Great Swamp Sanctuary

 

South Carolina's newest nature-based attraction, the Great Swamp Sanctuary in the City of Walterboro offers visitors the ultimate Lowcountry experience, combining history, culture, recreation and education in a singularly southern lowlands setting. 

Just three minutes from I-95, the environmental jewel is ideally positioned to serve as the gateway to other nature-based centers in the state and as a catalyst for the greatly expanding ecotourism market. 

Located within the ACE Basin, the East Coast’s largest estuarine preserve, the 842-acre Sanctuary features what may be the only “braided creek” swamp accessible to the public.

 

A completed network of boardwalks, hiking, biking and canoe trails provide a perfect vantage point to observe the diversity of wildlife inhabiting the black water bottomland. The most historically significant of these paths follows the Colonial-era Charleston-to-Savannah Stagecoach Road still bearing the cypress remnants of long-fallen bridges.

 

The final phase of the project—the 10,000-square-foot Discovery Center—will include a theater, gift shop, multi-purpose classroom and cutting-edge exhibition area featuring a great swamp pool, alligator slough and river otter habitat. We invite you to learn more about the Great Swamp Sanctuary and how you can become a part of this groundbreaking endeavor.