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Kiawah Island

Greater Charleston — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:12:23 +0000

Kiawah Island is Greater Charleston's most famous Resort playground

Both a town and a private resort community, Kiawah Island is quite simply the most highly regarded of all the resort islands of the South Carolina coast, and by offering 5 different award winning golf courses across the pristine island – an island that boasts the largest stretch of ocean front of all the Greater Charleston barrier islands – it’s no surprise that Kiawah is among the most popular golf destinations in the world. With courses designed by the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Gary Player, and Tom Fazio, Kiawah is a virtual golfer’s paradise. The famed Ocean Course is considered to be among the toughest courses on the East Coast, and has played host to the Ryder Cup, the World Cup, and the Senior PGA Championship.

Though its beaches offer luxuries and scenery one would expect of a Carribean resort, many are surprised to learn that the Charleston County Parks & Recreation Commission operates Beachwalker Park, a gorgeous public beach on the southern end Kiawah Island (most locals still are not even aware of this public masterpiece). With the slightly more populated Seabrook Island (also a resort town) helping boost the feel of community in the Johns Island area, Kiawah enjoys a paradoxical atmosphere of exclusivity and inclusion among the Greater Charleston community. The smooth, scenic 45 minute drive to the downtown historic district is far more a joyride than a commute for Kiawah Islanders who work in town. But with Kiawah being a playground for some of the wealthiest tycoons and celebrities in the world, Kiawah is not exactly a place where you expect to find workaholics, and since it has easy access to the planned town center “Freshfields Village” and numerous restaurants on the island and the adjacent Johns Island, Kiawah is not at all secluded from civiliation.

Kiawah offers first class beaches, equestrian facilities, tennis clubs, swimming pools, soccer, polo — you name it. If it’s a favorite pastime for the rich and famous, you’ll find it going on at Kiawah. The island is so laid back that even 8-point bucks walk around in broad daylight while not-so-friendly gators stroll the golf courses with little concern. Life is beautiful and natural on Kiawah, and everyone should visit the island at least once, even if to simply walk the beach or enjoy one of the fine restaurants that are managed by the resort. For a no-travel vacation, many locals take advantage of the surprisingly affordable vacation rentals on the resort, and we suggest you do too – especially if you golf.

In 2007 the Town of Kiawah Island had an estimated population just over 1100.

Click here to see photos of Kiawah Island in our Gallery, and be sure to try the slideshow while there!

My Favorite Charleston Area Beach – Folly Beach, South Carolina

slstallings — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:57:28 +0000

I feel very fortunate to live close to so many awesome beaches here in Charleston! Folly Beach is my #1 favorite. The laid back atmosphere,

beautiful trees and scenery, great food, and surfing make it an excellent place to hang out with family and friends.

- From My Blog, All About Charleston – Charleston Favorites
by Suzanne Stallings, wife and mom of two very cool boys.

Isle of Palms

Greater Charleston — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:33:39 +0000

Isle of Palms looks idyllic across Breach Inlet from Sullivan's Island

The slender barrier island that is the Isle of Palms (IOP) is best known as Greater Charleston’s most popular public beach for tourists and families with small children, but it is also home to the Wild Dunes Resort, Marina, and its amazing golf courses. Sitting off the Mt. Pleasant coastline just north of its Sullivan’s Island, IOP has everything an island visitor could ask for… great beaches, great beach rentals, golf courses, tennis facilities, yachting water sports, shops, quaint restaurants, and instant access to the Mount Pleasant Towne Centre via the Isle of Palms Connector, and to Sullivans Island via the bridge at Breach Inlet. The IOP public beach is also home to the famous Windjammer, the oceanfront live music venue that helped make Hootie & The Blowfish, Charleston’s all-time favorite home grown band, and also the famous little Sea Biscuit Café, an exquisitely shabby breakfast and lunch joint so laid back that it closes at 1PM on weekends… even if crowds continue to line up at around the porch.

