Folly Beach Recreation

Picnicking on Folly Beach
If you're looking for a place for a leisurely barbecue or picnic, we'd recommend the lovely State Park at the west end of Folly Beach (to get there take West Ashley to the end of the Island). There's thousands of feet of oceanfront and river frontage and convenient picnicking amenities like tables, grills and restrooms. It's a fantastic place to have a barbecue after a long, sandy day at the beach. Hours are generally 9am to 7pm in the summer -- although the park is open all year long.

Fishing on Folly Beach
If fishing is your game, Folly Beach has a lot to offer...pier fishing, deep-sea fishing, river fishing and surf fishing. The most around the Charleston low-country area.

At times, Folly Beach waters are loaded with Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Bluefish, Spotted Sea Trout, Bonito, Jack Crevalle, Sheepshead, Whiting, Pompano, Red drum, Spot-tail bass, False Albacore, Perch and Flounder. Of course, the fishing in Folly Beach is great regardless of the time of year but you're likely to catch the most during our warmer summer months.

Folly Beach requires a saltwater fishing license irregardless of where you fish. If you do a charter, the captain supplies you with one, so, there's no extra hassles. For the best Sout Carolina Fishing Guides in the Folly Beach area please visit our friends at Charleston Fishing Guides.

Swimming on Folly Beach
While swimming is allowed on all beaches, there are three Folly Beach favorite swimming spots. The most scenic is the Folly Beach County Park at the west end of the island. There's thousands of water frontage with a boardwalk, restrooms, outdoor showers and a seasonal snack-bar. Nearby you can rent just about anything from boogie boards to beach umbrellas. During the summer months, lifeguards are on duty.

The second most popular swimming place is at the Holiday Inn on Center Street. One of the nice perks of this venue is the ability to saunter up to the "Tiki Hut" bar and order a tropical drink to sip by the pool. Conveniently located, near the Folly Beach Pier, you are close to many shops where, again, you can rent whatever you may need for the beach. One heads up! Be careful when walking on the beach, every now and again a sharp seashell or live jelly fish may cause the un-attentive "stroller" some painful memories.

The third place to swim actually has 2 small swimming pools and is located at the Charleston Oceanfront Villas just West of Center Street on Arctic Avenue. These are privately owned condos however, many of them are offered as Folly Beach oceanfront rentals and the added benefit of using the common area pools is one of the benefits of staying at these lovely vacation rentals.

Golf Courses Near Folly Beach
South Carolina and Golfing -- they're practically synonymous! Located in close proximity to Folly Beach are a number of world class golf resorts. One of the most popular, Kiawah Island Golf Resort offers 5 outstanding courses including The Ocean Course, ranked Ranked "5 Stars" (1 of only 16 golf courses in the US) by Golf Digest in 2004.

If non-resort golf is more your cup of tea, there's the Charleston National, the only Rees Jones Design championship golf course in the area open to the "average Joe". Designed in the Low Country marshland amongst palmetto palms and centuries-old oaks, the playing conditions vary with the ocean breezes.

Folly Beach Camping
There's fantastic camping 10 minutes from Folly Beach at the James Island County Park. It's a 643 acre State Park with many freshwater lakes for fishing, acres of open meadows and miles of paved trails for walking and biking. There's even playgrounds and fountains for the kids.

The campground allows tent camping and full rv hookups (with 30-50 amp service) or you can rent one of the cottages. Additional camping services include a shuttle service to downtown Charleston and Folly Beach for a nominal fee.

Surfing On Folly Beach
There's a place in Folly Beach that the locals call "The Washout" and it sports some of the best surfing in the area. "The Washout" is an area where winds blow freely across the sands, uninterrupted by any buildings or facades. Surfing aficionados say that's what causes the water to "roll" so nicely. Depending on the conditions though, "The Washout" is not for the faint of heart.

If you're looking for something a little more tempered, try 10th Street East. It's not quite as popular as "The Washout", probably because the waves don't break as big. However, on any given day, the surfing is consistent and it can hold a decent south swell. Other favorite surfing spots include 6th Street East and the Folly Pier which has a good low tide east swells -- just don't try "shooting-the-pier" because the fines are just not worth it!!