The Harry Hampton Visitor’s Center was an average size and boasted of two Park Rangers and one volunteer. It was accompanied with an exhibit that included stuffed animals, like our favorite Blue Heron, and a life size replica of a tree route system. Our favorite part of the Visitor’s Center was the movie that told us the history and landscape of the park. It played for 18 minutes on a constant loop in a small “theater” just off the gift shop. 

After speaking with the fellow Clemson graduate park ranger, we opted to walk the boardwalk, spanning 2.6 miles in a nice square shaped loop. Along the way, we read through our brochure that included 20 “stops” along the path, explaining everything from the popular knees that help support the trees during flooding, all the way to the large steel box resting out among the trees that once held moonshine during the prohibition.

For this trip, I highly recommend taking some sort of mechanism to carry or stroll your child in if they are accompanying you. We opted to take our wagon which worked great. Strollers are also a great option as the boardwalk was more than easily accessible. We also saw other parents carrying their children in a child carrier hiking backpack. There are many great brands out there to choose from. We have used ours at many different parks and have loved it. If you plan on doing any hiking with children, having a child carrier is a game changer. 

One reason we really loved taking our wagon was because of its ability to hold items in addition to our son. We packed lots of snacks and all of our camera equipment. Speaking of snacks, don’t expect much from the selection at the visitor’s center which included water, trail mix, and cliff bars. We recommend planning ahead and stopping on your way to the park at least 15 minutes before arrival as there will be no more stops as you get closer to the park.

After finishing the boardwalk, we were all more than ready for some rest. Especially our son, who fell asleep before we even made it out of the park in his car seat. In total, we spent about 3 to 4 hours at the park which made for a great day trip. There are many other things to do at the park that we simply opted not to with our toddler. Options include hiking one of their other 10 trails, camping at one of the 2 campgrounds (reservations required), fishing, or canoeing and kayaking on Cedar Creek. 

For accommodations near the park, hotels are always an option, but we can’t help but recommend camping. We opted not to stay at one of the park’s campgrounds as it only accommodated tents. We pulled our camper for this trip and boondock at a local Walmart the night before. There is also a Love’s Travel Stop, just 15 minutes north of the park that is a great option for staying overnight in your camper without having to pay for a campsite. We only recommend this for one night stays and if you’re willing to potentially go without electricity. Thankfully, due to my husband’s obsession with solar panels, we had power, even though we really didn’t need or use it since we didn’t do anything but sleep in the camper, enjoying a night at the movies in Columbia before finding our resting point at a local Walmart. To our pleasant surprise, they even had 24 hour security circling the parking lot, making our stay there feel very safe.