Exploring the Charleston Beaches

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Going to the beach is my favorite summer activity. I just feel so at peace when I’m at the beach. I love soaking up the sun’s rays, observing the sea life, collecting sea shells, playing in the waves with my boys, and admiring the beauty that is the ocean… and Charleston beaches are some of the best! 

Thankfully, Columbia is only two hours away from some of the most beautiful beaches around. My family heads to Charleston multiple times each summer, taking in a different beach each trip. Below is a list of Charleston area beaches and what we love about them. (The beaches are in order from the northernmost beach to the southernmost beach.)

1. Isle of Palms

Isle of Palms boasts six miles of beautiful white sandy beaches! Here you’ll find some amazing wildlife, clean beaches, easy to find parking, spas, hotels and resorts, vacation rentals, a playground, golf, and a plethora of restaurants and souvenir shops. There is also easy to access public bathrooms and rinse off stations. 

While Isle of Palms is a beautiful beach and very family friendly, the downside is that it does tend to get crowded. Because there are also a lot of hotels, stores, etc., it also feels a bit like a tourist trap, in my opinion. It’s not as laid back as some of the other beaches are, but it’s still a great destination with a lot to offer. It just depends on what you are looking for in a beach. 

2. Sullivan’s Island

Sullivan’s Island is my favorite of the Charleston beaches. It also happens to be the first beach my family and I visited when we moved to Columbia. I love this beach because I find Sullivan to be the least crowded and most peaceful of the Charleston area beaches. It’s also the least “touristy” of all the beaches, in that it’s a quaint little town that is not commercialized or overdeveloped. In fact, there aren’t even any hotels on the island. You can rent a beach house or stay in a hotel off the island.

Sullivan’s Island stretches for two and a half miles along the amazing Atlantic ocean. In addition to the beautiful beach you will find the Sullivan’s Island lighthouse, harbor cruises, kayak tours, tubing, and Fort Moultrie. Be aware though that there aren’t any public restrooms, so plan accordingly. There also isn’t a bathhouse or rinse of station, so you may want to bring a jug of water to rinse off those sandy feet before heading to a restaurant. 

Speaking of restaurants, Sullivan’s Island boasts some fantastic places to eat! I have been to all of the major ones and have enjoyed each one. My favorite restaurant is Poe’s Tavern. This restaurant not only has delicious food coupled with a laid back casual atmosphere, but it also pays tribute to Edgar Allen Poe, who was stationed at Fort Moultrie from 1827-1828. In fact, Poe’s time on Sullivan’s Island inspired his short story, The Gold Bug. 

Other restaurants on Sullivan’s Island include Home Team BBQ (Yep, the same one we have in Cola! But the Sullivan’s Island location was first and it’s a smaller more quaint atmosphere.), Mex 1 Coastal Cantina, The Longboard, and Sullivan’s Fish Camp

3. Folly Beach

Folly beach is a wonderful family-oriented beach. There is a nice long strip of beach, with plenty of room for the hundreds of beach-goers who flock there. There is easy access to bathrooms, changing rooms, and water stations to rinse off all that sand. And Folly has something most of the other beach’s don’t, lifeguards! The only downside I’ve found is that it can sometimes be tricky to find parking. 

Folly also has the Folly Beach Pier, which stretches 1,000 feet into the ocean and provides beautiful views. Folly Beach County Park not only has swimming, but picnic areas and a pelican rookery. At the eastern most end of the beach is the Morris Island Lighthouse, a great place to explore!

Center Street boasts some fantastic souvenir and surf shops. In addition, there are some wonderful restaurants and food trucks. You can’t go wrong here! Our favorites are the pizza place on Center Street, where you can get delicious slices of pizza that are quite large. To cool off, we head to the Pineapple Hut. They offer the most amazing pineapple dole whips you’ll ever have! 

4. Kiawah Island

Kiawah Island is known for it’s amazing wildlife. Deer, gray foxes, rabbits, coyote, mink, armadillos, bobcats (yes!!), and dolphins. It’s an animal lovers paradise! But it also has some beautiful beaches.

