The Lowcountry CoastThe Lowcountry Coast

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. 

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.

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.

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

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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