What to Do in Folly Beach for a Day Trip

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I’m here today to give you the details on our Folly Beach day trip to hopefully help you plan out what to do in Folly Beach for a day trip. After all, every second counts when you’re on island time! This South Carolina Island gives such chill vibes and is such a welcome day excursion just a short drive away from Charleston. Whether you want to lay out on the beach or stay busy exploring, you will enjoy your day!

My friend and I took an excursion to Folly Beach during our 4 day girls trip to Charleston. This post is a follow-up post to my girls weekend in Charleston post. Be sure to click over there when you are finished here to see all of our tips from our 4 day Charleston itinerary! Also, check out our suggestions for taking a what to pack for a Charleston girls trip while you are there!

two women finding things to do on Folly Beach

woman on pier looking at things to do in Folly Beach

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Here’s A Run Down of What to Do in Folly Beach

Spend a few hours walking around the beach, laying in the sun, dipping into the water, reading, or whatever else you like to do at the beach.
Have an amazing lunch at Rita’s Seaside Grille.
Visit some shops.
Optional idea: If you’ve ever been interested in learning to surf, now is your chance with Folly Beach surf lessons!

Should You Stay on Folly Beach?

Our particular post is about taking a day trip to Folly Beach from Charleston. However, there are plenty of options for staying on Folly Beach should you wish to do so.

And, holy smokes! Check out how adorable this Boutique Vera Hotel on Folly Beach! All. The. Color. I am in love! On our next trip to Charleston, we might just have to make our Folly Beach trip more than a day visit!

This Water’s Edge Inn on Folly Beach – an adults-only bed and breakfast might be just what kid-free ladies are looking for on a girls getaway to Folly Beach or Charleston!

Hotel Folly offers studio rooms and terrace/balcony options. It seems like a fun choice for a beach stay.

two women on a girls getaway to Folly Beach

How to Get from Charleston to Folly Beach

We had the best Uber drivers in Charleston. I love getting to know Uber drivers! I ask a lot of nosey questions. They probably hate me. Haha!

First, our wonderful Uber driver dropped us off at about 9 a.m. It took around 20-25 minutes to get from our hotel, The Ryder Hotel Charleston, to the pier. Before leaving the hotel, we stuffed our swimsuits and essentials in a backpack.

Girlfriend Tip #1: Our Uber drivers encouraged us to schedule a pick up from Folly Beach on the Uber app in advance because sometimes it takes a while for Uber pick up around there. They also said traffic backs up badly on Saturdays from Charleston to the Beach, sometimes leading to a 1 1/2 hour drive which is something to keep in mind if you are planning a weekend trip to Folly Beach from Charleston.

What to Do on Folly Beach

If we were interested in actually hanging out on beach, soaking up the sun, we could have rented an umbrella and bought towels at one of the many souvenir shops. Our Uber driver suggested going to the Tides Folly Beach Hotel for frozen drinks on the beach from the outside tiki bar called Blu if we so desired. You can also grab drinks, food, and ice cream at Pier 101 Restaurant and Bar.

Rather, we opted to just explore the beach and not lay out or get in the water. I’m not all that much of a sand and water person so this was just fine by me. Around us, there were people on kayaks and families fishing from the pier.

There happened to be a lot of construction going on around the beach (the pier, specifically) while we were there. This impacted my photos as I couldn’t get many angles without having construction in the background. Hopefully, this is over with by the time you visit!

We did eventually enjoy some ice cream and while we took a break from the sun in one of the sitting areas. Eat that ice cream fast though if you are on a summer visit!

Girlfriend Tip #2: It was super windy on Folly Beach! The wind was much stronger than I had anticipated. My hat and my swim cover up kept blowing crazy in the wind! I had to keep my hand on the back of my hat much of the time to keep it from blowing off. Keep this in mind when planning your wardrobe! It may not be an everyday strong wind, but just keep it in mind!

Eat Lunch at Rita’s

It had been highly recommended to us to have lunch at Rita’s Seaside Grille. The proximity to the water and the amazing food make a stop here a must do!

woman walks beside Rita's Seaside Grille in Folley Beach

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about these pulled pork nachos with watermelon salsa since we’ve been back home!

pulled pork nachos with watermelon salsa at Rita's Seaside Grille in Folly Beach

Off Rita’s menu, I highly recommend sharing the pulled pork nachos with watermelon pico de gallo with your friends. My Hall’s chop salad was amazing as was my friend’s cheeseburger and fries. The owners of Rita’s also own the very popular Hall’s Chophouse in Charleston.

Hall's chop salad on white plate at Rita's Seaside Grille in Folly Beach girls getaway

cheeseburger and fries at Rita's Seaside Grille

With menu options from oysters on the half shell to shrimp ‘po boys to cheeseburgers to anything in between, there is something for everyone!

Girlfriend Tip #3: The portions at Rita’s were large for us. We got the half order of nachos and it was still more than plenty for two people! As long as portion sizes haven’t gone down (with the economy…you know how things get), you can easily share an entree between two people. You could share an appetizer and share an entree.

Explore the Shops

You might want to schedule your Uber for a later pick up so you have time to explore some of the shops. Most are your typical surf shops. I was able to find a Christmas ornament – with is one thing I collect when I travel. And some places had tasty treats!