Best Things to Do in Edisto Island SC Besides Going to the Beach
When you’re sunburnt and waterlogged on your next South Carolina beach vacation, you’ll want this list of things to do in Edisto Island SC!
At first glance, Edisto seems quiet, sleepy, and completely centered around the seashore, there’s a surprising number of adventures to be had away from the sand.
So, grab a water bottle, sunscreen, and comfortable shoes, and let’s explore Edisto Island!
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Updated 4/2022 | Written 7/2014
Best Things to Do in Edisto Island
While Edisto Island is known for its family friendly beach and laid back atmostphere, there's a lot more to do here than just watch the waves roll in.
My husband’s family has a big get-together on Edisto every summer, something I’ve been a part of for over a decade now.
While I love hanging out at the beach, I tend to get bored, so, over the years, I’ve explored all over this area to find the best activities for your family vacation.
Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve
Botany Bay Plantation comes highly, highly recommended to anyone visiting the Edisto area.
Not only is it free (score!), buy Botany Bay Plantation great for visitors both tiny and large.
Kids will love keeping a close lookout for birds and deer while adults will enjoy learning about the history of the two plantations that were combined to form the existing wildlife reserve at Botany Bay Plantation in the 1930s.
Pick up a map at the wooden kiosk at the entrance to Botany Bay so that you'll know where to go for the driving historical tour.
Don't forget to allot some time to walk out to Botany Bay Beach, where you can find some incredible shells and see the beautiful driftwood.
The area was closed off after Hurricane Matthew came through in late 2016, but has now been restored to its former glory.
The path out to the beach is well-marked and about a quarter of a mile.
The beach itself is suffering from major erosion, so be prepared to have very little sand at high tide.
In 2019, my kids and I had the opportunity to be a working part of an archeological dig taking place at Botany Bay!
This experience was incredible, and it gave us hands-on experience in the culture of the Iron Age people who once called this place home.
If you go at low tide, there’s a great driftwood beach.
[If you’d interested in others like this, I’d recommend reading my post on the Bulls Bay tour in South Carolina.]
NOTE: there aren’t any facilities at Botany Bay, so bring a water bottle and snacks.
Address: 1066 Botany Bay Road, Edisto Island, South Carolina
Hours: 8 AM-6 PM daily
Admission: free, but be sure to get a day pass from the kiosk at the front of the park
Edisto Museum
The Edisto Museum is a great place to dive into the history of the island and surrounding area.
Since 1991, the Edisto Historical Preservation Society has run the museum as a way to share their love of the rich history in this part of South Carolina.
It’s not a huge museum, but it’s great if you’re looking to get a good grasp on the role that Edisto Island and the ACE Basin played in coastal South Carolina’s history.
Inside the quaint white clapboard building you’ll find all sorts of local interest from rotating art exhibitions to permanent collection items on the lives of people on the island both pre-and post-Civil War.
The gift shop has lots of local goodies for sale, including toys, clothing for children, books about Edisto Island written by local authors, and handicrafts from island artisans.
Address: 8123 Chisholm Plantation Road, Edisto Island, South Carolina
Hours: 12-5 PM Tuesday-Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday
Admission: $10/adult, $8/seniors and kids 10-17, free 9 and under
King's Farm Market
PIN ME!
King's Farm Market has lots of yummy fruits and veggies that are grown right on Edisto Beach.
They also have refrigerated casseroles and pies that you can buy to eat without having to make any mess in your rental kitchen.
When my husband and I stopped King’s Farm Market by on our last time out to Edisto, we picked up some homemade coconut macaroons (yum) and pondered over whether or not we needed some spicy pickled eggs (the answer: not this time).
On recent stops, we’ve also bought fresh watermelon, peas, peppers, ice cold glass bottle drinks, and apple pies.
You can also decorate your rental house with a few bouquets of the wild flowers that they sell.
In short, you can’t go wrong with anything here, and we love that we’re supporting local farmers who’ve been selling at King’s Farm Market stand for 6 generations!
Address: 2559 Highway 174, Edisto Island, South Carolina
Hours: 9:30 AM-5:30 PM daily (Closed entire month of January)
Guided Tours of Edisto Island SC
Tours of Edisto is run by Dottie, a native of Edisto and a lifelong lover of history.
Each tour is taken through places that highlight important parts of Edisto's past and includes trips to plantation homes, churches, and graveyards.
If you're like me and you enjoy learning about the history of the areas that you visit, a tour like this one will help you dive into what has helped shape Edisto Island and the surrounding area.
Edisto and Beyond Annual Tour
If you’re visiting in the off-season, consider purchasing a ticket for the Edisto and Beyond Annual Tour, which is supported by the Edisto Museum (above).
The tour takes place in October and provides access to many of the plantations and historic churches that are otherwise closed to the public.
The 2022 tour will be held on Saturday, October 22nd, and tickets can be pre-purchased through the Edisto Museum website starting June 13th for members and July 18th to the general public.
Edisto Serpentarium
Edisto Serpentarium is a must-do if you, your kids, or anyone in your party likes wildlife.
This high praise comes from someone who is deathly afraid of any and all snakes.
When I visited for the first time way back when I was still a private home school tutor for a local family, I was terrified of what I might find.
To my surprise, the entire exhibit is extremely informative and really, really interesting. The entrance fee is pricey, but it's worth it.
Since then, I’ve been back 3 more times with my own kids, and I’ve learned something new every time.
My daughter and husband after one of the snake shows
When you first walk in the main interior exhibit, you'll find a large pool with turtles.
Surrounding this pool are four walls filled with glass snake habitats.
Each habitat has been designed to look as it would appear in the real world.
Take some time to read through the descriptions attached to each habitat.
After you get your fill of snake information in that area, head out to the covered amphitheater and catch one of the live snake shows.
