Moon Coastal Carolinas

by Jim Morekis

  Indigo (4 Vendue Range, 800/549-2513, Sun.-Thurs. 10am-6pm, Fri.-Sat. 10am-7pm), a favorite home accessories store, has plenty of one-of-a-kind pieces, many of them by regional artists and rustic in flavor, almost like outsider art.

  Affiliated with the hip local restaurant chain Maverick Kitchens, Charleston Cooks! (194 East Bay St., 843/722-1212, www.charlestoncooks.com, Mon.-Sat. 10am-9pm, Sun. 11am-6pm) has an almost overwhelming array of gourmet items and kitchenware, and even offers cooking classes.

  OFF THE PENINSULA

  Though the best shopping is in Charleston proper, there are some noteworthy independent stores in the surrounding areas.

  Mount Pleasant boasts a fun antiques and auction spot, Page’s Thieves Market (1460 Ben Sawyer Blvd., 843/884-9672, www.pagesthievesmarket.com, Mon.-Fri. 9am-5:30pm, Sat. 9am-5pm).

  The biggest music store in the region is The Guitar Center (7620 Rivers Ave., 843/572-9063, Mon.-Fri. 11am-7pm, Sat. 10am-7pm, Sun. noon-6pm) in North Charleston across from Northwood Mall. With just about everything a musician might want or need, it’s part of a chain that has been around since the late 1950s, but the Charleston location is relatively new.

  Probably Charleston’s best-regarded home goods store is the nationally recognized ESD, Elizabeth Stuart Design (422 Savannah Hwy./U.S. 17, 843/225-6282, www.esdcharleston.com, Mon.-Sat. 10am-6pm), with a wide range of antique and new furnishings, art, lighting, jewelry, and more.

  SHOPPING CENTERS

  The newest and most pleasant mall in the area is the retro-themed, pedestrian-friendly Mount Pleasant Towne Centre (1600 Palmetto Grande Dr., 843/216-9900, www.mtpleasanttownecentre.com, Mon.-Sat. 10am-9pm, Sun. noon-6pm), which opened in 1999 to serve the growing population of East Cooper residents tired of having to cross a bridge to get to a big mall. In addition to national chains you’ll find a few cool local stores in here, like Stella Nova spa and day salon, Shooz by Copper Penny, and the men’s store Jos. A. Banks.

  North Charleston hosts the Tanger Outlet (4840 Tanger Outlet Blvd., 843/529-3095, www.tangeroutlet.com, Mon.-Sat. 10am-9pm, Sun. 11am-6pm). Get factory-priced bargains from stores such as Adidas, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, CorningWare, Old Navy, Timberland, and more.

  Sports and Recreation

  Because of the generally great weather in Charleston, helped immensely by the steady, soft sea breeze, outdoor activities are always popular and available. Though it’s not much of a spectator sports town, there are plenty of things to do on your own, such as golf, tennis, walking, hiking, boating, and fishing.

  ON THE WATER

  Beaches

  In addition to the charming town of Folly Beach itself, there’s the modest county-run Folly Beach County Park (1100 W. Ashley Ave., Folly Beach, 843/588-2426, www.ccprc.com, Nov.-Feb. 10 am-5pm, Mar.-Apr. and Sept.-Oct. 10am-6pm, May-Labor Day 9am-7pm, $7/vehicle, free for pedestrians and cyclists) at the far west end of Folly Island. It has a picnic area, restrooms, outdoor showers, and beach chair and umbrella rentals. Get there by taking Highway 171 (Folly Rd.) until it turns into Center Street, and then take a right onto West Ashley Avenue.

  On Isle of Palms you’ll find Isle of Palms County Park (14th Ave., Isle of Palms, 843/886-3863, www.ccprc.com, fall-spring daily 10am-dark, summer daily 9am-dark, $5/vehicle, free for pedestrians and cyclists), which has restrooms, showers, a picnic area, a beach volleyball area, and beach chair and umbrella rentals. Get there by taking the Isle of Palms Connector (Hwy. 517) to the island, go through the light at Palm Boulevard, and take the next left at the park gate. There’s good public beach access near the Pavilion Shoppes on Ocean Boulevard, accessed via JC Long Boulevard.

  On the west end of Kiawah Island to the south of Charleston is Kiawah Island Beachwalker Park (843/768-2395, www.ccprc.com, Nov.-Feb. 10am-5pm, Mar.-Apr. and Sept.-Oct. 10am-6pm, May-Labor Day 9am-7pm., $7/vehicle, free for pedestrians and cyclists), the only public facility on this mostly private resort island. It has restrooms, showers, a picnic area with grills, and beach chair and umbrella rentals. Get there from downtown by taking Lockwood Avenue onto the Highway 30 Connector bridge over the Ashley River. Turn right onto Folly Road, then take a left onto Maybank Highway. After about 20 minutes you’ll take another left onto Bohicket Road, which leads you to Kiawah in 14 miles. Turn left from Bohicket Road onto the Kiawah Island Parkway. Just before the security gate, turn right onto Beachwalker Drive and follow the signs to the park.

