Fun for the
Entire Family.
Things to do:
People come back to Edisto every year because they enjoy the low-key lifestyle. You can take the children crabbing, go shrimping or fishing, or simply hang out and watch the sunset. As the weather begins to hint at spring's arrival, we all want to get outdoors. The sunshine is calling us all to play golf, walk on the beach, or go for a bike ride. When summer arrives, Edisto is at its peak with so much to do, making Edisto an ideal family getaway for generations.
Bird watchers find a paradise on Edisto and history lovers go exploring. They immediately sense the roots of this community which reach back to the Native Americans (visit the shell mound in the State Park).
Visiting the sites of Sea Cloud Plantation or Bleak Hall's ice house gives an excuse to get out and look around. Nature, as always, is inviting you to Botany Bay, the State Park, to enjoy the bike paths or to take the short drive to Caw Caw Swamp Interpretive Center. Edisto is, after all, the gateway to the 350,000-acre ACE Basin (Ashepoo, Combahee, and Edisto rivers) one of the largest conservation districts in the US. (http://www.fws.gov/acebasin/)
Celebrate the drive along the Edisto Island National Scenic Byway, designated by the Federal Department of Transportation. This designation places Edisto alongside such other scenic byways as Route 66, the Alaskan Marine Byway, the Selma to Montgomery March Byway, the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, the Florida Keys Scenic Byway, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Guided Tours
Botany Bay Ecotours
Led by biologist and conservationist Meg Hoyle whose extensive knowledge of the low country will make your experience memorable
800-979-3370 843-869-2998 / www.botanybayplantation.com
Fontaine Charters
843-303-7394 / www.fontainecharters.com
Island Tours and T’ings “the Pink Van Tour”
A long time Edisto resident; family many generations on the island.
843-603-0967
Nature Tours, Shelling & Sunset Tours
Edisto Watersports
843-869-0663
Edisto Shrimp Boat Charters
Captain Cliff Corley 843-729-2687
edistobeachshrimpboatcharters.com
Singleshot Guide Service
3610 Big Bay Dr, (843)557-0726
Tours of Edisto
(843)869-1984, Historical Tours
www.toursofedisto.com
Camping
Edisto Beach State Park
The state park, originally built by the CCC during the depression and opened in the 1930’s. The park includes 1,255 acres and offers 63 camping sites in the main campground, 50 sites in its Live Oak campground. There are 5 rustic sites, 7 vacation cabins and the park boasts picnic areas with shelters, ocean swimming and beach combing, nature trails and a boat landing with dock. The Spanish Mount Trail winds 3 ½ miles through a maritime forest. The ACE Basin interpretive center is a must see when on Edisto. 866-345-7275 (Camping and cabin reservations) / 843-869-2156 (Reservations within next 3 days) / www.SouthCarolinaParks.com
Fishing/Crabbing/Shrimping /Boating/Kayaking Charters
Botany Bay Ecotours
Led by biologist and conservationist Meg Hoyle whose extensive knowledge of the low country will make your experience memorable
843-869-2998 / www.botanybayplantation.com
Captain Clif Corley's Edisto Shrimp Boat Charters
Mobile: 843-729-2687 / cmcorley@hughes.net
Edisto Island Tours
USCG Licensed
Cap'n Ron & Elin Elliott
843-869-1937
Edisto Watersports & Tackle
USCG licensed captains
843-869-0663 / www.edistowatersports.net
Island Bikes & Outfitters Kayak Tours
843-869-4444 / islandbikesandoutfitters.com
Plot Twist Charters / www.plottwistcharters.com
843-870-4750
Raddaddy's Fishing Charters
USCG Licensed
Capt. Ron Davis
843-514-3210
radlures@aol.com
Single Shot Guide Services
USCG Licensed
Captain Charles Yeomans
843-869-3022 / www.singleshotguideservices.com
Reefs
Edisto has two artificial reefs relatively close off shore. Built by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources you can find the locations at www.dnr.sc.gov
Boat Landings & Marinas
State of South Carolina Boat Landings
www.dnr.sc.gov/boating/index.html
The Marina at Edisto Beach
Ships Store 843-631-5055
Dawhoo Landing at McKinley Washington Bridge
Intracoastal Waterway Hwy. 174
Picnic tables, courtesy and fishing dock.
Live Oak Landing at Edisto Beach State Park
Palmetto Rd. (fee)
Steamboat Landing
At the end of Steamboat Landing Rd. off of Hwy. 174
Small parking area, courtesy dock.
Edisto Watersports & Tackle
Supplies & bait
843-869-0663 / www.edistowatersports.net
Bike Rentals
Edisto Beach offers wonderful bike trails as does the State Park.