Kiawah is a private island but if you get a vacation rental, you can have access to the beaches that are just for residents. There is also a public beach just outside of the private residential area. For public beach access you’ll need to head to Kiawah Beachwalker Park, located on the west end of Kiawah island. 

Beachwalker park has a boardwalk with an accessible ramp, restrooms, dressing areas, outdoor showers, and a picnic area with grills (first-come, first-served), and a snack bar. In addition, there are beach chair/umbrella/boogie board rentals. One thing this beach has that the others don’t is lifeguards during the summer (May 25 – mid August). Having lifeguards offers a little extra protection for you and your little ones. 

Be aware that there are only 150 parking spots and they usually fill up by 10:30am during peak season. This beach does tend to get a little more crowded, so just be aware of that and plan to arrive early during the summer months. 

You can find park hours, the lifeguard schedule, snack bar schedule, and chair/umbrella/boogie board rentals at THIS website

5. Seabrook Island

Like Kiawah island, Seabrook island is also a private island. However, unlike Kiawah there is NOT a public beach. But there are plenty of vacation rental homes available on Seabrook island, so if you book a stay there, you will have access to Seabrook’s two main beaches; Pelican Beach and North beach. 

Pelican Beach is known for it’s breathtaking sunsets. It’s situated near the mouth of the Edisto river which gives it a softer current and smaller waves. Perfect for kids!

Where Pelican Beach is known for it’s sunsets, North Beach is known for it’s sunrises. It’s also a great location for exploring tide pools. You never know what sea life you’ll find there! North Beach also boasts two special areas that are amazingly peaceful and breathtakingly beautiful; Captain Sam’s and North Beach Lagoon. 

While all of that is amazing, what really sets Seabrook island apart is it’s wildlife. Seabrook is one of just a few places in the world where bottlenose dolphins use a technique for feeding called strand feeding. It’s an amazing sight like nothing you’ve ever seen! Seabrook island is also sea turtle nesting ground and is home to more than 80 species of birds, including some that are on the endangered species list (this includes bald eagles and piping plovers).

6. Edisto Beach

I absolutely adore Edisto beach! This is my second favorite of the Charleston area beaches. It’s actually a bit further south of Charleston, but it’s worth the drive. 

Edisto beach is less developed than most of the other beaches, which makes it a more quiet and peaceful setting and a LOT less crowded than beaches like Isle of Palms and Kiawah. But it’s also still very family-friendly with a lot to do! It’s the perfect beach for the nature lover in your family

Edisto boasts four and a half miles of uncrowded pristine beaches. Just like Sullivan’s Island, there are no hotels on Edisto, but there are plenty of vacation rentals. In addition, you could also stay at Edisto beach state park, where you can go camping or stay in a cabin. The beach at the state park is absolutely gorgeous and full of wildlife! It’s also home to hundreds of Loggerhead sea turtle nests during nesting season. If you happen to stay there during hatching season (late July to late October), you can take a walk down to the beach at night and you just might get to see some baby turtles make their grand entrance into the world. 

Do you enjoy looking for sea shells and shark teeth? Then Edisto is perfect for you! On Edisto you’ll find quite a variety of beautiful shells, shark teeth, whelk egg cases (I found one!), and even fossils. In addition, you can book a trip out to Shell Island (also called Otter island) where you’ll spend two and a half hours walking around this uninhabited island that was once used by armed forces to practice firing during WWII. You’ll find the most amazing wildlife and shells there! You may also be treated to a visit by some dolphins while there. When my family went, there was a group of dolphins that swam right next to our boat as we approached the island. It was amazing!

No matter which beach you choose for your vacation, you can’t go wrong. Charleston beaches are some of the most beautiful beaches you’ll ever see and there’s a beach for everyone, no matter your preferences. Not sure which one you’d like the best? Do what my family does; try a different beach each trip until you find your favorite spot. You can’t go wrong!

Which Charleston beach is your favorite? Share in the comments!

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