Edisto Island Activities


Edisto has been an outdoorsman's paradise for generations.  My grandfather caught tarpon and flounder the size that legends are made of.  My father taught me how to cast a net in Big Bay Creek and set gill nets in the South Edisto.  Kim's family were the ACE blue crab hunters and knew were all the best oyster beds were. 


Almost all of our activities are in nature.  From the beaches to the plantations we have tried to protect our sea island environment.  A few of our favorite things to do:

             




Relax on the Beach  Boating  Fishing
Take the dogs for a walk or to play in the pond
Go to Otter Island
 Bird Watch
Visit Plantation Gardens
 Ride the golf cart down some of Edisto's Oldest Roads






Crabbing
 Shell Hunting, 
Searching for Sand Dollars 
bicycling, walking, and sunbathing at the pool
  Golfing
  Cooking Out and Camping
  Visit the State Park
  Walk to Jeremy Inlet
  Frampton's Inlet Trip












just to name a few and most of these are "free".    Remember Edisto is less than 40 minutes to the mall in Charleston and less than 1 hour to Downtown.  This a very pleasant drive through the protected ACE Basin and you are over half way there before you get to a stop light. 



Edisto Beach State Park   http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/park-finder/state-park/1298.aspx
This 1,255-acre park includes a dense maritime forest and an expansive salt marsh where visitors can explore the wonders of nature. The park offers a day-use area for beach access and a four-mile nature trail that winds through the maritime forest with beautiful vistas overlooking the salt marsh.







Botany Bay Plantation   http://www.dnr.sc.gov/managed/wild/botany/description.html
The 4,360.5 acre Botany Bay Plantation Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located adjacent to the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the northeast corner of Edisto Island in lower Charleston County, South Carolina. The area lies near the North Edisto River just south of the intensely developed resort islands of Kiawah and Seabrook and just north of the rapidly developing Edisto Beach area.

Ace Basin   http://www.fws.gov/acebasin/
The ACE Basin is a big place, taking in about 350,000 acres of cypress swamps, saltwater marsh, beach, woodlands and small coastal communities bounded by the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers.

The Grove Plantation   http://www.fws.gov/acebasin/
The Grove Plantation House, built in 1828, is one of only three antebellum mansions in the ACE Basin area to survive the Civil War. Former owners ensured it would be preserved by placing it on the National Register of Historical Places.



Edisto Beach Interpretive Center   http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/products/26355.aspx
With the theme "Choosing to Protect Our Coast," the Edisto Interpretive Center helps promote the wise use of coastal resources. It is headquarters for Edisto Beach State Park´s interpretive programs and curriculum-based field studies, and for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources´ education and research services.

Edisto Island Serpentarium   http://www.edistoserpentarium.com/
As The First True Serpentarium In South Carolina, This Facility Is Dedicated To The Recognition, Preservation And Study Of The World Of Reptiles. We Provide Educational And Exciting Displays Of Reptiles Both From Around The World And Native To The Region.

Plantation Tour  
The Pink Van Tour
843-869-1110

Edisto Island Musuem   http://www.edistomuseum.org/
In 1986, a small group of Edisto residents gathered to found the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society (EIHPS), whose mission is to preserve the history of Edisto Island.

Edisto Marina   32.4933° N, 80.3400° W
843-869-3504
3702 Dock Site Road
Edisto Beach, SC 29438

Edisto Watersports & Tackle
USCG licensed captains
843-869-0663

Indian Mound Trail
Four mile trail through marine forest and over beautiful marshes. Most trails are handicap accessible. The Spanish Mound trail with its mysterious 4,000 years old mound collection of oyster, mussel and turtle shells relics. Once over 20 feet high the mound lost most of its height due to massive erosion.

Plantation Course at Edisto   http://www.theplantationcourseatedisto.com
The sole golf course on the island enjoys an interesting history dating back to its origin in 1973.  Originally known as 'Oristo' and later as 'The Edisto Beach Golf Club', the course takes pride in its new name3;. ?The Plantation Course at Edisto´.  After completing a total renovation of the course in 2006 and moving into our new Pro Shop in May 2007, we can insure that your golfing experience will be enjoyable and memorable.  We hope the following preview will be helpful to you in making your plans for a visit to Edisto and The Plantation Course in the near future.

Kings Market and Farm

Pink and George's Stand  

Edisto Island Presbyterian Church   http://www.pcedisto.org/
A Presbyterian congregation was meeting on Edisto Island possibly as early as 1689. The original building was erected in 1710. The present church was constructed under the supervision of E.M. Curtis, a Charleston builder and completed 1836. The beautiful Classic Greek Revival architecture reflects the prosperity of the Edisto planters and served both the white and black islanders until the beginning of the Civil War in 1861. It has a large graveyard with many fine gravestones dating from 1792.

Trinity Episcopal Church of Edisto   www.trinityedisto.com/
Founded in 1774. The church was occupied by federal troops during the Civil War, destroyed by fire in 1876 and damaged by the hurricane of 1893.


   Savannah and SeaLee
The following provided from The Edisto Chamber of Commerce "TO DO" List.  Please visit their site at www.edistochamber.com  . 
If you desire the time and a place to relax, Edisto can provide it to you. The tired and stressed slaves of a 9 to 5 day will embrace Edisto's lack of commercialization and easy laid back attitude. This paradise lies at the end of the road (literally, the end of Highway 174) and is a place devoid of traffic lights and has a top speed limit of 35 miles per hour. A stopped clock doesn't mean much around here.

Though Edisto remains unblemished by neon and drive-thrus, your vacation holiday can be filled with indulgences for the body, mind and spirit. You will find shopping a delight in a half-dozen or so of the most unique galleries and gift shops anywhere on the east coast. Local Artists bring the exquisite beauty of the Island to canvas, furniture, jewelry and pottery and one of Edisto's local cookbooks, 'Pon Top Edisto, is a required take home reading assignment. (But beware, reading our local cookbooks can be agonizing if you are living out of reach of the fresh seafood and locally grown vegetables available in the road-side stands and dockside seafood markets.)

Dining out will be a memorable experience in any one of about a dozen restaurants on the Island. Enjoy local oysters in the Fall and Winter months, crabs in the summer, shrimp just about year 'round. But leave your "dress for dinner" clothes at home. We'll have none of that here. Remember, the key word is "casual".

Keep an eye on the ocean while you are here and you'll likely earn a glimpse of dolphins gracefully breaking the water with their dorsal fins. Drive carefully at night on the Island's side roads for deer may be crossing. Look carefully in the lagoons and marsh grass to find a great blue heron tiptoeing about. These are surely snapshots in the mind that you'll take home to treasure.

You will want to explore the creeks and marshes on one of the many boat tours our local captains offer. View plantation homes from the water and visit secluded beaches for some prime time shelling. Or you can rent a canoe, kayak or motorboat and explore the waters yourself. Off-shore and in-shore fishing present an opportunity to bring home supper and forever after bore your friends with "the one that got away" stories.

After you explore the Island via water, see the "high and dry" version of Edisto and the surrounding Lowcountry. Several land tours are available and each tour is unique in its own way, presenting history and legend via various perspectives. If you crave an aerobic heartbeat, rent a bike. Exploring the beach by bicycle is fun and safe with miles of designated bike paths just a step away from most doorways.

The list goes on. . . play golf, check out the museums, visit a Serpentarium (FYI; that's a reptile museum). Or spend a long day under the shade of an umbrella with that paperback that has been calling your name. Just choose your pleasure. Life need not be complicated, at least while you are here.