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Communities of the Lowcountry
 The last 25 years witnessed an influx of newcomers from all walks of life to the Charleston Lowcountry. It didn’t take long before the word was out: Charleston is a great place to live.
The lifestyle options in this distinctive area are numerous and varied, but are all moments away from first-rate dining, shopping, entertainment and an arts community that rivals those in much larger cities. They’re also just a short ride from world-class golf, tennis, boating and a plethora of other outdoor options.
If your perfect lifestyle doesn’t include shoveling snow and mountain climbing, then you’ve come to the right place! With a land area of nearly 100 square miles, it comes as no surprise that the region boasts a number of unique communities that offer both value and variety in Lowcountry living.
Folly Beach: The Edge of America
Location: About 10 miles south of the Charleston peninsula. The city of Folly Beach, located on the six-mile-long Folly Island, is defined by its natural beauty, history, rare birds, fishing, surfing and true Southern hospitality. There are no malls or big commercial ventures on this laid-back barrier island, but locals and visitors appreciate its close proximity to downtown Charleston. Folly Beach appeals to the “Bermuda shorts” crowd, which enjoys casual dining in the local restaurants that feature the music of the area’s most talented, or offer a spot to practice the shag, South Carolina’s official dance. Folly Island boasts the area’s most loved landmark, the Morris Island Lighthouse, located just off the easternmost tip of the island. It is also home to the 1,045-foot-long Edwin S. Taylor Folly Beach Fishing Pier, one of the longest fishing piers on the East Coast, and Folly Beach County Park, one of the area’s magnificent beach parks.
Your Folly Beach Lifestyle: If you’d thrive in a small village atmosphere with an eclectic mix of home styles and people, and love spending your days fishing, birding and beach-combing, while your evenings are filled with casual dining and dancing among friends, then Folly Beach is the place for you.
Kiawah Island: A Little Piece of Paradise
 Location: Along South Carolina’s coast about 21 miles southwest of Charleston. Natural beauty abounds on Kiawah Island, a 10,000-acre barrier island that’s just 1.5 miles across at its widest point. The carefully preserved environment highlights the bounty of a coastal barrier island, from its endless acres of marsh to its thick forests of pines, magnolias and live oaks. Kiawah Island has one of the finest stretches of white sand beach—a beach so incredible that the Travel Channel named it one of the nation’s top 10. Kiawah Island is a private community featuring about 4,000 properties within 13 distinctive neighborhood villages. Whether residents pick a home, villa or cottage, they’re only a short distance from golf on one of this resort island’s five championship courses, award-winning tennis, a variety of specialty shops and too many different dining experiences to count. The amenities at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, the finest oceanfront hotel built on the East Coast in the past 20 years, are unsurpassed anywhere in the Southeast. Access to Kiawah Island is limited to property owners and guests of the resort or a rental agency.
Your Kiawah Island Lifestyle: If you long to live the high life in one of the East Coast’s most prestigious resort communities, a place where you can rub elbows with the pros on any one of five world-class golf courses, and want to make it your mission to discover the best dinner fare available on the island, then you’ll find your perfect lifestyle on Kiawah.
Seabrook Island: An Island to Call Your Own
Location: Along South Carolina’s coast about 23 miles southwest of Charleston. With 2,200 acres of lush maritime forest and beautiful salt marshes, Seabrook Island is unique among South Carolina’s resort and residential communities. Wholly owned by its property owners, the island is distinctive in that it is, by design, more private and less busy than other coastal resort islands. The natural beauty of the island is striking as you enter under a canopy of great live oak trees. Just beyond the security gate, Seabrook’s distinctive Equestrian Center helps define the laid-back lifestyle enjoyed there. The island also boasts three miles of private pristine beach—the only one in the area on which people can ride horses—and world-class golf on two meticulously maintained courses. It also features a modern tennis center, a new fitness center and is just minutes away from a deep-water marina.
Your Seabrook Island Lifestyle: If you’re looking for a real sense of community, a place where you get to know your neighbors in a laid-back but elegant setting, where you can enjoy sunrises on the beach and afternoons exploring the Lowcountry waterways via boat, then Seabrook is your place to call home.
Summerville: The Flowertown in the Pines
 Location: About 25 miles northwest of Charleston off Interstate 26. Summerville epitomizes small Southern hometown living. Dubbed “Flowertown in the Pines” by locals, this centuries-old village marks time with its ambience and traditions, yet embraces the future with grace and enthusiasm. Steeped in the history and traditions of the South Carolina Lowcountry, Summerville features more than 700 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Founded in the 1600s, this Southern village is a town of delightful contrasts, sophisticated shopping and old-fashioned neighborliness, including one of South Carolina’s only AAA Five Diamond dining rooms and a Southern specialties restaurant that closes at 7 p.m. You’ll also find an eclectic home accessories shop featuring exquisite hand-blown pottery, located right next to an old-fashioned pharmacy, which still packages prescription bottles in tiny brown paper bags and delivers them to patients waiting in their cars. It’s true: The pace in Summerville is slow, and life still focuses on family and friends.
Your Summerville Lifestyle: If you wish you could return to the hometown atmosphere of yesteryear, to a wholesome place to raise a family, a place where it’s easy to stop along the way to smell the flowers, especially in the beautifully landscaped park located right in the center of the historic town, then Summerville is ideal for you.
