Shem Creek Park
Shem Creek Park
4.7
About
The most picturesque waterway in the Lowcountry. Revel in glorious sunsets over Charleston Harbor as you enjoy a stroll on the docks.
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Shem Creek Park and nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
358 within 5 kms
Attractions
281 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.7
812 reviews
Excellent
615
Very good
172
Average
21
Poor
2
Terrible
2
Holiday Utopia
United Kingdom415 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
Stunning place to visit and it’s free to park and free to visit.
It was a beautiful June evening to walk the boardwalk and chill at the viewing point and catch the sunset. We watched people fish whilst happy families, cute couples and the odd dog or two came and went, all leaving with smiles.
Such a beautiful peaceful place, and if you fancy you can pop into any of the bar restaurants and enjoy the scenery even more.
It was a beautiful June evening to walk the boardwalk and chill at the viewing point and catch the sunset. We watched people fish whilst happy families, cute couples and the odd dog or two came and went, all leaving with smiles.
Such a beautiful peaceful place, and if you fancy you can pop into any of the bar restaurants and enjoy the scenery even more.
Written June 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kimden
Cape Coral, FL102 contributions
Oct 2020
The town has done a great job connecting both sides of the creek to walk from restaurant to restaurant. The parking is better on the north side of creek. We spent happy hour walking around, watching boats and the sun low in the sky.
Written October 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sherri W
Macon, GA208 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
After feeling stuffed at Pages Okra Grill, we needed a place to walk off our indulgence. This is unlike many parks we’ve been to with statues and fountains. This “park” allows you to walk out over marsh land on connecting piers. It connects to several eating establishments as well so if you were interested you could stop by for drinks or walk from your dinner out over the water. Several folks were boating and fishing here. There was plenty of wildlife to observe as well. We sat for a while and just enjoyed the beautiful day!
Written April 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jarrod A
Columbus, OH9 contributions
Apr 2022
So this is a great little side "creek" area. Mostly populated with restaurants and bar-type tap rooms. There is a kayak livery there but other than that, you only need to spend a few hours. I can see it getting crazy with drinkers and partiers so if you're not into that scene I'd keep it as an afternoon getaway.
Written August 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shaun M
Charleston, SC19 contributions
Jan 2020
I'm a local and we come out here quite often for the views. Especially if you're dining at one of the Shem Creek restaurants, take the time to walk out on the new boardwalk to the end. The views at sunrise and sunset are fantastic, and you'll see tons of fiddler crabs. This part of Shem Creek is almost a guarantee to see Dolphins as well. Very relaxing spot to sit and relax!
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susie Snowflake
159 contributions
Jun 2022
Very nice for a morning or evening stroll along the water. Might not be so pleasant in the broiing mid day sun though as there is little if any shade. Shrimp boats and pleasure boats are part of the passing scene. There are descriptive markers along the way that explain the park. You can rent a kayak at one end of the and spend some time paddling or just walk away an hour on the boardwalk. Nice breezes on a good day can be cooling. There was plenty of parking at 10 AM on a weekday.
Written June 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anthony P
Charleston, SC2,462 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
This little park features a wonderful boardwalk that goes all the way to the Southern end of Shem Creek. The wooden boardwalk provides some of the most beautiful views of Shem Creek and the surrounding marsh. Hang out there for a bit and you are likely to see dolphins and even jumping rays. Just a beautiful spot here in Charleston that is virtually unknown. Highly recommend!
Written September 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sherrycat
Burnsville, NC967 contributions
Mar 2021
Oh such a nice place to walk! We stayed at Shem Creek Inn and walked the boardwalk every day looking at all the boats and birds. Fun to watch the fisherman cleaning their daily catches and all the pelicans eagerly awaiting scraps. Nice to read the signs along the way with history and bird, fish and marsh info. Make sure you walk to the very end and also the walk all the way back to the restroom area. Easy walk for all.
Written April 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stacyandryan2008
Taylor, Michigan, United States304 contributions
Sept 2020
Very clean, beautiful area. You feel like your in the movie JAWS lol. We went to see if you could find or spot any dolphins. We heard this is the best spot to see them up close. We walked the Pier and watched for awhile and seen nothing. Others have claimed to spot them in 30 min of being there. I have heard that if you take out a kayak on the water, dolphins can be spotted coming right up to you in them. We defiantly want to do this next time we come back down from Michigan. Because there is no way to get into he water here without a kayak , we opted to go to Folly beach instead so we could get in the ocean. There we seen a few pod of dolphins in the distance. This area is very peaceful though and you can spot a lot of Fiddler Crabs ( the ones with the one large claw ) in the Marsh area and around the sidewalks so look for them. They are pretty neat. Lots of great looking restaurants around the area too. We stayed at Bolt farm luxury treehouses on wadamala island just 20-30 min from here.
Written October 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ScreenNameAvailabl
Reading, PA16 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
Based on reviews was excited to walk the boardwalk. We started off with dinner at Saltwater Cowboy, which was very good. We were told we needed to drive to the other side of the water to access the boardwalk. We drove over to other side only to find they charged to park by the day, $20. Looking at the boardwalk, we estimated yo be there less than an hour. We had no problem paying to park, but $20 was excessive for up to qn hour. If there was other parking, we were unable to find it. Should have left our car at Saltwater Cowboy and walked over, we realized too late that it was possible.
Written June 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan D
Annapolis, Maryland
I was curious if WV is a site of the day, month , etc. it’s advertised on all of your SC pages.
Written July 22, 2021
Are there public docks to tie up and visit the restaurants?
Written March 25, 2021
Mariahawilkins
Charleston, South Carolina
How long does it take to canoe the entire creek?
Written June 11, 2019
Just walked around the park: did NOT get on the water. Sorry
Written June 12, 2019
Mariahawilkins
Charleston, South Carolina
How long does it take to canoe the entire creek?
Written June 11, 2019
I was a canoe instructor at Camp Manitowish, in northern Wisconsin, many decades ago. So, I have some idea of the task you ask about.
I would have to say--it all varies. The lower part of Shem Creek, that empties into the harbor, is wide and about two miles long, the upper part that goes past Highway 17 is another mile or so and narrows significantly.
If you're a lily dipper I'd say a couple of hours. If you're more accomplished canoeists, then an hour, at most. It all depends on where you put in. I'm giving you a "one way" estimate.
Shem Creek is a beautiful area and you will see some amazing wildlife. My wife and I have walked out on the boardwalk about 50 times. We never tire of it.
This all comes with one caveat: I've never canoed Shem Creek. Hopefully, someone who has will also answer your question.
Written June 11, 2019
Not sure. Best suggestion I could offer to learn more about the shrimp boats is to contact the Shem Creek Park staff or TripAdvisor contributors who have visited. On a second visit to a restaurant on Shem Creek, several shrimp boats were seen harbored before dusk across from Shem Creek Park.
Written July 5, 2018
How much does it cost to fish off pier and do you need fishing license
Written May 3, 2018
Free to fish but yes you’ll need a license since it’s a public place.
Written June 11, 2018
Showing results 1-10 of 18
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing