Last summer my boyfriend and I took a week long road trip. I was helping him move from Miami to Atlanta. We decided to explore Georgia and South Carolina on our trip since both of us have been wanting to see Charleston for quite a while. Now I am quite a planner and love looking up cool and unusual places, so of course I started looking up the best places to stop along the way to Charleston. Which is why I was so excited to find Botany Bay! Botany Bay is a pretty secluded beach with skeleton trees, making it the perfect spot for photographers and adventurers. Plus there was hardly anyone there. Botany Bay is the best boneyard beach near Charleston.
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But first, a little history:
Botany Bay is located on Edisto Island in South Carolina. It was a plantation that was built in the 1930s. It was created from the Sea Cloud Plantation and the Bleak Hall Plantation. The Sea Cloud Plantation dates back to pre Revolutionary War while the Bleak Hall Plantation was made in the late 1790s.
In 1977 the Botany Bay Plantation was made into a Wildlife Reserve and was opened to the public in 2008.
HOW TO GET HERE:
Botany Bay is about an hour drive south of Charleston, South Carolina. Making it the perfect day trip. There’s lots of parking and it’s free to enter although they do take donations. They will give you a map so you can do a self driven tour. You’ll arrive through beautiful Spanish moss draped oak trees to find an attendant. The place you’ll probably be most looking forward to is the Boneyard Beach. It’s definitely worth the short hike and is one of the most surreally beautiful places I’ve ever seen. It really is the best boneyard beach near Charleston!
WHAT TO SEE AT THE BEST BONEYARD BEACH NEAR CHARLESTON?
BONEYARD BEACH OF COURSE.
I loved the Boneyard Beach so much at Botany Bay. The skeleton trees are breathtakingly beautiful. It’s so quiet and serene out here. Do check the tide before you go though so you can walk up the beach. We spent a few hours just staying here. I loved Charleston so much, but it was nice to have a quiet day. Botany Bay is definitely the best day trip.
Please do not take any of the shells though! It is a nature preserve. Also be careful if you want to go into the water, there are a lot of tree stumps in the waves. We put our feet in the water but didn’t swim here.
It really is a photographer’s dream. I bet it’s beautiful at sunrise. But in all honesty, it’s beautiful at any time of the day.
It actually started to rain very heavily after spending a few hours at the beach so the rest of our driving tour was mostly only seen from the car. We did stop and read the notes. It’s all very beautiful, but I hope to go back and actually get out and see the other sites next time.
WHERE TO STAY:
KING CHARLES INN.
We stayed at the King Charles Inn in downtown Charleston and absolutely loved our stay! It was in a great area within walking distance to most of the sites you’ll want to visit. I also really loved the fact that Edgar Allen Poe stayed here!
Unfortunately their website says they are closed until 2021 though.
Botany Bay at Edisto Island is the best day trip from Charleston, South Carolina. It’s beautiful, quiet, and not a far drive. While there is plenty to do to keep you occupied in beautiful Charleston, I highly recommend spending a day here. Especially for photographers. I cannot wait to make it back here soon. It really is the best boneyard beach near Charleston!
If you’d like to visit another great city while on a road trip around the south, I highly recommend Savannah, Georgia. Beautiful city with amazing food! Check out my 24 hour guide here.
I hope you all are staying safe and happy!
Happy traveling loves! 🙂
