Charleston's 3 Barrier-Island Beaches Compared: Folly Beach, Sullivan's Island & Isle of Palms

Three distinct Atlantic Ocean barrier-island beaches sit within a 20- to 25-minute drive of the historic downtown peninsula. Because each island has its own personality, parking rules and landmarks, here is how to pick the right beach for your afternoon.

1. Folly Beach (20 Mins South via James Island: Surfers, Pier Walks & Beach Bars)

Called 'The Edge of America' by locals (and where composer George Gershwin rented a beach cottage in the summer of 1934 to write the folk opera Porgy and Bess), Folly Beach is Charleston's laid-back surf town:

• Center Street & The 'Folly Beach Fishing Pier': park at 101 E Arctic Ave and walk out onto the rebuilt 318-metre Folly Beach Pier (free to walk out on), then order fish tacos along casual Center Street (at Taco Boy, Chico Feo or Rita's Seaside Grille).
• The 'Morris Island Lighthouse Walk' (North End of East Ashley Ave, Free): drive to the end of East Ashley Avenue and walk 10 minutes down a car-free, colourful street-art-covered path onto a driftwood spit facing the 49-metre 1876 Morris Island Lighthouse, which coastal erosion left standing 400 metres out in the Atlantic Ocean.

2. Sullivan's Island (20 Mins East via Mount Pleasant: Fort Moultrie & Dining)

Cross the Ravenel Bridge through Mount Pleasant to Sullivan's Island, where commercial hotels are banned and quiet beaches are accessed by numbered paths called 'Stations':

• Fort Moultrie & Edgar Allan Poe History (Station 12): walk through 221 years of military fortifications inside Fort Moultrie, where Colonel William Moultrie defeated the British Royal Navy in June 1776 inside a fort built of spongy Palmetto tree logs that bounced cannonballs off the walls, where Seminole leader Osceola is buried, and where Edgar Allan Poe was stationed in 1827 to 1828, inspiring The Gold-Bug.
• Middle Street Dining (Station 22): order a burger at Poe's Tavern, wood-fired pasta and oysters at The Obstinate Daughter, or barbecue at Home Team BBQ.

3. Isle of Palms ('IOP', 5 Mins North of Sullivan's via Breach Inlet)

Cross Breach Inlet onto Isle of Palms for a family beach day with lifeguards, showers and chair rentals at Isle of Palms County Park (1 14th Ave) and beachfront music at The Windjammer.