Specific beaches (Charleston, Summerville, Isle of Palms: homes, neighborhood, living)

[beth1104]

Relocating--when I visited the area, I saw Isle of Palms Beach which I liked a lot & easy parking. I tried to see Folly Beach, but I couldn't find parking. Also, the area was not as appealing. What are the best beaches for frequent visits? There was a post recently about living closer to the beach if in Mt Pleasant, but then someone said the traffic is so bad there, it doesn't take much more time to get to the beach from Summerville? That tells me that from Summerville, you would go to a different beach? Thanks!

[USCJoe]

Summerville residents would go to the Isle of Palms or the Sullivan's Island beach. Both would be about the same distance/time from Summerville. Almost every neighborhood in Mt. Pleasant would be between a 5 min to 15 minute drive to the beach.I do not recall reading a comment that the traffic in Mt. Pleasant is so bad that it doesn't take more time to to get to the beach from Summerville. As you have been to the Isle of Palms, what is your impression of the traffic?

[SCDweller]

I live in Summerville and we always go to the IOP (Isle of Palms) and it takes approx. 40 mins to get there at off traffic times. If you lived in Mt. Pleasant, you would frequent the same beach (IOP or Sullivan's) and it would only take you, like USCJoe mentioned, 15 mins. It is a considerable difference. Folly is better accessed from West Ashley, James Island and those areas. I personally prefer the beach at IOP to Folly. However, the waves seem to be better at Folly, which attracts more surfers. It just depends what type of beach you want.

[beth1104]

Thanks! The traffic was not bad at all while I was there, which was a Saturday.

[ECX]

I read in one forum that a woman had her leg bitten by a gator while in the ocean at Isle of Palms... Are there Aligators in the ocean??

[SCDweller]

I have never heard of anyone being hurt by an alligator in the ocean. My understanding was that they only inhabited fresh and brackish water. So I checked it out at a zoo website. Here's what I found:
"Alligators are usually found in freshwater, in slow-moving rivers. They are also found in swamps, marshes, and lakes. They can tolerate salt water for only brief periods because they do not have salt glands"

[Jim3310]

I've got a newspaper clipping that I kept with a gator off IOP.
It was severely lost...

Gators & salt water do not mix at all. There is a line on the Ashley River that the gators just do not cross once it becomes brackish.

But, Beaches?
There are three really & then some subsections.

From Summerville, here are your choices in a nutshell.

Family w/ little ones? = Beach Walker at Kiawah. Food = Bring your own cooler.

Laid back Jimmy Buffett style? = Folly (Surfers are a little further north) Food = Bars.

Looking for the newest fashion statement? = IOP (Isle of Palms) Food = Variety.

[Luvsdabeach]

Looking for the newest fashion statement? = IOP (Isle of Palms) Food = Variety.

No wonder there seemed to be more people than usual this summer. lol I've been going there since I was a kid so it's no fashion statement for me. We occasionally went to Folly when they had the rides. Whoa, I'm really telling my age now. haha!

[SCDweller]

IOP has changed a lot. After Hurricane Hugo, the homes that went up to replace the small cottages that were toppled were/are enormous and stunning. The building has just continued. My parents bought waterfront at the IOP during WWII when there was almost nothing on the island. I too grew up spending summers on the island and have been amazed how the times have definitely changed.

[goosecreeker]

these are links to the county and state parks
Charleston County Parks and Recreation
South Carolina State Parks