  For a totally go-it-alone type of beach day, go to the three-mile-long beach on the Atlantic Ocean at Sullivan’s Island. There are no facilities, no lifeguards, strong offshore currents, and no parking lots on this residential island (park on the side of the street). There’s also a lot of dog-walking on this beach, since no leash is required November-February. Get there from downtown by crossing the Ravenel Bridge over the Cooper River and bearing right onto Coleman Boulevard, which turns into Ben Sawyer Boulevard. Take the Ben Sawyer Bridge onto Sullivan’s Island. Beach access is plentiful and marked.

  Kayaking

  An excellent outfit for guided kayak tours is Coastal Expeditions (654 Serotina Ct., 843/881-4582, www.coastalexpeditions.com), which also runs the only approved ferry service to the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. They’ll rent you a kayak for roughly $50 per day. Coastal Expeditions also sells an outstanding kayaking, boating, and fishing map of the area (about $12). Barrier Island Eco Tours (50 41st Ave., 843/886-5000, www.nature-tours.com, $38 adults, $28 children) takes you up to the Cape Romain refuge out of Isle of Palms. The best tour operator close to downtown is Nature Adventures Outfitters (Shrimp Boat Ln., 843/568-3222, www.kayakcharlestonsc.com), which puts in on Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant for most of its 2-, 2.5-, 3-, and 3.5-hour and full-day guided trips ($40-85). They also offer blackwater tours out of landings at other locations; see the website for specific directions for those tours.

  In the same area, many kayakers put in at the Shem Creek Marina (526 Mill St., 843/884-3211, www.shemcreekmarina.com) or the public Shem Creek Landing in Mount Pleasant. From here it’s a safe, easy paddle—sometimes with appearances by dolphins or manatees—to the Intracoastal Waterway. Some kayakers like to go from Shem Creek straight out into Charleston Harbor to Crab Bank Heritage Preserve, a prime birding island. Another good place to put in is at Isle of Palms Marina (50 41st Ave., 843/886-0209) behind the Wild Dunes Resort on Morgan Creek, which empties into the Intracoastal Waterway. Local company Half Moon Outfitters (280 King St., 843/853-0990; 425 Coleman Blvd., 843/881-9472, www.halfmoonoutfitters.com, Mon.-Sat. 10am-7pm, Sun. noon-6pm) sponsors an annual six-mile Giant Kayak Race at Isle of Palms Marina in late October, benefiting the Coastal Conservation League.

  Behind Folly Beach is an extensive network of waterways, including lots of areas that are great for camping and fishing. The Folly River Landing is just over the bridge to the island. On Folly Island, a good tour operator and rental house is OceanAir Sea Kayak (520 Folly Rd., 800/698-8718, www.seakayaksc.com).

  Fishing and Boating

  For casual fishing off a pier, try the well-equipped Folly Beach Fishing Pier (101 E. Arctic Ave., 843/588-3474, Apr.-Oct. daily 6am-11pm, Nov. and Mar. daily 7am-7pm, Dec.-Feb. daily 8am-5pm, $7 parking, $8 fishing fee) on Folly Beach or the North Charleston Riverfront Park (843/745-1087, www.northcharleston.org, daily dawn-dusk) along the Cooper River on the grounds of the old Navy Yard. Get onto the Navy Yard grounds by taking I-26 north to exit 216B. Take a left onto Spruill Avenue and a right onto McMillan Avenue.

  Folly Beach Fishing Pier

  Key local marinas include Shem Creek Marina (526 Mill St., 843/884-3211, www.shemcreekmarina.com); Charleston Harbor Marina (24 Patriots Point Rd., 843/284-7062, www.charlestonharbormarina.com); Charleston City Marina (17 Lockwood Dr., 843/722-4968); Charleston Maritime Center (10 Wharfside St., 843/853-3625, www.cmcevents.com); and the Cooper River Marina (1010 Juneau Ave., 843/554-0790, www.ccprc.com).

  Good fishing charter outfits include Barrier Island Eco Tours (50 41st Ave., 843/886-5000, www.nature-to
urs.com, about $80) out of Isle of Palms; Bohicket Boat Adventure & Tour Co. (2789 Cherry Point Rd., 843/559-3525, www.bohicketboat.com, $375/half day for 1-2 passengers) out of the Edisto River; and Reel Fish Finder Charters (315 Yellow Jasmine Ct., Moncks Corner, 843/697-2081, www.reelfishfinder.com, $400/half day for 1-3 passengers), where Captain James picks up clients at many different marinas in the area. For a list of all public landings in Charleston County, go to www.ccprc.com.

