Share a Wave and a Smile!

Here is Edisto Beach

Edisto Beach; Slow Down, Share a Wave and a Smile!

Edisto Beach ...a slender 4.5 mile slip of Atlantic Ocean sand is a slow-motion kind of place.

Sit a spell and taste the sea air as it bites softly at the back of your throat. Kick off your shoes and feel the sand sucked from under your feet as the lapping surf is pulled languidly back to sea. Spread a beach towel and watch the glide of the sun as it disappears behind water that looks as if it's dancing under the spangled light of a disco ball. Take a deep breath. Turn off the cell phone. You're here, and that's enough.

Edisto Beach introduces itself with the long sigh of a causeway that carries Hwy 174 to its end at Palmetto Boulevard and the Atlantic Ocean. Near the water, two towheaded boys toss a football; fishermen bow their heads over their lines; and several couples in their 50's are playing bocce ball. When they wave, passers-by wave back dutifully; as if heaven is taking note.

The road glides onto the island, a flag waves in the sea breeze above the entrance of The Food Lion, a long, lean building spread upon the sand; the only grocery store on the beach that carries just about anything you could possibly need to prepare a gourmet meal. The scene is postcard perfect: Families cluster around the spread of beach towels; a couple relaxes in the shade of a hibiscus-red umbrella; a small blond boy runs with a kite that flutters like a gull in his wake.

With its pristine beaches, diverse restaurants and eclectic shops and galleries, Edisto Beach could drown itself in advertising hyperbole. You could sum up its allure simply: "Paradise without Attitude"©®.

It is a family's playground, a couple's getaway, a fisherman's haven. Poets find rhapsody among the crash of the waves to the shore. Artists discover inspiration in its unique creatures; power brokers let its rhythm slow their heartbeats.

Even Palmetto Boulevard, the island's main road, forces visitors to ease up on the gas. The road begins with a lazy 35-mph roll through the sleepy residential town of Edisto and the local policeman is firm on adhering to it. There are no stoplights at all and never have been; there is not enough traffic!

Entrepreneurs have staked out their dreams. No matter their backgrounds, they are island folk now, open and friendly. Resort shop owners greet guests like old friends with a smile and firm handshake and remember their names from their visit last year. Waitresses stop to chat.

Restaurants grab some of the island's best real estate, but when it comes to dining, the food is the main attraction! Dining and drinking often is shooed out the door, onto waterside wooden decks and patios studded with umbrella-shaded tables. Only a summer-afternoon thunderstorm can put a damper on the alfresco party. Breakfast, lunch and dinner come with a side of sea breeze and enticing smells lure everything within 100 yards. Stiff-legged gulls gather just out of arm's reach on small dunes spotted with sea oats, hoping for a tidbit from plates that, depending on the time of day, might be laden with syrup-soaked pancakes, a platter-sized hamburger or a moist blackened grouper filet. The Waterfront Restaurant (located on Jungle Road) is owned and operated by the name synonymous with local Edisto seafood, Scot Flowers, 4th generation native (grandson of Captain Steve Flowers, the original Shrimp Boat Captain on Edisto).

You'll think that you see celebrities but won’t be sure because they look like locals; because when they are on Edisto they are. They own homes here and enjoy the anonymity that Edisto gives them. People on Edisto don't care who you are when you aren't on Edisto and most don’t even realize it; they just consider you a local.

Shops lure with variety — Meticulous model ships and coastal decorations and upscale casual clothing can be found at The Surf and Turf at The Edistonian owned by 4th generation natives also and where you can also pick up a bottle of wine to suit your palate as well as a hot cup of cappuccino.

Want to let the Chef in you come out a bit? Go by Edisto Seafood (owned by a third generation native Edisto seafood purveyor) and pick up some fresh local shrimp & fresh fish from the owner, Ashley Fontaine; another 3rd generation native. Then head to our grocery store or one of the farm stands available on Edisto Island for fresh fruits and vegetables. Kings Market is right on 174 and also has homemade pies and seafood casseroles.

For accommodations, think low-rise, but not low rent. Upscale is here, but you'd hardly know it. Beach Cottages rule and hotel chains are completely absent. Walk along the Marina and you will see beautiful 60+ foot yachts, with shining decks and sparkling chrome. In the afternoon, watch the shrimp trawlers return home with their dolphin escorts. Recreation harkens to simpler days. Rent a bike, or bring your own. Pedal to the beach, glide to a restaurant, slide to a stop at the oceanfront, where pelicans crash headfirst into the water as they fish for dinner. For kids, Edisto Beach is a big, wet sandbox, a place to encounter extraordinary creatures; to express artistry in the sand; to try out flippers, mask and snorkel for the first time.

Critters especially fascinate. Spring-summer "Turtle Watchers" take in the nests of loggerheads (and carefully keep track of them), which lumber ashore in darkness to lay eggs. In full light black skimmers glide along the breaking surf, scooping up meals in long, gaping beaks.

Strolling along the ocean's edge you come across a weekend fisherman (a weekday physician from Atlanta) trying his luck while he teaches his son to cast.

Outside Edisto Real Estate Company the owner, Marie Bost stands with Richard Howse, owner of Edisto Beach Vacation Rentals watching a fiddler crab climb the arm of his grandson, Benjamin. "This is a great place to be a kid," she observes. He laughs and remarks "Not a bad place, either, for a kid who just happens to be an adult." Marie is a second generation native from Edisto who has been helping people find their own nest on Edisto Beach for 50 years. Richard is co-owner & BIC of Edisto Beach Vacation Rentals who help a “very selective group” of homeowners share their home with vacationers…and is married to Marie’s sister, Mary. :-)

This is A sandbox for all ages.