For recreation, residents and visitors of Edisto Island enjoy basking in the sun at the beach; collecting seashells along the wide, white sand coastline; watching bottlenose dolphins strand feed; hiking the Indian Oyster Mound Trail, hunting for white-tailed deer and quail in the ACE Basin; playing a round of golf at the Plantation Course; chartering a boat for fishing or for an eco tour; driving down Edisto Island National Scenic Byway, and canoeing down the Edisto River, one of America’s longest free-flowing blackwater rivers. Other attractions include a visit to the Edisto Island Serpentarium, an educational facility that features indigenous snakes, lizards, turtles, and alligators, and Edisto Beach State Park, a 1255-acre park that features campsites, picnic and grill areas, beach access, dock and boat ramp, nature center and aquarium, biking trails, playgrounds, and historical sites.
A small town with limited commercialization, Edisto Beach does have a few noteworthy dining establishments. These include Whaleys, Pressley’s at the Marina, Seacow Eatery, The Old Post Office Restaurant, and Finn’s Island Grill. For fresh seafood, residents frequent Flowers Seafood Company or Edisto Seafood Shack. For those with a hankering for barbecue, Po Pigs Bo-B-Q does not disappoint. The island does have its own Bi-Lo grocery store for staple items, but many locals prefer to buy fruit, produce, and pies at King’s Farm Market, a family-run business for six generations.
Edisto Island Real Estate
Edisto Island is a quiet community located approximately 50 miles south of Charleston. Originally inhabited by the Edistow Indians, the island was colonized by English settlers in the 1600s. The early settlers began cultivating rice, indigo, and, after the Revolutionary War, long staple cotton. Known as Sea Island cotton, these fine fields brought tremendous wealth and prosperity to Edisto Island. During the Civil War, plantation owners fled the land leaving many of the slaves behind. When the owners returned after the war, many of the slaves settled personal residences on the island and continued to work on the plantation as free men. Because the boll weevil ruined the cotton crops, Edisto shifted its industry to seafood supplies and agriculture farmland. Today, the island is a year round community with a mix of permanent residents, seasonal residents, and vacationers. Home prices on Edisto Island range in price from $300,000 for a condo or villa to more than $5 million for an oceanfront estate. Other properties include coastal cottages, townhomes, full plantations, and riverfront properties. Numerous marshfront and wooded homesites are available for those who wish to build their dream home in this peaceful paradise. Though Edisto Island’s demographic is mostly retirees, families with young children who live on the island are zoned for Jane Edwards Elementary School, Colleton Middle School, and Walterboro High School. Private school options include St. Paul’s Academy, Colleton Preparatory Academy, and Charleston Collegiate School. Read More