Charleston, SC

Charleston, South Carolina is a very special destination. Filled with beauty at every corner and a new adventure every day, you are sure to have an amazing experience. In this article I will tell you, in a detailed but brief way, about my recent weekend trip to the South Carolina coast, and how you can maximize your experiences there.

Our first stop was at Sullivan’s Island, which is a beautiful island located less than 15 minutes due east from the city of Charleston and easily accessible by car.

We packed our truck with beach towels, sunscreen, and our cameras to explore the beach and relax. My first impression of Sullivan’s was that it seemed to be a bit crowded. Though it was a Saturday afternoon, I didn’t expect so many people to be on the beach. But don’t let that bring you down; though it was crowded, we were easily able to find a spot plenty big enough to enjoy ourselves and relax on the sand. As our time on the island progressed, our social interactions with the tourists and locals continuously brightened our day. Seriously, the people there were so kind that it almost made us wish there were more people, despite the minor crowding I mentioned earlier. Like most, I love the idea of a secluded beach with nobody around, but the friendliness of the people on Sullivan’s made me more than comfortable with the volume of beach go-ers.

Sullivan’s Island is very family oriented. Having said that, if you are looking for a beach to drink a few beers and meet younger people, this probably wouldn’t be my first choice in Charleston, but we will get to what is later on! With that in mind, if you are looking for a relaxing day at the beach with the family or even a few friends, Sullivan’s should be your first stop.

On a side note, another aspect of the island I found relatively interesting was being able to watch the container ships come in and out of the harbor, which is located on the near side of the island. Something about seeing ships going to and from Europe is quite intriguing; and if you have a camera with a good zoom, you can catch some great detailed shots of the ships!

After hanging out on the beach for a few hours we worked up quite an appetite, so we headed over to Shem Creek Bar and Grill right up the road in Mt. Pleasant. We sat outside and had a good view of some smaller boats coming in through the canals as well as some fishermen. While waiting for our food, we ordered some locally brewed “Palmetto Amber Ales”. These were only $3.50 each and were a great choice to save some money while also getting a great tasting beer. Our server was friendly and helpful, and he was sure to check on us an appropriate amount of times. We ordered the seafood platter which consisted of fried fish, fried oysters, fried shrimp, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. Two of us split the platter which was $24, and it was very delicious, but the serving size wasn’t quite big enough to fully fill us up. Other members in our party got the mahi mahi and salmon, and they only had great things to say about them both.

Overall, the service here was great and so was the food, but the prices are a little high if you are just trying to grab a quick and non-expensive dinner. However, the inlet and green seagrass view is a huge plus and the seafood is very noticeably fresh.

Being a huge sports fan on a Saturday night, I was eager to get back to our friend’s place (where we were staying) and shower so that we could quickly find a place to watch football. Once we were all ready, our local friend recommended we go to Juanita’s which is a sports bar in the city. We headed down the street and got a table right away even on a Saturday night. The TVs were plenty large to enjoy our football game, and the noise was at a fun level where we were able to clearly hear our party but also have an interactive time. Juanita’s isn’t very kid friendly but it is great for college kids and up to enjoy a game and have a few drinks. Given that we had just eaten not long before, we decided to order the nachos to split and two frozen margarita pitchers for us 4. The peach pitcher was $16 and the regular was $14. The peach was definitely worth the extra $2, but the regular was also really good!

After “pregaming” and watching our team lose at Juanita’s, we eagerly set off to find a night-life bar to enjoy the rest of the night at. We stumbled upon The Silver Dollar bar and decided to go inside. The second we stepped in we were amped up to have a good night. The people were diverse in age, the live music set a great party mood, and the drinks were not too expensive. We ended up staying for a couple hours to enjoy the late night scene. The Silver Dollar is great for people in and out of college to socialize and dance. The live music really set a unique scene and gave the bar an interesting twist. Something about live music makes everyone so much more likely to dance and be interactive with the beat. Finally, at an irresponsible hour, we decided to get some sleep!

The next morning, we all chugged a few glasses of water and set off to find a new spot to relax and enjoy the beach. We decided to go to Folly Beach. Folly is a bit further than Sullivan’s but well worth the drive. If you get on the main beach road of Folly and go right, you will find a beach with tons of college kids having a good time, but we had gotten our partying out of the way, so we headed left on the road to find a more secluded spot for the day.

At the very end of the road we found a path to the beach. We followed it and came across a beautiful beach with only about 15 people on it (on a Sunday). The beach had a great view of a lighthouse as well as a few trees we were able to set up our portable hammocks (Eno’s) on. We brought a football to pass around and get some exercise in with. As we swam for a bit to refresh ourselves from the heat, we noticed dolphins only about 25 yards offshore feeding. Given this is usually a quick occurrence, we grabbed our cameras to capture some shots.

We got some great shots, and the dolphins ended up staying right off shore and feeding for over an hour! At one point we were swimming only about 10 yards from them. This also makes the swim more comfortable given that dolphins tend to scare sharks away!

This spot was a great place to relax and be alone. We were able to watch kayakers go by, fisherman wait for a bite, and the occasional boat pass by. If you are trying to have some quite time at the beach, this is for sure the spot for you.

After this, it was unfortunately time to pack up and hit the road. Though our trip was short lived, we had a fantastic time in Charleston. Our time was well spent and adventure filled. And one of the best parts; we didn’t break the bank. We will be heading back soon to explore more areas in this historic, beautiful, and fun city.

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More Shots from Charleston

House On Sullivan's

Folly Dolphin

Sullivan's

Folly Lighthouse

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