as the sun set behind the buildings. A beautiful ending to a fall evening.

Check out some of my favorites from Krissie and Peyton's engagement in downtown Greenville, South Carolina!

If you’re looking for a photographer in Greenville, read about my engagement and elopement services, and check out some of the other photos I’ve taken around downtown Greenville!

Ready for your best day ever?

Photo by Shehzad Ziaee

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Maternity Photos at Lake Jocassee | Alexis and Skylar

Skylar and Alexis were my very first engagement session in 2017. 5 years later, they’re about to become parents, and I got to do their photos again!

Even though we knew each other in college, Dan and I have gotten closer with Alexis and Skylar in the time since their engagement session. Dan and Skylar play Dungeons and Dragons with two of their other friends every week. We’ve been on some hikes, and our dogs love playing together!

Alexis and Skylar trusted me when I told them a spot that was at the top of my bucket list for photos: Devils Fork State Park. This park is the only public access point to Lake Jocassee, which is the best combination of water and mountains you can find in South Carolina. This park gave us beach vibes, fall woodsy vibes, and mountains, all close together. The photo of Alexis and Skylar walking on the bridge to the dock is one of my new favorites!

Alexis is due in mid-November. As much as I wanted to have fall foliage in these photos, we had the session done on the first day of October. We didn’t want to do the session too close to Alexis’s due date for a few reasons. One is that sometimes babies arrive earlier than their due date and we didn’t want to miss the window. The other is that sometimes the last stretch of the pregnancy can be super uncomfortable, making it hard to move around, so we had the session around the 34 week mark.

We almost rescheduled the session because Hurricane Ian was coming through. A few days earlier, it said there was a 90% chance of rain that day. Luckily, the rain was done early that morning, and the sun came through just enough. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather that day, and I think the forecast scared a lot of people away from the park that day, so we almost had it to ourselves!

Usually at any point during the fall, I can find SOMETHING that has some fall color in it, and I’ll milk it for a photo session. One of the bushes I found happened to be next to a beauty berry bush, which has some interesting colors in the fall—lime green leaves with electric purple berries!

I hope that one day, Alexis and Skylar’s daughter will enjoy looking at photos of the weeks before she was born. In the meantime, check out some of my favorite photos from Alexis and Skylar’s maternity photos at Devils Fork State Park!

If you’re looking for a photographer, check out some of my other work at Devils Fork State Park, then read about my elopement and engagement services!

Photo by Shehzad Ziaee

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Rock Quarry Garden Engagement | Ashlee and John

Ashlee and John are engaged! If you love dogs, gardens, or roses, you’ll love this proposal!

When I talked with John about his proposal plan, he knew he wanted to make it a picnic in a beautiful place with their dogs. They like to have picnics together in pretty places all over the upstate with their dogs, Pepper and Randy. He chose Rock Quarry Garden, one of their favorite places to have a picnic. This beautiful little garden is hidden between two streets in downtown Greenville, with a staircase on each side to lead you down into it.

It was a beautiful Friday evening in September, and John had told Ashlee they were going to a nice dinner with Pepper and Randy. Instead, they parked at Rock Quarry Garden and walked into it. Their family had set up a beautiful picnic there, complete with champagne, roses, rose petals, pictures of them, and a bottle of personalized M&Ms! There was a card addressed to Ashlee, signed with both dogs’ paw prints, asking if they could be siblings. When Ashlee finished reading the card, she turned around and saw John on one knee with the ring! Ashley wasn’t expecting this at all, and Randy looked so surprised in the photos!

We took pictures around Rock Quarry Garden until the sun was gone. There was a small waterfall at one side and a beautiful stone bridge at the other, with plenty of colorful plants in between. There was a statue of a little girl with a dog who looked a lot like Pepper, so we had to take photos with that too. After we packed everything up, John took Ashlee to a surprise dinner with their families!

Check out some of my favorite photos of Ashlee and John’s engagement at Rock Quarry Garden!

If you’re looking for a photographer in Greenville, read more about my engagement and elopement services!

Ready for the best day ever?

Photo by Shehzad Ziaee

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. We love being outside just as much as we love hanging out on the couch and watching Pixar movies.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Lake Lure Engagement | Andrew and Lindsey

Lindsey and Andrew had been friends since FIRST GRADE and have been together for the last 3 years. Andrew decided he wanted to propose while they were in the Asheville area. He saw my blog post from Leah and Jacob’s proposal at Chimney Rock State Park and reached out to me about taking photos of him proposing to Lindsey in the same spot.

We talked on the phone and planned it all out. I sent him a map with different spots marked and sent him some photos from Leah and Jacob’s proposal to tell him where to stand without being blocked by the fence. We aimed to get there right when it opens so we could have the best lighting and the place to ourselves. We planned everything perfectly!