Popular little Goat Island is IOP's favorite neighbor

While the beaches are long and popular, the vast marsh views from the IOP Connector are unrivaled, especially at the crest of the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway where views of water-locked Goat Island and the Wild Dunes Marina make for breathtaking land & seascape, especially with the sparkling Atlantic Ocean dominating the eastern horizon just a couple hundred yards away. You’ll have to be on foot or on bike to truly take in the views from the top of the connector, so we encourage you to get out and just do it. It’s a definite Must See. But if you’d rather tour the island in your car, the connector is still an incredibly scenic drive as it seems to plop you right on the beach with the clearest unobstructed view of the Atlantic Ocean you will find anywhere in Greater Charleston. And if you continue your drive by looping across Breach Inlet into Sullivan’s Island you’ll see unique vistas and charming island living in every direction.

Hamlin Creek as viewed at sundown from the IOP Connector

The Isle of Palms and Breach Inlet also played tremendous roles in American military history. Breach Inlet is the location of one of the most important battles of the Revolutionary War, the Battle in defense of Fort Sullivan (which many historians point to as a frontrunner for modern defensive tactics), when IOP was called Long Island. If you remember from U.S. history class the battle where many of Lord Cornwallis’ men drowned while trying to cross a seemingly shallow creek, all while under siege from the Patriots (dubbed “Sandlappers”) who fired their weapons while laying prone in the sandy soil, this was the spot. Breach Inlet was also the launching point of the Civil War vessel CSS Hunley, the first submarine in world history to successfully sink an enemy ship, the USS Housatonic on February 17, 1864.

Wild Dunes golf courses cover the North End of the Island

From a tourism perspective, the true gem of the Isle is at the northern tip where you find the Wild Dunes Resort. It’s a gated community, so you’ll have to jump a few hoops to visit, but once behind the gate you’ll see why it comes so highly recommended, even if you simply drive its curvy canopied avenues and glimpse its massive white sand beaches from a distance. Everyone should stay at Wild Dunes at least once, and many locals use it as their in-town resort getaway. IOP is just about 25 minutes from downtown Charleston when the traffic is light.

The City of Isle of Palms was incorporated in 1953. In 2007 the estimated population was just under 5000.

Click here to see photos of Isle of Palms in our Gallery, and be sure to try the slideshow while there!

Click here for encyclopedic information about the Isle of Palms at Wikipedia.com

Sullivan’s Island

Greater Charleston — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:07:15 +0000

"The Cove" on the Intracoastal Waterway of Sully's Island

In a region where coastal living and American history are the hallmarks, Sullivan’s Island is easily the compelling of all the islands of Greater Charleston. For locals, there are no finer beaches than those on Sullivan’s (aka Sully’s or Sully’s I). The views and angles are spectacular, the sands are white and broad, and the sandbars and inlets offer the best wind-boarding and kite flying on the South Carolina coast. The sandbar at Station 28 is an absolute Must See for anyone who loves a great beach. Its main sandbar can reach a quarter mile into the Atlantic, offering one of the coolest strolls in America. Having the closest beaches to downtown Charleston one would expect Sully to suffer large crowds, but not so. There are no public facilities for visitors, and beach access points are difficult to find, so Sullivan’s is primarily the favorite of locals and fans of beach wind sports. For these reasons, the Station 22 beachfront has been popular with College of Charleston Students for several generations.

