Highway 321
2019 Hiking Week 22
One of my favorite back roads drives in South Carolina is Highway 321, from Columbia to Hardeeville. We take this highway whenever we go to Savannah.
Even though I've grown up in a time when interstates are ubiquitous and everyone wants to get where they're going as soon as possible, there were times when my parents took me on back roads drives and weekend explorations. I remember some Sundays, after church, driving out to have lunch in Prosperity and exploring the towns around Lake Murray. These days, we turn to the highways of South Carolina whenever we can, especially when we expect traffic to be heavy on the interstates. Lately, I have enjoyed seeing these small towns that I usually only see as names on a map or an exit sign. You'll remember when we visited Lake Wateree, we also went through the town of Great Falls. Now I have a picture of the town when I see that name.
Years ago, when travelling to Savannah, we started getting off the interstate and taking small highways to avoid the traffic on I-26 and I-95. Since then, we found we enjoy Highway 321 the best. There are many small towns along the way, river and creek crossings, and some long stretches of wooded land. We have our landmarks that we look for, the church in Robertville, the antique junk yard in Fairfax, the dogwoods on the road in Denmark, and the many gorgeous live oak trees with spanish moss dripping down. There are historic landmarks, racing tracks, water lilies on the side of the road, and abandoned motels that keep the drive interesting. Many times I have said that we need to take some pictures while traveling.
On our past trip back from Savannah, we stopped at two state parks that are not far off of the highway: Lake Warren State Park and Rivers Bridge State Historic Site. We were pleasantly surprised by how nice these parks are and we hope to return again. Both parks had free admission.
Lake Warren State Park is located near the town of Hampton. It's a decent sized lake that people use for fishing and paddling. I was surprised by how few people were there on the Saturday we visited. There is a nice gazebo on the lake, a big playground, some trails, picnic shelters, and a nice community center in the park. Water lilies were blooming in one section of the lake. I didn't realize that some state parks were also used as community gathering places. I think that's a nice way to serve the area around them and encourage people to use the facilities. There were preparations for a graduation party happening when we drove by the building.
After Lake Warren, we stopped by the Rivers Bridge State Historic Site to look around. This site was where a battle was fought to hold back General Sherman's Union Troops on their march north to Columbia. The ranger that was stationed there was very friendly and informative. There is a museum on the site as well as some trails that cover the battle. Unfortunately, there were a lot of bugs out that day and I didn't get to take any pictures. But I do want to return to hike the trails and explore the area more.
These two parks did not take us far off of Hwy. 321 and it was fun to see some new scenery. I hope you can take some time to explore some new towns and new roads in rural South Carolina. Do you have a favorite highway to travel?
One of my favorite back roads drives in South Carolina is Highway 321, from Columbia to Hardeeville. We take this highway whenever we go to Savannah.
Even though I've grown up in a time when interstates are ubiquitous and everyone wants to get where they're going as soon as possible, there were times when my parents took me on back roads drives and weekend explorations. I remember some Sundays, after church, driving out to have lunch in Prosperity and exploring the towns around Lake Murray. These days, we turn to the highways of South Carolina whenever we can, especially when we expect traffic to be heavy on the interstates. Lately, I have enjoyed seeing these small towns that I usually only see as names on a map or an exit sign. You'll remember when we visited Lake Wateree, we also went through the town of Great Falls. Now I have a picture of the town when I see that name.
Years ago, when travelling to Savannah, we started getting off the interstate and taking small highways to avoid the traffic on I-26 and I-95. Since then, we found we enjoy Highway 321 the best. There are many small towns along the way, river and creek crossings, and some long stretches of wooded land. We have our landmarks that we look for, the church in Robertville, the antique junk yard in Fairfax, the dogwoods on the road in Denmark, and the many gorgeous live oak trees with spanish moss dripping down. There are historic landmarks, racing tracks, water lilies on the side of the road, and abandoned motels that keep the drive interesting. Many times I have said that we need to take some pictures while traveling.
On our past trip back from Savannah, we stopped at two state parks that are not far off of the highway: Lake Warren State Park and Rivers Bridge State Historic Site. We were pleasantly surprised by how nice these parks are and we hope to return again. Both parks had free admission.
After Lake Warren, we stopped by the Rivers Bridge State Historic Site to look around. This site was where a battle was fought to hold back General Sherman's Union Troops on their march north to Columbia. The ranger that was stationed there was very friendly and informative. There is a museum on the site as well as some trails that cover the battle. Unfortunately, there were a lot of bugs out that day and I didn't get to take any pictures. But I do want to return to hike the trails and explore the area more.
These two parks did not take us far off of Hwy. 321 and it was fun to see some new scenery. I hope you can take some time to explore some new towns and new roads in rural South Carolina. Do you have a favorite highway to travel?
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