SC opens former utility workers’ retreat as 51st state park
Oct 16, 2026 | 3:20 pm ET
Description
Ramsey Grove State Park, which features groves of live oak trees, is open to the public. (Photo courtesy of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism)
South Carolina’s newest state park, which once served as a retreat for employees of a state utility, is open to the public.
Ramsey Grove State Park in Georgetown officially started welcoming visitors at the beginning of the month. During the “soft opening,” the park will open only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, except for scheduled deer hunting days, according to the parks department.
A full opening date is not yet set.
“We are thrilled to welcome visitors to Ramsey Grove State Park to experience the beauty and reverence of this special place,” said agency director Duane Parrish in a statement. “As we continue to plan for additional facilities and features, the soft opening allows the public to explore the trails, discover rich history, and gain a deeper understanding of the region’s cultural heritage.”
Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for children over the age of 5, and free for children 5 and under.
The 2,650-acre property, nestled against the Black River, includes 7 miles of hiking trails and is a popular site for birdwatching, according to the parks department.
The site started as a plantation in 1731. In 1850, nearly 400 slaves farmed rice on the land. A hunting lodge with portions built as early as the 1770s still stands among the oak groves.
Most recently, the land was a retreat for staff of SCANA, the former utility company that oversaw the failed V.C. Summer nuclear power plant. After buying SCANA in 2019, Dominion Energy agreed to donate four properties to the state. That 2021 deal was part of a settlement meant to offset roughly $165 million the utility owed in unpaid taxes that would have been forgiven if the nuclear plant had been completed.
One of the properties, Bundrick Island on Lexington County’s Lake Murray, went to the Department of Natural Resources. Also known as Sandy Beach, it’s accessible only by boat.
The parks department received Ramsey Grove, along with Pine Island in Lexington County and Misty Lake in Aiken County.
Pine Island State Park opened to the public in October 2025. Misty Lake does not yet have an opening date.
Ramsey Grove is the 51st state park.
After opening two parks in two decades, Ramsey Grove marks the third park to open in the past two years, with at least three more in the works, a boom caused in part by the donations from Dominion Energy.
Legislators spent $15 million on developing those prospective parks last year, including establishing hiking trails and repairing buildings, on top of $10 million during the two years before that.
The state agency recommends checking the park’s website before heading out. Scheduled closures for hunting include every weekend in October.
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