February 6, 2026
When we were at Myrtle Beach we would get asked about our next stop. We'd say that we were going inland toward Columbia, that we wanted to go to Congaree National Park. It may have been just me, but I got the impression that most folks didn't realize that there was a national park just a couple of hours away. We stayed at the Ft. Jackson MWR Weston Lake facility. Congaree was about 30 minutes from there.
The park doesn't charge an entrance fee so we figured that it must not get terribly crowded except for the firefly event. Well, the park was busier than we expected, and we were quite glad to see an empty parking spot.
One of the park's highlights is the boardwalk through the swamp. It wasn't too crowded, and thankfully the mosquito meter was pegged at zero. We enjoyed our stroll through the swamp, gazing at the tall loblolly pines and cypress trees, including some state champion size trees. Perhaps the highlight was watching a woodpecker for a good 10 minutes. He didn't seem bothered by us at all.
If you canoe or kayak, the park looks like a wonderful place to explore. Since most of the park is in a flood plain. Our attempts to canoe or kayak in the past have made us conclude that we're far better suited for other activities!
Back to the firefly event. The park is home to a species of synchronized fireflies. In mid-May the fireflies, in search of a mate, shine their lights simultaneously. The park holds a lottery in April for evening admittance. Thousands upon thousands of people enter the lottery with only 960 vehicles admitted (120 per night). I was hoping for a video in the visitor center, but no such luck. Oh well. At least we didn't have to put up with mosquitos!
