All you need is love, and a husky.
In November 2022, we headed to the Charleston area for our Thanksgiving trip (our short trips were planned around my school breaks). We have been to Charleston many times and the past several years have spent Thanksgivings in Folly Beach, just us two.
Unfortunately, Folly does not have a campground as it is a small beach. We opted for Mt. Pleasant/Charleston KOA Holiday just up the road, situated right in between the main beaches around Charleston.
About the campsite: This time I knew we needed a pull through site for sure. We planned to do just electric/water as most sites were booked up for full hookups for the holiday. When we arrived, we were informed that we could upgrade to full hookups after 1 night! We took them up on that offer! lol
This KOA has a super cool dog park (just pay attention if your dog is sneaky like our huskies are). It has a water portion on one side that dogs can enjoy. We enjoyed the trash pickup from our site each day and hand deliveries of firewood/fire starter upon request. There is a really great walking trail here as well that we enjoyed.
Now, let’s talk beaches 🙂 None of what I am about to share with you restaurant/destination wise are touristy in the least.
#1 Favorite: Folly Beach
Folly Beach reminds me of what Hilton Head Island used to be like in the early 2000s. Not so industrialized and a little more quant and personal. You can walk EVERYWHERE. We love to visit dog friendly restaurants here like Lost Dog Cafe for breakfast and Rita’s for lunch or dinner (although they do have a nice brunch + mimosas). A must visit place is Bert’s Market, which is open 24 hours, and located right next to a yummy bar/restaurant called Chico Feo. If you go down 10 or so blocks past Bert’s Market, the parking is not too troublesome off season. I can’t speak to the summer season, as we always go in the fall/winter. One last honorable mention is the authentic Irish pub this beach offers… if you love a good Guinness, visit St. James Gate. Although Folly has a lot of restaurants to offer, these specific places are so special we make a point to stop by them every single time we visit.
#2 Sullivan’s Island
Now, both Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms have specific laws against dogs on the beach involving permits, etc. Make sure to do your research if you are taking your fur baby to these beaches. Sullivan’s is a little more for the fancier folk, but it is also worth a visit for the food itself. On this most recent trip, we enjoyed places like The Obstinate Daughter (fancier faire – sit inside for the bar and decor alone), The Longboard (raw bar, best seafood I have ever had raw, and I don’t like seafood), and Poe’s Tavern (a nod to the one and only). I would suggest reservations ahead of time for the first 2.
#3 Isle of Palms
Although this is also a popular beach to visit while in the Charleston area, we visited only once during this trip. Since dogs needed a special permit, we went without the pups on our last morning just to walk the beach and take in the salt and sand one more time.
Visiting the Charleston area or surrounding beaches? Let us know which of our favorite places that you try out and how you liked them!
James Island County Park is a beautiful campground too with wonderful paved bike trails throughout the park. They also have a great dog park area on the water, and intercostal dock for crabbing, a climbing wall, reggae nights (seasonal), amaaaazing Christmas lights (drive through – books up fast), large water park with lazy river (for a small fee but worth it), and more! Booking here also gives you free access to Folly Beach County Park (no campground just beach access and bathrooms!)
I believe our rig may be too big for that park? I remember looking at it but it was already booked up for Thanksgiving far ahead of time. A little bummer about camping is how far in advance places book up! lol 🙂 Thanks for sharing!