Harry Hampton Visitor Center at Congaree National Park

The Visitor Center at Congaree National Park is named for Harry Hampton, a reporter and early proponent of saving a largely pristine tract of old-growth forest in the Congaree floodplain that was owned by lumber tycoon Francis Bidler.

OPERATING HOURS

The Harry Hampton Visitor Center is open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM except when closed on President’s Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Keep in mind that times can always change, so before heading to the park, be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for Congaree National Park.

Interior of the Harry Hampton Visitor Center at Congaree National Park

AMENITIES

• Information desk where you can ask questions and get a park brochure, trail map, and Boardwalk Trail guide
• Souvenir and book store
• Park film
• Exhibit area
• Restrooms

Information desk at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center at Congaree National Park

PARK FILM

Congaree: Wilderness Shaped by Water is a 19-minute film that shows on a loop inside the Visitor Center auditorium. The majority of the film covers the ecology of the park, but there is a segment about how and why the old growth forest of the Congaree floodplain was spared from being logged and how the park was created. There is no objectionable material, so the film is suitable for all ages.

EXHIBIT AREA

The exhibits at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center are split among ecology topics and conservation topics. It is not a large area, so if you want to read all the information, it takes about a half hour.

Exhibit inside the Harry Hampton Visitor Center at Congaree National Park

Exhibit on the creation of Congaree Swamp National Monument in the Harry Hampton Visitor Center

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

Plan to spend at least a half hour at the Harry Hampton Visitor Center. That gives you time to talk with a Ranger about what there is to see and do, watch the park film (which I highly recommend), and give the exhibits a quick glance. Add a half hour if you want to read through all the information in the exhibit area.

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