The beach at Station 28 on Sullivan's Island

Sullivan’s also has a perfect little town park, with cute children’s playgrounds and superb outdoor sporting facilities all tucked against a massive earthen bunker with views of the Intracoastal Waterway… just a couple blocks from the beach. Its homes are as interesting as its residents, as the architecture is as varied as the incredible history this tiny little island can boast. When the first explorers sailed into old world Charleston Harbor, the first land they passed was Sully’s. As the home of Fort Sullivan, which was renamed Fort Moultrie after General William Moultrie who defeated Cornwallis in one of the decisive land-sea battles of the Revolutionary War. The flexible palmetto logs that Moultrie used to defend the fort from British Canon fire were the inspiration for the South Carolina state flag, widely admired among America’s most recognizable state flags. And in the mouth of the harbor just in front of Fort Moultrie is the most famous fort of them all, Fort Sumter, home of the “shot heard around the world” that started the Civil War. Fort Moultrie is so strategically positioned that it remained a legitimate US Military facility guarding the harbor until 1940. The views from the high dune beach head in front of Fort Moultrie are in our opinion the best offered by any other single location in the entire Greater Charleston area. With a direct view westward far across the harbor to the Charleston Battery and Charleston’s romantic skyline, it offers the best sunsets in the state.

Downtown Charleston as seen from the beach at Fort Moultrie

To the Northeast is the iconic black and white Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse, a modern structure that is in direct contrast to the Morris Island Lighthouse (1876) to the South, just to the left of Fort Sumter. All the while ambling by are constant streams of leisure vessels and ocean going ships alike. Many completing their journey from the other side of the world. And in the waters of the harbor you’re sure to see families of dolphins fishing and playing, often just a few feet from the beach and walk-able jetties. And of course there are views of the Ravenel Bridge that are totally unique to that spot. All of this and you’ll be standing in front of one of the most important National Historic Museums in Fort Moultrie, and just off to its left is the beautiful little sanctuary that is the historic Stella Maris Church (1873), that was built to replace the war torn Church of St. John the Baptist, that was by no coincidence the only building on the entire island that was left standing after the Civil War. One cannot help but to be moved when visiting this overwhelmingly historic island.

At the northern end of the Island where the Bridge at Breach Inlet connects Sully’s to the Isle of Palms, the unrivaled history of the tiny island continues. Breach Inlet is the location of one of the most important ground battles of the Revolutionary War, the Battle in defense of Fort Sullivan from the North (which many historians point to as a trailblazer for modern combat tactics). If you remember from U.S. history class the battle where many of Lord Cornwallis’s men drowned in surprisingly swift waters while trying to cross a seemingly shallow creek, all while under intense fire from the local Patriots (dubbed “Sandlappers”) who fired their weapons while laying prone in the sandy soil, Breach Inlet was that creek and Sully’s was that sand. The treacherous Inlet was also the launching point of the Civil War vessel CSS Hunley, the first submarine in world history to successfully sink an enemy ship, the USS Housatonic on February 17, 1864. And with all this talk of the glory and tragedy of war, it cannot be overlooked that Sullivan’s Island is also the closest thing to an Ellis Island for the descendents of the slaves, as historians say the ancestors of nearly half the African American population entered North America through Sullivan’s Island. So with the sufferings and courage and inevitable prayers of the soldiers and the slaves of history, one can feel a truly holy presence on Sully’s that makes the island that much more beautiful.

Historic markers are plentiful on tiny Sullivan's Island

While many tourists and locals alike hop over to the Isle of Palms to access the IOP Connector en route to the Mount Pleasant mainland at Towne Centre, most locals use the traditional causeway at Ben Sawyer Blvd that hops into the Old Village of Mount Pleasant at Coleman Blvd., for a scenic 15 minute ride to downtown Charleston across the Ravenel Bridge. Visitors may remember the draw bridge that was knocked off its axis by Hurricane Hugo. That’s the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway on the Ben Sawyer Causeway to Sullivan’s Island. When linked to a tour across the paralleled IOP Connector, visitors can expect one of the most spectacular touring drives in Greater Charleston. Literature fans will find it especially interesting that Edgar Allen Poe used Sullivan’s Island as the setting for his novel The Gold Bug.

In 2007 the Town of Sullivan’s Island population was estimated just over 1800.

Click here to see photos of Sullivan’s Island in our Gallery, and be sure to try the slideshow while there!

