Edisto Beach on Edisto Island, South Carolina

Continuing the series on our Spring vacation to Charleston and Savannah:

En route to Savannah from Charleston, we decided to take a side trip to Edisto Island, one of South Carolina’s Sea Islands.

Edisto Island’s History (briefly summarized)

Because we only had a short amount of time, we decided to concentrate our visit at Edisto Beach State Park. This meant that we missed learning more about the history of the island: it is known for the indigenous people who lived there; the English colonists who grew rice, followed by cotton; and the Gullah community that arose from enslaved Africans. British soldiers occupied the island during the Revolutionary War, and Union Soldiers occupied it during the Civil War. Edisto Island also became a colony of refuge for escaped and freed African-Americans. There is much more history to relate about Edisto Island, but I am not qualified to tell it. However, Amazon sells many books about the island that are worth checking out.

Edisto Beach

Edisto Beach is on the Southern tip of the island. Air B&B’s line the beach, so we decided it would be easiest to park at the  Edisto Beach State Park. Besides, they had public restrooms!

My husband and I enjoyed a long walk on Edisto Beach, though the sloping sand along the waterline made walking a bit difficult. The sand felt rough and gritty underfoot, and our feet sank with each step. I discovered that it was easiest to walk in the water, from sand bar to sand bar. Then it became fun.

Shell Collecting on Edisto Beach

Visitors are actually allowed to collect shells on Edisto Beach, but I only took photos. I did, however, keep a sand dollar that my husband found for me!

Laughing gulls kept us company on our walk. We also spoke to a nice man who was using a long-poled shell collector to find shells. “It beats bending down over and over,” he said. That was nice for him, but I hope I never get to the stage where I can’t bend down!

We also saw many cannonball jellyfish that had washed ashore. They weren’t much larger than my husband’s fist.

I would love to spend more time on Edisto Island. Hopefully one day we will return there to explore it’s nature trails and local history.