Folly Beach, South Carolina – Hotels, Motels – A Helpful Guide

... and try hard to protect their quality of life (sometimes unsuccessfully – Folly has definitely changed over the years).

On weekends you'll find Center Street crowded with revelers who gather to talk and drink. There is a shag club, a pool hall, an excellent brew pup, an ice cream parlor, and plenty of restaurants with outdoor seating. Despite its lively nature and an abundant supply of tourists, Folly is a world away from South Carolina's more commercialized beaches like Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head. It's still a great place to grab a beer, shake off your shoes, and enjoy the sunset with friends.

Folly also has two county parks, a public boat landing, and the best public fishing pier in South Carolina. Tides Folly Beach is the only actual "hotel" on the island, but there are countless vacation homes for rent on Folly too. There are also a couple of bed and breakfast inns (see listings on main page).

Many people ask us about the sand at Folly Beach. Folly is a barrier island along the Atlantic coast, so its sand is a very pale brown – not too fine and not too gritty. The water is fairly opaque, and it is usually a deep navy blue in color. Most years, Folly's water is warm enough to swim in by early May – although a few daring souls may dive in sooner. There is even a "Polar Bear Plunge" on New Years Day, which draws hundreds of visitors a year.

There are small shells to be found here much of the year, but please do not take living animals! Many of the shells you'll see (especially starfish, sand dollars, and whelks, which look like conchs but open to the left) are in fact alive. Their suffering is not worth a souvenir, so please leave them alone. If you see them stranded on shore, you can even help by gently setting them back in the sea!

One final note – Folly Beach has historically been the only beach near Charleston to allow alcohol, which made it something of the local "party beach." Because of this, it was often incredibly crowded on holidays, and litter became a real problem. Over the 2012 July 4th holiday, drinking got out of hand and several police officers were injured. The city has currently banned alcohol for 60 days.

Want to learn more? Visit our full guide to Folly Beach here, or see Folly's pet policies here.