I just posted this but accidentally placed it in the North Carolina messages section. So I am reposting it to South Carolina. Sorry!

We are thinking of renting a house on the Isle of Palms in the next 2 weeks. I'm not familiar with the Isle of Palms so I'd like to know which portion of the island (if any) has a quaint town center. We would like to rent a house that is in walking distance to a few stores and restaurants, and maybe a library or a playground. Can anyone guide me on this? Is there a nice town center on the island? I'm not interested in strip mall type town centers, obviously (if that's what is there).

I'd really appreciate your feedback on this because I've got to make a quick decision. Thanks so much for reading!

Katherine

Either rent Wild Dunes or Sullivans Island which is what I like more.

Sullivans is the southernmost half of the island, has a walkable town center with excellent restaurants, and has very few rentals which makes it less touristy.

You must have a burger at Poes.

Town center on Isle of Palms is around Pavilion Drive and Ocean Drive. There are a few shops, bars, restaurants there, but I'm not sure I'd consider it a "quaint town center" like you'd find in non-beach towns.

IOP isn't really quaint. It does have, as mentioned, a section called "Front Beach" that has a county park on the beach, some restaurants, and a few shops. Many of the homes on IOP were leveled during Hurricane Hugo so many houses are newer.I have friends with beachfront homes on IOP. They live in them in winter, and move out for weekly rentals beginning in May.

Houses on Beachside Drive are in walking distance of Front Beach.

SUllivans is great, but the poster is right. Many people live there year round so there are fewer rentals. There's an area zoned for business and the restaurants including the great Poe's are there.

If you really want to see old houses you can just cross the bridge into Charleston.

I would describe Isle of Palms "town center" as a strip mall type center. There is a small shopping center with a Red and White grocery store and there are about two blocks of touristy gift shops and restaurants. Most of this is located on or off of Palm Blvd between 10th and 14th Avenues.

Sullivan's Island's business district does have more charm. There is a public library, a park/playground, and several restaurants (Poe's is great, as others have mentioned!) On Sullivan's Island most of the restaurants are in a 4 block stretch centered around Station 22. The library and playground are in this same general area.

One thing to consider is that neither island has many sidewalks and depending on where you stay, you might have a longish walk to the "town center".

Isle of Palms town center is the front beach area with shops and restaurants. The 'strip mall' is the retail center (grocery, liquor, real estate, etc). The other area to consider is Wild Dunes Resort on the north end of the island with great beaches, walking or biking paths, shops, tennis, restaurants, etc. The other thing that Isle of Palms has going for it is the proximity to Charleston (20 min). Check out rental properties at www.IOPRentals.com.

Don't be discouraged by the lack of quaintness. This is a great place for a family vacation, though unless you are from Newfoundland or the UP of Michigan, you will not want to go in the water in March or April.

In general, I don't like gated resorts like Wild Dunes, but it has terrific walkable beaches and nice warm pools!

Go to "town" or Sullivan's Island or Mt Pleasant or Charleston to eat and to Charleston to see more quaint than you will know what to do with.

I agree with Ackislander - I didn't mean to sound negative. We love Isle of Palms and like to stay outside of the gated Wild Dunes. The town center is pretty "quaint" compared to other beaches and the business area of Sullivan's is a very short drive away. Just didn't want you to expect a New England type-village.

My family has always enjoyed Wild Dunes. In March a heated pool is very valuable! There is a small park behind the tennis courts for the little ones and it is easy to walk to restaurants. Our favorite is riding bikes on the beach.

You're only a short car ride from Sullivan's Island. As mentioned above you must have a burger at Poe's!!

I know they have a website... www.wilddunes.com

The Old Village of Mount Pleasant, just across the Ben Sawyer bridge, IS very quaint. Do drive through it while you're in the area.

We spent a week there last summer (2010) and we are thinking about going again this summer, hence me seeing this thread, and this late post for future travelers. We rented a house on Ocean Blvd. within walking distance of the "town center." First, I wouldn't describe it as a strip since it is so small, and "strip" conjures up a long street of unattractive stores to me. There was a Ben and Jerry's, a restaurant, and a couple of shops as I recall, and perhaps a few more things that I didn't notice. On a bisecting street, there were a couple of houses-turned-real estate offices. The pier is right there or close by.

We had one dinner in IOP, but mostly we went to Charleston for our dinner meals since there are so many wonderful places to dine. We loved having the close access to Charleston. Our teens drove in by themselves and went places, shopping and dining, did a tour. Oh, we had pizza delivery one night. There are a few other restaurants but I didn't try them or even see them.

The beach is lovely. The house was on the beach, so the views were stunning. The water was pleasantly warm at the end of May. We were able to rent umbrellas and chairs on a weekly basis. (Rental people removed in evening, put back up in a.m.) The beach was nice and clean and not crowded.

We drove around the island and I would characterize IOP as a colorful and picturesque beach town. With Charleston so close, I find it a perfect place to vacation. We were comfortable letting our teens ride into Charleston by themselves.

Is this a new post? All but last comment are dated Feb of 2010. Just curious.