Folly Beach is one of the most dog-friendly cities in South Carolina. It is located only twenty minutes from the historic downtown of Charleston and is actually called “Charleston’s Beach Town.” As a beach town, you will find yourself wanting to slow down and enjoy the small moments like feeling the ocean breeze in your hair, the warmth of the sun on your face, or even watching surfers catch a wave next to the pier. There is something so inviting about this little town that makes you feel like you are not even in South Carolina any more and instead are on a tropical island.
As a family with two furbabies, we bring our dogs with us when we travel and are always looking for dog-friendly locations. In fact, it’s so important to us that the location is dog-friendly because we usually take road trips with our boys. For our recent trip to Folly Beach, we drove over 1,700+ miles and 25 hours so Ollie and Baxter could feel the sand on their paws (and in their fur as they squiggled in the sand).
Folly Beach is at the top of our list when thinking of dog-friendly locations in the United States. If you are looking for an itinerary while visiting with your dogs, be sure to check out our 4-day guide to Folly Beach.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Visit Folly Beach. All opinions are our own.
We know so many people travel with their dogs and we want to let you in on the secret that is Folly Beach and why it’s our go-to destination in South Carolina to take our boys, especially in the fall.
To help you plan a visit to Folly Beach with your furbabies, we put together a list of our favorite dog-friendly activities!
Beach Time
If your furbabies are anything like ours, he or she probably loves the sand (and maybe the water too!). Folly Beach is a great place to let your furbaby roll in the sand as you stroll along the Atlantic Ocean. Depending on the time of year, there are different restrictions for when dogs are allowed on the beach. Between October 1-April 30 dogs are allowed on the beach anytime (hint hint: fall is the best time to visit for your furbabies and temperature wise). From May 1-September 30, dogs are not allowed on the beach from 10AM-6PM. This is because these months are peak season for the area and the beach becomes crowded. Regardless of the time of year, leashes are required all year. Please also remember to always pick up and pack out after your pet.
Stretch Your Legs
If spending time at the beach doesn’t tire your pup, there are various other locations you can walk to stretch their legs. Strolling downtown on Center Street is always a great idea. There are many local stores to visit. There is also a Bark Park where your dog can maybe meet a few friends and have the ability to run endlessly.
Local Eateries
Most restaurants on the island have dog-friendly seating and not only welcome dogs, but enthusiastically invite them in with smiles, pets, and water bowls. Some of the restaurants we enjoyed with our boys were Taco Boy, Rita’s Seaside Grille, and Loggerhead’s Beach Grill.
Lodging
There are multiple options for lodging from hotels to rentals on Folly Beach. We stayed at Folliday Inn and the location was incredible! Located just a few blocks from the ocean and downtown, it was the perfect homebase for our stay. Folliday Inn allowed us to pull up, after our long multi-day drive, and just truly feel like we were on an island. We didn’t have to load the boys into the car to travel from one attraction to the next. We were able to just walk everywhere we wanted. This luxury is something the whole family, especially Baxter, enjoyed!
If you have never visited Folly Beach, we can’t recommend it enough. It’s very special to us as it led us to the Lowcountry and eventually ending our full-time van travels. If you are interested in learning more about our first visit, you can read about our van travels to Folly Beach. One of the main reasons that we were able to make the decision to stop living in our van is because of how dog-friendly the area is. Your furbabies will not be the only ones on the island. There will be so many friends to make while walking around either in town, on the beach, or at the Bark Park. If you are looking for a beach town that is so welcoming to dogs, be sure to add Folly Beach to your list of travels.
Until next time, keep adventuring!