Most of the things to do on Edisto Island happen outdoors and at an easy pace. You can walk a beach full of bleached driftwood at Botany Bay, hike to a 4,000-year-old shell midden, pull blue crabs off a dock, sift the shell line for fossil shark teeth, or paddle a tidal creek past dolphins. There are no high-rises or boardwalk arcades, and that is exactly why people come back.
Edisto Island is a 68-square-mile sea island in Charleston County, between the North and South Edisto rivers. The beach town, the Town of Edisto Beach (incorporated in 1970), sits on its own barrier island in Colleton County at the end of SC-174. This page sorts every activity on the island into groups, with a short summary and a link to our full guide for each, then helps you plan by season and by number of days.
Beaches and Nature
Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve
Botany Bay is the island’s signature outing: thousands of acres of former plantation land managed by SCDNR, a self-guided driving tour past tabby ruins and marsh, and a half-mile walk to a wild beach. It is free, but you need a day-use pass from the kiosk at the gate. It is closed every Tuesday and on scheduled hunt days, has no restrooms, and nothing (shells included) may leave the property. Hours, rules and the hunt calendar are on our Botany Bay guide.
Driftwood Beach (Boneyard Beach)
The beach at Botany Bay is lined with the skeletons of oaks, palmettos and pines left behind as the shoreline retreats. It can only be reached at low tide, and sunrise is the classic time to go. Read our Driftwood Beach guide for timing, safety around fallen trees, and photo tips.
Tunnel of Trees
The dirt road to Botany Bay runs under a canopy of live oaks hung with Spanish moss, one of the most photographed drives in the Lowcountry. Drive it slowly and pull fully off the road if you stop. See Tunnel of Trees on Botany Bay Road.
Edisto Beach State Park
The state park has about 1.5 miles of beach, more than 4 miles of easy trails, two campgrounds, cabins on the marsh, a boat landing and an Environmental Learning Center with live animals. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for SC seniors, $4 for ages 6–15 and free for 5 and under (2026). Everything else is on our Edisto Beach State Park guide.
Camping
You can camp steps from the ocean or under live oaks by the salt marsh, both inside the state park, with water and electric hookups at standard sites. Sites book up early for spring, summer and holiday weekends. Our camping guide compares the two campgrounds and the cabins.
Hiking Trails
Edisto’s trails are short, flat and shaded, which makes them good for families and for hot days. The longest is the 1.7-mile Spanish Mount Trail. Our Edisto Island hiking trails guide lists every trail with its length and surface.
Spanish Mount
At the end of the Spanish Mount Trail, a low bank of oyster shell and pottery fragments marks a Native American shell midden roughly 4,000 years old. It is eroding into Scott Creek, and state archaeologists expect it to be lost within our lifetime. Learn more on Spanish Mount and the Indian Mound Trail.
Bird Watching
Painted buntings in spring and summer, whimbrel moving through the marsh in May, oystercatchers and black skimmers at the inlet, and warblers in the fall forest make Edisto a year-round birding stop. Our bird watching guide covers where and when to look.
Shark Teeth, Fossils and Shells
Edisto Beach is known among collectors for fossils that wash in from offshore deposits, from small shark teeth to the occasional Ice Age bone fragment. Low tide and the days after a storm are the best times to search. See shark teeth, fossils and shelling, and remember that collecting of any kind is prohibited at Botany Bay.
History and Heritage
Edisto’s history runs from Native American shell middens through Sea Island cotton plantations, the Civil War and Reconstruction, and a living Gullah Geechee community. Much of it is still visible from the road.
- Attractions roundup: our Edisto Island attractions and historic sites page lists every heritage site worth a stop, sorted by area of the island.
- Edisto Island Museum: run by the Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society, with a Gullah Geechee exhibit and part of one of the island’s last slave cabins. Hours and admission are on our Edisto Island Museum page.
- Historic churches: the 1831 Presbyterian church, the 1818 Edisto Island Baptist Church with its slave gallery, and Trinity Episcopal all stand along SC-174. See Historic Churches of Edisto Island.
- The lost village: planters once summered at Edingsville Beach until storms erased the village; the last structures went in the 1893 hurricane. Read The Lost Village of Edingsville Beach.
- Gullah Geechee culture: Edisto lies within the federal Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. Start with Gullah culture and Gullah food: a taste of history, and browse all our Gullah Geechee articles.
- More history: our Edisto history archive collects stories about the island’s past.
On the Water
Kayaking
Paddling the tidal creeks is the best way to see the marsh up close. Edisto Watersports & Tackle on Docksite Road runs guided tours from about $50 per adult and rents kayaks timed to the tide (2026 prices; confirm when you book). Routes, tides and safety are in our kayaking tours and rentals guide.
Eco Tours and Dolphin Tours
Boat tours head into Big Bay Creek, the South Edisto River and St. Helena Sound to look for bottlenose dolphins, birds and barrier islands. Our Edisto eco tours and dolphin tours page lists operators and what to expect.
Paddleboarding
Calm mornings on the creeks behind the beach are ideal for stand-up paddleboarding, as long as you plan around the tide and wind. See paddleboarding on Edisto Island.
Fishing
Surf, creek, inshore and offshore fishing are all within a few miles: redfish and trout in the marsh, whiting in the surf, and charters to the reefs offshore. Anyone 16 or older needs an SC saltwater license unless they are on a licensed charter. Species, seasons and limits are in our Edisto Island fishing guide.
Crabbing and Shrimping
Crabbing is the easiest way to get kids hooked on the water: a chicken neck, a string and a dock. Crabbing with up to three handlines, drop nets or fold-up traps does not require a license in South Carolina. Cast-netting and fall shrimp baiting do. Learn how on crabbing and shrimping on Edisto Island, then cook your catch with our Frogmore stew recipe.
Boating
Edisto has public landings at Steamboat Landing and the Dawhoo (SC-174 bridge) landing, plus the state park’s Live Oak Landing and the marina on Big Bay Creek. Ramps, fuel and no-wake rules are on boating on Edisto Island.
Swimming and Surfing
There are no lifeguards on Edisto Beach, so read our swimming safety guide on rip currents, groins and jellyfish before you go in. The surf is usually small, but there are days worth paddling out; see surfing on Edisto Island.
Active Outdoors
Biking
A flat, paved path of about 5 miles links Docksite Road, Jungle Road and SC-174 with the state park trails, and the beach town’s quiet side streets are easy riding. Rentals with free delivery are available on the island. See Edisto Island bike paths.
Golf
The Plantation Course at Edisto is an 18-hole, par-70 course on Fairway Drive in the beach town. Details and nearby options are on golf on Edisto Island.
Photography
Sunrise over the Atlantic, sunset over the marsh, the oak tunnel and the boneyard trees give photographers plenty to work with. Drones are prohibited at Botany Bay. Our Edisto Island photography spots guide covers where and when to shoot.
Family Fun and Rainy Days
Things to Do with Kids
Kids tend to love the same things here: crabbing off a dock, digging for shark teeth, the live alligator at the state park’s learning center, and an afternoon at the Serpentarium. Our things to do on Edisto Island with kids page sorts ideas by age.
Edisto Island Serpentarium
The Serpentarium on SC-174 shows native snakes, alligators, turtles and lizards in indoor exhibits and open outdoor gardens. It runs a seasonal schedule from March to mid-December, so check the dates on our Edisto Island Serpentarium page before you drive over.
Rainy Day Ideas
A wet day is a good excuse for the museum, the bookstore, a scenic drive and a long lunch. See rainy day things to do on Edisto Island for a full list, and check the Edisto weather page before you plan.
Where to Eat
Fresh shrimp, local farm stands and Lowcountry cooking are part of the trip. Browse our Edisto Island restaurant guide for current listings.
Beach Rules and Sea Turtles
Edisto Beach has 37 public beach accesses along Palmetto Boulevard, with parking allowed at the accesses from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Glass, fires and fireworks are not allowed on the beach, and holes must be filled before you leave. Our public beach access guide has the full rules and the accessible entrances.
From May 1 to October 31, loggerhead sea turtles nest on Edisto’s beaches, and lights that shine on the beach must be off at night. Learn how to help on our sea turtle protection rules page.
Day Trips
Charleston is roughly an hour and a quarter away, and the ACE Basin, Beaufort, Folly Beach and Hunting Island are all reachable in a day.
- Day trips from Edisto Island: drive times, what to see and how to pair stops.
- The ACE Basin near Edisto Island: a nearly 100,000-acre estuarine research reserve that starts at your doorstep.
- Folly Beach: a livelier beach town and home to the Washout, often called the state’s top surf break.
- Wyndham Ocean Ridge: our guide to the resort community at Edisto Beach, if that’s where you’re staying.
Edisto Island by Season
Edisto is a year-round destination, but each season changes what you can do. Average highs and lows below are NOAA 1991–2020 normals for coastal Charleston, the closest official station, with harbor water temperatures.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Water |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 66°F | 52°F | 60°F |
| May | 79°F | 68°F | 76°F |
| July | 88°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| September | 83°F | 73°F | 81°F |
| November | 67°F | 53°F | 64°F |
| January | 58°F | 44°F | 53°F |
Spring (March–May)
Spring is the best all-around season. The Serpentarium opens for the year in March, painted buntings return to Botany Bay’s avenues, and the whimbrel migration peaks in the marsh in May. The water is still cool for swimming until late May, but the trails are comfortable for hiking. Flounder fishing picks up, and sea turtle season begins May 1.
Summer (June–August)
Summer is beach season, with water temperatures in the 80s. Go out early: paddle or hike at sunrise, spend midday at the beach or indoors, and save the evening for crabbing or a sunset tour. Afternoon thunderstorms are common, so check the forecast and follow the “when thunder roars, go indoors” rule. The Serpentarium runs its longest schedule, Tuesday through Saturday, from late May to late August (2026).
Fall (September–November)
Many locals call fall the best time of year. The water stays warm into October, crowds thin after Labor Day, and speckled trout fishing is at its best. Recreational shrimp baiting season runs from September 11 to November 9 in 2026. Note that Botany Bay closes for scheduled hunts on many days between September and January, on top of its Tuesday closure, so check the calendar on our Botany Bay page. Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks from August to October.
Winter (December–February)
Winter is quiet and cool. It is a great time for long beach walks, shark tooth hunting after storms, birding and history. The Serpentarium closes for the season in mid-December and some rental businesses close for winter, but the museum and the state park stay open. Check hours before you go.
Sample Itineraries
One Perfect Day on Edisto
- Sunrise: Drive the tunnel of trees to Botany Bay (not on a Tuesday or hunt day), pick up your pass at the kiosk and walk to the boneyard beach. Check the tide chart first, since the beach is only reachable at low tide.
- Mid-morning: Finish the Botany Bay driving tour, then stop at a farm stand on SC-174 on your way back.
- Lunch: Pick a seafood spot from our restaurant guide.
- Afternoon: Beach time in the town or state park, with a look for shark teeth in the shell line.
- Evening: A sunset dolphin tour or kayak paddle out of Big Bay Creek, then dinner.
A Three-Day Edisto Weekend
- Day 1, beach and park: Settle in, walk the state park beach, hike the Spanish Mount Trail to the shell midden, and visit the Environmental Learning Center (Tuesday–Saturday). Go crabbing off a dock in the evening.
- Day 2, Botany Bay and history: Spend the morning at Botany Bay. In the afternoon, visit the Edisto Island Museum (Tuesday–Saturday) and drive past the historic churches on SC-174.
- Day 3, on the water: Take a guided kayak tour or eco tour in the morning, rent bikes for the bike path in the afternoon, and finish with sunset over the marsh.
If your trip falls on a Tuesday, swap days so Botany Bay lands on another day. On a rainy day, use the rainy day list.
Things to Do on Edisto Island FAQ
What is Edisto Island best known for?
Botany Bay’s boneyard beach, the oak-covered Botany Bay Road, Edisto Beach State Park, fossil shark teeth, and a quiet, uncommercial beach town. It is also known for Gullah Geechee heritage and Sea Island cotton history.
Is Botany Bay open every day?
No. Botany Bay is closed every Tuesday and on scheduled hunt days, which are most common from September through January. Entry is free with a day-use pass from the kiosk. Check our Botany Bay guide before you go.
Are there lifeguards on Edisto Beach?
No. The Town of Edisto Beach has no lifeguards on duty, and the state park beach has none either. Learn how to spot rip currents and stay off the wooden groins.
How far is Edisto Island from Charleston?
About 50 miles, or roughly an hour and a quarter by car via SC-174 and US-17, depending on traffic.
When is the best time to visit Edisto Island?
Late April through early June and mid-September through October offer warm water, fewer crowds and comfortable temperatures. Summer is best for swimming; winter is best for solitude and fossil hunting.
Plan Your Trip
Start with the weather forecast and tide charts, since tides decide when you can reach Botany Bay and when the fishing and crabbing are best. Then pick your base from our Edisto Island vacation rentals guide, check our restaurant guide, and work through the guides above.