GAINSWave® Treatment In Folly Beach, SC

It's only 12 miles south of Charleston's historic homes and manicured window boxes, but the salty little town of Folly Beach ditches the Holy City's refinement in favor of an easygoing, barefoot sensibility that feels a bit more California than Carolina. Known to locals as the Edge of America, Folly is everything a beach town should be. Surf shops line the main drag; cover-ups count as appropriate lunch attire; and nobody takes themselves too seriously (they drop a pair of LED-lit flip-flops to celebrate New Year's Eve). Here's where to stay, eat, relax, and play in South Carolina's super chill surf town.

Where To Stay

For a feels-like-home experience coupled with the charm and convenience of a boutique hotel, book The Regatta Inn. Complimentary breakfast and happy hour are provided daily, plus a free shuttle to the beach. Its best amenity of all, though, is the view: a spectacular vantage of Folly River and the surrounding marshland.

regattainn.com, 64 West 9th Street Extension, Folly Beach, SC 29439

Every single room at Tides Folly Beach comes with an ocean view. Perched at the end of Center Street, the town's main thoroughfare, the hotel is steps from both the beach and an array of local shops and eateries. There's plenty on-site for a relaxing getaway, including a heated oceanfront pool, tiki bar and lounge, and a beach bar and grill.

tidesfollybeach.com, 1 Center Street, Folly Beach, SC 29439

Looking for a stay with a kitchen and living space that feels like a home away from home? For families looking to stretch out a bit more, there are a boatload of rentals to choose from: Opt for oceanfront properties that will sleep a crowd or cozy cottages with marsh and Folly River views. And for people who wouldn't dream of traveling without their four-legged companions, there are plenty of pet-friendly rentals too.

visitfolly.com/stay-directory

Where To Eat

You won't go hungry on this island. Fuel up for the day at Lost Dog Café, a local staple that serves coffee and all-day breakfast (so you can sleep in as long as you'd like). Don't miss their eggs Benedict, which they top with fried green tomatoes.

lostdogfollybeach.com, 106 West Huron Avenue, Folly Beach, SC 29439

Fish tacos, Vietnamese-inspired lettuce wraps, and Cuban sandwiches all have a place on the colorful menu at Chico Feo, where the vibe is equally colorful. Its menu focuses on food from local farmers and fishermen. If you're in town for the wave riding, be sure to check out their website's Surf Report, complete with a live video stream.

chicofeos.com, 122 East Ashley Avenue, Folly Beach, SC 29439

Don't let the easygoing atmosphere fool you: Rita's Seaside Grille is serious about its food and its cocktails. Order casual beach fare like burgers, sandwiches, tacos, and nachos, or opt for splurge-worthy entrees like steak, salmon, and seafood. Try one of the Signature Crushes, fruity sippers with flavored liquors that pack a punch.

ritasseasidegrille.com, 2 Center Street, Folly Beach, SC 29439

End the night at Sand Dollar Social Club, a dive bar where you're invited to come as you are, so long as you're a member; membership costs $1, so bring your cash (you won't find a credit card machine here). Order from the bar, play pool or Ping-Pong, and take in the live music.

7 Center Street, Folly Beach, SC 29412

Though technically not on Folly (it's about two miles away), you'd be remiss to make a trip all this way without carving out time for a meal at Bowens Island Restaurant, a family-owned joint where the walls are graffitied and the oysters are locally harvested. Start your meal with Southern favorites like pimiento cheese, fried green tomatoes, and boiled peanuts. Seafood platters are served with fries, hush puppies, and coleslaw.

bowensisland.com, 1870 Bowens Island Road, Charleston, SC 29412

Where To Relax

The island's six miles of beachfront are its main attraction, and it'd be easy to while away a week with no plans beyond putting your toes in the sand. Spend a day shelling, sunning, surfing, or searching for shark teeth. The Folly Beach County Park has everything you need for a day at the beach: parking, restrooms, changing areas, a boardwalk, accessible ramps, a picnic area, and a snack bar.

ccprc.com/61/Folly-Beach-County-Park, 1100 West Ashley Avenue, Folly Beach, SC 29439

At the northern end of Folly Beach, the Morris Island Lighthouse provides a stunning backdrop from the shore. Get a closer look from the Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve or via kayak. Several guided tours leave from Folly Beach to visit Morris Island for shelling, photography, and lighthouse history. The historic lighthouse is not open for viewing. How close you can get to the lighthouse depends on the tides.

