Chesterfield County
Downtown Cheraw is a quaint and cozy town for dining, shopping, and learning the area’s history, including the life of hometown favorite, Dizzy Gillespie. Nearby Pageland supports a strong antiquing district, and two state parks invite visitors to do as much or as little as they like. Cheraw State Park has an 18-hole championship golf course, mountain biking and hiking trails, and fully outfitted cabins and campsites. Nature lovers will enjoy Sand Hills State Forest and the Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge. Find all this and more in beautiful Chesterfield County.
As South Carolina’s first state park, this facility takes traditional recreational park activities to a new level of fun.The 18-hole, championship golf course winds its way through piney woodlands while maintaining and protecting the surrounding natural habitat of the park. Cypress wetlands line the 360-acre Lake Juniper and can be explored by kayaks and canoes or via a boardwalk that runs along the lake. Fish from the boardwalk or by boat, or take time to explore other areas of Cheraw on the park’s extensive biking, hiking and equestrian trail system. Cabins and campsites are available for overnight accommodations.
The Dizzy Gillespie Homesite Park celebrates the life of the “King of Jazz”. It features eclectic steel benches and a trumpet sculpture designed by Cheraw students under the direction of South Carolina artist Bob Doster who also fashioned the stainless steel fence depicting the score of “Salt Peanuts”. A state historic marker details highlights of his life. The inscription reads “John Birks ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie” was born in a house on this site on Oct. 21, 1917. His family lived here until they moved to Philadelphia in 1935.
Known locally as “The Mountain,” Sugarloaf is an unusual geological phenomenon towering 100 feet above the surrounding terrain. Composed of sand, it was at one time capped with ferrous sandstone, much of which has now weathered away. Vegetation on the mountain includes mountain laurel and the diminutive pixie moss, both quite unusual for this area.
For more information about Chesterfield County and things to do, click here.