Except it didn’t work out.

When I got to the park, the staff told me that the park was closed until further notice. Some trees had fallen into the road and taken some power lines down with them. Andrew and Lindsey went into a nearby coffee shop while I parked near the park entrance and watched the cars continue to be turned away. I wasn’t sure how long it would take to reopen, so I sent Andrew a video I had taken at the only other scenic place I knew around there: the Flowering Bridge at Lake Lure. He took a minute to think and decided we should go for it!

The Flowering Bridge is a small botanical garden on the side of the road, just a few minutes away from the entrance to Chimney Rock State Park. It covers a bridge that starts to go over Lake Lure and comes back to the road. Parts of the garden are themed, and you can see Chimney Rock from there.

Andrew decided to propose on part of the bridge that overlooks the water. Lindsey said that it was a perfect spot because she loves flowers. With all the flowers and herbs, it just smelled so good! To top it off, there were tons of butterflies and bees flying around, which Lindsey loves. Andrew remembered Lindsey chasing butterflies back in first grade, when they first met. Lindsey asked me to take a photo of them on her Polaroid that she brings everywhere with her, so they immediately had one photo to take home.

Even though this wasn’t at all what we planned, we’re all happy with how the day went! Check out some of my favorites of Lindsey and Andrew’s engagement at the Flowering Bridge at Lake Lure!

Read more about Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, and if you’re looking for a photographer, read about my elopement services and my engagement services!

Ready for the best day ever?

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources



Greenville, SC Proposal | Destiny and Pat

Destiny thought the family dinner and portrait session were to celebrate her birthday a day early. What she didn’t know was that I’d met with her mom, her sister, and her boyfriend a few weeks earlier to plan a proposal.

It started storming right when I got to Larkin’s, where Destiny was having her birthday dinner. I stayed in the Wyche Pavilion, waiting for the rain to pass, but it never did. I texted Destiny’s mom and said that I would walk Destiny to the pavilion with my umbrellas. Destiny and I chatted a few minutes as I took some photos of her. I moved her into better lighting and sent her mom a quick text saying, “Ready.”

The next few portraits have someone in the background, who I didn’t edit out. Pat got closer and closer until he was right behind Destiny, and he got down on one knee. I told Destiny to stay where she was while I changed angles. I moved about 90 degrees and several steps backwards, took a few photos, and told her to face the other direction, where she finally saw Pat! After he shared a few words with her, he asked her to marry him, and she said yes as their families watched through the window from under the awning at Larkin’s. Natasia, who Destiny thought was just a random person taking shelter from the rain, played a few songs on violin that were special to Destiny and Pat, and they shared a slow dance in the pavilion.

The rain didn’t stop for more than a few minutes at a time, so we mostly stayed in the pavilion, but took some other portraits outside of it with my umbrellas. After six years together, Destiny and Pat were both so relieved that the day had finally come.

Check out some of my favorites from Destiny and Pat’s proposal in downtown Greenville!


Ready for the best day ever?

Photo by Shehzad Ziaee

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Davis | Miss Clemson University 2022

Davis was crowned Miss Clemson University 2022! She represented Zeta Tau Alpha in the pageant. She won the talent award by singing Vita de la Rosa by Sandi Patty (in English and Spanish), and she won the evening gown award. She is a political science and communications major and competed in Miss South Carolina this year!

Davis’s portrait session was on a perfect April day, just a few days after the pageant. She came with her aunt, who did an amazing job on her hair and makeup. Davis borrowed an evening gown from Dressing Dreams just for this session. She decided to go all out since she didn’t need to worry about walking around in it for hours at a time, like she would for a pageant. It was somewhere between blush pink and Clemson orange and one of the biggest dresses I’ve ever worked with. I thought it looked especially regal on the steps of Sikes Hall! We walked around to some of our favorite places on campus, sharing stories about our time as Clemson students. Even though there was a ton of construction around the stadium, we still got some pretty photos with the rest of campus and some flowers that were in bloom. This year, the crown was less like the Miss South Carolina crowns and more like a tiara—complete with orange rhinestone accents!

I can’t wait to follow Davis’s journey representing the best school ever. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the photos from her session!

For more information about the Miss Clemson University pageant, click here. If you want photos like these at Clemson, click below.

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Where to Elope in South Carolina

Devils Fork State Park/Lake Jocassee in Salem, South Carolina

Want to elope in South Carolina?

You’re in the right place if you don’t feel like a big wedding is the right fit for you and your partner, but you want the day to be a little more exciting than signing papers at the courthouse and calling it a day.

If you’ve read my post on how to elope in South Carolina, you already know that eloping doesn’t have to be at a courthouse or in Las Vegas, and you have multiple options for how to become legally married. A wedding without guests, or with only a few guests, still deserves to be the most beautiful day for you and your partner. Part of that involves setting the scene—where is the best place for YOU to elope in South Carolina?

