Sitting under the vaulted ceiling of the lakeside pavilion, it feels so far from anywhere. Sunlight dapples the surface of the water, while thick old-growth trees cluster around the opposite shoreline. Almost everything you need is nearby — an outdoor kitchen, a boat dock, even a bathroom and shower. And it’s all part of an expansive property on a low-profile Midlands lake.
The address, 1075 Retreat Way, says it all. The 3.43-acre property near the Fairfield County town of Ridgeway is anchored by a 5,669-square-foot home built in 2022. But the show-stopper is what the current owner calls “the island” — a peninsula that juts out into the calm, quiet waters of Lake Wateree, and is loaded with just about anything needed to fully take advantage of life on the lake.
“The way this property was developed, it’s different from anything else that I’ve seen on Lake Wateree,” said Leah Fitts, an agent with Todd Realty Partners of Lexington, who is listing the Retreat Way home for $1.999 million. “He has water and sewer down there, he has electricity down there, he has a full outdoor kitchen. The pavilion area has a sandy beach and a dock, there’s a sports court and artificial turf. It’s like a whole other destination, in addition to having a house on the lake.”
Boat dock and hot tub
The four-bedroom home at 1075 Retreat Way features 2,833 finished square feet on the main level, and another 2,836 square feet on a lower level that is heated, cooled, drywalled and roughed in for plumbing and electrical. While the current owners have used the unfinished lower level as a sort of large rec room, Fitts said it could be configured to add two more bedrooms, another full bath or an additional living area.
An expansive covered patio extends from the home’s lower level, topped by a deck area off the main level above. Both offer panoramic views of Lake Wateree, which features 216 miles of shoreline and was created in 1920 by the damming of the Catawba River flowing down from North Carolina.
A gently sloping gravel path leads down to the lakeside pavilion, built atop stamped and stained concrete and surrounded by low-maintenance artificial turf. There’s the outdoor kitchen and bar, nearby basketball court, boat dock, oversized eight-person hot tub, outdoor shower and fire pit. A nearby structure houses a half-bath. String lights and lakeside seating only add to the ambiance.
“It’s a gathering spot. It’s a nice place for parties. It could be for weddings or other events,” Fitts said. “There’s shelter, so you can sit out there when it’s raining or when it’s 100 degrees and still enjoy a breeze. It just allows you to have another gathering spot for entertainment and fun.”
And there’s the potential for more — with 3.43 acres, there’s plenty of room remaining on the property to build a pool or for further development, Fitts said. The entire package is further evidence of the gradual real estate transformation on Lake Wateree, where largely rustic weekend dwellings are giving way to newer and higher-end properties like 1075 Retreat Way.
‘Bang for your buck’
Located roughly 40 minutes from northeast Columbia, Lake Wateree’s quiet and unspoiled shores have long been populated by mobile homes, cabins and similar structures that nearby residents would escape to on weekends. But that’s clearly changing — as of mid-September, there were seven available listings on the lake priced at $1 million or above, according to a search on realtor.com.
Those properties include not just the $1.999 million listing at 1075 Retreat Way, but also the 6,754-square-foot “Rockbridge Lodge” at 197 Smooth Rock Circle, a 2007 build with stone fireplaces and timber beamed ceilings that carries the lake’s highest price tag at $2.7 million. On the lake’s Camden County side, the updated 2003 build at 2429 Singleton Point — with an abundance of decks and porches looking out over the lake’s the main channel — is listed for $1.4 million.