Hi girl, did you make it to the market? I looked for you.

Yeah Folly's full of drunk kids on weekends. It's the only area beach where it's legal to drink on the beach! I should have warned you.

Too bad about Taco Boy. We went to the one downtown Sunday and just the opposite happened: the food came right out and we had to order more so we could hang around! Same with SNOB. It's pretty lowcountry traditional. Next time try McCrady's. They do that molecular gastronomy. Or High Cotton. See you when you get back! Glad you had fun.

We did make it to the market. My husband thought I was crazy b/c I made him stop on our way to Folly since we arrived on Saturday and were leaving on Saturday. Still one of my favorite markets! One day I will buy one of those swamp art blown glass pieces!

SNOB was good, don't get me wrong. We had a flat bread appetizer that was excellent, it was just that nothing really grabbed me for a main course. Next visit will be easier as the kids will be older and we won't feel so bad about imposing on my family who we visited with to babysit!

By the way, next time you're in Folly, check out the crepes at the crepe stand right off the main street. It was right around the corner from us and our favorite dessert after dinner. They have all sorts of savory crepes too but we couldn't make it past the dessert ones. Umm!

Glad you got a taste of Charleston!

Hurry back for another visit!

Did you see that Southwest will begin flying into CHS next spring? Perhaps flying will solve the car sickness (umm, I still have to plan my driving trips to avoid hills--my 20 year old still gets carsick:-})

We did see that-it was announced on the news while we were there. I'm totally excited as SWA has a huge hub here at Midway. Anything to avoid that scene again, complete with my 4 yr old being fascinated by your red clay "dirt" while we were cleaning up the car on the side of the road and covering herself in it! Ah, memories!

Enjoy your little ones now.
They turn into teenagers before you know it

Melissa

You're right Melissa. My 4 yr old is already 4 going on 14 at times with the attitude. Not looking forward to it...

Thanks so much for your trip report--I really enjoyed reading it! I have always wanted to visit a beach area in SC, after reading so many Pat Conroy and Dorthea Benton Frank novels! I wasn't sure where to head, but Folly Beach sounds like a great spot. Since you have children, I have a few questions.

What is the beach like for little ones--can you play in the sand there and how about the water? We usually go to Gulf Shores, AL, so that's my point of reference--white sand beaches, clear water (usually) that doesn't have terribly rough waves. I have a 4 year old, so just wanted some more information to get an idea of how he might do there.

Do you recommend getting a condo/beach rental that's beachfront? Or, is that possible there? Was it easy to get to restaurants, grocery stores, etc.? Thanks for anything you can add!

I hope you took the kids--and you--to teh Aquarium!!

Lee, the beach was nice. Brown sand, clear water. Haven't been to Gulf Shores but equivalent to Fla. Gulf IMO. Folly has a huge fishing pier right off the downtown which my 4 yr old LOVED. Every night we had to go on the pier and check things out. There is a Holiday Inn right on the beach and a few smaller condo buildings. One of the things I liked is that there aren't huge high rise condo buildings on the beach like you see in Fla.

The waves were fairly mild. We were in the water all the time and never dealt with "scary" waves. There are a handful of restaurants in Folly-Taco Boy (fish taco specialty), a pizza joint, crab shack, and a few others. You don't need to leave Folly to eat out. There are also a few restaurants on the road in right on the water. We ended up eating in alot since our condo had a nice kitchen and grill. Bert's Market is there which is a small grocery store right off the beach. There is also a Piggly Wiggly and a Walmart as you drive in from Charleston proper.

My only "warning" to you on Folly is that it has a definate hippy feel about it with some of the locals. Didn't both us but my if you are looking for a more conservative place.

Our condo was in a great location - 2 short blocks to downtown and less than a block to the beach. Here's the website if you are interested.
http://www.vrbo.com/234372

The beach and water are very different between Gulf Shores and Charleston area beaches. Charleston beaches have grey, hard-packed sand - very different from the soft, white sand of the Gulf. I prefer SC sand as, while not as pretty, it's more functional for running, walking or throwing the frisbee. And don't expect the water in SC to be clear - it's very rare that you would be able to see your feet in thigh-high water.