Edisto Bike Shop
843-217-8027
Edisto Essentials
843-869-0951 / www.edistoessentials.com
Island Bikes & Outfitters
843-869-4444 / www.islandbikesandoutfitters.com
Golf
Edisto’s temperate weather allows you to play 12 months of the year.
The Plantation Golf Course on Edisto
Recently renovated and restored to its original beauty and challenge, this course ranks with some of the best in SC. Lots of water, bring plenty of balls.
843-869-1111 / www.theplantationcourseatedisto.com
The Links at Stono Ferry
The course is approximately 25 miles off the island on Hwy. 162. just past the town of Hollywood heading toward Charleston.
843-869-1817 / www.stonoferrygolf.com
Driving Range - Near the Edistonian on Flowers Court
History
History is everywhere on Edisto, a great place to start is at the:
Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society Museum
Corner of Chisolm Rd. and Hwy 174 at Middleton Plantation
This museum is presented largely through private donations and memberships. It has an outstanding collection of local artifacts and interprets the history of the island from it’s earliest times to recent past. Open Tues.-Sat. 1pm to 4 p.m. A small admission fee is charged. 843-869-1954 / www.edistomuseum.org
Edisto Interpretive Center
8377 State Cabin Road,
843-869-6834 / 843- 869-4430 / www.southcarolinaparks.com
Churches on National Historic Registry
Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island
The Sanctuary was renovated in 2003. There is a lovely churchyard and
historic session house.
2164 Hwy. 174 / 843-869-2326 / www.pcedisto.org
The Old First Baptist Church
This is probably the oldest church building still in use on the island. There is a
monument to Hephzibah Townsand in churchyard.
1644 Hwy. 174 / 843-869-2432
Trinity Episcopal Church
Picturesque chapel and churchyard
1589 Hwy. 174 / 843-869-3568
Places of interest (Nearby off island)
Drayton Hall
(45 mins. from Edisto) 843-769-2600 / www.draytonhall.org
ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge
8675 Willtown Rd. (Headquarters in Grove Plantation)
Turn left at the intersection of Willtown Rd. and Hwy. 174
www.fws.gov/acebasin/ or www.dnr.sc.gov/marhe/nrri/acechar/egresman.htm
Charleston Convention and Visitors Center / www.charlestoncvb.com
Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce / www.Beaufort-SC.org
Ed Grimball-Walking Tours of Historic Charleston 843-813-4447 www.edgrimballtours.com
Walterboro Chamber of Commerce 843-549-9595 / www.walterboro.org
Charles Towne Landing
Location of the first settlement of Charleston www.charlestowne.org/visitus.shtml
Caw Caw Interpretive Center
643 acre park showcases low country natural, historical and cultural heritage. 5200 Savannah Hwy. (Hwy. 17 near Ravenel) / www.ccprc.com/index.asp?NID=206
Nature
Botany Bay Wildlife Management Area
Botany Bay Rd. turn left at end of road - sign in / dawn to dark, seasonal hunts. Closed Tuesdays for essential maintenance
843-953-9300 /
DNR Announces Botany Bay Opening / Botany Bay Plantation / BotanybayWMA
Edisto Island Serpentarium
An Edisto must-see. Whether you love reptiles or hate them, you’ll come away with a better understanding of their role in our ecosystem. Created by the Clamp family, it sits right on Hwy. 174 just before the Old Post Office Restaurant as you leave the beach.
Seasonal Hours, Gift Shop & Edisto Visitors Center, Indoor Exhibits, Reptile Exhibits, Fossil Room, and Native Americans Artifacts
843-869-1171 / www.edistoserpentariun.com
ACE Basin Interpretive Center at the Edisto Beach State Park
An outstanding look at the role our marshes and estuarine resources play when you live at the edge of the ocean.
Rare, Threatened or Endangered Species
If you look to your right as you come onto the island you may spot the bald eagle that likes to sit on top of the power pole next to the McKinley Washington Bridge. You may also see wood storks, ospreys and other not-so-common birds. Yet there are a number plants and animals that are not so well known worth looking for. To learn more go here:
Click here »
and here:
www.carolinabirdclub.org/sites/SC/edistoinlet.html
Nature Tours
It’s always easier when you’re somewhere you’re not used to, if you have a guide to show you around. Here are some possibilities:
Botany Bay Ecotours
Led by biologist and conservationist Meg Hoyle whose extensive knowledge of the low country will make your experience memorable
843-869-2998 / www.botanybayplantation.com
Edisto Beach State Park
843-869-2756 (Park offices) / www.SouthCarolinaParks.com
Edisto Watersports & Tackle ACE basin boat charters
843-869-0663 / www.edistowatersports.net
Off Island Nature Tours
Ace Basin Outpost
10232 Ace Basin Parkway (Hwy. 17 at the Ashepoo River) Green Pond
Kayak and canoe rental & tours
800-785-2925