  Diving

  Diving here can be challenging because of the fast currents, and visibility can be low. But as you’d expect in this historic area, there are plenty of wrecks, fossils, and artifacts. In fact, there’s an entire Cooper River Underwater Heritage Trail with the key sites marked for divers. Offshore diving centers on a network of artificial reefs (see www.dnr.sc.gov for a list and locations), particularly the “Charleston 60” sunken barge and the new and very popular “Train Wreck,” comprising 50 deliberately sunk New York City subway cars. The longtime popular dive spot known as the “Anchor Wreck” was recently identified as the Norwegian steamer Leif Erikkson, which sank in 1905 after a collision with another vessel. In addition to being fun dive sites, these artificial reefs have proven to be important feeding and spawning grounds for marine life.

  Probably Charleston’s best-regarded outfitter and charter operator is Charleston Scuba (335 Savannah Hwy., 843/763-3483, www.charlestonscuba.com) in West Ashley. You also might want to check out Cooper River Scuba (843/572-0459, www.cooperriverdiving.com) and Atlantic Coast Dive Center (209 Scott St., 843/884-1500).

  Surfing and Boarding

  The surfing at the famous Washout area on the east side of Folly Beach isn’t what it used to be due to storm activity and beach erosion. But the diehards still gather at this area when the swell hits—generally about 3-5 feet (occasionally with dolphins). Check out the conditions yourself from the three views of the Folly Surfcam (www.surfchex.com/follybeach-web-cam.php).

  The best local surf shop is undoubtedly the historic McKevlin’s Surf Shop (8 Center St., Folly Beach, 843/588-2247, www.mckevlins.com, spring-summer daily 9am-6pm, fall-winter daily 10am-5:30pm) on Folly Beach, one of the first surf shops on the East Coast, dating to 1965 (check out an employee’s “No Pop-Outs” blog at http://mckevlins.blogspot.com).

  For lessons, Folly Beach Shaka Surf School (843/607-9911, www.shakasurfschool.com) offers private and group sessions at Folly; you might also try Sol Surfers Surf Camp (843/881-6700, www.solsurfers.net) in Mount Pleasant. Kiteboarders might want to contact Air (1313 Long Grove Dr., Mount Pleasant, 843/388-9300, www.catchsomeair.us), which offers several levels of lessons.

  surfing at Folly Beach

  Water Parks

  During the summer months, Charleston County operates three water parks, though none are on the peninsula: Splash Island Waterpark (444 Needlerush Pkwy., Mount Pleasant, 843/884-0832); Whirlin’ Waters Adventure Waterpark (University Blvd., North Charleston, 843/572-7275); and Splash Zone Waterpark at James Island County Park (871 Riverland Dr., 843/795-7275), on James Island west of town. Admission runs about $10 per person. Go to www.ccprc.com for more information.

  ON LAND

  Golf

  The country’s first golf course was constructed in Charleston in 1786. The term “greens fee” is alleged to have evolved from the maintenance fees charged to members of the South Carolina Golf Club and Harleston Green in what’s now downtown Charleston. So, as you’d expect, there’s some great golfing in the area, generally on the outlying islands. Here are some of the highlights; fees are averages and subject to season and time of day.

  The folks at the nonprofit Charleston Golf, Inc. (423 King St., 843/958-3629, www.charlestongolfguide.com) are your best one-stop resource for tee times and packages. The main public course is the 18-hole Charleston Municipal Golf Course (2110 Maybank Hwy., 843/795-6517, www.charlestoncity.info, $40). To get there from the peninsula, take U.S. 17 south over the Ashley River, take Highway 171 (Folly Rd.) south, and then take a right onto Maybank Highway. Probably the most renowned area facilities are at the acclaimed Kiawah Island Golf Resort (12 Kiawah Beach Dr., Kiawah Island, 800/654-2924, www.kiawahgolf.com, $150-350, 25 percent discount for guests of the resort), about 20 miles from Charleston. The resort has five courses in all, the best-known of which is the Kiawah Island Ocean Course, site of the famous “War by the Shore” 1991 Ryder Cup. This 2.5-mile course, which is walking-only until noon each day, hosted the Senior PGA Championship in 2007 and the PGA Championship in 2012. The resort offers a golf academy and private lessons galore. These are public courses, but be aware that tee times are limited for golfers who aren’t guests at the resort.

