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The Lowcountry Coast
SOUTH CAROLINA & GEORIGA
Wild beauty lights up the shores of South Carolina and Georgia: Lost-in-time islands, beloved surf breaks and rambling roads. No other edge of America feels quite like this.
DAY 1
Pick your Charleston barrier-island beach
DEWEES ISLAND
Strict building restrictions, no cars along crushed limestone roads, and ferry-only access protect this tranquil sanctuary both 12 miles north of Charleston and a world away.
ISLE OF PALMS
A popular pick for families thanks to an abundance of activities and swells suited for beginners.Separated from the mainland by the Intracoastal Waterway.
SULLIVAN’S ISLAND
Refreshingly residential, the island is home to a palmetto-log fort dating to the Revolution, the last major lighthouse built in the United States, and a dense maritime forest that buffers erosion and storm surge.
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FOLLY BEACH
Known for its funky-casual feel and for the Washout, the best surf break in Charleston. There's a view of the 1876 Morris Island Lighthouse too. Find everything from surf wax to Spam sliders along main drag Center Street.
KIAWAH ISLAND
The oak-lined approach of Bohicket Road sets the tone for Kiawah’s natural charms. Golf rules here, with seven choices for a tee time, including the famed Ocean Course. Gator sightings are the norm.
EDISTO ISLAND
Serene and secluded. Beachcombers can often spot sharks’ teeth at low tide, and Botany Bay’s boneyard beach evokes a wild, otherworldly beauty.
SEABROOK ISLAND
Private beach with a full-service equestrian center (take your pick: trails or beach) and the first golf facility in South Carolina to join the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program.
DAY 2
Every road trip begs for that "hour-long" drive that really deserves half a day. Here’s yours. Cruise the backroads through Johns Island, Wadmalaw and Edisto, then veer up to HIGHWAY 17, all the while soaking in this marshy maritime forest vision. You’ll see roadside fruit stands, sweetgrass weavers, crushed-shell drive-ways and more ghostly oaks than you can count. Stop at MCINTOSH BOOK SHOPPE in Beaufort, a lucky charm of a small town, and pick up a novel by Pat Conroy, the Lowcountry laureate. Before the stars rise, either pitch your surfside tent on HUNTING ISLAND or tuck in for high end hospitality at PALMETTO BLUFF.
CULTURE
BOOK
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt.
The ultimate Savannah Gothic.
MUSEUM
Gibbes Museum of Art
Charleston
A renovated Beaux Arts beauty houses an enviable collection of Southern masterpieces.
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DAY 3
Explore Savannah’s coasts and marshes
LITTLE TYBEE ISLAND
South of its popular big brother Tybee Island, Little Tybee barrier island has the same sand appeal minus umbrellaed crowds. Hardwood hammocks lure migrating birds, even bald eagles. Set up a tent overnight and let wave sounds lull you to sleep. Accessible by kayak or boat.
visittybee.com
SKIDAWAY ISLAND STATE PARK
Fiddler crabs dance over pluff mud below boardwalk trails. Egrets glide over Intracoastal Waterway bordered by mammoth tangles of driftwood. 52 Diamond Causeway
ROAD TIPS
Not much for RV drivers to worry about in this region: the roads are level, the driving is easy. RV parks and campgrounds tend to cluster around the big cities of Charleston and Savannah; meandering byways lead toward the water. Take care of basic maintenance, service and fuelling and you’ll be good to go.
RVing beach destinations? We could go on and on. Here are a few more to get the dreaming started.
There’s an art to the road and outdoor life, especially when you’re operating far afield, exploring new-to-you campgrounds and backroads. Check out 25 stand-by ways to have the best time possible.
Keep the campsite wishlist stocked with RV.com’s coverage of the latest camping gear.
Find much more about two of America’s most historic cities in Wildsam’s guides to Savannah and Charleston.
WORMSLOE STATE HISTORIC SITE
Perhaps the South’s most iconic live oak-lined allée, Wormsloe’s picturesque entrance masks tabby ruins and 500 acres were enslaved people cultivated first crops.
7601 Skidaway Rd
OSSABAW ISLAND
A 26,000-acre uninhabited heritage preserve accessible only by boat. Home to loggerhead turtles and wild donkeys. Namesake of prized hog.
ossabawisland.org
ISLE OF HOPE
A bewitching peninsula where pirates purportedly buried treasure, yellow fever victims sought fresh air and farm-raised terrapins fed the country’s turtle soup craze.
Isle of Hope
LOWER ALTAMAHA RIVER
A 20-million-year-old river contains a boggling bounty of biodiversity between Sapelo and St. Simons islands. Undammed, with only a handful of bridges crossing its length, it’s paradise for paddlers.
Georgiaconservancy.org
CUMBERLAND ISLAND
Only 300 visitors are allowed per day on this island, carried over by ferry from the town of St. Marys south of Savannah. Once there, you’ll find wild horses, lazy loggerheads and 18 miles of untouched beaches.
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WHAT TO DRIVE
Northwood Fox Mountain
As fifth-wheels go, Northwood’s Fox Mountain is small and nimble, making it a good choice for the backcountry roads of South Carolina and Georgia. A well-equipped interior makes the trailer a road tripper’s dream, with room to sleep four and expansive windows to take in the views along the way.
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ESSENTIALS
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CAMPGROUND
Fort McAllister State Park
South of Savannah
Park, explore and slumber on the banks of the Ogeechee, surrounded by Civil War history.
gastateparks.org
Fort McAllister State Park
South of Savannah
Park, explore and slumber on the banks of the Ogeechee, surrounded by Civil War history.
gastateparks.org
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LODGING
The Dewberry
Charleston, SC
Luxe-Southern living hits its highest and urbane notes at this design-forward charmer on Marion Square.
thedewberrycharleston.com
The Dewberry
Charleston, SC
Luxe-Southern living hits its highest and urbane notes at this design-forward charmer on Marion Square.
thedewberrycharleston.com
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SHOP
McKelvin’s Surf
Folly Beach, SC
Refuge for the sea-sprayed, with rentals, lessons and surf reports. Among the country’s oldest.
mckevlins.com
McKelvin’s Surf
Folly Beach, SC
Refuge for the sea-sprayed, with rentals, lessons and surf reports. Among the country’s oldest.
mckevlins.com
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GEAR
Triumph Travel Spinning Rod
St. Croix Rods
A work horse of a fish kit that’s ready-for-anything and appropriate for any skill level.
stcroixrods.com
Triumph Travel Spinning Rod
St. Croix Rods
A work horse of a fish kit that’s ready-for-anything and appropriate for any skill level.
stcroixrods.com
THE MUSIC OF THE LOWCOUNTRY
THE 9 ESSENTIAL ROAD TRIPS OF 2024
01 BIG BEND
Find desert adventure in West Texas.
02 HUDSON VALLEY & CATSKILLS
Dig into small towns and gorgeous country Upstate.
03 YELLOWSTONE
Get in touch with the great(est) outdoors.
04 Lowcountry
Comb secret beaches in South Carolina & Georgia.
05 NORTHERN MICHIGAN
Feast in farm-to-table paradise.
06 KENTUCKY
Wind back the clock in Bluegrass Country.
07 GULF COAST
Chase down the tastiest seafood onshore.
08 NEW MEXICO
Roam the Land of Enchantment.
09 BIG SUR
Open your mind on a legendary coast.