Beaches of Charleston
Back again with the last of the Charleston travel content! Spending three weeks there was a joyous and unique experience. While I loved all the food and the city activities we got to do, the beaches were my favorite part. We made it to two of the three main beaches recommended to us as easy to get to from Charleston. We didn’t end up heading out to Folly Beach, mainly because everyone we talked to said it was more of a party beach, with lots of crowds and a very boisterous vibe. We were mostly looking to sit and relax during our moments in between working, so we picked places more suited to that. On my next visit, I do want to make it to Folley, just to see what it’s all about!
Sullivans Island- this was the beach we went to most often! There was always a place to drop your towel, the beaches were clean, and the overall energy of it was very chill. There are tons of cute little places to grab snacks and drinks to take down with you, and lots of little shops all along the main street. The beach itself has very small waves and a long sandbar, so you can walk out far and not get deeper than your belly button. People had music on and drinks out, but it was still respectful and mellow, with everyone from young 20-somethings to families with kids enjoying the beach.
The Co-Op- we came here for snacks a few times! Great food options, coffees, and they even sell frosé, which, according to their walls, they have won a ton of awards for. It’s a great place to grab lunch before you head down to the beach, or to take it with you. Affordable, quick, and easy. What more could you want from a beach lunch spot?
Poe’s Tavern- this was a fun spot everyone needs to go to! The food was good, but nothing ground-breaking, and just pub food with a couple of twists here and there, but the main draw is the fact that the whole restaurant is Edgar Allen Poe-themed. It’s a very casual place, so you can show up in your beach clothes and be full of sand and fit right in. There were no specific gluten-free options, but they do offer burgers sans bun over fries, which worked well for me. This is one of those places you go for the vibes and the decor alone. Will you eat good food? Yes. Will you get a good cocktail? Yes. But will you also sit in a tavern with lightly spooky and very off-the-wall Poe vibes? Absolutely. And that is reason enough to stop in here for a quick meal.
Isle of Palms- this was a much different beach experience than that of Sullivan’s, but that is partially because we were there to work. A friend and I were at this beach to cover a sandcastle sculpting contest, so we had a skewed view of how busy this beach gets. It was cool to see a new place, and this beach had way more waves and less of a sandbar, so swimming and playing in the ocean was a little easier. Because of the small pier, there was also more wildlife to be seen, and because of the bigger waves, there were more shells and things to find along the beach. The main street right outside the beach was a bit smaller than Sullivan’s, but still had quite a few restaurant options and little shops to pop into.
Coconut Joes- this was a little bar/restaurant we popped into to cool off during the longest sand castle sculpting competition ever, during the hottest day of the summer thus far. They had a cute indoor area and a patio on the second story with a bar and other tables to sit and hang out at. We stayed up there in the shade and just got drinks, so I cannot speak to the food. This was a cute beach bar, which had a great view of the beach and the ocean from the patio, and the piña coladas were great.
Sea Biscuit Cafe- we stopped in here for breakfast, once again to wait on the contest and get out of the sun for a little bit, and liked it! It was very basic, diner-style breakfast food with no flair or anything innovative, but that’s why it was perfect. Basic breakfast food, done well, and very inexpensive. There was no AC in here, only fans, and they do not accept cards, only cash. It felt very small beach town, which was a nice break since we had been in the city for most of the trip thus far.
Well, that’s it for the travel posts! I enjoyed this trip to Charleston and getting to be a part of this cool festival and see this very unique town. As someone who had never been to the south until this trip, I felt like it was a great introduction and a great crash course on the city, since we were there for three full weeks. I look forward to going back to Charleston and hitting up the places that were on my list that I didn’t make it to this time!
Madey