  Two excellent resort-style public courses are at Wild Dunes Resort Golf (5757 Palm Blvd., Isle of Palms, 888/845-8932, www.wilddunes.com, $165) on Isle of Palms. The 18-hole Patriots Point Links (1 Patriots Point Rd., Mount Pleasant, 843/881-0042, www.patriotspointlinks.com, $100) on the Charleston Harbor right over the Ravenel Bridge is one of the most convenient courses in the area, and it boasts some phenomenal views. Also on Mount Pleasant is perhaps the best course in the area for the money, the award-winning Rivertowne Golf Course (1700 Rivertowne Country Club Dr., Mount Pleasant, 843/856-9808, www.rivertownecountryclub.com, $150) at the Rivertowne Country Club. Opened in 2002, the course was designed by Arnold Palmer.

  Tennis

  Tennis fans are in for a treat at the new Family Circle Tennis Center (161 Seven Farms Dr., 800/677-2293, www.familycirclecup.com, Mon.-Thurs. 8am-8pm, Fri. 8am-7pm, Sat. 8am-5pm, Sun. 9am-5pm, $15/hour) on Daniel Island. This multimillion-dollar facility is owned by the city of Charleston and was built in 2001 specifically to host the annual Family Circle Cup women’s competition, which was previously held in Hilton Head for many years. But it’s also open to the public year-round (except when the Cup is on) with 17 courts.

  The best resort tennis activity is at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort (12 Kiawah Beach Dr., Kiawah Island, 800/654-2924, www.kiawahgolf.com), with a total of 28 courts. There are four free, public, city-funded facilities on the peninsula: Moultrie Playground (Broad St. and Ashley Ave., 843/769-8258, www.charlestoncity.info, 6 lighted hard courts), Jack Adams Tennis Center (290 Congress St., 6 lighted hard courts), Hazel Parker Playground (70 E. Bay St., on the Cooper River, 1 hard court), and Corrine Jones Playground (Marlowe St. and Peachtree St., 2 hard courts). Over in West Ashley, the city also runs the public Charleston Tennis Center (19 Farmfield Rd., 843/769-8258, www.charlestoncity.info, 15 lighted courts).

  Hiking and Biking

  If you’re like me, you’ll walk your legs off just making your way around the sights on the peninsula. Early risers will especially enjoy the beauty of dawn breaking over the Cooper River as they walk or jog along the Battery or a little farther north at Waterfront Park. Charleston-area beaches are perfect for a leisurely bike ride on the sand. Sullivan’s Island is a particular favorite, and you might be surprised at how long you can ride in one direction on these beaches.

  Those desiring a more demanding use of their legs can walk or ride their bike in the dedicated pedestrian and bike lane on the massive Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge over the Cooper River, the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere. The extra lanes are a huge advantage over the previous span on the same site, and a real example for other cities to follow in sustainable transportation solutions. There’s public parking on both sides of the bridge, on the Charleston side off Meeting Street and on the Mount Pleasant side on the road to Patriots Point. Bike the Bridge Rentals (360 Concord St., 843/853-2453, www.bikethebridgerentals.com) offers self-guided tours over the Ravenel Bridge and back on a Raleigh Comfort bike, and also rents road bikes for lengthier excursions.

  The Battery is perfect for an early morning jog.

  In West Ashley, there’s an urban walking and biking trail, the West Ashley Greenway, built on a former rail bed. The 10-mile trail runs parallel to U.S. 17 and passes parks, schools, and the Clemson Experimental Farm, ending near Johns Island. To get to
the trailhead from downtown, drive west on U.S. 17. About 0.5 mile after you cross the bridge, turn left onto Folly Road (Hwy. 171). At the second light, turn right into South Windermere Shopping Center; the trail is behind the center on the right.

  The most ambitious trail in South Carolina is the Palmetto Trail (www.palmettoconservation.org), begun in 1997 and eventually covering 425 miles from the Atlantic to the Appalachians. The coastal terminus near Charleston, the seven-mile Awendaw Passage through the Francis Marion National Forest, begins at the trailhead at the Buck Hall Recreational Area (843/887-3257, $5 vehicle fee), which has parking and restroom facilities. Get there by taking U.S. 17 north from Charleston about 20 miles and through the Francis Marion National Forest and then Awendaw. Take a right onto Buck Hall Landing Road.

  Another good nature hike outside town is on the eight miles of scenic and educational trails at Caw Caw Interpretive Center (5200 Savannah Hwy., Ravenel, 843/889-8898, www.ccprc.com, Wed.-Fri. 9am-3pm, Sat.-Sun. 9am-5pm, $1) on an old rice plantation.

  One of the best outfitters in town is Half Moon Outfitters (280 King St., 843/853-0990, www.halfmoonoutfitters.com, Mon.-Sat. 10am-7pm, Sun. noon-6pm). They have a Mount Pleasant location (425 Coleman Blvd., 843/881-9472) as well, and it has better parking.