The Santee area is located on the North/South Interstate-95 in South Carolina, just 12 miles from the East/West Interstate 26, making the state capital of Columbia and the popular historic port city of Charleston only an hour drive. Santee is approximately 150 miles from the mountains and 65 miles from the ocean, opening the door to a diverse array of activities and interests in this beautiful state.

With metropolitan airports in Florence, Savannah, Charleston, Columbia and Greenville, family and friends can easily make their way to the shores of Lake Marion to retreat with you. Small airstrips for private planes are in Manning, Orangeburg and Sumter. You CAN get there from here!

The Santee Cooper Lakes System is an amazing recreational and historical interest as well as power source for the Lowcountry.

Comprised of two lakes, Marion (110, 600 acres) and Moultrie (60,400 acres) and joined by the 6.5 miles diversion canal, boaters can start in Columbia on the lake and travel east through Charleston all the way to the ocean. Many folks make a weekend of traveling to Charleston through this water system, enjoying the Lowcountry scenery and fishing to stay over night in Charleston and work their way up river the next day. What a great weekend adventure!

Created from 1939 to 1942, by the SC Public Service Authority for a hydroelectric project, which is known as Santee Cooper, these lakes do not ice over during the winter and there is no closed season for fishing season. Weather permitting, fishermen can fish year round. At the present time these lakes hold a world record Channel Catfish (58 lbs) and a Warmouth weighing 2.2 lbs was caught in a creek a few miles from Lake Marion.

The manmade lake is home to large and small mouth bass, bream, crappie, trout, catfish, and other aquatic life. Eagle, osprey, and hawk which patrol the skies over the miles of shoreline and secluded coves are only some of the over 200 species of birds in the area sure to keep the bird watcher’s attention year around.

Damming the Santee River, one of the longest on the eastern seaboard, required considerable engineering expertise. Lurking in the depths of this human creation are buried towns, churches, cemeteries, Indian villages and dreams. Lake Marion inundated the home of its namesake -- Revolutionary hero Francis Marion. Artifacts from the past civilization who called the banks of the river their home can be found now and again as the waters roll back the sands on the lake floor. Pottery, arrowheads and other historical pieces are on display at the State Museum in Columbia and at the Fort Watson lookout tower nearby. Please be advised, these artifacts are the property of Santee Cooper Cooperative and should not be taken from their natural resting place. We encourage you to explore and learn, but leave them for the next generation to see part of our area heritage.

History right under your nose

Located at I-95, Exit 102, North Santee and only around the corner from North Shore at Lake Marion Villas and Marina, the Santee Indian Mound is a 30 foot high, large hill located adjacent to the Santee National Wildlife Refuge which is over 3,000 years old and artifacts have been dated to 3,500 years ago. The mound served as a prehistoric ceremonial center of a native culture. It was then was used by the British in the Revolutionary war as an outpost, Fort Watson.

The Santee National Wildlife Refuge stretches 18 miles along the north shore of Lake Marion – the area is 15,095 acres haven to 296 bird, 45 mammal, 54 reptile, 35 amphibian, and more than 100 fish species.