If you’re looking for places to elope in upstate South Carolina, check out my post for where to elope near Greenville!

Skylight Chapel in Taylors, South Carolina

In this post, I’ll be talking about places to elope in South Carolina, including:

  • Wedding Venues in South Carolina

  • Hotels, Inns, and Rental Properties

  • Parks

  • Mountains

  • Beaches

  • Gardens

  • Lakes

  • Downtown

  • Waterfalls

  • Somewhere that’s special to you

  • And of course, the classic places: churches, courthouses, the post office, or your house!

What would your perfect day look like? Read about the elopement experience to get some ideas and see how I can help!

Old Sheldon Church Ruins in Yemassee, South Carolina.

Elopement Venues in South Carolina

Why would you rent a whole venue if you’re eloping?

  1. It can ensure that nobody else is around.

  2. You have a solid plan for a place to go, and you won’t show up and have it be closed.

  3. A venue will have bathrooms and usually better accessibility, like ramps for wheelchairs. 

  4. There are usually designated places within a venue, like a place to get ready and a place to eat, so you can keep your whole day in one place and between the two of you.

If there’s a wedding venue that you love, see if they offer an elopement package!  Some venues only offer this package during certain days or times of the week, and some allow a small number of guests. Here are a few pretty venues in South Carolina for an elopement:

Pretty Place Chapel in Cleveland, South Carolina

  • Pretty Place (pictured above):  Fred W. Symmes Chapel at YMCA Camp Greenville, or “Pretty Place,” is one of the most popular wedding venues in South Carolina, and one of the most popular places in South Carolina for an elopement. One of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve ever seen was at this open-air chapel in the mountains, right on the border between the Carolinas, and it gets some of the best fall foliage in the whole state.  Explore other parts of Mountain Bridge Wilderness as you head back towards Greenville, then stop for a nice meal in Greenville or Travelers Rest to celebrate!

  • Cypress Gardens:  If you’re looking for places to elope near Charleston, it doesn’t get more picturesque than Cypress Gardens. You can even ask the staff to take you to where some of your favorite movies were filmed, like where Allie and Noah take a rowboat through the cypress trees and Spanish moss in The Notebook.

  • Cliffs at Glassy Chapel:  This chapel is in a private living community in Landrum, in northern Spartanburg County. The view from the top of the mountain is one thing, but the stone chapel is one of the prettiest I’ve seen in South Carolina.

  • Hewitt Oaks:  When you picture a wedding in lowcountry South Carolina, this is basically as romantic-looking as you can imagine. These live oak trees in Beaufort are just dripping with Spanish moss!

  • View Point at Buckhorn Creek:  A garden venue with Japanese vibes in Greenville where you can see the mountains in the distance.  Honestly, I can’t get over how many colors are here in the spring and how big the fish in the pond are. There’s a getting ready area and plenty of space for you and any guests to have a catered dinner. Paris Mountain State Park is right down the road.

  • Old Sheldon Church or Chapel of Ease:  Both of these historic chapel ruins in lowcountry South Carolina are hundreds of years old with no shortage of Spanish moss and southern mystique. They are both part of St. Helena Parish.

  • Bent Creek Farm: This venue in Anderson offers multiple ceremony spaces, a getting-ready area, and a covered indoor area as a rain plan or a space for a small reception.

  • River Road and Jasmine Houses and Gardens:  These two houses in Columbia have plenty of beautiful garden space in between them, full of pretty flowers, bushes, and Palmetto trees.  There’s plenty of space for getting ready and you can pivot to an indoor space if you need to.

  • Skylight Chapel:  A small chapel in Taylors with both indoor and outdoor ceremony options. This is just a few minutes from Lake Robinson.

  • Palmetto Bluff: Want to get married in one of the places where Justin and Hailey Bieber got married? Well, here it is! This resort and spa offers white chapels and views of the South Carolina marshlands. This is in Bluffton, near Hilton Head.

  • Heyward Manor: In the quiet of Iva, South Carolina; you can choose between getting married in or outside a white barn, among the flowers, or in a rowboat on the lake!

  • Belle Tesoro: the name combines the French word for “beautiful” and the Italian word for “treasure.” This beautiful house near Spartanburg has Tuscan-inspired scenery, a gazebo for an outdoor ceremony, and gorgeous staircases for photos!

  • Ballenger Bridge: There are so many options here for where to elope, from mountains to a creek to a gazebo over the water. This is in Landrum, about 45 minutes from Greenville.

