24 Hours In Santee, South Carolina

24 Hours In Santee, SC

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As with all our posts, we take you through a full day in town. You might be staying longer, or maybe this is an even quicker stop.

With this itinerary, we’re acting as if you’re traveling on a road trip and stopping partway in Santee. It’s actually the halfway point between New York and Florida, so that might be how you ended up here. So, we’re starting in the evening.

Evening

Dinner

You’re probably hungry from all the driving you just did to get to town. Sure, you could have packed some road trip snacks, but now you’re ready for a meal.

So drive to Captain’s Quarters (9053 Old Number Six Hwy), which is just a minute or so off the highway exit.

The area is known for its fresh seafood, since it’s right on a lake. So there’s a lot of that on the menu.

Pete got the Mixed Seafood Grill, which comes with broiled shrimp and scallops, plus fish.

I had the Homemade Lasagna, which feels like a funny thing to order in a seafood-heavy area. But, I love lasagna (it’s my birthday meal) and this one sounded good.

It definitely was.

So, even if you’re not into seafood, check it out.

Late Night

If you want some late night activity, your only option is The Oasis Bar & Grill (8101 Old Number Six Hwy). It’s the only bar in town.

The Oasis is a really fun local bar with an amazing outdoor space. There’s a stage outside with a dance floor in front — and lots of line dancing there — especially if Donald Ceasar (aka Ceasar the Entertainer) is there. The Louisiana-native but local legend fronts the Ceasar & Creole Soul Band, performs on his own, and really gets the entire bar dancing. If he’s performing when you’re in town, we highly recommend you make your way to the Oasis. 

If he’s not there, there’s karaoke, bands, and a DJ, depending on the night. And the bar just got Golden Tee, so if we were visiting now, Pete might park there and never leave.

If you didn’t eat enough at dinner, or you’re hungry from dancing and singing your night away, you can order bar snacks with your drinks too.

And if you did eat and drink enough, it’s time to check into your hotel.

Bedtime

If you drove past Santee, you’ve see the signs for Clark’s Inn (114 Bradford Blvd). So we highly recommend staying there.

The story goes that Bubba Clark convinced his new bride, Helena, to move with to the country with their two-year-old child so Bubba could open a restaurant in Santee, then a town with just a trio of stores, a bus station, and a post office.

Despite her hesitation, Helena agreed. Happy spouse, happy house.

Clark’s Restaurant was opened in 1946 at the site of the old bus station, then later moved to right off the exit ramp when I-95 was opened. At that time, breakfast was served in the new old restaurant and lunch was served in the new one.

Eventually, a hotel was built behind the newer restaurant, with the goal of building a space that feels more comfortable, like a guest room at a friend’s home, than a hotel. And actually, we did feel that way. There was a bookcase with lots of books and knickknacks on the shelves, and it really felt like someone’s home.

So, quick aside if you’re like me and you’ve always wondered about this space. The main building that you see, that you’d assume was the inn, is actually the restaurant. The hotel is a smaller building behind that one.

Both the lobby for the hotel and restaurant have so much wood. It’s a very comfortable, throwback to a simpler time, feel. We loved it.

Right now, hotels and restaurants are going too minimalistic. Everything is white and boring and boxy with no personality to it. Clark’s Inn isn’t like that. It’s so unique and has such a regal feel.

Despite being directly off the highway, we actually had a pretty quiet stay.

Morning

Breakfast

When you stay at Clark’s Inn, breakfast is included in to your stay. You have the choice of five or six options. We had all of them during our stay and my best advice: order anything with a biscuit. They’re homemade and incredible.

I got them the first day when I ordered eggs with, home fries, southern style grits, and a biscuit. The next day, I got pancakes and sausage, which were amazing but didn’t come with a biscuit. Pete, however, got oatmeal, which did come with a biscuit, so he gave me his. Happy wife, happy life.

Late Morning

Hopefully it’s pretty cool out this morning because you’re gonna start at Santee State Park (251 State Park Road). It sits along Lake Marion, and, if I wasn’t suggesting you stay at Clark’s Inn, I would suggest you making a camping reservation at the rondette cabins here. Oh my gosh. They’re stunning. And the view from them is incredible.

I was talking to some campers who stayed in the cabin area on the lake (there are others off the lake) when I was in town and they invited me up to walk the pier and check out the view and it took my breath away. They said the night before, they sat on the dock and watched the sunset fall behind the water and it was the perfect evening.

Now, you have a few options of how to spend your morning here.

First, you can fish off the pier behind the visitor center for catfish, largemouth bass, shellcrackers, and more. You can also rent kayaks there if you’d rather spend time on the water.

If you’d rather use your feet, there are six hiking trails (and one that doubles as a hiking and biking trail). Of course, I didn’t have time to do all the nature trails. And you won’t either. So, if you have to choose, I suggest the Sinkhole Pond Trail.

That one is a 3/4-mile loop that starts at a gigantic sink hole and leads you to a (you guessed it) sinkhole pond. Now, if it has been raining, you’ll actually get to see a pond filled with water. If you’re there when it has been dry, you’ll just see a giant hole (which, honestly, if you’re taking photos for social media on a sinkhole trail, the hole is kind of better for the vibes).

