So confused - which beach?

Hello,

I%26#39;m so sorry if I%26#39;m asking a super repetitive question! I%26#39;ve been wading through old posts regarding beaches and am still very confused. My boyfriend and I will be staying in the historical district in early May, and we WILL have a car. We would like to spend a day at the beach, but are having trouble figuring out which would best fit our needs among Folly, Sullivan%26#39;s, Kiawah and Isle of Palms. So my questions are as follows:

1. How long are the driving distances to each beach area? Ideally we%26#39;d like to keep the commute short, but would consider a longer one if it seemed worthwhile based on other needs.

2. Which of these beaches has public parking? And do these parking areas have convenient access to the beach once we leave the car?

3. Which have public bathrooms? Are the bathroom areas easily accessible from anywhere on the beach or are there certain areas we should choose? How about shower areas?

4. Which have easy access to food and beach restaurant options?

5. Which has the best overall vibe? We tend to prefer a small, beach community feel.

6. Which has the most beautiful beach?

7. Are any of the beaches super crowded? Are any simply not recommended for day trippers?

8. And finally, which is your favorite and why?

I know these are a lot of questions, but I would appreciate any and all answers. Thanks so much in advance for your patience!

So confused - which beach?

ok L4R...one at a time here I go.

1. Distances from closest to furthest. Folly, Sullivans, and Isle of Palms are going to be around 20-30 minutes from the Historic District, Kiawah probably closer to an hour...45 minutes maybe.

2. Isle of Palms, Folly, and Sullivan%26#39;s Island all have some public parking that are convenient to the beach. I think Isle of Palms and Folly Beach have the advantage here although much of the parking at the Isle of Palms are parking meters now.

3. Folly and Isle of Palms have public restrooms, close to the piers, same for showers.

4. I think there are more dining choices right on the beach at the Isle of Palms.

5. Both Isle of Palms and Folly have a small beach community feel, Folly has the edge here to me...nicknamed Mayberry by the Sea.

6. Kiawah might be the most pristine beach, largely private though which eliminates certain issues. Folly and Isle of Palms are both great too. Isle of Palms was in the Top 10 Best Beaches in the South in the 2009 Southern Living Readers%26#39; Choice Awards.

7. The beaches likely won%26#39;t be super crowded in early May...their peak season out there is June-August...there will be folks out there though. All are fine for daytrippers.

8. I prefer Folly Beach for the most redneck of reasons...simply I have had better luck fishin%26#39; at Folly Beach.

Hope this helps some.

So confused - which beach?

I%26#39;ll do my best...

1. Driving Distance in order of distance from, say, Calhoun at Meeting: Folly Beach (FB) and Sullivan%26#39;s Island (SI) about the same; then Isle of Palms (IOP) another 5 minutes from Sullivan%26#39;s. The others (Kiawah and Seabrook) are not a good option since they%26#39;re gated and limit your public access options, and are almost double the driving time of the others mentioned.

2. All of the others - FB, SI, IOP have public parking - I think that IOP has the most free parking overall but there are also public pay lots (that have other advantages that will be addressed in #3)

3. Now you%26#39;re talking FB and IOP for public restrooms with showers (at least on IOP there are showers). At SI you%26#39;d have to go to a restaurant to use a rest room and no showers that I%26#39;m aware.

4.IOP and FB have very easy access to food; SI has access but the restaurant, which are very good, are a few blocks off the beach (instead of being almost right on the beach)

5. IOP is nice - the area around the Inlet (just north of) is really nice but no bathrooms.

6. IOP

7. Not really - they are plenty wide and unless you go right at high tide and on a busy busy day you%26#39;ll have plenty of beach to spread out.

8. IOP - variety; ease of parking; cleanliness (but we go to IOP maybe 70% of the time an SI 30%

Just my opinion - I%26#39;m sure there will be others!