Ballenger Bridge in Landrum, South Carolina

Hotels, Inns, or Rental Properties

First things first: make sure the manager or the owner of the rental property knows you’re planning to get married here. Some AirBnBs specifically don’t allow weddings, so you’ll need to be on the same page with the owner about what’s happening, even if you’re not planning to have guests. Here are some hotels and inns that would be great places in South Carolina to elope:

This couple eloped in front of the mountains at the Red Horse Inn in Landrum, South Carolina. See more

Red Horse Inn (pictured above):  Red Horse Inn is in northern Spartanburg County along Scenic Highway 11. Coming up the stairs and seeing this patio just about took my breath away! You can see some of the private cottages in the background, where you and your dogs can spend the night.  Also, you could have a mini-pig as your witness. Campbell’s Covered Bridge is just a few minutes down the road, too. This couple had their elopement photos taken in both places!

Inn at Folly Beach: You can elope on the beach, at the Morris Island Lighthouse, or anywhere in between! The inn also offers services like cake and florals.

Bleckley Inn: One of my favorite venues is right in the middle of downtown Anderson. There are multiple spaces here that can be used for an elopement or a small wedding, even if there’s another wedding happening in the main courtyard that day.  You, and any guests you invite, can stay there the night before and after the wedding. This couple was married in one of the smaller dining rooms with a few family members and friends, then we took some photos outside.

Hotel Domestique: a small European-style inn north of Travelers Rest that overlooks the mountains.  The inn is small enough that you and a handful of guests can have it all to yourselves. Treat yourselves to dinner afterwards at their restaurant, Restaurant 17

Westin Poinsett: Another one of my favorite venues is the Westin Poinsett, or the Poinsett Hotel, right in the heart of downtown Greenville! This 1920s hotel has multiple ballrooms and some beautiful staircases, windows, and floor tiles. If you think the word “Poinsett” looks like “poinsettia,” they’re both named for the same person, and there are plenty of poinsettias in there near Christmastime! The Westin Poinsett is almost right across the street from Falls Park.

Grand Bohemian Lodge: This gorgeous hotel is right at the end of Liberty Bridge and has one of the best views of Falls Park. If the hotel itself didn’t already have enough scenery, you’re close enough to walk all around downtown Greenville.

Intimate wedding at Bleckley Inn in Anderson, South Carolina.

South Carolnia State Parks

While a few state parks have actual wedding venues (like the Table Rock Lodge, Atalaya Castle at Huntington Beach, and the Legare-Waring House at Charles Towne Landing), you can also call the office at your favorite park to get information about eloping there! For more popular parks, you can avoid crowds by getting married on a weekday or during the winter. If you have a small number of guests, you can ask about renting a picnic shelter with a view.

I’ve been to all 48 state parks in South Carolina and can help you choose the perfect spot to get married. Waterfalls, beaches, mountains, marshes, a castle, a lighthouse - the state parks have it all! While I think all of them have the potential to be an amazing place to elope, here are some of the ones that stand out to me:

  • Table Rock (pictured above):  This park in Pickens County has something for everyone, whether you want to hike for days or just drive to a pretty view.  For an elopement, I’d recommend a short waterfall hike and watching the sunset over the mountains from the pier.

  • Caesars Head:  One of my favorite views in the state is sunset over the mountains from the Caesars Head overlook in northern Greenville County.  The overlook can be reserved during non-peak times so that you can have some privacy.

  • Devils Fork:  This park in Oconee County is the only public access point to Lake Jocassee, one of my favorite places in the state.  Say your vows on the shore or take a boat to some of the islands and waterfalls!

  • Hunting Island:  There’s a driftwood beach here that’s perfect for a sunrise ceremony.  Walk back to the rest of the park through a trail that feels like a jungle. You’ll be able to see for miles from the inside of the lighthouse!

  • Myrtle Beach:  Myrtle Beach State Park is a relief from the crowds and litter that you’d find in other parts of Myrtle Beach.  If you spend the night in the park, you can easily get to the beach for sunrise, when not as many people are awake.

  • Huntington Beach:  Just south of Myrtle is Huntington Beach, which is also beautiful.  There are lots of overlooks over marshes and if you like birds, you’ll probably see some cool ones.  Atalaya Castle, a Spanish moor-style mansion, is also available to rent as a wedding venue.

  • Charles Towne Landing:  One of the prettiest tree tunnels I’ve seen is the one in front of the Legare-Waring house, which is available to rent as a venue.  There’s also a small zoo here if you want to see some animals afterwards.

  • Edisto Beach:  This island is basically the epitome of lowcountry South Carolina scenery.  Not only can you have a sunrise ceremony at the beach here, our randomly chosen campsite had a gorgeous view of the marsh at sunset.

  • Santee:  Stay in a cabin that “floats” over Lake Marion and get married on the porch, overlooking the lake.

  • Jones Gap:  Most of the scenery here involves a little hiking, which can vary from an easy trail to some of the hardest in the state.  I’d choose Jones Gap Falls because the trail isn’t too hard, so you won’t be exhausted by the time you say your vows.  The fall colors here are so beautiful!