Daniel Island: Charleston’s Island Town
Location: East of the Charleston peninsula on Interstate 526. Within the city limits of Charleston, a very special island town has emerged. This is a place where traditional neighborhoods and a vibrant downtown enjoy a spectacular setting, surrounded by rivers, creeks and beautiful marsh views. It’s a place with a unique mix of shops, restaurants and businesses, schools, churches and medical facilities, and a never-ending list of recreational options. The Daniel Island Club, the island’s in-town country club, offers an incomparable private club experience, including the country’s only private pairing of golf courses designed by Tom Fazio and Rees Jones on the same property. Daniel Island is home to the Charleston Battery, the area’s professional soccer team, and the Family Circle Cup Tennis Tournament.
Your Daniel Island Lifestyle: If you love an active lifestyle and desire a community where you can take a jog along the miles of island trails after work or a tennis lesson from one of the professionals at the Family Circle Tennis Center—a place where modern conveniences abound amid a natural setting—then you belong on Daniel Island.
Mount Pleasant: Rich History, Small Town Appeal
 Location: Just across the Cooper River from downtown Charleston. Founded in 1680, the town of Mount Pleasant has experienced rapid but carefully planned growth over the last quarter century. While gaining the positive attributes of a city, Mount Pleasant has preserved its rich heritage and small town appeal. The charming Old Village, a National Register district, features exquisite homes from both the Colonial and antebellum periods, while a multitude of surrounding neighborhoods provide the ultimate in modern family living. Soccer fields, swimming pools and baseball diamonds, all filled with the sounds of active children, form the center of many neighborhoods. And Mount Pleasant’s schools rank among the finest in the state. A number of parks and other recreational areas offer a variety of weekend and summertime opportunities. One of the most notable parks is Palmetto Island County Park. With 943 acres, it offers many recreational activities in a natural Lowcountry setting.
Your Mount Pleasant Lifestyle: If you enjoy life in suburbia, the feel of small town living with all the advantages of a bigger city where everything a growing family needs is conveniently located nearby, along with a plethora of recreational opportunities, then you should choose the Mount Pleasant way of life.
Sullivan’s Island: The East Coast’s Casual, Unhurried Beach
Location: About 10 miles southeast of downtown Charleston. Sullivan’s Island is one of the most family-friendly beach communities on the South Carolina coast. Treasured for its magnificent sand beach and charming seaside neighborhoods, the island also played a significant role in American history. During the Revolutionary War, a substantial British fleet and army were decisively defeated at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island at Fort Moultrie, marking the first Patriot victory over the British. Its literary history is also noteworthy, with a number of distinguished artists and authors finding sanctuary in the relaxed island atmosphere through the years. Sullivan’s Island offers an eclectic mix of beach homes along with a number of casual local dining venues.
Your Sullivan’s Island Lifestyle: If you love spending the day on the beach reading a good book, stopping by the local pub on your easy walk home to chat with friends and neighbors, or falling asleep to the sound of the waves lapping against the shore, then Sullivan’s Island is the place you’ve been looking for.
Isle of Palms: Special Place for Fun in the Sun
 Location: About 14 miles southeast of downtown Charleston. Whether you’re the adventurous type or prefer to relax in the sun, the Isle of Palms is the place to be. The island offers great surfing, swimming, windsurfing, surfcasting and offshore fishing—something for everyone with a passion for the ocean. Locals also enjoy crabbing and shrimping in the creeks and marshes. A number of specialty stores invite shoppers to browse for fine gifts and souvenirs. In fact, the popular Palm Boulevard business district recently underwent a facelift, resulting in more parking and palm trees, to the delight of the locals. Tucked along the northeast end of the island is the world-renowned Wild Dunes, a resort and residential community that’s home to nearly three miles of beach, luxurious oceanfront accommodations, a Top 50 tennis center, a number of fine restaurants, two championship golf courses designed by Tom Fazio and a deep-water marina.
Your Isle of Palms Lifestyle: If you have a passion for the ocean, along with the finer things in life, and are looking for a place where friends and family will love to make the memories of a lifetime—a place that caters to your active lifestyle but accommodates your laid-back alter ego—then head to the Isle of Palms.
Visit our guide to real estate resources including the Lowcountry's best architects, developers and interior design.
Enjoy Southern Cooking, Lowcountry Style. Virginia's On King is open for breakfast, afternoon dinner, evening supper and for Saturday and Sunday brunch. Distinctly Charleston fare - authentic Lowcountry cooking in a lovely, warm and sophisticated setting. Virgini's On King specializes in a collection of family recipes and Southern cooking traditions. Feel-good food in generous portions at affordable prices. Feeding a small group? Order family-style carry out 48 hours in advance.
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The Corrigan Gallery on Meeting & Queen streets offers art for the soul, art that also makes for strong investments for serious collectors. Exhibits include both representational and abstract art in photography, paintings and fine art prints. Find art that showcase the beauty of the lowcountry with a contemporary edge. New works on display on a regular basis. Contact the gallery about special events. Don't miss this collection of charmingly contemporary art for all budgets. |
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Where to stay in the Charleston area? Conveniently browse the website for a wide range of exclusive vacation beach homes available on Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island. Beautiful homes complete with luxurious amenities and prime locations. East Islands Rentals provide a high level of customer service, helping guests find just the right property for their needs. Locally owned and operated. Tel: 866 886 0760 |
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