Managed IT Servicesin Kiawah Island, SC

It’s high time you added this Lowcountry destination to your beach bucket list.

Follow winding, oak-shaded roads 25 miles southwest of downtown Charleston's cobblestone streets and celebrated restaurant scene, and you'll find yourself on Kiawah Island. Carved by the Kiawah River on one side and fronting the Atlantic Ocean on the other, the barrier island is a true escape. Here, nature reigns supreme: ten miles of beaches roll out along the Atlantic; cicadas form their own sort of soundtrack; and lights-out is often determined by the sea turtles' nesting season. Even so, there's plenty to do for travelers who like their time in nature punctuated with good food, luxurious creature comforts, and a frozen drink in hand. Here are seven things to do in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Stay Like a Local

For access to all of Kiawah's amenities, from bike rentals to pools, you'll have to stay on the island. For an experience that's luxurious but unpretentious, book a room at The Sanctuary, an oceanfront hotel known for its five-star service and elevated onsite dining. For families who want a little room to spread out (or a kitchen), villa and home rentals are a smart choice; reserve through the resort directly, or book through a site like VRBO or Airbnb.

Spend a Day on the Sand

On the west end of the island, Beachwalker Park is Kiawah's only public beach access feels like a hidden gem, thanks to its wide, unspoiled expanses of sand. It offers the best of both worlds: In addition to the ocean frontage, you can also score views of the Kiawah River here.

Hit the Links

Five state-of-the-art golf courses are open to the public. For avid fans of the sport, the Ocean Course alone makes Kiawah worth the trip. Host to two PGA Championships, the 18-hole course is not for the faint of heart. Raised above the dunes to capitalize on the expansive shore views, golfers are also subjected to ocean breezes (which don't make for an easy or predictable trip around the green). Try Cougar Point for marsh views and a slightly less technical experience.

Go for a Cruise

One of the best ways to explore the island is to leave the car in park and take a beach cruiser for a spin (you can reserve them through the resort or bring your own). Between 30 miles of paved trails and 10 miles of hard-packed beach, there's no shortage of routes to explore. Ask for directions to the Marsh View Tower, an observation deck primed for birdwatching and soaking in the marsh and river scenery.

Visit Heron Park Nature Center

The naturalists here will school you in many of the species who call the island home, from bobcats and white-tailed deer to loggerhead sea turtles and American alligators. Sign up for a guided tour, like "Back Island Birding", "Marsh Kayaking," or "Ocean Seining and Beach Combing," or ask for their recommendations for the best nature-spotting places in the area.

Explore Freshfields Village

Built around a lush lawn, Freshfields Village has plenty of restaurants and shops to explore, plus a boutique stay, the Andell Inn. Pick up a beach read at Indigo Books; snag treats for your four-legged friends at Dolittle's; and gear up for island adventures SeaCoast Sports and Outfitters. Start the morning with coffee and a breakfast sandwich from Java Java; settle in for grilled cheese and a milkshake at retro Vincent's Drugstore & Soda Fountain; or cap off the day with a glass of wine at FortyEight Wine Bar and Kitchen. Check their calendar for seasonal events, like summertime's "Music on the Green" concert series and farmer's market.

Venture to Bohicket Marina & Market

Make the short drive to neighboring Seabrook Island for a taste of the area's salty maritime culture. Snag a umbrella-shaded table on the upper deck at Salty Dog Café for fresh catch, a cold beer, and riverfront views of the boats coming and going from the marina.

A new retail destination with a larger Harris Teeter supermarket to serve residents of Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns islands is one step closer to becoming a reality.

The Charleston County Planning Commission voted 7-1 on Aug. 14 to recommend a land-use change from low-density residential to a planned development district for about 50 acres in the Andell West tract next to the Freshfields Village Shopping Center.

The proposal failed to move forward last October when the panel deadlocked 4-4 after questions were raised about the connectivity to Freshfields, the placement of the connections and the architectural blending of the new retail site with businesses in the neighboring center.

Freshfields is owned by Columbia-based Edens. It paid nearly $125 million for the property last year.

The new plan for the project off Kiawah Island Parkway clarifies the points of connection between the two retail sites, puts a 100-foot vegetated buffer between the road and the development and sets aside 20 percent of the land as open space.

Plans call for the existing Harris Teeter supermarket at Freshfields to move to the new location in a larger building of up to 65,000 square feet, according to Chris Corrada, a principal with the development firm Riverstone Properties LLC of Richmond, Va., which owns the 50-acre parcel.