  • Keowee-Toxaway:  There’s a beautiful little overlook here that requires a little bit of hiking.  Stay a while to have a picnic and watch the sunset!

  • May Forest: South Carolina’s newest park is still in its “soft-open” phase, but it would be a great spot for an elopement! It used to be a convent, so there’s a pink chapel surrounded by garden scenery and a perfect view of the Charleston Harbor and skyline.

If you want to know more about each park from someone who’s visited every single one, you can read about all of them or reach out to me if you have questions!

Elopement at Devils Fork State Park on Lake Jocassee (Salem, South Carolina).

Gardens

One great thing about gardens is that they’re made to look beautiful at any time of year. In the “pretty” times of year, you’ll have a wider window for when you’ll get spring or fall scenery. Here are some gardens in South Carolina where you can elope:

  • South Carolina Botanical Gardens (pictured above in the winter):  This is part of Clemson University, which has strong roots in agriculture and tons of people who are passionate about plants.  There’s endless scenery from around the whole state of South Carolina.  There are also venues and ceremony spaces to rent if you’re planning to have guests.

  • Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Gardens:  Get married, then walk around the zoo!  There multiple venues and ceremony spaces here that can be rented, with scenery inspired from all over the world.

  • Brookgreen Gardens:  Just south of Myrtle Beach, Brookgreen Gardens has some beautiful garden scenery, sculptures, and Spanish moss.  You will have to become a member of Brookgreen Gardens to get married here.

South Carolina Botanical Gardens

Downtown in Your Favorite City

If you don’t mind a crowd, or if urban scenery is your vibe, you can elope downtown in your city! As a resident of the Greenville area, I’m partial to Greenville’s downtown, which has a waterfall and a beautiful little park right in the heart of downtown, so you don’t have to choose between a place with urban or natural scenery.  But downtown in any city could give you the option for renting a patio space, amphitheater, restaurant, or rooftop.  You can also hop from your ceremony to dinner to anything else that excites you there:  live performances, festivals, ice skating, or just a hotel to relax afterwards.

Here’s what an elopement in Greenville could look like!

Liberty Bridge in Downtown Greenville, South Carolina.

Mountains

Should you hike to a summit with a gorgeous view, or make it an easy day at a restaurant, inn, or venue? Up to you!

A small part of the Blue Ridge crosses into South Carolina, giving similar scenery to western North Carolina or northern Gerogia.

While I’ve already mentioned some venues in South Carolina with mountains, you can also find a view from a few different summits.  Catch the sunset at Bald Rock or Caesars Head, or trek up to Sassafras Mountain for a 360 view while one of you stands in North Carolina and the other stands in South Carolina.  Some of these views require hiking, so check out some of my suggestions for finding a trail.
To learn more about choosing a hiking trail for your photos, see what I look for in a trail.

More places to elope in the mountains of South Carolina

Pretty Place Chapel in Cleveland, South Carolina

Waterfalls

Whether you’re looking for a hiking adventure or an easy walk from your car, you have plenty of waterfalls to choose from in South Carolina. Waterfalls are a little tricky because they can either be difficult to get to or they can have a lot of people. Here are a few not-so-secret ones that I’d be happy to use for an elopement, but you can see more here.

Oconee County alone has over 150 named waterfalls.

Station Cove Falls (pictured above): This is one of my favorite waterfalls. It’s an easy trail with plenty of scenery along the way. It’s in Oconee County, close to some other cool natural scenery, like Oconee Station and Stumphouse Tunnel. This couple chose Station Cove because they had about 10 family members they wanted to join them and they wanted a trail that wasn’t very difficult.

Reedy River Falls: This is the most famous one, right in the middle of downtown Greenville, but there are other smaller waterfalls within walking distance of it. There are plenty of restaurants around it if you want to celebrate afterwards! For more ideas on having a reception after your elopement, click here.

Rock Quarry Garden: It’s easy to drive right past Rock Quarry Garden without realizing it’s there. It’s in downtown Greenville, below two streets. It has a small waterfall at one end of the garden.

Wildcat Wayside: This is a one-mile trail in northern Greenville County with 3 waterfalls. The first one is a 10-foot waterfall that you can see from the road. The second is a smaller, wide waterfall up a set of steps. The third one is the biggest, but it looks more like a little trickle on a rock to me, so I’d stick with the two at the bottom.

Table Rock State Park: There’s a dam near the visitor center, but there are also 3 waterfalls of varying sizes along the 2-mile Carrick Creek Trail.

Lake Jocassee: There are at least 5 waterfalls on Lake Jocassee that are only accessible by boat.

