South Carolina road trips: Island attractions you might not know about
South Carolina has several well-known islands that draw vacationers hundreds of miles: Think Kiawah, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s and Hilton Head.
And Sandlappers know that if you want a quiet beach vacation, head to Edisto.
But some islands off the shores of the Palmetto State offer some intriguing adventures that go beyond the sand and surf. Here are some day trips you can take from Columbia with island vibes you may not have realized were nearby.
Daufuskie Island
(155-162 miles; 2 hours, 35 minutes to 2 hours, 46 minutes, plus an hourlong ferry ride to the island.)
Perhaps you’ve heard of Daufuskie Island, the inspiration for Yamacraw Island in Pat Conroy’s book “The Water is Wide.” But do you know about Daufuskie?
First of all, Daufuskie is rich in Gullah heritage — its name is Gullah and means “The First Key,” according to www.onlyinyourstate.com. The island, near Hilton Head, is only accessible by ferry or water taxi, and golf carts are the only motorized vehicles allowed.
The historic Haig Point Lighthouse on the north end of the island is one of many intriguing parts of the 8-square-mile Daufuskie.
Among other things to do are visits to Daufuskie Island Rum Company, beach horse trail rides, Iron Fish Gallery or Silver Dew Pottery, Bloody Point Lighthouse, Silver Dew Winery and First Union African Baptist Church.
Hungry? Try Old Daufuskie Crab Company and order off the menu for standard pub fare, or choose the lunch buffet with a selection of traditional Gullah foods, from stewed okra and tomatoes to roasted chicken. It changes every day and is prepared by Daufuskie native Chef Ernestine Smith.
Also be sure to visit SchoolGrounds Coffee House, which is in the Mary Fields School where Conroy was a teacher in the 1960s. The shop offers fair-trade coffee, as well as baked treats.
The barrier island off the coast of South Carolina remains largely untouched by modern development. There are no grocery stores, no strip malls, no gas stations and no bridge to the island. What the island does have is gorgeous beaches, rich history, beautiful art and a fun island vibe, according to www.discoversouthcarolina.com.
Take the Daufuskie Island Ferry from Palmetto Bay Marina, 35 Fording Island Road Extension, Hilton Head Island, or the Delta Lady ferry from Broad Creek Marina, 18 Simmons Road, Hilton Head Island. www.discoversouthcarolina.com.
Sandy Island
(125-151 miles, 2 hours, 34 minutes to 3 hours, 6 minutes.)
Sandy Island is a stretch of sandbar where the Waccamaw and Great Pee Dee rivers merge. The island is owned by the Nature Conservancy, which oversees the 9,000-acre wildlife preserve — a rich ecosystem where rare plant life as well as screech owls, great blue herons, swallowtail kites, endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers and other animals live.
It is also home to about 50 individuals, all of whom are descendants of the enslaved individuals brought from West Africa to work the rice plantations that once thrived on the island.
Visitors can hike the mapped nature trails, fish, picnic and observe wildlife. The newest addition is a 2-mile loop on the south end of the island, which features interpretive trail signs.
Seasonal hunting is offered in designated areas with the proper permits, and archery hunting is sometimes permitted in the upland forests.
Pyatt’s General Store offers a few provisions, as well as Gullah sweetgrass baskets and a few other heritage gift items.
Some islanders offer private tours of the island, sharing Gullah culture and local history. Sandy Island is only accessible by boat. There landings along the Waccamaw River provide access to the preserve:
▪ Sandy Island Landing, along U.S. 17, 1 mile south of Brookgreen Gardens, Pawleys Island.
▪ Wacca Wache Marina, 1950 Wachesaw Road, Murrells Inlet.
▪ Samworth Landing (in the Samworth Wildlife Management Area), 420 Dirleton Road, Georgetown.
▪ Yauhannah Landing, Yauhannah Landing and U.S. 701, Conway.
Morgan Island
(153 miles; 2 hours, 39 minutes.)
Morgan Island is also known as Monkey Island, and for good reason. The tiny little island north of Beaufort is home to a colony of approximately 4,000 monkeys.
It's one of only two rhesus monkey colonies in the U.S. The other is on the Silver River in Florida, on a similarly secluded island.
The monkeys were owned by the Food and Drug Administration and were moved to Morgan Island outside Beaufort in 1979, after Puerto Rico booted them out of a research lab from which they were escaping and spreading disease. The island, a private research lab, is not open to the public.
While you can not walk on the island, you can view the monkeys from the water. If you have a kayak, you can paddle about 4.5 miles from Eddings Point Landing on St. Helena Island. Locals say the best time to see the monkeys is early in the morning, when hundreds of them gather on the beach.
A few local guides — among them Sea Wolf Fishing Charter, Edisto Saltwater Tours and Botany Bay Eco Tours — offer tour options.
Eddings Point Landing, 500 Eddings Point Road, St. Helena Island.
