Who Uses Hampton Park?
Everyone is welcome to visit this park, and it’s a favorite of neighborhood residents as well as tourists. In fact, there are many activities at Hampton Park year-round.
These include weddings, ceremonies, family reunions, picnics, and even games of Frisbee. The park can be reserved for special events by calling the administrative offices.
Many people use the trails for hiking, running, walking their dogs, and biking. Miles of pathways curve through the park. One of the most interesting things is the centuries-old horse racing track that people can now walk along. Finally, there’s an outdoor fitness circuit for those who want to exercise.
Hampton Park also has public restrooms, picnic tables, benches, baseball fields, a lagoon, and even free Wi-Fi access.
In addition, if you are interested in horticulture, there are many species of trees, shrubs, and flowers to identify. Hampton Park in Charleston is perfect for both novice and professional photographers, and it’s a great place for photo opps whether it’s for a wedding or a graduation.
The History of Hampton Park
In 1792, the South Carolina Jockey Club purchased part of the Orange Grove Plantation to open a race course. The sport of horse racing was popular in England, and it became quite popular with the colonists. The Plantation was a gathering place for high society for almost 100 years and was even the site of a prisoner camp for Union soldiers during the Civil War. More than 200 of these soldiers died in the prison camp and are buried in a mass grave here.
Spectators watched the horse races from an Italianate grandstand.The current Mary Murray Drive, a one-mile parkway that circles Hampton Park, is in nearly the same location as the racetrack.
The Civil War reduced the number of thoroughbred horses, and the economy declined after the war, so the South Carolina Jockey Club disbanded in 1899.
Then, in 1901, the Sunken Gardens on the property, which was a landscaped island in the center of a pond lined on either side with footbridges, became the location of the South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition of 1901–1902. After the expo closed in 1902, the City of Charleston bought the land. They hired the Olmsted Brothers, a prestigious New York firm, to create a large park. The brothers even kept the Sunken Gardens as a focal point.
The park opened in 1906 and quickly became very popular with locals.
Visitors could also visit a zoo at the park, which opened in 1932. There were lions and other animals donated or bred at the park. About six years later, they added an aviary. By the mid-1960s, the zoo was in disrepair and closed in 1975.
In the 1980s, the City of Charleston began redeveloping the park after years of decline. They focused on landscaping, reducing crime, and installing a snack stand. The refreshed park opened in 1984 and has been popular ever since. The Charleston Parks Conservancy restored parts of the park in 2015.
Where Did the Park Get Its Name?
The park is named in honor of Confederate General Wade Hampton III. His history is complicated, having owned one of the largest groups of slaves in the South as the Civil War began. He was a member of the Lost Cause movement, which espoused the idea that the Confederate States fought during the American Civil War as just and heroic, and not because of slavery. He later became the governor of South Carolina.
Things to do at Hampton Park
For the best flower viewing, you want to visit the Sunken Gardens. It’s now more of a lagoon, but you’ll also enjoy the large lawn surrounding the Gardens as well as the beautiful oak trees. You’ll also find some picnic tables in the area.
From the lagoon area, you can choose a path to follow for walking or biking. You can even follow a path that leads to the bandstand from that 1901 exposition.
Don’t miss the garden promenade. Because of Charleston’s mild climate, you’ll enjoy blooming flowers such as camellias, peach trees, and more all year long. From shade plants to blooming perennials and annuals, there’s an abundance of flowers.
The crown jewel of the Charleston Park system, there’s also greenhouses at Hampton Park that are planted annually with zinnias, echinacea, rudbeckia, amaranth, cosmos, and more. Cool-season flowers such as dianthus, foxgloves, and snapdragons arrive in the spring.
Finally, the McMahon playground is set in the shade next to a field for small sports activities and a recreation building with restrooms.
Public parking is free and available, the park is open during daylight hours, and admission is free.
Final Thoughts on Hampton Park
Today, visitors can see relics of the park’s earlier days from markers and monuments that denote how the park played a role in history. The best part of Hampton Park is that it’s a wide, open space that provides a peaceful and active retreat for visitors. They can sit and enjoy nature, or they can walk, jog, and ride their bikes.
With a playground for the youngest visitors, picnic tables for lunch, baseball and softball fields for pick up games, Hampton Park is perfect for everyone.
The gazebos and benches provide a calm respite for a break from a long run or just simply to admire the blooming azaleas and camellias. As visitors sit or walk through the park, they’ll notice ancient oaks dripping in Spanish moss and even older roses.
With a centrally located pond, water lovers will appreciate its beauty.
Finally, you can spot the Citadel in the distance and escape from the noise of a busy city. Hampton Park truly is a peaceful place to visit.
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