Jones Gap: While Rainbow Falls is one of my favorite places in the state, it’s a difficult trail for only being 4 miles. I’d suggest Jones Gap Falls, which is a little shorter and not as difficult.

Reedy River Falls in Falls Park, downtown Greenville

Beaches

Everyone thinks of Myrtle Beach and Charleston when they think of South Carolina. Even though MOST of the state isn’t actually beaches, the coast does have some really pretty spots, and it’s no wonder people visit there so much, but you can find plenty of beaches that aren’t as crowded. For a more private ceremony, get married close to sunrise, when the sun is over the water, and enjoy the rest of the day on the beach as a married couple!

Since South Carolina beaches tend to get a lot of tourists, I’d recommend either choosing a beachfront venue with an elopement package, finding a rental property along the beach, or reaching out to a park office to see if they can find a private place for you.

The four South Carolina State Parks along beaches are Myrtle Beach State Park, Huntington Beach State Park, Edisto Beach State Park, and Hunting Island State Park. Each has its own unique scenery!

Myrtle Beach Wedding Chapel: There is a small wedding chapel on Myrtle Beach with a reception hall area, providing an indoor option for bad weather.

Inn at Folly Beach: Get married in front of the best surfing waves in South Carolina or the Morris Island Lighthouse! The inn also offers services such as cake and florals.

Palmetto Dunes at Hilton Head: This resort provides space for up to 50 guests and has the option to add decor, such as an arbor to go with the ocean backdrop.

If you’re in the Upstate, but still like the look of the beach, Devils Fork State Park might be the place for you!

Devils Fork State Park - not on the ocean, but still has some beautiful beachy scenery.

Lakes

If you love water but you don’t live near the beach, we have plenty of lakes in South Carolina to have your wedding!

The lakes in the upstate along Highway 11 have some gorgeous views of the mountains. This couple got married at Lake Keowee with just a few family members!

I’ve mentioned Lake Jocassee a lot in this post, since it’s my favorite lake, but there are several in South Carolina. I was married at Clemson in front of Lake Hartwell, one of the biggest lakes east of the Mississippi River. Lake Keowee (pictured above) has multiple access points, but there are also lots of lake houses available for rent. Several of the South Carolina State Parks serve as a public access point to a lake, and you can ask the park staff what their policies are for weddings.

Lake Oolenoy at Table Rock State Park

Courthouse or Post Office

A post office? Hear me out on this one:

First of all, one venue in upstate South Carolina actually is an old post office that was converted into a wedding venue, but kept the aesthetic of a 1940s post office.

Second of all, a post office can provide a notary public, who can take care of the paperwork for you to become legally married.

A courthouse could also be where you sign the papers saying that you’re legally married so that you don’t have to worry about that on the actual wedding day. That gives you the rest of the day to adventure together as a married couple!

Churches

This is a great option for couples who want intimacy for their ceremony, but still like the idea of a church wedding. One good thing about getting married in a church is that it comes with officiants!

If you don’t want to get married at the church you attend, you can ask your pastor to come with you to a chapel that isn’t affiliated with a parish, like Pretty Place, Cliffs at Glassy Chapel, or the chapels at Palmetto Bluffs.

Private Property

You could even get married at your own house! If a family member or friend has a beautiful house or land that you love, you could ask them to be a witness to your wedding.

A backyard wedding doesn’t sound glamorous, but using your home as your wedding venue can be really special. Make it as pretty as you want, and you can even keep it decorated if you want!

Somewhere that’s Special to You

If it’s just the two of you, the sky is the limit for where to get married! For this couple, it was the amphitheater at Clemson University. Let’s face it, that amphitheater is a gorgeous place to get married, and they’ve been there so many times together.

At the end of the day, it’s about you two. It doesn’t matter how crazy your ideas sound to anyone else, especially if you’re not having guests.

Read more about the elopement experience to get some ideas, then we can start planning together!

How do you want to remember your wedding day?

Ready for the best day ever?

Photo by Shehzad Ziaee

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. We love being outside as much as we love being on the couch and watching Pixar movies together.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it has just about everything in terms of scenery. Whether you’re looking for a mountaintop, a lake, or a beach; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

North Carolina Mountain Engagement | Amy and Brock

Amy and Brock first met at CrossFit when they lived in Louisiana. They moved to South Carolina a few years ago when Brock started grad school, and they’ve have hiked some beautiful places together. They were engaged on a snowy day at Max Patch. Brock proposed with a ring made from his grandmother’s diamond!

Amy and Brock knew their engagement photos HAD to be at this one summit in Linville Gorge Wilderness. When we got to the summit, it was so easy to see why! There were 360 views that were just beautiful in every direction, and to top it off, there were pink flowers in bloom EVERYWHERE. We felt a few raindrops, but never for more than a few seconds. We saw in the distance where it was raining though. Right before the sun went down, it came through the clouds just enough for us to have some beautiful light. Someone at the summit said it looked like Amy and Brock were in a Disney movie. When we lost the sun, another group reminded us that the Blood Moon was happening that night, so we got to see a little of that before the clouds covered it up.

