The Park Down River Road From Rushland Runs on Three Sets of Rules in November

Johns Island County Park usually costs $2 to enter and stays open from 8 a.m. to sunset. In November it runs three different ways, each with its own price, its own rules about dogs and coolers, and its own organizer. Rushland Plantation sits off River Road, the same road that leads to the park's entrance on Mullet Hall Road. That puts its residents close to all three versions. The weekend you choose decides which park you get.

The baseline park, and why the baseline matters

The ordinary version is the one to measure the rest against. Charleston County Parks lists general admission at $2 per person. Gold Pass holders and children 2 and under get in free. From September through December the park is open from 8 a.m. to sunset. The entry gate closes to incoming cars 30 minutes before closing, which gets early as the days shorten.

On an ordinary day the park has the 9-hole Old Grove Disc Golf Course, an archery range and 3-D course, an off-leash dog park, and its trails. Next door, the Mullet Hall Equestrian Center has five show rings and a public trail system of about 20 miles. Dogs there must be on non-retractable leashes, and bicycles are not allowed.

Getting there is simple. South Carolina Trails describes the route from Charleston as crossing the Stono River onto River Road and driving about 10 miles to a left turn on Mullet Hall Road. The park entrance is about 0.2 mile in, on the left.

Events already took over parts of the park earlier this fall. The park's alert listed trail closures on Sept. 26 and Oct. 3. On Oct. 3, the trails stayed closed until about noon for the Mullet Haul n' Hustle trail race. The race included a kids' dash, a 5K, a half marathon and a marathon relay. Both of those dates have passed. November brings bigger changes.

Three versions of one park, side by side

Each detail in that table comes from a different source, cited in the sections below. The pattern is clear. From the ordinary park to Nov. 7 to Nov. 13–15, the price rises, the hours move from daytime to evening, and the organizer changes from the county to an outside events group.

Saturday, Nov. 7: the county's own festival

The first weekend is still the county's park, just busier. In its Sept. 30, 2026 announcement, Charleston County Parks set the Harvest Festival for Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Local bluegrass is the main draw. The schedule:

• 11 to 11:30 a.m.: Palmetto Line Dancers open the day
• 11:30 a.m.: YeeHaw Junction
• 1:15 p.m.: Southern Flavor Bluegrass Band
• 3 p.m.: Willie Wells & The Blue Ridge Mountain Grass

There will be food vendors selling barbecue and kettle corn, a crafters' market with handmade items from local vendors, hayrides, kids' fall arts and crafts, giant bubbles, and a scarecrow stilt performer. The county has partnered with KultureCity to offer sensory-inclusive accommodations, including sensory bags and a quiet area behind the park's barn.

The rules differ from an ordinary visit in a few practical ways. Admission is $10 per person. Kids 12 and under and Gold Pass holders get in free, but the pass itself has to be shown. A purchase receipt does not count, and passes are not sold on site. No tickets are sold in advance. Dogs are welcome on a leash at all times. Outside alcohol and coolers are not allowed, and the county suggests bringing chairs or blankets.

For a Gold Pass household, Nov. 7 is a free afternoon of bluegrass. It is also the last November weekend this year when the county runs the whole show.

Nov. 13–15: the park becomes festival headquarters

Six days later, the park takes on a different job. The Charleston Classic is in its 29th year. According to its listing on Disc Golf Scene, it "enters an exciting new chapter under the direction of Find the Line in partnership with the Charleston Disc Golf Community and Charleston County Parks." The PDGA lists it as a sanctioned Pro/Am A-Tier event. As of Oct. 12, 2026, 113 players had registered. Disc Golf Scene showed those 113 players against 320 available spots.

Competition is split between Trophy Lakes and Old Grove. Johns Island County Park serves as festival headquarters, with camping, live music, local vendors, food, art and family activities. The Old Grove course on the park's own listing is one of the two tournament courses. The published schedule puts Old Grove in tournament use from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. If you usually play that 9-hole course on weekends, plan on a different weekend.

The evenings are open to the public, for a price. The schedule lists live music at Johns Island County Park from 5 to 10 p.m. on both nights:

1. Friday, Nov. 13: Right Ratio and Headstrings Collective, a Paul Simon tribute
2. Saturday, Nov. 14: Marsh Grass Mommas, with more acts to be announced

Tickets are sold through City Paper Tickets. As of mid-October, adult admission for Friday or Saturday was $30, or $33.94 with fees. A two-day adult ticket was $50, or $55.20 with fees, and children got in free. Tickets cover the festival grounds, music stages, vendors and spectator areas. The ticketed window runs from 5 p.m. Friday to noon Sunday.

The biggest change from an ordinary weekend is overnight stays. Tent and RV camping will be available at the park throughout the event, with a limited number of electric hookups. Find the Line was granted special permission to offer camping and is managing all camping arrangements for the weekend. Camping is not on the park's everyday list of facilities.

Prices and registration numbers like these change as an event gets closer. The figures above reflect the listings as of Oct. 12.

After the festivals: the quieter weekends

Once the camping wraps up, the park goes back to its ordinary schedule with small, paid programs. Charleston County Parks lists two archery sessions on each of three Saturdays:

These are priced per participant, and they use the archery range the park lists every day of the year. On those Saturdays the rest of the park runs on its regular terms: $2 entry, the off-leash dog park, the Old Grove course back in open play, and the Mullet Hall trails, where dogs stay on non-retractable leashes and bikes are not allowed.

Taken together, the calendar is easy to plan around. Nov. 7 is the county's daytime festival for families and dogs. Nov. 13–15 is a ticketed evening festival with overnight campers and the disc golf course in tournament use. Nov. 21 brings back the $2 park with archery in the morning, and the gate closes 30 minutes before sunset.

Proximity to a place like Johns Island County Park is part of what a River Road address offers, and it is hard to see in a listing photo. If you're thinking about how where you live on Johns Island shapes your weekends, or what that is worth when you eventually sell, Anthony Barrasso is glad to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.