The snake wranglers who emcee these events are super awesome and really know their stuff.
During our various visits, the herpetologists have brought out 3-6 snakes and talked about the characteristics of each.
The last one was an 8 foot timber rattler. One occasion, the wrangler will milk the snake in front of the audience!
The rattlesnake venom is then sent to hospitals to use in anti-venom. It is also being used in trial medicines for breast cancer.
The final section of the serpentarium has about a dozen outdoor areas where you can observe snakes (both venomous and non-venomous), alligators, turtles, and lizards in large, natural habitats.
The snakes in their open air exhibits really freaked me out, but they are kept a safe distance away from visitors.
The gift shop lots of fun reptile-related clothes, toys, and stuffed animals, as well as garden decorations, wind chimes, and t-shirts.
>> Read more about our visits to the Edisto Serpentarium. <<
Phone: (843) 869-1171
Address: 1374 Highway 174, Edisto Island, South Carolina
Hours: 10 AM-4 PM, Friday-Sunday (closed Monday-Thursday)
Admission: $18.50/adults, $16.50/seniors, $13.50/kids 4-12, free for kids 3 and under
Local Arts and Crafts Show
The arts and crafts show occurs on Wednesdays from March to November and showcases goods from local artists.
When I visited, they had adorable hairbows, wind chimes, wall art, soaps, and clothing. It's a great place to find the perfect souvenir!
Find the market at Bay Creek Park all the way at the southernmost tip of the island.
The park also holds special shows during the holiday season, so check in with the Bay Creek Park Facebook page to see what’s on the calendar.
Edisto Island Bookstore
This locally owned bookstore just begs passersby to come explore through its many shelves, and the interior (which is jam packed with volumes from every genre) is sure to please even the pickiest of readers.
There's a fantastic kids section that I always have to pull my kids out of--usually with a new book or two in hand!--and I've spent time on every one of our trips to Edisto lingering in the local history section.
Whether want to learn more about the island's past, or you just want a new beach read, Edisto Bookstore is well worth the 10ish minute drive from Jungle Road.
Address: 574 Highway 174, Edisto Island, South Carolina
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:30 AM-6 PM
Kayaking in Big Bay Creek
While this is technically still a water activity, it doesn't involve sand, so I'm including it in my non-beach round up!
Big Bay Creek runs along the southern portion of the island and offers a gorgeous perspective of Edisto without too much effort.
Plus, it's fairly easy to stay close to civilization if you're not a very confident kayaker or if you've got kids with you.
We usually bring our kayaks with us when we're visiting Edisto Island, and it only takes a few months to launch into the river and start paddling. If you don’t have a kayak, you can rent one from one of the watersports companies on the island.
You might even get lucky and see some dolphins as we did on our last trip!
If the dolphins don't show up, you'll still get treated to some of the pristine ecosystem that's just off of the South Carolina coast.
Edisto Presbyterian Church
While a church might not be among the most obvious things to do in Edisto Island, I promise, Edisto Presbyterian Church is worth a few hours of your beach vacation.
Not only is it interesting from a historic perspective, it also has one of the creepiest ghost stories from along this part of South Carolina (which kids love!).
According to legend, young Julia Legare (pronounced “La-gree”) fell terribly ill, and her family did what they could to help her.
However, medical help in rural South Carolina in the mid-1800s was limited, and Julia succumbed to her sickness.
Her heart-broken family lay her to rest in the Legare mausoleum behind the Edistro Presbyterian church.
When the mausoleum was opened years later for another interment, the family discovered Julia’s body crumpled by the floor, her fingers torn from scraping at the stone door before she died.
After that time, the door to the mausoleum has never managed to stand for long, and it was found broken on the ground so many times that the mausoleum has been left open.
Today, you can visit the grave of Julia Legare, see the broken door, and stare into the dark room where a frail, terrified girl breathed her last.
[Interestingly, it was horrific ends like this that led to graveyard attendants and grave bells to try and save the not-so-dead people who were mistakenly buried.]
If you’re not interested in the supernatural, you can take a self-guided tour of the property using the available markers.
There’s a small map available at the white outbuilding in the graveyard. You’ll notice that the graveyard is the resting place of many of the local leaders and war veterans.
Address: 2164 Highway 174, Edisto Island, South Carolina
>> Get more ideas for your visit to the Lowcountry in my Discover Charleston guide! <<
Edisto Environmental Learning Center
The exterior of the Edisto Environmental Learning Center
My kids beg to go here anytime we’re remotely close to Edisto Island, and we’ve been known just to stop by for 20 minutes if we’re on the way to another activity!
Another free learning opportunity on Edisto Island, the Edisto Environmental Learning Center is part of Edisto State Park, which also has a location on Highway 174 about 2.5 miles away with cabins and another beachfront location about 3 miles away (on Palmetto Boulevard).
The younger Cosmos Mariner kid at the EELC
The Environmental Learning Center is housed under a blanket of oak trees and it has a large glass building at its center.
Inside, visitors can watch a video about the ecosystems of the Lowcountry, explore interactive exhibits about local wildlife, get up close with fish and rays in a touch tank, say hi to a live alligator, and pretend to be a shrimp boat captain on a play ship.
Outside, park rangers usually come around with live local wildlife: we’ve met different snakes and alligators during our visits. The rangers are really friendly and are happy to answer any questions you have.
On a nice day, you should visit the shell midden on one of the many trails around the property.
If you’re up for the challenge, you can hike from the EELC to the Edisto Beach State Park Campground as it is all part of the same property.
Phone: (843) 869-4430
Address: Oyster Row Lane, Edisto Island, South Carolina
Hours: 9 AM-4 PM Monday-Saturday (Closed Sunday)
Which of these things to do in Edisto Island SC would you be most interested in trying?