This trail was a bit steep, but Amy and Brock were well prepared. Amy wore the shorter dress to go uphill; the other one would probably make her trip and get muddy before we started taking photos. They dressed in layers so they could change in the trees at the top. Amy brought a cordless curling iron to touch up at the summit—that humidity was intense! They both decided to wear Chacos instead of boots because they could change into nicer shoes more quickly. After the sun went down, they changed into more comfortable hiking clothes, and we hiked back to our cars with headlamps. All the little details came together perfectly!

Amy and Brock will be married later this year in Louisiana with a few of their close friends and family members. Check out some of my favorites from their engagement photos in Pisgah National Forest!

Do you want an engagement session that looks like this? Click here to get in touch, or check out some of my other posts below!

Ideas for Elopement Receptions

If your wedding ceremony is just the two of you, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a reception. It’s your wedding day, and you still deserve to celebrate it!

Elopement Reception Ideas:


1. Have a meal catered for two at your ceremony site.

Elopement at Clemson | Christine Scott Photography

Some caterers will deliver and set it up, just like they would for a traditional reception. A local restaurant might offer this as well. Eat some good food, cut your cake, pop some champagne, and enjoy the rest of your wedding day!

2. Make a dinner reservation.

You can celebrate at one of your favorite places to eat together, or you can treat yourselves to a new restaurant that’s a higher-end dining experience than what you’d normally choose.

3. Bring your own food to have a picnic with a view.

Make your own food, order takeout, or use a picnic service! Yes, picnic services are a thing—check out one service based out of Greenville!

4. Have a big reception with your family and friends on a different day.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but there are three reasons that come to mind for why someone might want to do it this way:

  1. You like the idea of celebrating with other people, but still want the privacy and intimacy of an elopement ceremony.

  2. It’s hard to get both of your families together. For example, my cousin married someone whose family lived overseas, so they had one reception with her family and one reception with his.

  3. I’ve seen some couples who have a smaller ceremony before their planned wedding date to accommodate extenuating circumstances, like military deployment or to include a relative who is terminally ill.


Ready for the best day ever?

Photo by Shehzad Ziaee

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 47 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Sunrise or sunset?

The best natural light happens within the hour after sunrise or the hour before sunset. Depending on the time of year, the sun rises in the upstate between 6:15 and 7:30, and sets between 5:20 and 8:45. I usually have my sessions closer to sunset because people tend to not want to be out at sunrise, but I’m usually open to either one. 

How you decide whether sunrise or sunset is the better option for you? 

Where does the scenic view face?

You’ll want the view behind you, but you also want the sun behind you for more flattering lighting and more colors in the sky. The sun rises over the water on east coast beaches and it sets over the water on west coast beaches. One example in the upstate is Pretty Place Chapel vs. Caesars Head. They overlook the same area, but they face different directions. Pretty Place will have the sun rise behind the cross, and Caesars Head will have the sun set behind the overlook. 

Do you want people there?

If you want to avoid crowds, it’s usually better to wake up early and get there before people are usually out. If you want other people there with you, like your family and friends, it might be easier for them to get there at sunset. 

Temperature

The outside temperature tends to be cooler at sunrise and warmer at sunset. If you want your photos on a mountain, the cool air in the morning might be too much in the colder months. There could also be ice at higher elevations, which is more likely to form overnight and still be there in the morning. For a summer beach session or an elopement that involves hiking, sunrise might help you beat the heat. 

Clouds

Sometimes in the mornings, the clouds are lower. At higher elevations, this might mean you don’t see the views down below, but it could also look really cool. 

We arrived to the park right when it opened, which was about an hour after sunrise. Nobody was at the overlook except for us, we were above the clouds, and Leah and Jacob got to spend the rest of the day celebrating being engaged! Read More

Timing

A sunrise session gives you more time to spend the day together later, while a sunset session gives you more time beforehand. If you want to have your hair and makeup done or head to a barbershop before having your photos done, you might have better luck with scheduling that before a sunset session. If you want to get married and spend the rest of your wedding day adventuring, sunrise might be a better option for you. 

We had this overlook all to ourselves and the background looks like a painting!

What if I can’t do sunrise or sunset?

It’s not impossible to get good photos midday, but the light isn’t as easy to work with, so it’s harder to get what you want in the background with flattering light on your faces. If midday is the only time you’re available, we can work it out. I typically pose people with the sun behind them, but if that’s not where the pretty background is, I try to have one person block the sun on the other, or I have them face the side so their eyes aren’t in the shadows. The sky tends to be bluer, but the background may be overexposed. Here are a few examples of photos I’ve taken midday to help you get an idea of how they’re different.

