Garden of the Waxhaws

Andrew Jackson State Park is a historical site located in Lancaster, South Carolina that commemorates the birthplace of Andrew Jackson – the seventh president of the United States.  Andrew Jackson lived most of his young life in this area and is honored by a statue created by Anna Hyatt Huntington. As a famous sculptress with a summer home nearby, Anna made the statue of the young president and gave it to the children of South Carolina to commemorate this legendary leader.  The park features a small museum dedicated to Andrew Jackson’s life, including exhibits on the Waxhaws area where he grew up and the Revolutionary War’s impact on his early years.

The park offers a blend of nature and recreation along with history.  The 360-acre facility contains a museum (which documents the lives of early settlers), a campground, a playground; a meetinghouse, a boat dock, and a lake stocked with bass, brim, and catfish. The 22-acre lake is perfect for fishing, canoeing, and kayaking. There are several scenic walking trails surrounded by beautiful woodlands.  The Garden of the Waxhaws Trail is a one-mile hike that begins at the fishing dock. It is a roundtrip loop hike which winds around a lake in the northern section of the park. The trail is straightforward, well marked, and great for older or smaller dogs that prefer an easy day on the trail. Hikers that appreciate a leisurely afternoon on the trail will also enjoy the gentle terrain of this trail.  Start by hiking counter-clockwise past the boat dock headed northbound along the lake. In a few minutes, the sights and sounds of the park campground may be heard to the right since it is a short distance away. The trail continues in a northern direction to the 0.5 mile mark where it makes a hairpin turn around the upper edge of the lake and turns back southbound toward the dam.