savethelight.org

ccprc.com/3149/Lighthouse-Inlet-Heritage-Preserve, 1750 East Ashley Avenue, Folly Beach, SC 29439

Where To Play

Pack your fishing poles (or rent one) to test your fishing luck off the beloved Folly Beach Pier, which reopened in December 2022 after extensive renovations. If you're visiting in the summer, put on your dancing shoes—flip-flops count—and head back to the pier for one of the Moonlight Mixers, a music-filled family event held once monthly May through September.

ccprc.com/1753/Folly-Beach-Pier, 101 East Arctic Avenue, Folly Beach, SC 29439

ccprc.com/1618/Moonlight-Mixers, 101 East Arctic Avenue, Folly Beach, SC 29439

For those looking to build an action-packed itinerary, there are plenty of activities that highlight the destination's natural beauty: Book a guided kayak tour with Charleston Outdoor Adventures, rent a stand-up paddleboard to explore the tidal creeks, or hop on a boat to discover uninhabited beachfront, where you can look for sharks' teeth and other fossils. You can also book a fishing charter or tour a Charleston oyster farm.

charlestonoutdooradventures.com, 1871 Bowens Island Road, Charleston, SC 29412

Stop by McKevlin's Surf Shop, South Carolina's oldest surfing outfitter, to peruse their selection of gear. You can also rent a surf or body board from the shop if you don't have one of your own; first-timers should consult their recommended list of surf instructors for lessons before heading out. Once you've got it down, catch some of the area's best waves at The Washout, a favorite local surf spot, or take a seat on the beach and see how the local pros do it.

mckevlins.com, 8 Center Street, Folly Beach, SC 29439

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC) - A plan to improve safety on one Folly Beach road is moving forward to the next phase of the project.

Council members approved a $360,695 contract with AMT Engineering to move forward with completing 30 percent of the designs for Arctic Avenue.

Arctic Avenue is about two miles long and runs parallel to the beach.

Officials say the plan for Arctic Avenue will enhance safety and accessibility for beachgoers whether they walk, bike, or drive.

Richard Turner, the South Carolina Programs Services Lead for AMT Engineering, says the plan will feature better parking, a 10-foot-wide shared-use path along the entire road, and improved crosswalks at intersections and beach access points.

“If you go to Folly, you’re parking on the shoulder of the road, you’re parking on the dirt road, and you don’t have anywhere to walk. You have families that get out of their vehicles with their kids and they maybe have a buggy, a wagon, all the beach stuff, and you have nowhere to walk,” Turner says.”This is an opportunity to allow, you know, have that space for improved parking and then having actual space, a safe space, for them to walk.”

Turner says in 2023 during the first phase of this plan they spent time studying the area, how people were using it, and then came up with ideas of what this project could look like.

Now, he says they will be taking those ideas and turning them into real designs on paper. Turner says a significant part of this phase of the design process is surveying the area.

He says their survey team will be on-site to collect data points for the entire length of the road, including location, utilities, driveways, houses, and other important features. From there Turner says they will base their designs on those conditions.

“Arctic being the closest to the kind of central business district of Folly Beach it has the most foot traffic, so you know it’s really important to have safe places for folks on like I said bikes, cars, golf carts, and auto. They all need to be able to operate in a safe space,” Turner says.

One Folly Beach resident, Gabi Zeman, says that it would be helpful to have these safety measures when going to the beach.

“I’ve lived on Folly Beach for the last three years now and the summer months are super busy. So, it would be great to have more sidewalks and just I guess a safer city for a lot of residents coming in and then obviously all the visitors that come in in the summer months as well,” Zeman says.

Turner says that it will take nine to 12 months to complete 30 percent before progressing to the next phase of the design process.

Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.

Published: Dec. 27, 2024 at 2:08 AM PST|

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCSC/AP) - A celebration scheduled for Saturday night on Folly Beach will gather people in a celebration of the Festival of Lights.

On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jewish people gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah, a multibranched candelabra.

In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication,” and the holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.

With the tiny supply of ritually pure oil they found in the temple, which they expected to last only a day, they lit the menorah and it stayed lit for eight days. The ritual of lighting a nightly candle, as well as the emphasis on cooking foods in oil such as potato pancakes called latkes, memorialize this miraculously long-lasting oil.

Residents and guests of Folly Beach are celebrating Hanukkah for the third year in a row with prayers from a Rabbi at Folly River Park. Visitors will see the lighting of the Menorah and participate in songs with multilingual song sheets. Organizers say the most important aspect of the event is incorporating everyone into the festivities.

Folly Beach resident and event founder Nadine Vogel says she started the holiday event two years ago. Vogel says many Christmas events were happening in the area for the holiday season but no mentions of the Jewish holiday.

She says the help of the city mayor, residents and local businesses helped bring the Festival of Lights to Folly Beach with donations and contributions. The event gets larger each year as visitors outside of the area also attend.

“Although we did it for the Folly residents,” Vogel says. “We have found that year after year we have people coming from West Ashley, from John’s Island or from Mount Pleasant. Year one we had 75 people here, last year we counted over 80.”

The celebration continues in the Folly Beach Community Center with music, traditional holiday food and games like playing the dreidel, a four-sided spinning top. Vogel says everyone from all religious backgrounds are welcome to celebrate. She says she hears positive feedback from the community as the event is an opportunity to learn about other cultures and religions.

“All the way to, ‘I’m so glad my children learned how to play dreidel, they have friends who are Jewish and they felt left out, they didn’t know how to play,’ or ‘This is so much like our religion,’” Vogel says. “You know, I think we live in a time that we need more understanding about each other’s practices and just each other as people and I think that’s what this does.”

Guests are receiving gifts for the first time in this event. A lottery drawing will take place to receive a prize for all ages that was donated by the community. Vogel hopes each family will leave with a present for the holiday.

The event begins at 5 p.m. in Folly River Park, located on Center Street.

Hanukkah began this year at sundown on Christmas Day for the first time since 2005. It continues through New Year’s Day.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the event was scheduled to take place Friday night. It begins Saturday at 5 p.m. We regret the error.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. The Associated Press contributed to this story. All rights reserved.

FOLLY BEACH — This bustling barrier island has held tight over the years to its laid-back vibe and funky charm. It’s a tourism mecca with a small-town feel, full of tight-knit locals who pride themselves on looking out for their neighbors.

But some are growing increasingly uncomfortable with what they see as the city’s easy-going approach to doling out taxpayer money to charities linked to island leaders.

Public attention has focused in recent months on four-term Councilman D.J. Rich, who over the past 14 years has voted on at least a dozen resolutions sending public dollars to three groups to which he has ties.

Two of those accepted thousands of dollars in donations without registering as charities in South Carolina, as required by state law.

Charities must file annual financial reports so regulators and the public can see how much money they take in and how it is spent. The reason is simple: Donors deserve to know whether their money is helping those in need, S.C. Secretary of State Mark Hammond said.

"South Carolina is a small state, but we have a big heart," he said. "But there has to be regulation, and someone has to hold these organizations accountable."

Controversy over these groups illustrates the challenges the state faces in policing more than 17,000 charities that operate in South Carolina. It also shines a light on the cozy relationship between Folly Beach City Council and some members’ pet causes.

Council members have voted on multiple occasions in recent years to provide taxpayer money to groups with which they are aligned. And Rich was front and center in several of those votes, records show.

He's president of the Folly Beach Exchange Club, a nonprofit that has received at least $11,000 from City Council since 2009. But the charity failed to comply with state regulations for decades, according to the Secretary of State's Office. Councilman Billy Grooms serves as an officer with the club.

The Exchange Club, which hosts fundraising events on the island, has in turn provided at least $6,500 to Folly Angels, according to newspaper reports and the groups’ social media posts. That group was headed by Rich’s grandmother and business partner, Florence O’Donnell.

O’Donnell started Folly Angels in the 1990s to assist cancer patients and other residents in need. But the organization never obtained its tax-exempt status from the IRS to operate as a nonprofit, nor did it register with the Secretary of State — despite fines and threats of legal action.

Rich voted to send public dollars to the now-defunct Follypalooza festival, a cancer benefit he co-founded to pay locals’ medical bills. It gave money to Folly Angels and the Exchange Club, according to tax filings.

Folly Angels quietly shuttered in October amid letters from the Secretary of State accusing it of improperly operating as a charity and running a raffle. The office suspended the group that same month, documents show.

O’Donnell said she couldn't understand residents’ concerns.

