I have not been but have friends that go to Folly Beach because it's laid back, has wild life habitats and of course beautiful beaches.

Folly Beach is cute! We went there for lunch and a beach walk one day on our first trip to Charleston.

Very nice bike path in Beaufort. Spanish Moss trail.

Beaufort is a lovely old town. They have this walk along the bay which is so pretty. There is a precious neighborhood called Newpoint in Beaufort that has always charmed me.

Hilton Head is not super close to Charleston. It is a large island with TONS of bike trails. Harbor Town in Sea Pines (on HHI) is very cute…they have an amazing golf course where they play the RBC (I believe) every year. There is all sorts of housing…from giant beach homes to small golf condos. There are many sections to HHI (Sea Pines is just one of many.) It really is a large island.

Much closer to Charleston is Kiawah. We prefer it to HHI bc is is smaller and much less developed. Lots of nice real estate! We love the Sanctuary. If you are looking for real estate, there are some other islands that near Charleston that have gorgeous homes (Johns Island, James Island, Daniel Island.) You may want to check these out…much closer to Charleston than HHI.

North, up the coast, there is Georgetown, which is cute, but probably not worth the drive since you are already in cute Charleston and cute Beaufort. North of that is Debiordieu and Pawleys and Litchfield. That’s where we beach. Nice family beaches, but again, probably not worth the long drive from Charleston unless there is a specific house you want to see. North of Litchfield is getting into Myrtle, and well, no.

Ypu are going to have a blast!! Charleston is so addictive!

Super, Nini, thank you. I've always said that it is hard to find travel advice about where not to go, because whenever someone is assigned a place they write about it assuming you are going.

We will probably only househunt one of the days we are there, in Charleston proper. Just wasn't sure if HHI was worth a day trip for the biking. Sounds like we can bike in Beaufort.

We are here now! HH is a ways from charleston, but quite nice. we love seabrook and kiawah islands. both have golf courses, but the are gated. i would guess you just tell the security guard you are playing golf. edisto island is a nature area, tons of wildlife. i cant remember if there are bike trails there. sullivans island is mostly homes, etc, would probably be a good place to bike ride. these islands are more lush, wooded areas and you will see wildlife. isle of palms is getting too grown up with beach shops, etc but some good rrstauurants and a pier. we havent done much on james, john or daniels island and they do not have much beach area. Folly beach is my least favorite as it is more crowded (houses and people), lots of beach/surf shops, etc.

we enjoy dtiving to the town of summerville and seeing the lovely old homes. weve eaten there too, but i couldnt tell you where!

eta; beaufort is close to 1 1/2 hours from charleston.

Kayaking! Great idea. Are there dolphins?

We don't mind the drive,in fact we love riding on scenic roads in the convertible so really would be game to go 2-3 hours N or S. I've never seen any of these places, Myrtle to HH, except Charleston. Lots to do!

We live 9 months a year in Bluffton (on the way to HHI) and am here now. Knowing you, mtn, you want NO part of Myrtle!!! Lots of beautiful areas in this neck of the woods (Old Town Bluffton) and bike trails....and a cute dolphin tour departs from Bluffton. Palmetto Bluff would be interesting to see while here. How could you be so close and not connect with me?? Let me know if I can guide you while here.

Oh my irish, you are so kind. Bluffton looks lovely!

We were just in Charleston last month and my recommendation is don't miss the coconut cake at the Peninsula Grill!

Oh no Gigi! ::: covering my ears :::

I don't think we want to eat out more than once a day really (those "COVID-19" have been really stubborn). I already have Basic Kitchen, Bistronomy, Lenoir, Maison, Chez Nous, Obstinate Daughter, Little Miss Ha,and, in Beaufort, LowCountry Produce on my list.

What did we do wrong? We were at HH many years ago when it first opened. I thought it was so beautiful and have always wanted to return. On a recent road trip, HHI and Kiawah were on our itinerary. We drove around Kiawah but couldn't get past security guards so saw nothing; it was suggested by one guard that we go find a realtor in order to see the island. On to HHI but the traffic was so horrendous we jumped ship, turned around and headed to FL. In hindsight, we should have done more research but I never imagined the traffic would be so terrible at both locations. When we visited HHI many years ago on a day trip (we were living in Columbia at the time) we both remember it as being a lovely, relaxing day with no traffic hassles. Perhaps going during spring break was our mistake?