Oh, just FYI - coming from the mainland and crossing to Sullivan%26#39;s there is a bridge that goes up every hour on the hour on weekends. Try to time your drive from 15 after to 55 after the hour so you don%26#39;t have to wait. (No toll bridges here)

Wow, you both have been so incredibly helpful. I truly appreciate your thorough responses. I feel like now we can really narrow our options down and make an informed decision!

One other thing to consider is driving back. Sometimes the traffic leaving Folly on the week-ends can be pretty backed up because there is only one way on/off the island and it is so popular with the locals.

If you have time, why not go beach-hopping and try all of them. Then you will know which one is your favorite when you return.

If you have not made reservations yet, do so fast. All the college graduations are in early May and the hotels tend to fill up.

I can speak to Folly. As a resdient, we time our travels on spring/summer weekends so as not to travel off the island from 1500 until 1700, and not to come on the island from 1000-1200; yes, it%26#39;s that bad. Bathroom facilities would be located at the pier, with parking available for those who come somewhat early for $6, and in the county park at the west end of the island. It is more time involved coming off the island from the county park, as you have to drive in what often is stopped traffic to the middle of the island in order to leave. There is metered parking for 2 hours along much of street nearest the ocean.

Only beachfront restaurants would be at the Holiday Inn, and on the Pier at Locklear%26#39;s.

The beach will be ccrowded, but you can find a spot. Sand is somewhat peppbly, water is bluish in the sunlight. Remainder of establishments are within 4 blocks from the beach. Folly is definitely a beach community.

If you have the day to spend at the beach, you might enjoy Beachwalker County Park on Kiawah Island, which was honored by ';Dr. Beach'; in 2008 as one of the top-ten beaches in North America.

…fiu.edu/nhbc/…kiawah_island.htm

Kiawah is not a tradtional beach town, but the park offers full facilities

http://www.ccprc.com/index.asp?NID=59

If you don%26#39;t care to ';dine'; from the snack bar, you can pick up lunch on your way onto the island at Newton Farms, at Freshfields shopping ';village';. On your way to Kiawah, stop at the 1400-year-old Angel Oak tree for a photo op.

http://www.angeloaktree.org/

Forgot to mention ... Kiawah is a 40 minute drive from the historic district on scenic country roads. There are interesting restaurants along the route where you could stop for dinner after a day at the beach.

Here%26#39;s my suggestions for a day trip if you decide to head out the Kiawah direction, in addition to the beach (spend the a.m. at the beach, then go exploring John%26#39;s %26amp; Wadmawlaw Islands???)...

Take a dolphin tour in the marshes, call them to arrange ahead of time. They depart from the Cherry Point Landing where there is a shrimp dock, as well (take a cooler, good prices, shrimp season starts in May, not sure of date)...

http://www.bohicketboat.com/

You can hit the Angel Oak on the way...

http://www.angeloaktree.org/

The only tea plantation in the United States...

http://www.bigelowtea.com/act/

And the winery...

http://www.charlestonwine.com/

All this is within 40 mins. or so of the HD.

You can take a picnic (there is a park area at Cherry Point w/tables, there are tables at the winery and I think at Angel Oak) or stop at one of the local restaurants (JB%26#39;s has take out, too)...

http://www.jbssmokeshack.com/

http://www.thefathen.com/

Beachwalker Park on Kiawah does have a $6 parking fee and very nice restrooms/showers. It%26#39;s never crowded out there. As Villa said, beautiful beach!!!

Could add up to a great day!

The vineyard also makes Fire Fly Vodka which is sweet tea flavored vodka that has taken off like a rocket! You can find it at many of the local package stores-look for the giant red dot.

The Boulivard Diner has opened a location on Maybank Highway and Mustard Seed is next door.

Wow, these are really great ideas! Kiawahbeth, I love your idea for a day trip - I had no idea there was a winery close by, that is so up our alley! And we were actually hoping to hit Mustard Seed at some point during the trip anyway.

Unfortunately, we only have 3.5 days in Charleston, so our decision will depend on how much time we want to spend in the car and on day trips, plus other factors like weather, etc. But there%26#39;s so much great info in this thread, I%26#39;m going to print it out and take it with me! Thanks, everyone!