As for waves, it depends on weather/currents. You can go from very calm to pretty dangerous from one day to the next, but usually it's pretty mild.

While I like Folly, I tend to prefer Sullivans and Isle of Palms. They're just a bit classier and don't have concrete groins in the surf (but these may not exist in all areas of Folly.

Lee4, Sullivans Island has some tidal pools on the beach that are perfect for little children. Atlanticville is also there, where one of DBF's characters worked. The crew there is enjoying being famous. It's my favorite restaurant in the area. Rentals there are sparse and somewhat pricey. Nearby IOP has more rental choices and the beach there is nice as well.

Thanks, swalter, Brian, and Sue--great information from all of you about the area/beaches, etc. I appreciate the details and comparisons to Gulf Shores and FL beaches. I can't believe the Atlanticville is real--I just finished reading that book! Right now, Folly Beach (beach and community) sounds so good to me--I wish I had some spare vacation money for this summer. This trip will have a to wait a bit, but I'm just thrilled to have it to consider. Thanks again for the information. Guess who will be checking out VRBO tonight??

My husband & and I visited Hilton Head back in the days before we were parents and it was in the winter time. Still, I loved the beach--I'd walk every morning while he was in meetings. I'd love to go back there as well, but when I check into it more (for a summer trip), I find it to be expensive. So, it's nice to look into FB and surrounding areas. I think it would be great to have a beach trip, plus Charleston to explore!

Didn't know Atlanticville was in a book - we stumbled upon it by accident a couple years ago and had a very good dinner there.

To me, the beach/water in Hilton Head is very similar to the Charleston area beaches. And if you're looking for less expensive digs, Folly is the place to start.

Brian, Atlanticville was featured in "Return to Sullivans Island" by Dorothea Benton Frank.

Gonna have to check out Return to Sullivan's Island now. Read South of Broad before we left and got a kick out of the fact that the cheating husband put his girlfriend up in Folly! Definately alot of characters in Folly but we're good with that!

I didn't notice any concrete barriers in the surf. Must be further down the beach. We were usually not to far off the north side of the pier. We initially picked Folly because it did have some condos available, as opposed to houses which seemed more prevelant in IOP and Sullivan's Island. We just didn't have enough people to justify a house. IOP is very pretty, definately less funky and further away from downtown. We were downtown Charleston every day at some point so we appreciated the ease in getting in and out.

IOP is only about a mile further from dowtown than Folly (and Sullivan's is closer). But I'll have to defer to suewoo on whether traffic makes one closer than the other time-wise.

Folly totes that it is the closest and maybe it was because we were near the market or south of there most of the time but it was traffic free for the most part whereas when we travelled over the bridge to Mt. Pleasant and beyond we hit quite a bit of traffic.

I actually grew up on Folly Beach so have known it for far too many years. Of the Charleston beaches, I would have to say that Folly is the least family friendly. It's the place that locals generally go to drink and party, especially on weekends.

It is the only local beach to allow open containers on the beach itself. Monday mornings often see a beach covered with beer cans.

Folly also has erosion issues, and there are a number of rock and concrete groins along parts of the beach.
Don't mean to sound so negative but it does have some "issues" and I wouldn't choose it as my first place to go with a young family, even given its proximity to the city.

As to costs, I'm not sure that Folly is the big bargain it once was. All the beaches, including Kiawah and Seabrook, have significantly lowered their prices in these hard times. It would be worth it to check out the prices on some of the other places. I think you will be surprised.

We own a place on Kiawah these days and the great attraction is the large number of free family events on the island -- as well as the wide and long beach.