A decades-old Lowcountry truck terminal was idled this summer by a high-profile business failure, its owner running on fumes.

It’s poised to rev back to life.

The former Yellow Corp. depot between Rivers Avenue and Interstate 26 in North Charleston and two others in South Carolina are among the properties that onetime rivals of the fallen company and other opportunistic buyers snapped up at a U.S. Bankruptcy Court auction in Delaware.

The sales, totaling about $1.9 billion for about 75 percent of the roughly 180 freight yards and service centers that went on the block, were approved last week.

The other Palmetto State sites changing hands are in West Columbia and Piedmont, southwest of Greenville.

Yellow’s remaining real estate holdings are still in play, including a recently shuttered terminal in Florence.

The North Charleston depot had been in business since at least 1967, when it was run by a familiar name in the tractor-trailer business: Roadway Express.

Twenty years ago Nashville-based Yellow eased into the fast lane. It acquired Roadway for $1.05 billion in December 2003 and became the No. 3 player in the U.S. logistic industry’s “less-than-truckload” niche, which specializes in moving smaller loads for multiple customers within a single trailer.

Some two decades on, Yellow was broken down on the side of the road. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in August after years of financial struggles and $1.3 billion in debt, not including its unsecured liabilities.

The collapse marked the biggest-ever failure of a U.S. trucking business. It was more than noteworthy that just three years earlier Yellow had received $700 million in pandemic-era loans from the U.S. government to keep it afloat.

Rather than try to fix the financial wear and tear, the fallen 99-year-old trucking icon known for its cheap rates decided instead to shut down and sell its real estate, rigs and other assets to repay creditors.

Have you ever dreamed of rolling out of bed to watch the sun rise over the ocean waves? Do you find that a week at the beach is too short? If you love to spend your days searching for sea shells, watching for marine wildlife, or simply walking in the sand, you may have thought about purchasing a second home that would let you enjoy the ocean any time you please. In fact, some of the beaches in South Carolina are among some of the most popular in the entire country.

Each year, thousands of visitors flock to Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head Island, and other beachside towns in South Carolina and its neighboring states of Georgia and North Carolina. Yet if you have ever considered purchasing a beach house, you know that oceanfront property does not come cheap. This article covers five of the most popular and most expensive beaches in South Carolina. You will discover basic facts about each place and the key numbers that prove that they are among the most expensive places to buy a beach house in the entire state. Let’s dive in now, starting with the most expensive beach community in South Carolina.

Sullivan’s Island

First on the list of most expensive beaches in South Carolina is the town of Sullivan’s Island. Sullivan’s Island is a barrier island close to Charleston Harbor. This 2.5-mile island has a small-town feel with gorgeous beaches, marshes, and plenty of history and culture for visitors to enjoy. Located only about 10 miles outside of downtown Charleston, you can reach Sullivan’s Island after a quick 20-minute drive. This beach town is a popular destination for families with young children and retirees alike and provides plenty of award-winning restaurants, watersports like kayaking and swimming, and historic landmarks.

The quiet, picturesque town gives residents and visitors a sense of rural peace while a population of only about 2,000 ensures that neighbors know each other. The majority of homes are owned, with fewer than 20% of residents renting their homes on Sullivan’s Island. However, purchasing a home here will come at a steep price tag.

In June 2023, the average home price in Sullivan’s Island was around $3 million – but in 2022 the majority of single-family homes in Sullivan’s Island sold for $3.8 million. Halfway through 2023, the year’s median was up to $4.7 million. In June 2023, one oceanfront home sold for an incredible $6.29 million, setting a record for the year. Back in November 2020, another oceanfront villa sold for a whopping $8.2 million! Not only is Sullivan’s Island the most expensive beach community in which to buy a house in South Carolina, but it is also one of the top most expensive in the country!

Kiawah Island

Next up is Kiawah Island, a beach in South Carolina called an “oasis of untouched natural beauty and renowned hospitality.” The town of Kiawah Island is located about 21 miles outside of Charleston. With 10 miles of beaches and diverse habitats – from sand dunes to forests and marshes – Kiawah Island is the place to find wildlife thriving. From sea turtles to alligators and whitetail deer and bobcats, Kiawah Island is a window into ocean ecosystems and land mammals alike. This resort island has world-renowned golf resorts, including the famous Kiawah Island Golf Resort which has hosted golfing championships.

