Sesquicentennial State Park


Sesquicentennial State Park is a state park in the Sandhills region of South Carolina. Historic Sesquicentennial State Park, affectionately known to locals as "Sesqui," located in the Sandhills region of the state. Sesquicentennial State Park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression and was given to the City of Columbia to mark 150 years following its incorporation, giving rise to the state park’s name. The park contains 1,400+ acres and is situated approximately 12 miles from downtown Columbia, South Carolina.
A retreat center complete with a kitchen and overnight, dormitory-style accommodations make the park an ideal spot for family reunions and group gatherings. 3 picnic shelters, and 4 picnic pads are available for reservations as well. 84 standard RV or tent camping sites are also available to overnight guests. The park provides rental fishing boats, pedal boats, stand up paddle boards, kayak, and canoes, fishing access in the 30-acre park lake, and 4 trails providing over 12 miles of recreational access. The Sandhills Trail is an ADA accessible 2 mile loop around the park lake. The Bike Trail is 6.5 miles of moderate sandy terrain with several changes in elevation. Sesqui is the only South Carolina State Park that offers a membership-only dog park to allow dogs to run off leash, and a full scale splash pad for splashing around during the famously hot Columbia summers. The park office offers a wide variety of retail options for firewood, ice, tshirts, and all sorts of novelty gifts not found anywhere else in the state's capital.

History

The park was donated in 1937 by the Sesquicentennial Commission. Many of the buildings in Sesquicentennial State Park, as well as the stone entrance to the park, were built by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps.