Sandcastles and Seasons
Kiawah Island, SC
There are places you go to stretch yourself, and places you go to restore yourself. And occasionally, if you're fortunate, you land in a place that can be both. For me, it's Kiawah Island, SC.
Kiawah is where I simultaneously get away... and come home. It's a beach, a nature preserve, a resort, and for me, a time capsule of memories and milestones.
We first discovered Kiawah over 2 decades ago. At the time, it was a little-known gem of bike trails, tawny marshland, and a breathtakingly wide beach.
There were sumptuous homes that somehow managed to blend into the coastal landscape, lush greenery, briny ocean breezes and magnificent sunsets that melted into velvet night skies strewn with a million stars. A deep inhale of that ocean air could cleanse the weariest, most stressed of souls.
The magic of Kiawah is that its unique beauty transcends the passage of time.
We've returned to this special place every year, for as long as we've been a family. And, each year, we've returned a bit different. Our girls have grown, David and I have evolved through careers, the world has changed quite a bit! But Kiawah always remains the same, and always meets us right where we are. The steady rhythm of memories wash over me like waves on the beach.
Tiny hands clutching their first seashell ...
the endless ways children find delight in saltwater and sand...
Sleepy pre-dawn beach strolls to watch in hushed wonder as Easter morning sunrises crested over the Atlantic
The sound of my girls' laughter mixed with rolling surf during the day, followed by the crackle of awesome thunderstorms electrifying the summer night sky.
Surprise snowfall over the marshland in November, and alligators lazing in the Spring sunshine…
July 4th sparklers and fireworks on the beach
When they were small, the girls learned how to to ride their bikes on the beach - and it's really the perfect spot to conduct this childhood rite of passage because the firm, smooth sand is easy to bike on, and forgiving when wobbly little legs take an inevitable spill.
Kiawah is also where the girls learned to shuck oysters, body surf, and witness their very first falling star. These shared moments knit a special closeness within our family, and fed our spirits.
Kiawah has filled my memories and my heart with so many unforgettable moments because it has been the place where we could slow down and celebrate life together...a rare thing in a world where professions, school schedules, friends, social media, home improvement projects and a million other commitments can sometimes crowd out the intimacy of noticing a breeze brush your skin, or catching the delight in your child's eyes when she sculpts a "castle" from an abundance of wet sand, seashells, and imagination. I guess if I could write a love letter to a place, this is it.
In 2020, we bought a cozy little house on Kiawah and made our family presence here official. Our girls are now grown and living in their own cities, but Kiawah is still “home” to us all. We gather here to throw off the weight of the world and just savor life and being together. I imagine we will continue to do so for years to come. Like the sandcastles, we’ve had a lot of memories come and go on this special island, but the joy they've brought us will last a lifetime.
So, to Kiawah, I say...
Kiawah Travel Tips
Kiawah 2017
I want to share this beautiful island retreat with you and the ones you love to make memories with! Here are my top tips and finds:
Fawn outside our villa door. Wildlife abounds here!
Location:
Kiawah Island is an island resort just outside of Charleston, SC (another wonderful destination all its own - see my post on how to spend an afternoon there!) www.kiawahresort.com
The Vibe
Kiawah is upscale, yet low-key. For packing, think shorts/shirts, tennis/golf attire and a cute sundress in summer. Visitors tend toward the whole preppy Vineyard Vines, Trina Turk and Lily Pulitzer aesthetic, but for us, comfy has always been the order of the day. So, pack 'resort casual' for the day and take it up just a notch if you plan to dine out on the island at night (e.g. a sundress for women and a collared shirt and khaki shorts as a baseline for men).
Practicalities:
Consistent with its resort vibe, dining out at Kiawah can be pricey. If you're renting a villa, you can buy groceries at the nearby Harris Teeter at Freshfields Village - a charming and well-equipped enclave of shops just outside the Kiawah Island gate. In addition to groceries, there's a Starbucks inside HT, and an in-store buffet area where you can get family staples to-go: sub sandwiches and salads, homemade soups, pizza by the slice. All are great choices for a beach picnic!
During the summer months, kids can enjoy lots of activities through the resort, which offers day camps
Kiawah is about 45 minutes from downtown Charleston, so it’s a fun day trip if your family needs a break from the beach
When to Go:
Kiawah is a year-round destination, with a beauty that shape-shifts to match each season. Weather-wise, my favorite times are April (especially if Easter falls then) and October, when the sea is still warm but the air is cool and the summer vacationers have gone. However, most of our visits before we lived here were during summer vacation, when it's hot (90's+) and sultry. Thankfully, the ocean means there's usually a breeze and this is the height of the season, so there's lots to do. Check out the kids' camps ("Kamp Kiawah") during the day, and Wednesday evenings at Night Heron Park for family ice cream socials, karaoke and up-close-and-personal encounters with wildlife, led by Kiawah's staff of nature experts. Bring your camera, bug spray, and prepare to make memories!
Nothing beats mother-daughter bonding with sand between your toes!
The busiest week I've found is the July 4th holiday - there's lots to do (including fireworks on the beach), but it's definitely more crowded compared to other weeks throughout the year. If you only have a week, decide how much it matters to you to have "breathing room". The 30 miles of bike paths and 10 miles of bike-friendly beach will get uncharacteristically full that week, although it’s still nothing like other beaches along the East Coast!
Nature
It abounds here. First and foremost, Kiawah is a nature preserve where you could see silver dolphin glimmer in the surf, majestic white herons, pelicans, sea turtles, and if you’re really lucky, maybe a bobcat lazing in a treetop as we did one Spring many years ago.
The island has 30 miles of bike trails to explore, and at low tide, the beach is perfect for biking too; the sand is hard packed, smooth and broad. Either bring your own bikes, or rent them through Kiawah or one of the many off-island bike rental services that will deliver your bike to your doorstep. We've used: http://www.islandbikeandsurf.com/bike-rentals.php 843-768-1158 Bikes are absolutely the best way to see the island!
Katie and her fur baby, Mickey
Villa Rentals
Currently, the only hotel on the island is the Sanctuary Resort & Spa - a luxury property. If, like us, you prefer a little more elbow room and your own kitchen, Kiawah has an abundance of villas to rent, either through the resort itself, or through a third party platform like Vacasa or AirBnB. If you rent through the resort, you'll have access to the swimming pools. If you rent through Air bnb (https://www.airbnb.com) you'll have to forego the pools and head straight for the ocean (which is why you came here in the first place!) Either way, the high season is June-September and things do book up.
Alligators
Yep - there are lots of them. And while they're not exactly cuddly, they're not aggressive, either. Though we've gone an entire vacation without seeing any, your chances are pretty good of catching a gator gliding through a lagoon or sunning on the bank. Gators only like fresh water, so you are unlikely to see them in the brackish marsh waters (if you go kayaking) and you won't ever see one on the beach! If you bring your pet, keep them leashed at all times. And, keep your distance (and of course tell your kids to do the same!) The gators are actually pretty fun to look at from a safe distance, and really not interested in humans at all. Just be sure to stay on the nature trails and don’t venture to the edges of lagoons, especially during the Spring nesting season.
Enjoy!