Dove, thanks for your thoughts on Folly. Would you share a little more (and anyone else who can give input, please do!)? Since you suggested looking into some of the other Charleston area beaches, here's what I'm looking for. I want a quaint beach area where we can get on and off the beach easily, without much walking from our condo/house. I also want to have cute little restaurants and shops close to where we're staying so that we don't always have to drive. And, I want something affordable. Do any of these others fit the bill?

As I mentioned before, we've gone to Gulf Shores/Orange Beach, AL for years and I do love it there. One thing we've never experienced there, however, is the ability to walk to shops and restaurants easily. You've got to drive to most places, just because of the way the towns are laid out. I have this idealized little vision in my head of mornings on the beach, quick walks to some yummy seafood place for lunch or dinner and cute little ice cream shops nearby for dessert. Does this even exist?

I have to respectfully disagree with Dove as that was not our experience during the week in Folly. We drove through Kiawah and thought it seemed a bit too low key for us. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Sounds like the Gulf Shores experience is alot like the experiences we've had on the Fla. gulf which is why we stopped taking beach vacations. I do think that Isle of Palms may have some of what you are looking for as well. Maybe someone else can speak to it. In our case, we made our choice by the condo, not so much the town, in choosing Folly over IOP. Also, we were travelling with my younger bro and his girlfriend and we're not exactly old (yet!) so we wanted a little life after dark.

Absolutely agree that Kiawah is low key, certainly more so than Folly. What I think might not be obvious without staying over a day or two is the large number of activities on the island, most of them nature-focused. Kayaking, hikes, bikes, and easy access to a wide, very under-populated beach.

There are also free family evening activities each night: free movies at the pool, a sunset carnival with rock climbing walls, train ride, live music; a kazoo concert one night, a magician another night.

The drawback, of course, is the drive to Charleston, which takes a good 40 minutes over two-lane roads. We don't find that a problem in the summer when we don't venture into hot, sticky town, but it is hard in the spring and winter when you want to go to the better restaurants downtown, although the Fat Hen and Wild Olive on Johns Island may be among the best in the Lowcountry right now.

Nice thing about Charleston beaches is that there are lots of options; each beach has its own personality from remote Edisto, gated and nature-friendly Kiawah, residential Sullivans,accessible Isle of Palms, and funky Folly. Each has its own appeal and it's a matter of trying to match the island to the guest.

You had me at kazoo concert.

Ha! That's funny Brian. Another thing in our instance is that our kids are little 4 and 1 so those activities don't (yet) apply to them. In a few years my opinion might be different.

Well, if my 4 year old knew there was a kazoo night, he'd want to go to Kiawah! Thanks for the information on the area--lots of food for thought for us.

I was thinking of my close-to 3 year old when I posted that. I'm certain he would be mesmerized. Going to have to give Kiawah a closer look.

I'm happy to hear your trip was successful with 2 little ones! We're headed from Charleston to NY with a 2 year old and a 6 month old next month and I have been dreading the drive. Hoping it goes ok!

Hi, Although it's one year later, I would like to thank everyone for their input on this particular topic. It was just what I needed! My BF and I are taking a last minute trip and hope to be lucky to find a place to stay. Originally we were were thinking of staying in Charleston proper but I think the ocean breezes will make the hot, steamy weather tolerable and we can make our way to Charleston proper easily. Wish me luck in finding lodging...and if you have a 'scoop' on lodging let me know! We are arriving 7/17 and departing 7/21. TY!

Most beach condo rental are seven day minimum in summer. Look at The Tides hotel on Folly, or Wild Dunes Resort on IOP. Availability at the beach may be limited - the beaches are crowded in July. You might have more choices by staying in the Historic District.

Hi suewoo. I put in a call to the The Tides and altho the location is outstanding...they are a little high price and low on character. It looks like it will be our backup plan. I have a call into a B&B in Folly where we will we have to start our stay on a Monday, 7/18...so we may have to hang our hat somewhere else for a night (perhaps in historic area). We'll see. Thanks for the tip on Wild Dunes Resort.

Oceanfront in summer is never cheap.