Edisto Beach Island In South Carolina... A Great Family Vacation Destination

I'll admit it, I'm a South Carolina girl. I'd say I'm a Carolina girl, but you North Carolina people would take issue with that, so I'll say SOUTH Carolina girl. That means I grew up on the beaches of South Carolina during the summer. Mostly Myrtle Beach with a little Folly Beach thrown in. Then in college, I discovered Isle of Palms, fun, beautiful, close to historic Charleston. All of these perfectly good beaches.

We spent several weeks at Hilton Head Island as a young married couple and it was fun, but so very commercial. During peak sun hours, the beach was so crowded it was hard to even find a place to put down a towel. And if you brought young children, forget it! You could easily go home with someone else's kid!

It wasn't until I was married and a young mother that I first went to Edisto Beach. My kids were of the age where it wasn't really safe to take them out among decent people. Usually, my son would end up crawling around under the table and my daughter would throw a screaming fit. Not exactly pleasant dinner company. Not fun to take shopping either. So the idea of a vacation with them...well, let's just say, the thought didn't seem like the most relaxing thing in the world. Top that with this year, my in laws wanted to go with us on vacation. Yes, my in laws. To stay in the same house with us. For a week. I could see divorce court in my future.

 When we got to Edisto, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the house we rented was a nice size, although not right on the ocean.  But it was a very short walk to the beach even with children and had an inlet nearby.  It had a lovely screened-in porch that was great for the evenings, because if you've ever been to South Carolina in the summer, you know that there are sometimes mosquitoes.  However, with the combination of the sea air and the screened--in porch, we really didn't have a problem.

I never thought of  my in-laws as beach people and they weren't, per se.  They didn't enjoy lying on the beach in the sun like I did.  But what they did like was taking my then seven year old son crabbing which he had never done or searching out the best seafood markets and the most out of the way restaurants with the best food.  And they were great for napping with my then two year old daughter who couldn't last too long on the beach.  Suddenly, this was turning into an OK vacation! 

You don't have to worry about hiding your kids eyes from errant thongs on Edisto. It truly is a family beach. There were tons of other families just like us when we were there with young children, needing a break from it all, just happy to be at the beach looking for shells or building sand castles. Edisto has nice wide beaches, so you're not crammed up on each other when the tide comes in like some beaches in South Carolina.

As far as night life, there isn't. Oh, there are a few bars that have been around forever and some restaurants, but just as laid back as they come. Attractions are simple, such as kayaking with Botany Bay Eco-tours, visiting the Serpentorium, or Edisto Beach State Park. The Pink Van Tour is another attraction worth the price of admission, because true to it's name, the tours are conducted in a pink van by natives of Edisto. The van tours the old plantations and churches of Edisto and explains the history of the island.

All in all, if you're looking for a beach to have a fabulous AND relaxing beach vacation where you might even learn to love your in-laws, Edisto Island,  South Carolina is the place to go. Just don't tell too many of your friends about it.  Secrets like Edisto are best kept to yourself.