Edisto Island

Peaceful and picturesque are words you might use to describe Edisto Island. About 45 miles south of Charleston, Edisto feels laid back, Southern and familiar. In fact, it feels like family. Maybe that’s why visitors enjoy renting a house on the beach or pitching a tent in the sand at Edisto Beach State Park. On the island, we’re all about nature, hospitality and a community with deep roots.

Edisto Island’s first known occupants were the Edistow Indians, followed by the Spanish in the 1500s and then English settlers in the 1600s. The English settlers stayed in the area, living off the sea before turning to crops of rice and indigo to make a living.

By 1790, planters turned their attention to “Sea Island cotton,” said to be one of the finest cottons ever produced. Those cotton crops made the islanders wealthy and many of the elegant houses and plantations on the island today are reminders of those affluent times.

Today, Edisto Island is dotted with businesses and a dozen restaurants. You won’t find the commercial flash of the big city – and we like it that way.

Nature is the center of attention here with creeks and marshes ready for exploration. Go canoeing, kayaking or take an off-shore fishing trip. Or visit the 3,363-acre Botany Bay Plantation, an undeveloped and unspoiled rich coastal habitat in the northeast corner of Edisto Island. The island has museums, golf and a reptile-filled Serpentarium.

Whatever your pleasure, relax and enjoy. We think you’ll love our little slice of coastal heaven as much as we do.