Isle of Palms: Family Fun, Happy Vacation, Peace and Romance

"Serenity Now!"Leave your worries behind and come free your mind, body and spirit at peaceful Isle of Palms beach.
You can walk barefoot, walk your dog, lose yourself gazing at the blue ocean waters, swim, run, bicycle, collect shells, surf, run the kite, play volleyball, or just take a well-deserved nap...the possibilities for fun are endless and best of all FREE! Now that's something worth shouting about!

Tips to know before you go

1. You can park for free at the Isle of Palms County Park and walk the half mile to the beach. There is a super-cool playground for kids to have fun and burn a lot of energy (the mini zip line is a winner); also there are restrooms, showers and changing rooms

2. If you don't want to walk there is metered parking available downtown between 10 and 14th streets. You need to pay during beach season from mid-March to early October. However after 6:00 PM parking is free! You can also park on the streets or a special designated parking lot. See more info about beach access and parking here.

3. Once you're done with the beach, if you want to rinse the sand off skip the showers by the restrooms; they are always crowded and it gets mushy on the ground pretty quick. I always used the shower by the volleyball court one block down.

4. Boys and girls get a great kick with the little body surf boards. They don't need to go far into the water so you can keep a close eye on them as they have fun. There are several shops on the island to rent beach equipment. Of course you can use the regular surf boards as well.

5. Best places to hunt for shells and other marine treasures is at the ends of the island, or at least as far away as possible from downtown. Bird watching enthusiasts go to the southern end of the island (shorter walk).

6. There are several places to eat on the island, including 2 restaurants featuring incredible ocean views (that's reflected in the price). My favorite thing to do is get ice-cream from the little shop close to the restroom area. It's cheap, cool and is a good enough bribe to keep my 3 years old in check.

7. If you plan to bicycle or come with the stroller be mindful of the tide calendar (published daily in the newspaper or given at the hotel). The water can get very high eating into most of the beach.

8. Dogs are welcome year-round but must be on leash except early morning from 5 to 8 AM. This is not that much enforced I've seen plenty cutie pooches running around freely.

9. For more educational activities take the short drive to nearby Fort Moultrie (free admission) the historic state park where the state Palmetto Tree symbol was born and we may also have coined the phrase "We beat the pants off them"

Where
Directions to Isle of Palms Beach: From Hwy 17 N in Mt. Pleasant take the IOP connector (turn right at Bank of America) all the way till the end.

Once you're in town you can turn left to get to the Isle of Palms County Park, Marina and the road leading towards Wild Dunes golf resort. You can turn right to reach "downtown", metered parking and most of the shops and restaurants. There are about 50 public beach access points on Isle of Palms.