Camp Lakeside + Play on an Aqua Course at The Shores of Asbury

For lakefront tent camping and plenty of fun for the whole family, The Shores of Asbury in Anderson, SC is a great summer adventure! Thank you most especially to The Shores of Asbury for hosting us at one of their tent camping sites.

You may have seen our story on The Shores of Asbury because of their incredible Wibit inflatable aqua course and white sand beach. It’s still there and better than ever but we hadn’t camped there until now so we’ve got a whole other side of the resort to tell you about! 

We loved many things about camping there but the biggest was probably the camping perks and the fact that there’s a lot to do for the whole family, from littles straight through teenagers. 

About The Shores of Asbury 

Karen McCullough used to camp at Lake Hartwell at Asbury Park when she was a child. Then the campground closed and remained that way for many, many years. But that special place was always on her heart and she often thought about it as she made her way to Nashville as a professional musician who also managed dozens of campgrounds and RV resorts and traveled to every state except Hawaii throughout her musical career.

When the opportunity arose to turn her old stomping ground into a legit resort and entertainment mecca on the shores of Lake Hartwell, she jumped right in and moved back home to Anderson.

Today, the Shores of Asbury is in their third season. They have a restaurant, El Arriero, which serves traditional quesadillas, nachos, and other Mexican fare. You can eat and enjoy a beautiful view. They also have live music all throughout the summer, festivals, fireworks, and other entertainment. 

I’ve seen it grow every season and I was thrilled to have the chance to camp there this year. 

Tent Camping on Lake Hartwell

The Shores of Asbury has many RV campsites but I don’t have an RV so I can’t really tell you about that part. I do have a tent (several, actually – I have a tent addiction) though and love to use it! 

There are currently 10 tent campsites plus a couple group sites and a handful of places to boondock. There’s no water or electricity at the tent campsites but the camp store has a charging station for your phones and there’s water near the bathhouse to wash dishes if need be. Each site has a picnic table, fire pit, and charcoal grill.

The group sites and tent campsites numbers 8, 9, 10, 1, and 2 are all on the water. I camp with paddleboards when I go to lakes so it’s imperative to be on the water. All of these are great if you do the same or just want to be on the lake for fishing or relaxation. Sites 3 and 4 aren’t on the lake but you can get to the lake pretty easily via a short walk. Sites 5-7 are not lakefront. 

Every site is different in terms of space to put up your tent(s). They are all really spacious and you can really just choose where to put up your tent because there aren’t any tent pads as of this writing. And almost all the sites are shaded, which is really awesome in the summer because wow, it gets hot. Site #8 is right on the water but does not have shade and site #9 is a little less shaded than others. 

The Bathhouse, Arcade, and Laundry 

Let’s talk about the bathrooms first because I’ve seen it all when it comes to campground bathrooms and many of them have me wanting to get in and out as fast as possible. These bathrooms aren’t like that. There are five individual bathrooms that are code-locked and cleaned daily. Each has a shower, hooks, a chair, and are air-conditioned. 

These were the nicest bathrooms I’ve ever seen at a campground in my life. The only downside is that they are a few minutes walk away from the tent sites but hey, I really didn’t care because they were awesome. 

There’s also a small arcade with Pac-Man, an air hockey table, and a couple claw machines. One of my daughters absolutely loves arcades so she was thrilled to spend a few dollars trying to win things in the claw machines – which she amazingly did. 

A coin-operated washer and dryer are also located in the same area as the arcade. These are in the same building as the bathhouse. Note that dogs are not allowed in any of the buildings. 

Camping Perks 

The Shores of Asbury has an utterly fantastic aqua park with inflatable obstacles reminiscent of the show Wipeout. My kids would probably choose to do one of these aqua courses over anything else I could possibly offer them over the summer. 

When you camp at the Shores of Asbury, all registered campers get the first hour for free at the aqua course before they open to the public. It’s super awesome and a lot of fun! If you want to play longer, they offer a discounted rate of $19.99/person for an all-day pass. This is so worth it. 

There’s a big course for kids who are 47” and above and a smaller course for littles who are 37” inches tall. The aqua course is off a big, sandy beach so you can hang out there as well and kids can dig in the sand at the pirate ship. 

More Fun Activities for Kids

As if the aqua course wasn’t reason enough to camp here, the activities for kids just adds on to the fun. 

There’s a small playground with a slackline and zip line. One of my kids just did the zipline for an hour. She loved it. 

There’s a basketball hoop, kayak rentals, a cow train that the owner Karen runs in the evening that the kids so enjoy, lawn games, and events. When we were there, they had a festival with live music, a mechanical bull, and games like skeeball, penny toss, and fishing with magnets. It was a blast. I love these kinds of events because they take me back to my own childhood where simple things were the most fun. 

The best way to stay up-to-date on events is to follow The Shores of Asbury Facebook page.

Rules for Camping

It’s always a good idea to look at the rules before going to a campground. Here are the bigger ones: 

• Pets are allowed but must be on a six-foot leash the entire time.
• Bikes and golf carts are allowed. 
• Quiet hours are from 10 pm – 8 am and will be enforced. 
• You can bag your trash and leave it at your site before 11 am and it will be picked up by the staff. (I really liked this one!)
• Their cancellation policy can be found here. 
• All the other rules involve being courteous to campers, cleaning up your site, and ensuring everyone has a great time. 

Making Your Reservation

You can easily reserve your campsite online or by calling the resort. There’s also a small camp store on site with ice, water, soda, candy, apparel, lighters, and other things you may need when camping. 

1600 Asbury Park Road, Anderson, SC
864.844.9002

For more of our favorite camping spots, see our story on the 12+ Best Campgrounds for Kids Near the Upstate!