Santee on Lake Marion

A stay in Santee can focus on a range of interests: Lake Marion, nature trails, golf and culture. When planning your trip and looking for a hotel, it helps to consider whether you would rather spend your time by the water, on trails, on the golf course or exploring history.

Lake Marion and trails

Santee lies on the southern shore of Lake Marion, the largest freshwater lake in South Carolina. The Santee National Wildlife Refuge is about five miles north of Santee and Santee State Park.

At Santee State Park, visitors can fish for largemouth bass, striped bass, bream, crappie and catfish in Lake Marion. A valid South Carolina fishing license is required. Two boat ramps in the park provide private access to Lake Marion.

The trails in Santee State Park pass through different types of scenery. The Limestone Nature Trail is an easy loop through densely wooded areas with wildflowers and wildlife such as deer, rabbits and snakes. The Sinkhole Pond Trail passes through pine forest and swampy areas, as well as a nearly desert-like landscape around a limestone sinkhole pond. Together, the two routes showcase contrasting natural settings: dense forest on one, and pines, wetlands and the landscape around the sinkhole on the other.

There are two Palmetto Trail trailheads in the vicinity of the Town of Santee. The Lake Marion Passage of the Palmetto Trail crosses Lake Marion near Santee over an old highway bridge. The trailheads help orient visitors to the area; the bridge is a specific feature of the lake crossing described here.

Golf courses with different features

The golf courses also differ in their features. Santee National Golf Club combines rolling hills and moss-covered oaks with five strategically placed lakes on the course. Each hole has four sets of tees.

Five of the 18 holes at Lake Marion Golf Course have water hazards. The course also has a lighted driving range. Santee Cooper Country Club has an 18-hole golf course, along with a clubhouse, driving range, putting green, golf cart rentals and snack bar. The information offers different points of reference: course layout and tees at Santee National Golf Club, water hazards and a driving range at Lake Marion Golf Course, and the listed facilities at Santee Cooper Country Club.

Culture and history

Santee’s Cultural Arts and Visitor Center is housed in the former Old Parler School. It preserves original Southern Heart Pine floorboards that are well over 100 years old. The building’s former use as a school and its preserved flooring give it a tangible connection to the past.

The Santee Indian Mound-Fort Watson archaeological site is located in the Bluff Unit of the Santee National Wildlife Refuge. The Santee Indian Mound is more than 1,000 years old and later served as the site of British Fort Watson during the American Revolutionary War.

For the broader travel overview: Orangeburg County.