This charming resort island has a regular calendar of events, a thriving restaurant and shopping scene, and plenty of opportunities for outdoor adventure. Buying a home on Kiawah Island, however, could be an adventure of its own. Most of the homes on Kiawah Island are rented out during the year to the numerous guests visiting the beaches. Homeowners can expect to pay steep homeowners association (HOA) fees, significant upfront costs, flood insurance, and more. However, the local market makes up for that with a lot of options. Do you want to live in a condo? Would you prefer to buy a house? Are you looking for a beachfront mansion? Whichever it is, Kiawah Island has it all.

In 2022, the median price of a single-family home was $2.7 million. The island saw an incredible $742 million in sales.

Isle of Palms

The town of Isle of Palms is located on the barrier island also called “Isle of Palms.” This residential and resort community with a population of just over 4,300. Take a 20-minute drive from Charleston, and you might end up walking the six miles of white, sandy beaches. Isle of Palms has many bike paths around the island, lots of recreation facilities and opportunities to enjoy every sport from tennis to softball. On the north end of the island, the Wild Dunes Resort commands 1,500 acres of land. There, you will find pools, tennis courts, and golf, as well as homes and vacation rentals.

Isle of Palms is often voted one of the best places to live in South Carolina since the town offers plenty of restaurants and activities and operates like a tiny city. This self-contained ecosystem has everything you will need to live or vacation in a beachside house.

However, purchasing a home on the Isle of Palms might not be easy. In 2022, the median home price for a single-family home was $1.98 million. Yet by June 2023, the median home price was already up to $2.15 million – and prices still seemed to be on the upswing.

Folly Beach

Folly Beach is a town on Folly Island. In this beachfront city just south of Charleston, life revolves around the ocean. Whether biking the beachfront trails, kayaking, surfing, swimming, or boating, visitors flock to Folly Beach to enjoy the sun, surf, and sand. This 12-square-mile barrier island offers 6 miles of beaches and a quirky assortment of local businesses – from seafood restaurants to cafes and small shops.

Folly Beach is also steeped in history. From pirate legends to Civil War history, Folly Beach was historically the site of dastardly deeds and military occupation. Despite being abandoned after the Civil War and later being hit by devastating hurricanes, Folly Beach made an amazing comeback during the 20th century. Today, the boardwalk and the many local attractions bring thousands of visitors to the town that 2,400 residents call home.

In 2022, the median cost of a single-family home in Folly Beach was $1.66 million. Even a small two-bedroom bungalow could easily set you back $1.2 million.

Seabrook Island

Yet another Charleston-area beach town is Seabrook Island. This small, welcoming oceanfront community boasts of natural beauty, miles of pristine beaches, forest, and marshland. Seabrook Island is a private community on a gated barrier island. This means that Seabrook Island is exclusively accessible to residents and their guests. Privacy, peace, and nature attract members who want to enjoy the natural wonders away from crowded beaches.

Thanks to its exclusivity, Seabrook Island features many luxury homes, including those that look out at the ocean or feature river, marsh, forest, or golf course views. As a planned community, Seabrook Island’s designers sought to maintain the natural habitat, keep the local wildlife, and provide luxury real estate.

Unlike in other towns on this list, there is a unique process to become part of the Seabrook Island community. The Seabrook Island Real Estate team is your official source for buying and selling homes in Seabrook Island. You get the choice to buy a unique home or build your own, with the chance to surround yourself with incredible sights. The average home size on Seabrook Island is about 3,000 square feet. With 2,600 residential properties, you can choose from among 38 different mini-communities “within the community” – get a villa, cottage, or townhome.

In 2022, the median cost of a single-family home on Seabrook Island was $1.2 million. By June 2023, that cost had risen to $1.37 million.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © George A. Kenna/Shutterstock.com

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Kids may be returning to school, but there’s still plenty of summer left for a few rounds of golf in South Carolina.

But where should you tee off to get the best bang for your buck?

The Palmetto State isn’t hurting for golf courses. Myrtle Beach alone has more than 90 courses, most of which are public. How about letting Golf Digest help you decide?

The popular monthly magazine has compiled its list of the 100 best public golf courses in the U.S. for 2023. This year, Golf Digest placed four South Carolina public golf courses on the list. However, only one course broke the top five, ranking third on the list this year.

Located on the eastern-most end of Kiawah Island, the Ocean Course has the most seaside hills in the Northern Hemisphere. The course was designed to give players an unobstructed view of the coastline from every hole.

The course can also be particularly challenging, due to strong winds from the Atlantic.

“Every hole is edged by sawgrass, every green has tricky slopes, every bunker merges into bordering sand dunes,” Golf Digest writes. “The Ocean Course will forever be linked with Phil Mickelson and his improbable victory at the 2021 PGA Championship.”

