non-tourist places in South Carolina?
 

I'm looking into South Carolina for early July and would love some suggestions on areas and places to stay.
We are looking for things that are more local, "off the beaten path", not too touristy or crowded. We like places that have local color. Not looking for "family oriented"-- we are a couple with no kids. We'd like to spend some time at the beach, and some time just exploring, and maybe some fun activities such as biking or water sports. Any suggestions are appreciated! Thanks!

Any beach in South Carolina is going to be crowded in July. Tourism is the number one industry in the state and July is peak month.

That said, if you rent a house on one of the house populated islands and not a condo or hotel populated beach, you'll have lots of room.

Charleston beaches would probably suit your needs and in this order I would look: Sullivans Island, Seabrook, Kiawah, Isle Of Palms, Edisto Island.

An hour north of Charleston and one of my favorites is Pawleys Island.

Further south of Charleston Fripp Island is lovely and not crowded. It is also very close to Savannah and Beaufort. Hunting Island is a gorgeous state park that is close.

FWIW, early July is over the 4th of July.

One downfall, houses will only rent for full weeks during the summer either Sat-Sat or Sunday to Sunday but that is the price you'll pay for less crowded beaches.

GoT is exactly right, a stop in Beaufort would certainly fit the bill -http://www.beaufort.com/ . For off the beaten path try Daufuskie Island - http://www.daufuskiemagic.com/Preser...LLC______.html

Thanks!

At the other end of the state, Greenville is an interesting city base for daytrips into the mountains as far as Asheville, NC, and it has a very lively downtown with lots of good places to eat, a Santiago Calatrava footbridge and a new minor league baseball park. The outskirts are the usual big-box-n-strip-mall tat, but the downtown is a lot of fun.

We've been renting on Sullivan's Island for about 5 years now, and I, too, thought that you could only rent for a week during the peak summer season (Memorial Day-Labor Day). However, I got an email this week from the realty company we usually use (Island Realty) and it was loaded with specials for this summer....40% off weekday rentals, 20% off rentals now through September, etc. It also said that partial week rentals were available if your reservation was made within 60 days of your stay. i just thought I'd mention this, since it might give you more flexibilty, and also there may be more companies out there with great rates to entice people to spend some money this summer!

As far as the island itself, we love it. The only time I've ever seen the beach crowded is on the actual 4th of July. There are no hotels on the island, so you pretty much have to live there or rent a house to stay on the island. We love biking all over the island, as well as spending time on the beach. Plus, it's just a quick drive into Charleston (15-20 minutes) to great shopping and dining.

I am not sure if you are only looking to stay on the coast of SC but if you are interested in heading inland a bit I have a wonderful suggestion for you.

It is a bed and breakfast

If you are interested in heading inland a bit I have a wonderful suggestion for you.

It is a bed and breakfast inn located just north of Lancaster, SC. It is called Kilburnie the Inn at Craig Farm. It truly is a jewel. I happened upon the inn traveling through the area with a friend. We decided to stop in to see if we could possibly just take a peek inside. We were immediately met at the front door by Johannes Tromp(host and innkeeper) who so kindly invited us in to take a look around. I must say he went out of his way to give us a tour of the inn, and share the local and fasinating history with us. He truly is proud of his inn and it shows in everyway.

I have provided the link below for the Inn but may I also suggest that you take the time to read about Mr. Tromp himself, the history of the inn, and Craig Farm.

http://www.kilburnie.com/indexhome.htm

Also another tidbit about the inn, if you are familiar at all with Jim Shore he did quite a bit of woodworking throughout the home, and also did some incredible paintings for the inn as well.

http://www.jimshore.com/content/AboutJim.aspx

Lastly the grounds have gardens, trails, and more so you will enjoy the outdoors as well.

But don't just take my word for it - check out the reviews on the internet on what others have said.

p.s. sorry for the first reply as I hit the submit button prior to finishing