My wife and two kids (4 and 7) are heading to Charleston in June for a wedding. We thought it would be fun to fly in a week early and spend several days to a week at the beach as my kids have never really experienced warm water swimming. We usually go to Lake Tahoe every summer so this should be quite a treat for them.
Our plans are flexible and at this point I am not sure where we are flying into. Could be Atlanta, could be Charleston, could be Charlotte. Our preference is to not go too far south of Charleston as we have some friends from New Jersey that are going to drive down and meet us.
Anyone have any recommendations for family friendly beach areas or even specific accommodations? I think we will need at least a kitchenette. I have not been to a beach south of the Jersey Shore in at least twenty years.
hit the wrong key, so if this is a repost, sorry…Charleston beaches include…Wild Dunes, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island…these are probaly the favorites…Folley Beach(south of Chas.)has made a nice comeback…farther south is Kiawah Island and SeaBrook Island, very nice and quite pricey…still farther south is Edisto Island(34-40), more old time family beach…have been to all and enjoyed all…don’t think you will go wrong…just depends on what you want…we go to Pawley’s Island now(35-40 miles north) now…all good…Dave Holman
Hilton Head would be an obvious family place to go. 2 hours south from Charleston but will make no real difference to your friends from NJ as it’s just a bit further down I-95 and probably adds 30 mins at most to their trip.
Sullivan’s Island has become our favorite although we used to go to Folley a lot. Kiawah is the best but pricey and once your are on the island, it is pain to leave and go out to eat/shopping/etc. they do have a grocery store on the island that has a good selection of wine IIRC.
Hilton Head is a very developed, very commercial golf haven attached to a beach. It is perfect for golfers and people who are looking for that type of beach experience. It is the antithesis of what I look for in a beach. 100 years ago (the last time I went to a beach from Charleston) Pawley’s was much quieter, much less developed, much less commercial, and MUCH more in keeping with what I want from the ocean.
The average Hilton Head ocean temperature in June is 82F.
Near-surface water temperatures at Lake Tahoe climb to a sizzling 65-70F in August and September.
We thought Kiawah was awesome for the kids and entire familty but we had access to all the amenities while renting at VRBO prices because we were there with some others who were renting through the resort…so we would have paid alot more if that wasn’t the case. I can also vouch for the wine selection at the grocery store…was pleasantly surprised with that. I agree that it would be a pain to leave but once there not sure you will want to.
Folly Beach! Just a short distance from Charleston and there’s a fun little “downtown” area with restaurants, shops, and a great pier. There are some condos but it’s not overdeveloped. You’ll find plenty of places for rent. Have fun!