Click Here for encyclopedic information about Sullivan’s Island at Wikipedia.com

Folly Beach

Greater Charleston — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 05:12:43 +0000

Treasures at Folly beach

Every beach and island in Greater Charleston offers its own unique personality, and among these characters, Folly Beach is definitely the life of the party. Locals call it simply “Folly”, or “The Edge” (referring to Folly’s nickname “Edge of America”) and it’s widely recognized as home to the most laid back beach community on the East Coast. In days gone by Folly was the playground for the rich and upwardly mobile, as the beach was famous for its boardwalks and Myrtle Beach styled amusement parks. And while tourism still plays a major role in the Folly Beach lifestyle, boardwalk as been replaced by the Holiday Inn Beachfront and the amusement piers have been replaced by The Folly Beach Fishing Pier, one of the finest publicly managed fishing piers on the East Coast. In addition to the pier, Charleston County Parks and Recreation also manages The Folly Beach County Park at the southernmost tip of the island, which provides professionally trained life guards and a beautifully remote family friendly environment, making it the top rated public beach in Greater Charleston.

Sunset over the beach at the Holiday Inn as viewed from the Fishing Pier

Folly has a small but thriving downtown area centered on the short stretch of Folly Road where it lands onto the island and ends at the Holiday Inn Beachfront. On Folly you’ll find a host of great little restaurants, some truly beachy night spots, and several of Greater Charleston’s best surf and suit shops. At an especially narrow portion of the island near the northern tip is the stretch of beach known as The Washout, which is by far the most popular surfer beach in Greater Charleston. And just a few hundred yards up the beach, just off the northern tip is the world famous Morris Island Lighthouse, also known as “Charleston Light.” The structure is one of the most compelling icons of the Greater Charleston landscape, as it stands as a metaphor of our historic war torn past – no longer lit or in action but still standing strong against the currents of time, the same currents that have washed away the shifting sands of an island that no longer exists – yet beautifully preserved for all to learn from and admire. This northern point of Folly Beach is an absolute Must See off the beaten path. You will have to get out of your car and walk through a few sand dunes, but the trip will be well worth it, especially since the Ravenel Bridge is also stunningly framed on the western Horizon and the Sullivan’s Island lighthouse that took over Morris Island’s duties can be seen flashing it’s light northward across the mouth of Charleston Harbor. And of course, there’s the Atlantic Ocean on the East, constantly depositing a treasure of sea shells on the lightly visited northern beach head.

The Morris Island Lighthouse is best seen from the north end of Folly Beach

Like all the barrier islands of Greater Charleston, many of the beachfront homes on the island serve as beach rentals, but Folly is also a great bedroom community with the vast majority of homes belonging to year round residents. Folly Beach also has a very tight familial relationship with the James Islanders next door, as Folly Rd. is “main street” for both towns. Folly is also just 20 minutes from downtown when the traffic is light, so while it’s second only to Sullivan’s Island as an easy access beach for visitors staying in the historic district, it is by far the most visitor-friendly of all the beaches of Greater Charleston, both due to its unrivaled public amenities and for its excellent selection of restaurants and shops. Likewise, the marsh-island-hopping drive from the James Island Connector to Folly Road out to the Atlantic Ocean provides the most naturally scenic tour and most interesting and diverse set of views offered by any drive in Greater Charleston.

Click here to see photos of Folly Beach in our Gallery, and be sure to try the slideshow while there!

Seabrook Island

Greater Charleston — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:53:50 +0000

Seabrook Island is a Resort and a Town

Seabrook Island has got to be Greater Charleston’s most enigmatic community. It is a true resort community known best for being Kiawah Island’s next door neighbor and is one of the most internationally recognized Islands in South Carolina, yet it’s not even an island, and though it’s a fully guarded and gated community, it’s also a legitimate municipality. Seabrook Island is the private resort community/town at the ocean front tip of Johns Island. The beaches of Seabrook are natural and varied across its peninsular shape. The best of Seabrook’s beaches are on the calm southwestern turn at the mouth of the Edisto River, where the sun sets across a long water view, for a uniquely “west coast” feel for an east coast barrier island. Seabrook boasts beautifully scenic oak canopied island drives, a first class golf course, an equestrian center, a marina, most all other resort amenities, and the well-known Camp Saint Christopher youth beach retreat (Episcopal church managed). Seabrook also enjoys as adjacent neighbors the scenic Bohicket Marina and the wonderfully designed Freshfields Village shops. Seabrook Island is a smooth and scenic 45 minute drive from the downtown historic district, and enjoys easy access to many excellent restaurants on Johns Island and on the Kiawah Resort. In 2007 the Town of Seabrook Island had an estimated population of 1200.

