Over the past two decades, Charleston has cycled through every “best city” list in the world, thanks to its natural beauty, friendly locals, and ever-evolving dining scene. But so many travel mags focus on Charleston’s peninsula alone, missing one of the city’s best assets: how quickly it can be escaped. In a city surrounded by water, you can soak up your fill of culture and 15 minutes later be all alone on a sandy path out to the Atlantic.
When a friend comes to town, we always spend a night or two restaurant-hopping downtown, but to show them the real Lowcountry, we head to the marshes and sandy shores of the city’s surrounding beach towns, like Folly Beach, where I’ve lived for some 17 years. From Folly and Sullivan’s to Kiawah, I’ve come to love them all. These beaches (presented north to south) make Charleston whole—and deserve a spot on your Charleston itinerary.
Bulls Island
1.5 hours from downtown Charleston by car and ferry
You won’t find a groovy beach bar or a funky Airbnb on this uninhabited 5,000-acre island that’s part of the Cape Romaine National Wildlife Refuge, but you will find thousands of shorebirds, alligators, deer, and perhaps the most photogenic beach in the state. Here, nature has been left to take its course, and a section of the beach—accessible via a flat, 5.75-mile roundtrip hike from the ferry landing—is now a surreal “boneyard” of wave-polished dead trees. At high tide, their twisted, sun-bleached trunks emerge from the surf, and at low tide you can wander among them.
Charleston’s most secluded barrier island is also the trickiest to reach: Make the 45-minute drive from downtown Charleston to Awendaw, where Coastal Expeditions runs ferries (with an included 30-minute ecotour) that give you up to six hours to wander and blissfully sunbathe before heading back to the mainland.
Insider tip: It’s a bit of a trek to explore the whole island on foot, so rent or bring your own bicycles on the ferry over.
Isle of Palms
35 minutes from downtown Charleston by car
Known locally as “IOP,” this seven-mile island is Charleston’s largest developed beach. The island’s winding neighborhoods lend it a family feel—behind the beachfront mansions, there are still rows of modest brick ranches. On the island’s north end, Wild Dunes Resort has a few high rises for the vacationing families who flock here over school holidays, but you won’t find Myrtle Beach-style condo complexes on this largely residential island.
IOP’s downtown strip is neat and compact, anchored by the Windjammer, a legendary beachfront music venue for over 50 years that helped launch the careers of acts like Hootie & the Blowfish and Sister Hazel. It’s the best place to find the hard-drinking fishermen and sailors that help IOP retain some character amongst a noticeable influx of families from “off” that have recently relocated for the laid-back beach lifestyle and now zip around the island in high-dollar golf carts.
Insider tip: For breathtaking views at sunset, head to Breach Inlet on the island’s south tip for cocktails at the Boathouse’s elevated Crow’s Nest bar.
Sullivan’s Island
15 minutes from downtown Charleston by car
The closest barrier island to the city, Sullivan’s sports a strip of top-tier restaurants that draw a preppy set of young professionals every night of the week during summer. Among them, chef Jacques Larson‘s Obstinate Daughter is a perennial destination for seafood and pizza (don’t miss the Frogmore chowder), and the team behind downtown’s Basic Kitchen launched Sullivans Fish Camp in 2022, where the throwback decor belies culinary creativity like swordfish el pastor tacos with charred pineapple. Although you can wander into most spots with sandy toes, Sullivan’s has more of a “do you have a reservation?” vibe than other islands.
Around the island, Sullivan’s classy, historic atmosphere extends to its stately seaside estates and the harborfront Fort Moultrie. Any time of the week, the trails through the forested nature preserve (accessible at Station 16) offer a secluded escape. And even on weekends, the wide beaches here rarely feel crowded—parking is a key limiting factor that drives many day-trippers to other islands like IOP or Folly.
Insider tip: Head to Station 28.5 (the blocks on Sullivan’s are “stations”) and watch the area’s best kite surfers rip around the naturally protected inlet—or book a lesson with Sealand Adventure Sports and join them.
Folly Beach
25 minutes from downtown Charleston by car
When George Gershwin wrote the melody for “Summertime” for Porgy and Bess, he was dreaming of easy livin’ on Folly Beach, where he rented a beach cottage on the island’s west end. Folly matured a bit during the pandemic—at least in real estate values—but it holds on to a few strands of blue collar denim. This is still the beach town for the everyman. You can find hard drinkers staying cool in shady dive bars, bachelorettes dolled up for a night out, and local musicians strumming reggae and classic rock tunes on outdoor stages.
On Folly’s main commercial drag, Center Street, you can choose from nearly 20 restaurants, none of which are fancy. The Lost Dog serves a mean breakfast burrito, but arrive before 9 a.m. or expect to wait for a table. And if you stay at Tides, the island’s only major hotel, plan at least one dinner at BLU, with a view of the surf peeling off the pier.
Insider tip: There are a few places not to swim around here, the main one being around the Morris Island Lighthouse—even at low tide. Currents here are strong, and the inlet is a known tiger shark nursery (featured on Shark Week!).
Kiawah Island
45 minutes from downtown Charleston by car
Most of Kiawah is a private residential, vacation, and golf community—they’ve hosted two PGA Championships on the island’s renowned Ocean Course—which means there are limited public access points for day-trippers. But don’t let that dissuade you. The vibe here may feel exclusive, but a significant amount of preserved land makes Kiawah a haven for nature lovers.
The island is home to one of the state’s most beautiful beaches, Kiawah Beachwalker Park. Sure, you could sunbathe, but step away from the frolicking families and walk to the island’s far south end until it wraps back around the Kiawah River. The inland-facing beach here is one of the best places to see dolphins strand feed, a regional phenomenon where dolphins chase a school of fish onshore and then beach themselves to catch a snack as the fish flop back into the water. If that’s not enough nature, book a kayak tour through the golf resort, which includes access to the Heron Park Nature Center to see native alligators, turtles and snakes up close.
Insider tip: There are lifeguards at Kiawah Beachwalker Park during summer and most visitors congregate near them in the park’s first quarter mile.
Edisto Beach
70 minutes from downtown Charleston by car
The trip to Edisto Beach is as much about the journey as the destination. Highway 174 across Edisto Island is a National Scenic Byway, weaving through tunnels of Spanish-moss-draped live oaks. You’ll pass century-old churches and homes that feel like a time capsule of a bygone era.
Edisto Beach rarely has surf, so this is a calm place for families to swim. Even during peak summer, the crowds never come close to the hordes of day-trippers on Folly Beach and IOP, so parking and personal space are easy to come by. The atmosphere at restaurants is equally relaxed. Ella and Ollie’s serves a welcome menu of creative, seasonal dishes, plus a lunchtime taco window on weekends. And if you arrive early or spend the night, start your day with a country ham and egg biscuit from the beloved SeaCOW Eatery.
Insider tip: En route to Edisto from Charleston, stop at Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve and walk the half-mile raised trail across the salt marsh to the island’s boneyard beach to hunt for fist-sized whelk shells. Enjoy them but don’t take them home—it’s strictly against the rules.