I-95 Exit 77 South Carolina (St. George): What's There

I-95 exit 77 in South Carolina is the US 78 interchange at St. George, in Dorchester County, about nine miles south of where I-95 meets I-26 at exit 86. It has fuel on both sides, two truck stops open 24 hours, roughly a half dozen motels, a Stuckey’s, and the usual chain food. Downtown St. George, with its clock, museum, and two local restaurants, is about three miles east on US 78 and US 15, a ten-minute round trip off the interstate. This is also the exit for the World Grits Festival, held the second weekend of April, April 9–11 in 2027.

That is the practical answer. The rest of this page is what I have confirmed is out there and what is worth your time.

Where is exit 77?

Northbound, exit 77 comes a few miles after you cross the Edisto River and pass the weigh station near Cowtail Creek. The ramp is a folded diamond onto US 78, signed for St. George and Bamberg. Southbound it is the first exit after the I-26 interchange at exit 86 and the US 178 exit at 82. The road at the bottom of the ramp carries the local name West Jim Bilton Boulevard; a block or two east it becomes Badham Drive and then plain US 78 heading into town.

The I-26/I-95 interchange at exit 86 has been under reconstruction since January 2025. The loop ramps are being replaced with flyovers, with substantial completion expected in June 2027 and final completion that November. Expect lane shifts and slow traffic there through 2027.

Gas and truck stops

Two full travel centers sit at the exit, both open around the clock according to their listings. The Flying J Travel Center at 113 Motel Drive has ten diesel lanes, RV fuel islands, an RV dump station, showers, laundry, and a Denny’s attached. The RaceTrac at 6014 West Jim Bilton Boulevard is a large car-and-truck station with hot food inside. Stuckey’s lists its St. George store on Jim Bilton Boulevard “right off of I-95 Exit 77,” combined with a Sunoco station and a fireworks store. There are other brand stations on both sides of the overpass; I will not list the ones I have not confirmed.

If you need a second option, a Pilot Travel Center sits up the road at 9587 Charleston Highway, which is the US 15/US 178 area near exit 82.

Food at the exit

Pizza, diner, bar food, and fast food. Georgio’s II Pizza and Family Restaurant at 5945 West Jim Bilton Boulevard has been there long enough to show up in guides from two decades back and in current listings, with a lunch buffet and a salad bar. Skynyrd’s Grill and Sports Bar at 129 Motel Drive is the bar, open until midnight or later. Denny’s is at the Flying J, 113 Motel Drive. Fast food is present on both sides of the interchange. The chain names change hands often enough that I am not going to vouch for a specific one.

The better meal is three miles away. See below.

Motels

They are strung along West Jim Bilton Boulevard, Motel Drive, and Winningham Road, all within sight of the overpass. A hotel directory for the exit lists a Red Roof Inn at 115 Winningham Road, an Econo Lodge at 5971 West Jim Bilton Boulevard, and a Days Inn at 139 Motel Drive, and there are a few more independent and budget-chain motels in the same cluster. Nothing fancy. Nothing downtown either; this is where you sleep if you are sleeping in St. George. Grits Festival weekend fills them.

How far is downtown St. George from the exit?

About three miles and five minutes. Turn east on US 78 at the bottom of the ramp (left if you came off southbound, right if northbound). After roughly two miles turn right onto US 15 South, which is Parler Avenue. Two blocks later you cross the railroad tracks and you are at the center of town. That is the route the Grits Festival committee gives, and it is the only route you need.

Is the detour worth it?

If you have twenty minutes, yes. Here is what is on Parler Avenue, all within two blocks of each other and all free to look at.

The town clock, 129 North Parler. A three-faced electric clock on a pedestal, in place since June 1955, that plays the Westminster chimes on the hour.
The Klauber Building, 225 North Parler. An 1894 mercantile store, restored, holding the visitor center and town museum. Open weekdays 9 to 4. Local maps, a Heritage Corridor kiosk, somebody to talk to.
The Lourie Theater, 206 North Parler. A 1920s movie house brought back as a live venue. You can see it from the sidewalk any time; going inside depends on the schedule.
Lunch. Bistro 221, at 221 North Parler beside the Klauber Building, serves Wednesday through Sunday. Nannie’s Kitchen, 307 North Parler, does breakfast and sandwiches from 6 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Both are closed Monday. Both are a long way better than the exit.

Then back out US 78 to the ramp. The whole thing is a ten-minute detour plus however long you sit at the counter.

The exit for the Grits Festival

The World Grits Festival is held downtown at 110 South Parler Avenue the second weekend of April. Exit 77 is the I-95 exit for it; from I-26 the exit is 172. Admission is free. Parking is on the side streets, and Parler Avenue closes for the parade at 11 Saturday morning. Full schedule on the festival page.

What else is near exit 77

Indian Field Methodist Campground, a ring of 99 wooden cabins around an open tabernacle built in 1848, is a few miles north of town on US 15, with camp meeting the first week of October. Givhans Ferry State Park on the Edisto River is about 20 minutes east of town. Beidler Forest’s cypress boardwalk is about 25 minutes north. There is a longer list on the things to do in St. George page.

Most people who take exit 77 never see the clock. They fuel, eat, sleep, and go. The dispatches are about the town three miles past the pumps. The county map shows where the interstate is relative to everything else, which is to say off to one side.

I-95 exit 77 (St. George, SC): what’s actually there