Spending the day at Lake Murray? You won’t be short of places to go
Summertime is the best time to hit the waves on Lake Murray, the Midlands’ premier aquatic attraction. But how do you make the most of your day on the lake?
The lake has plenty of shore-side attractions. Dreher Island State Park has 348 acres and 12 miles of shoreline south of Prosperity, open daily with a $3 admission. The park offers more than 100 campsites as well as some villas available for rent and a public boat ramp (more on that below). Elsewhere, Pine Island near Yacht Cove on the north side of the dam, which used to be a private resort for employees of South Carolina Electric and Gas, is slated to open to the public as the latest state park later this year.
Visitors can also take a walk over the 1.7-mile long Dreher Shoals Dam at the eastern end of the lake. On the Irmo side, the North Recreation Area is open to the public year-round and features fishing docks and picnic facilities. On the southern Lexington side, the Lake Murray Public Park is open to the public from April through Labor Day. Parking at both is $5, with the Lexington side park being closed to pedestrian traffic during the summer.
Boating on Lake Murray
But there’s no way to experience Lake Murray like on a boat. If you’ve got your own, the lake offers about a dozen spots to put in, depending on what’s most convenient to where you’re coming from. The main ones are:
▪ The put-in at Dreher Island State Park is at 224 Sassafras Lane, Prosperity.
▪ The boat ramp at Dominion’s North Recreational Area north of the dam, 2101 N. Lake Drive, Columbia
▪ Jake’s Landing to the south of the dam, 220 Jake’s Landing Road, Lexington
▪ Koon’s Landing, 1523 Shull Ave., Gilbert
▪ Shealy’s Landing, 320 Shadowood Drive, Irmo
▪ Hilton Recreation Area, Cove Launch Court, Chapin
▪ Rocky Point Recreation Area, 411 Rocky Ramp Road, Chapin
If you don’t have a boat yourself, that shouldn’t slow you down. You can have your pick of a dozen lakeside boat rentals and tour operators, from Lake Murray Boat Rentals at 960 Rock N. Creek Road, Leesville, to Better Boating at the Lake Murray Marina, 1602 Marina Road. Perhaps the most centrally located option is Pontoon Rentals and Tour at 220 Jake’s Landing Road, at the boat slips just south of the dam.
Regular boaters on the lake know the best spots to park and take in the day. One popular spot is Bundrick Island, a Department of Natural Resources-maintained spot northwest of downtown Lexington. Dozens of boats may drop anchor off the coast or land on one of two sandy beaches, one known to be more family friendly on the west side and another more party-oriented spot on the east that remains popular despite a recently passed ban on alcohol on the beach.
Drop a line
Fishing is obviously a major attraction for Lake Murray, with more than a dozen species of fish lurking beneath the water, from largemouth bass to striper. The lake has attracted major national fishing tournaments to the Midlands as well as local fishers. Several tour operators offer to guide those looking for the biggest catch to some local watering holes. You can check out some choices for fishing tour guides at lakemurraycountry.com.
Find some refreshment
Speaking of watering holes, several bars and restaurants by the lake gear themselves toward boat traffic with attached docks for their customers, including:
▪ Liberty on the Lake Tap Room, 1602 Marina Road, Irmo;
▪ The Rusty Anchor/Catfish Johnny’s (a fan favorite), 1925 Johnson Marina Road, Irmo;
▪ And Na’Cho Margarita, 745 Marina Way, Prosperity.
Others that are close to boat ramps without being on the water themselves include Schooner’s Bar and Grill, 6226 Bush River Road, Columbia, and Highway 378 Bar and Grill, 3007 U.S. 378, Gilbert.
What else can you do at the lake?
There are a wide variety of other options for enjoying the lake, including the Columbia Sailing Club at 292 Shuler Road; or you can go standup paddle boarding with California Republic from the Southshore Marina, 3027 Highway 378, Leesville.
The Spirit of Lake Murray is an 80-foot yacht available for hired cruises around the lake for parties as large as 100. The Spirit leaves from a dock in Ballentine (across from Shealy’s Landing) and hosts a fully refurbished kitchen for catered events.
Or if you want to incorporate the local wildlife into your trip on the water, you can view a unique phenomenon when thousands of purple martins congregate on Bomb Island during the birds’ summer migration to South America.
The martins start traveling south from the Great Lakes region in late June and are visible on the lake’s central island until the beginning of August, with the largest gathering of birds — up to 750,000 — coming in mid- to late-July. Tour guides say the best times to see the birds on Bomb Island are in the mornings and evenings.