I hope this helps you decide what time of the day is the best option for you! For more information about weather and what it might look like in your photos, check out these posts:

Ready for the best day ever?

Photo by Shehzad Ziaee

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. We love finding new outdoor places to visit, but we also love hanging out on the couch and watching Pixar movies.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

How to Choose a Trail for Your Photos

I absolutely love going on hiking trails with couples! We can do this for an engagement session, or you could even have an intimate wedding ceremony out on a trail! I have some guidelines for trails so you can have a good time AND plenty of photos you love!

1. What is the scenery like along the trail?

Are there multiple spots along the trail that can look pretty in your photos, or is there only one tiny overlook? For example, this trail has plenty of variety before you get to the waterfall, like plant life, a pond, and a bridge over a stream.

2. How difficult is this trail?

I don’t want it to be too strenuous because I don’t want you to be red, sweaty, and exhausted in your photos. I also don’t want any of us to not feel well during/after the session. I know plenty of views here that overlook mountains and waterfalls, and won’t take a toll on your well-being or how you look in your photos.

3. How long is this trail?

It needs to be short enough for us to get good light on the trail and still get out before it gets dark or the parking lot closes. For example, getting to a scenic view for sunset on the Table Rock trail can take hours, and it could be completely dark and after the park’s operating hours by the time we get back to the trailhead.

4. Does it get crowded here?


The trail needs to not be too crowded so there aren’t a lot of people in the background. Also, your session is a lot more intimate if other people aren’t around. For example, any trail at Paris Mountain will probably have lots of hikers and mountain bikers on a Saturday. ⠀

5. Most importantly:

We need to be able to do this safely—I don’t want to risk anyone getting hurt to get good photos. A 3-mile scramble might not be worth the photos, and I need to be able to pose you safely. The Falls Creek Falls trail, for example, is mostly covered in rocks and tree roots, so it’s easy to trip or roll an ankle. There also aren’t a lot of places in front of the waterfall where I’m comfortable standing or telling someone else to stand.

Believe it or not, this photo was taken at a drive-up overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway. No hiking with that baby!


If you and your partner still want to head out on a trail for your session or elopement, awesome! I know plenty of trails in the upstate that meet most, if not all, of these bullet points. Also feel free to check out my blog post to give you ideas of what places in the upstate might fit your vision—you can check it out here!

My name is Christine (Scott) Gow and I’m an elopement photographer based out of Greenville, South Carolina. I’m a wife and a beagle mom. The three of us have visited beautiful places in every corner of South Carolina, to include all 48 of our state parks. Sometimes we wear hiking boots, sometimes we wear dress shoes, and sometimes we’re barefoot in the surf.

One thing I love about South Carolina is that it’s not just the beaches and colorful houses that you imagine when you picture it. Whether you’re looking for mountains, beaches, or anything in between; I can help you find the perfect place for the two of you and make it as smooth of a day as possible. No matter how you two choose to spend your day, I’m happy you’re doing it the way that you want.

I can’t wait to meet you!

Planning Resources

Asheville Maternity Photos | Lara and Stephen

One of my oldest friends is now a mom!

Lara and I met in the summer before third grade when she moved to a house across the street from mine. Through the next 20 (!) years, we’ve been in lots of classes together, we’ve been on two cheerleading teams together, and she was drum major for the marching band for the two years I was color guard captain. When we were sophomores in college, we introduced each other to the men we would eventually marry, and we were bridesmaids in each other’s weddings. Now, we live about an hour and a half apart and can see each other more often!

Lara and Stephen were planning a trip overseas for a babymoon, where they would have maternity photos taken, but decided it was safer to stay close to home instead. They chose to check out Asheville for the first time and asked me if I would do their maternity photos. After I finished an elopement that was just over the South Carolina border, I headed up to Asheville! Apparently everyone else in the world had the idea to go to Asheville on a Saturday in October, but we could understand why—the foliage was amazing and the weather was just right.

We started off at the North Carolina Arboretum and we barely left the parking lot because there were so many pretty orange trees. Sometimes, I have a hard time with having two locations in one session because I love the first and don’t want to leave, but I know the second will be epic. This was one of those times. Lara had found an overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway that was about 10 minutes from the arboretum. That 10-minute drive at golden hour was stunning and we passed a few other overlooks that looked like a good place for photos, but we held out for the one we had planned. When we got there, it was easy to see why this parking lot had more cars than the others. We made use of a few feet where nobody was standing, and it looked like they were all alone on a mountaintop. I wished the golden hour at that overlook could last forever!

Check out some of my favorites from Lara and Stephen’s maternity photos in Asheville!

Ready for updated photos with your partner? Click here to contact me, or check out some other posts below for inspiration!

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