Edisto Beach
Edisto Island, SC
A low key barrier island beach that Charleston locals guard like a family recipe, with a state park on one end and a strip of small beach cottages instead of hotels along the rest of it. The shark tooth hunting here is genuinely good, which says something about how little the shoreline has changed.
Charleston locals guard this one and the shark tooth hunting is genuinely good, small beach cottages instead of hotels keep the whole island low key.
How we score beachesThe best shark tooth hunting tends to happen right after a storm has churned up fresh sand.
Dogs are allowed on the sand year-round but must be leashed from May 1 through October 31, with leashes required year-round within adjacent Edisto Beach State Park.
Lowcountry summers get hot and sticky, water in the 80s by July and August, right through the heart of Atlantic hurricane season. Locals often prefer the shoulder months, April, May, or October, for the same warm water without the peak humidity or storm watch.
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