Afternoon

Take a quick drive over to the Santee National Wildlife Refuge, one of just eight National Wildlife Refuges in the Palmetto State.

Now, be careful when you put this in your GPS because there are actually four units that make up the refuge. We unintentionally went to the Cuddo Unit Entrance (2903 Greenall Rd, Summerton, SC) first. That’s a 7.5-mile long drive that loops you around to see blue cypress trees and, if you’re lucky, a great blue heron (which we actually did see).

We were there in March and there wasn’t much blooming yet, so there wasn’t that much to look at. But, it was a nice drive.

I blame the GPS because where we really wanted to go (and where we went after) was the Dingle Pond Unit (3500 Dingle Pond Road) of the Santee National Wildlife Refuge. That’s where the Santee Indian Mound-Fort Watson area is because that part of the refuge is so cool.

​Okay, it feels disrespectful to say it’s cool. Because it is a historical site filled with tragedy. The mound, which was build over 1,200 years ago, was used, in part, as a burial ground by the Santee Indians.

The mound was also used as a British fort during the American Revolution.

This is where the cool part comes in.

So, at the site, there are two AR binoculars set up. You look through them at the mound and you can see the way it looked back in 1781 at the time of a siege under Francis Marion, Lt. Colonel Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee, and his Continental troops.

You can see the troops running on the land, when you look at the mound you see the structure that was there, and you see how the area looked pre- and post-battle.

I’ve never seen anything like that before, so it was really cool. There’s also a Fort Watson AR app that you can download, which is great if you want to revisit after your trip.

If you’re traveling with kids, they’ll enjoy it. They’ll also really like the visitor’s center at the entrance to the area. There’s a very cool staircase that leads to a giant osprey nest. Well, it’s a normal sized osprey nest, but it’s huge. And it makes you realize how large and majestic those birds are.

There are some other (taxidermized) animals there that your kids might like.

Lunch

Santee is located off a highway exit. So of course, you’re gonna find your typical fast food there: Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and Bojangles.

But you know what else you find? Huddle House (9047 Old Number Six Hwy).

And, I know, we are big “eat local” people when we’re away. But here’s the thing. The only Huddle House I have ever seen in my life is in Santee, South Carolina. And there’s a chance you’ve traveled and never saw one either. So you know what? This is your chance. Have a quick lunch at Huddle House.

It’s also on the way to your next destination.

Late Afternoon

Santee is known for its golf courses. It’s actually known as America’s Value Golf Destination (which, yup, we run a frugal blog, so we love that name). And so, many people visit the area for that reason alone. In a one mile radius, you’ll find Santee National Golf Club, Lake Marion Golf Course, and Santee Cooper Country Club.

We, however, will direct your attention to Lake Marion Golf Course (9069 SC-6), even if you’re not a golfer. Because we’re not, but we spent the afternoon there. Why? Because of the Palmetto Traverse Putting Green. It’s an 18-hole putting course that’s the perfect place for a non-golfer to hit a few balls.

Okay, so the intention of the course is for golfers to work on their putting. There are hills and sand traps, typical golf obstacles. But, really, the course is designed for anyone. It’s very kid friendly (in fact, kids are free with a paying adult) and it’s fun for non-golfers. We honestly had the best time, outside, hitting balls, and just laughing. I highly recommend it.

Plus, it’s a great way to get the wiggles out before you jump back in your car, onto I-95, and carry on your trip. Which you have to do now because your 24 hours in Santee are just about over.

Well, just about. Because as you’re gonna stop at The Coast Candy/Exxon gas station (9039 Old Hwy #6) to pick up a praline to eat on the way out of town. You have to. It’s a Santee must do.

For decades, it was known as Smith’s American Junction and was a destination for travelers. It sold road trip necessities: pralines, made fresh daily, along with fireworks (which are legal in South Carolina) and dry goods like peach salsa and bagged nuts. There were also an extensive amount of knickknacks that you didn’t need but wanted to look at while you stretched your legs, someone else in your caravan used the bathroom, and someone else tried a free sample of fudge.

In 2023, it changed hands and the name Coast was affixed to the front. There are still sweet treats and dry goods inside, but the unusual wares are mostly swapped with overpriced sweatshirts with the word “Santee” across them now, trying to tug at passerbys’ wallets.

It’s a little bit of a bummer because some of the charm feels washed out. But the pralines are still 10/10 and worth the stop.

Road Trips Near Santee:

​If you want to stay in Santee Cooper Country a little longer, head a few miles away to Sumter, SC. That’s home of the annual Sumter Iris Festival in May and the Fantasy of Lights in December. 

It’s also one town over from Elloree, SC, home of the Elloree Trials (an annual horse race) and arguably our favorite history museum, the Elloree Heritage Museum and Cultural Center. I thought we would spend an hour there, tops, but we could have spend three. It’s the best small-town museum I’ve ever been to. Plus, it happened to be hosting an oyster roast — in the museum — when we were in town, so that was a great bonus.