"All we do is help people that need help," she said.

Nick Thomas, her lawyer, said the complaints amounted to "a witch hunt." He described O’Donnell as a wonderful steward of the Folly Beach community who never profited a dime from the group.

The Exchange Club, meanwhile, registered Dec. 11 as a state charity after The Post and Courier began asking questions about its activities. The Secretary of State’s Office had threatened the group with suspension if it failed to do so. Rich did not know the club was out of compliance until it received a letter from state officials, he said.

Some Folly Beach residents have been frustrated with city officials for sending taxpayer money to these organizations despite mounting questions about their operations.

An anonymous letter sent to the city's finance director in April implored officials to adopt an ordinance stipulating that taxpayer support be limited to registered charities in South Carolina. The city — which reported a roughly $850,000 surplus in last year’s general fund budget — needs to protect its coffers, they wrote. No such measure has been introduced.

Several islanders contacted The Post and Courier urging reporters to investigate the groups’ activity. None was willing to be quoted for this article, saying they feared being ostracized.

But they echoed the same question: Where is all the money going?

News

Regulating charities

The IRS has struggled to keep tabs on the country’s rapidly expanding nonprofit sector, making state oversight all the more critical. Nonprofit employment has grown by a third over the past 15 years, and charitable donations have surged.

South Carolina is one of 39 states that requires fundraising nonprofits to register, and it’s up to the Secretary of State’s Office to chase down the ones that don’t follow the rules.

Hammond said his staff try to work with groups before resorting to fines and suspensions. But sometimes they’re left with no choice.

Fines vary depending on the violation. Failure to register, for instance, comes with a $2,000 penalty. Hammond’s office collected more than $1 million in fines this year, up from roughly $650,000 in 2023. Most of that money winds up in South Carolina’s general fund.

"We would much rather that go to help those in need," Hammond said.

Last year, his office issued about 1,000 violations to nonprofit groups for failing to register with the state. Hammond believes the actual number of scofflaws could be higher.

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (WCBD) – Organizers behind a New Year’s Eve drone show that ended with at least one person injured on Folly Beach are investigating what caused the malfunction.

The Folly Association of Business said in a statement Wednesday that it was excited to offer a unique alternative to its annual fireworks display and offer a drone show for celebrators.

The show, scheduled to start at 7 p.m., ended after only two displays when some of the drones began falling from the sky. An adult male was struck by one of the drones and suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his face.

Drone operators almost immediately began a controlled descent so that the drones could return to their designated landing zone.

“New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate, and for reasons beyond our control, we were not able to deliver the spectacular drone show we had planned for the community,” the organization said. “At this time, we do not have details on what went wrong with the display. We do know that [one person] sustained light injuries as the drones dropped to the ground, but they were treated and released on-site.”

“FAB would like to sincerely apologize for any harm and inconvenience our residents and visitors experienced at last night’s drone show. FAB’s commitment to Folly Beach and the surrounding community is steadfast, and we will move forward to continue to serve you in 2025,” the organization added.

The Folly Association of Business said they are working with authorities and the drone operation company, Lightyear Drones, to provide information on what caused the malfunction and how they will address these kinds of challenges in the future.

“The team at Lightyear Drones wants to express our sincere disappointment for not being able to complete tonight’s drone show. The wellbeing of our audience is our utmost priority, and we regret any distress or inconvenience caused,” said Lightyear Dones in a statement about the incident.

Folly Beach’s public safety officials said the incident was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration for investigation.

News 2 spoke Stuart white who is a certified FAA drone operator and was watching the drone show. He said he immediately knew something was wrong when he says he began to hear drones colliding with each other and falling. He estimates he heard at least 15 drones fall, and told us he doesn’t think they should’ve gone up under yesterday’s weather conditions.

“As a responsible drone pilot, you have to assess the risks involved. Doing something like this is a very complicated system and we have a cold front coming in right now and so it’s been very windy, and it was very windy all day yesterday. These systems are not necessarily designed to work well in the wind, that’s in my opinion where the failure happened and honestly, I think it should’ve been canceled before they attempted to do it at all, but there’s immense pressure on the people who are providing that service to make it happen,” said White.

The beach community’s annual Flip Flop Drop continued without incident.

—

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story mentioned two people were injured; however, the Little Dog Agency, which issued the Folly Association of Business statement, corrected their release to include only one person injured.