Click here for encyclopedic information about Seabrook Island at Wikipedia.com

Click here to see photos of Seabrook Island in our Gallery, and be sure to try the slideshow while there!

Folly Beach

Public — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:02:15 +0000

You're finally at Folly!

Folly Beach is known as the “Edge of America” and popular for its surfing, especially along the east side of the island called the “wash-out” by local surfers. It is a six-mile long barrier island south of James Island and the closest beach to downtown Charleston.

The 25 feet wide Edwin S. Taylor pier stretches 1,045 feet into the Atlantic Ocean and beckons fishermen and dolphin watchers alike. This beach is also very protective of its sea turtle population and since hatchlings follow the moonlight to head out to sea, the beach has a restriction on non-natural light-including headlights-after sunset.

Palmettos on Folly Beach.

At the western edge of the beach, you’ll find Folly Beach County Park, with designated swimming areas, lifeguards, changing rooms, beach rentals and the Pelican Watch picnic shelter. Bring the family to Folly Beach and enjoy a bit of the “Key West” lifestyle.

Thanks for participating in our “Beta” launch!

Greater Charleston — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:36:02 +0000

Welcome! In the internet, “beta” simply means “sneak-preview,” with advanced opportunities to gain premium exposure as we perfect the system behind the scenes.

You now have the opportunity to be among the first visitors to submit your writing or business profile for featured placement, or to replace an existing profile, or to review existing business profiles to establish their ranking! To post your profile or writing, simply click Submit Here and fill in the blanks once you get there. It’s that easy! To review an existing profile, simply scroll to the bottom of that page and you’ll be able to click up to five stars! While registering as a user is not required for you to make your submission or write reviews, it will give you greater privileges, and it’s absolutely free, so we encourage you to register soon. For security reasons, we cannot give instant publishing or other site priveleges unless we can contact you and verify who you are, so you can trust registration is purely for the integrity and protection of the family-friendly content of GreaterCharleston.com, and nothing more. Registered users also have instant review/rating priveleges that automatically insert your screen name, so it can also make for a more enjoyable business reviewing effort. The Register link is on the right side of every page, or you can click here to register now. Likewise, you’ll want to register at the Gallery and at GreaterCharleston.tv for similar reasons. You can use the same username and password, or create new ones for each registration, but for security reasons we keep the databases separate so you will need to register for each that you intend to use for submissions. Once we know who you are, we give you increasing freedom and power to move around, and will eventually offer you contributing editor status, which is loaded with even more power and privileges… both in the site and around town! If you have any questions, feel free to email us at Submissions@GreaterCharleston.com anytime.

While we have our own team of writers and multi-media production folks who will be publishing articles, stories, and gallery albums in magazine format, we are also a publicly-driven publishing site. You may have heard the terms Wiki, open-source, and Web 2.0… well all of those aptly describe the organic strengths of this site. But few terms better describe GreaterCharleston.com than “totally free,” always and forever, with no limits to your publishing opportunities. Surf the menu again… we’re sure you’ll see categories where you’d like to be found.

Even now, all of your submissions will be searchable on Google, Yahoo, and all the other major search engines, and you’ll be able to start inviting your friends, your fans, and/or your clients to join others who will be commenting and/or reviewing your submissions. We will publish all business profiles, both those submitted by the public and those produced by our own staff, so if you represent a business be sure you submit as soon as possible so that your competition doesn’t gain all the early traffic. Cheers!