Gullah Geechee Corridor
Designated by Congress in 2006, the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor extends from Wilmington, North Carolina, in the north to Jacksonville, Florida, with a significant presence in South Carolina.
It is home to one of America's most unique cultures, a tradition first shaped by captive Africans brought to the southern United States from West Africa and continued in later generations by their descendents.
Read more about the corridor in a previous installment of our road trips series.
Various locations throughout the Lowcountry. www.gullahgeecheecorridor.org.
Poe’s Tavern
(127 miles; 2 hours, 2 minutes.)
Sometimes, you find something “undiscovered” at a favorite vacation spot. Poe's Tavern on Sullivan’s Island is a fun place to visit to learn a bit of South Carolina history you may not know.
Edgar Allan Poe was an 18-year old soldier at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island in 1827. His time on the island inspired “The Gold Bug,” a story about a mystical beetle that led to buried treasure.
Earlier in this series, we told you about Anna Ravenel, a young girl who many say haunt the Unitarian Church Cemetery in Charleston. Legend claims that 14-year-old Anna and 18-year-old Edgar Perry, a soldier stationed at Fort Moultrie in 1827, fell in love.
Anna’s father unsuccessfully tried to keep them separated and eventually managed to get Edgar transferred in December 1828. Anna became ill and died before Edgar could get to her; she is buried in downtown Charleston.
Poe did, in fact, use the pseudonym Edgar Perry, and his time in the Lowcountry lines up with the Edgar of the legend. Some have suggested that Poe’s last complete poem, “Annabel Lee,” was written for Anna Ravenel. (Scholars believe its inspiration was more likely his wife, Virginia.)
Regardless, the famous poet does have a history on Sullivan’s Island. So it’s pretty cool there is tavern named after him. And it’s just two blocks from the beach.
2210 Middle St., Sullivan’s Island. www.poestavern.com.
King Neptune Sundial
(161 miles, 2 hours, 46 minutes)
Here’s another attraction you may not know about at one of South Carolina’s most popular destinations: The King Neptune Sundial is a towering 12-foot bronze statue of Neptune, which doubles as a larger-than-life sundial.
It welcomes visitors to Shelter Cove Harbour at Palmetto Dunes. Designed and installed by Bluffton sculptor Wayne Edwards, the statue serves as a tribute to Neptune, the Roman god of the sea.
The bearded King Neptune, holding his signature trident, is strategically mounted on a circular base with numbers around the edge. When the trident’s shadow falls across the 26-foot-wide base, the numbers indicate the precise time.
Touted as the world’s largest figurative sundial, the statue was originally cast at a foundry in Princeton, New Jersey, and shipped by truck to Hilton Head Island in 1983. Engineers made sure that it would be located at the ideal angle to indicate the time by aligning the sculpture with the constellation Ursa Major.
Harbourside Lane, Hilton Head Island. www.hiltonheadisland.com.
MarshWalk
(149 miles; 3 hours, 3 minutes.)
The MarshWalk, located in the heart of the historic fishing village of Murrells Inlet, is a half-mile wooden boardwalk along a natural saltwater estuary.
The MarshWalk offers waterfront dining at eight restaurants with plenty of Lowcountry cuisine. You can usually count on warm salt-air breezes and glimpses great white herons, blue herons, pelicans and more. There is live music nightly, as well as water sports, charter fishing, sightseeing tours, kayaking, shopping and seasonal local events.
4025 U.S. 17 Business, Murrells Inlet. www.marshwalk.com.
St. Helena Parish Chapel of Ease Ruins
(147 miles, 2 hours, 31 minutes)
During the Colonial period, chapels of ease were constructed by rice and cotton planters as houses of worship because their plantations were located so far from the churches in Beaufort.
This tabby-walled church was constructed between 1742 and 1747 for the planters of St. Helena Island. By 1812, the population of St. Helena Island had increased to the extent that the chapel of ease was designated a parish church.
But the church was virtually abandoned when the planters evacuated the island in the fall of 1861. During the Civil War, the church was used frequently by Northerners who had come to the island to educate and train the freedmen. It was also used as a sanctuary by Methodist freedmen as early as 1868.
A forest fire destroyed most of it in 1886. All that remain today are its tabby ruins and an adjacent cemetery.
Lands End Road, Saint Helena Island. www.nationalregister.sc.gov; discoversouthcarolina.com.
About this series
This is the fifth in a series about road trips within South Carolina. Throughout the summer, GoColumbia will explore some of the state's lesser-known attractions. Travel distances and times are calculated from the S.C. State House. Previous installments:
▪ Places every South Carolinian should visit at least once.
▪ A ghost tour of South Carolina that will scare you silly.
▪ South Carolina's lesser known historic sites.
▪ South Carolina nature, from weird formations to hidden waterfalls.
Do you know of some “undiscovered” spots in South Carolina that could make for a fun day trip? Please share! Tweet any suggestions you have to @gocolumbiasc.
This story was originally published June 15, 2018 at 4:12 PM with the headline "South Carolina road trips: Island attractions you might not know about."