#27 Harbour Town Golf Links

This perennial favorite among PGA Tour players is located on Hilton Head Island. The course has undergone recent enhancements, such as new Celebration Bermuda grass for the fairways and a new irrigation system. Since 1969, it has been home to the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing.

#51 May River Golf Club at Palmetto Bluff

This 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in Bluffton is surrounded by century-old live oaks and scenic native landscapes. The 7,171-yard course includes several holes on the bank of the river.

“The classic routing has the front nine turning clockwise through forest while the back nine circles counter-clockwise, and each touch repeatedly on the wetlands of namesake May River,” Golf Digest wrote. “Gorgeous and mysterious at every turn, the course is at its best when it gets players thinking, like at the short par-4 seventh where they must decide to either lay up to an island of fairway or take a swipe at a shallow green situated on another small isthmus of land along the marsh.”

#71 The Dunes Golf & Beach Club

Built in the 1940s, the Dunes Golf and Beach Club dubs itself as the premier country club in Myrtle Beach. The 18-hole, oceanside course has been host to numerous high-end golf tournaments, from the PGA Senior Tour to the USGA Women’s Open.

This story was originally published August 11, 2023, 6:00 AM.

Everyone who cares about southern Johns Island should be pleased that a controversial annexation was pulled from the Seabrook Island Town Council’s agenda last week in the face of mounting opposition over what the annexation would help create — a new boat dock, private clubhouse, boathouse, pool house and 10 rental cottages — and the likelihood that it would add more traffic and pollution to the rural side of Charleston County’s urban growth boundary.

But those same folks, particularly leaders on Kiawah and Seabrook islands and Charleston County Council, should not get complacent. Instead, they need to work together on better planning to guide development in and around where those two sea islands meet up with southern Johns Island.

It’s unclear when, or if, the developer’s annexation request might resurface. Even if it doesn’t, there undoubtedly will be other development plans that will expose the tensions between those living on rural Johns Island and those living beyond the gates at Kiawah and Seabrook. This moment offers an important reset, one that should begin with getting all these local governments to recommit to the vision of an urban growth boundary — a line past which suburban development would not be supported through zoning, infrastructure or other local policies.

Such a recommitment wouldn’t bind future councils any more than their respective comprehensive plans do, but it would send a unified message about their mutual commitment to respect the natural beauty and environmental sensitivity of the area.

It’s clear that development pressures at Kiawah’s and Seabrook’s doorstep are increasing. A fresh series of new developments, including a senior living facility and an emergency medical facility, is cropping up. Elected officials, neighborhood leaders and county planners need to come up with a mutually agreed-upon zoning overlay for the area, one that would guide future development to ensure new uses and the size and scale of new buildings are appropriate. Such an overlay also would prevent developers from trying to play one jurisdiction against another to get the permits they seek, a tactic sometimes used in other parts of the tri-county area.

The mutual interests of everyone became clear during this recent annexation controversy, as the mayor of Kiawah Island took the unusual step of sending a letter to Seabrook’s mayor and council urging them to reject the annexation and respect the urban growth boundary, which Mayor John Labriola noted “serves as a guide to direct appropriate urban and suburban development while preserving and cherishing the rural charm of the Sea Islands that we all hold dear.”

Given what we’ve seen this summer, the existing urban growth boundary line may not continue to be enough on its own, and we believe a joint planning effort could help pin down the following: to what extent commercial development in the greater Freshfields area should be allowed to inch its way north on Betsy Kerrison; whether the towns should annex any more of Johns Island; whether any upzoning in the area might be appropriate; and how new building would affect the net traffic and drainage needs around Kiawah and Seabrook. While residents live only on Kiawah or Seabrook or in the unincorporated area, they have a stake in the answers to all those questions. This area deserves a new zoning overlay and conservation goals that offer a shared vision of how the southern part of Johns Island will — and will not — change.

Regional planning needs to take place on a large scale — such as our greater metro area from Seabrook to Awendaw to Summerville and Moncks Corner — but it’s also necessary on a smaller scale, especially in those places such as southern Johns Island where multiple local governmental jurisdictions meet.

Decades ago, the city of Charleston and Charleston County came up with the urban growth boundary across Johns Island and other areas where the suburbs ended to ensure their zoning and other policies worked together to protect rural areas that residents wanted to remain rural. Kiawah and Seabrook were once seen as too distant to bring into the conversation about that line. That’s not the case any more.

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