That's interesting and good to know.

I can never be trusted when it comes to real estate, but I think I am only interested in Charleston.

Charleston attracts me because it feels a bit like a warmer, mini New England city spiffed up with palm trees and overrun by, of all things, Southerners. I want some walkability, history and culture, more than beaches, land, or water access. We are viewing it as a possible compromise between my desire for a Boston pied a terre and DH's desire to be able to be outdoors most days in winter (and gone in summer).

So we would only go to Kiawah or HHi as a daytrip, not to househunt, but sounds like we won't get in, so why bother.

It *can* be hard to get on the island (HH) on peak days (like summer Saturdays when rentals end/begin.) I’ve never seen traffic at all on Kiawah…it’s a very different island than HH. HH is so large and has basically all kinds of everything (car repair, Wal Mart, fast food…) Kiawah has very few commercial enterprises on the actual island, but it is gated.

So, Nini, if one is not staying on HH, and not golfing, would there be reason to go? Sounds like I can see much of the same scenery further up the coast and non-gated? (but stop before Kiawah I guess)

Personally, I wouldn’t go to HH on your trip. It’s a nice place to go if you are staying there but I wouldn’t go for a day trip from Charleston…it’s just too far, and if you want to ride bikes there are lovely places much closer. You can do all that in Beaufort since you are going there. You will see the Spanish moss, etc on your way there. (Beaufort is a bit of a drive also…but a pretty drive if you go backroads.)

I wish you could see Kiawah…I really think you would love some of the tucked away cottages near the Sanctuary. You already have such amazing dining options in Charleston but if you wanted some seaside dining you could make a ressie at the Sanctuary and get on the island that way. You’ll pass Johns Island on the way to Kiawah.

Very helpful, everyone, thank you.

Brookgreen Gardens is magnificent and is a lovely drive from Charleston. It's in Murrels Inlet.

Obsinate Daughter Is unforgettable. There is a Birds of Prey Sanctuary within drivng distance from Charleston. It was fascinating. Also, a little north of that was a small shimp harbor - we ate shrimp right off the boat there. So delicious. We prefer Savannah to Charleston, though.

What nini said!

And Mtn, Charleston has a lot of Northern transplants. I just did a talk earlier this semester for my former supervisor’s group of retirees from College of Charleston Center for Creative Retirement. I did Zoom, and didn’t get to visit in person.

I do like HHI for the bicycling and the beautiful beaches. But the Spanish Moss trail is awesome and much closer.

@mtnrdredux_gw - we kayaked on a river back in the woods so no dolphins. There were probably gators but we didn't see any. There are a lot of great places for kayaking down there. By the way, we are still thinking very seriously about making a move to SC or possibly NC. Still not sure where - maybe farther inland to avoid the hurricane and flood risk.

Dear sc_irish,

I don't see a way to message you? Can you make that feature operational here? Still working on my itinerary but wanted to be able to reach you on the off chance we end up in your area?

: )

Sent you a message. Thought I was set up to send & receive. Let's put it to the test (including spam folder)

SC irish, I sent you a message. : )

Are you there now? I hope you’re enjoying your trip!

(She doesn’t know she’ll be coming home to a sinkless house, heh heh.) 😁

We missed each other .....cuz she was busy with the Realtor!!!! I LOVE your humor and your constant input - keep it up! If there is ever another time, I'm in your corner and will "work" with you while you do your damage and warn you when she's headed back home. One of those sinks will be yours one day.....but, it's going to take a village!!!!

Ha! Love it! Thanks for the update, sc irish! And offer to be my accomplice! 😂❤️

Hello, Jinx, thanks for noticing, if only to facilitate your burgling. We got back Friday night, then had my son's graduation Sunday, then I had to read a 600 page Russian novel and make brunch. The dust finally cleared today and I am back to make trouble. : )

SC - we did get to see a soupcon of your lovely 'hood. We did late lunch in Beaufort and scooted over to Bluffton and HH. I think you were headed North by then?

😂

Congrats to your son. :)