A Local Mom’s Guide to Activities, Excursions & Nearby Adventures with kids for your Folly Beach Vacation
If your planning a family vacation to Folly Beach, South Carolina this summer, you’ve picked one of the most effortlessly fun, laid back, family-friendly beach towns on the East Coast and now you need to know about the Best Things to Do on Folly Beach with Kids and I’m here to help!
With its relaxed beach town vibe, wide sandy shoreline, and easy access to Charleston, Folly Beach is perfect for families who want a mix of adventure, downtime, and unforgettable experiences!
In this guide, you’ll find:
✔️ The best things to do on Folly Beach with kids
✔️ Fun excursions that leave directly from Folly Beach
✔️ A few nearby gems on James Island (just 15 minutes away)
🏖Classic Folly Beach Activities Kids Love:
Folly Beach is the kind of place where core childhood beach memories should be made!
Beach Days (duh!) – Go early for calmer waves & cooler temps!
Walk or Fish from the Folly Beach Pier – the shop at the pier sells bate and even rods if you need them! But if you’re more serious about your fishing, you can get a variety of bate just 5 minutes down Folly Road at Crosby’s (which also sells fresh seafood daily!)
Low Tide Exploring + Shell Hunting – Check the tide charts, makes a big difference when hunting for shells, sand dollars and crabs!
Get Ice Cream at Bert’s – Bert’s Market is a much Beloved Folly Beach institution and our kids never let us leave the beach without a stop at Bert’s for their delicious ice cream and desserts!
Visit the “Pirate Park” on Folly – (that’s why my kids call it!) but it’s actual name is Pirate’s Cove Playground! It’s got a cool mural, climbing structure, swings, lots of seating for parents to hang out, wooden shrimp boat / pirate ship to climb on and a lighthouse slide!
Surf Lessons on Folly Beach – There are a handful of surf schools on Folly Beach where you can schedule a surf lesson for your kids!
Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve – Take a walk down to the Lighthouse Preserve on the northeastern tip of the island & enjoy the graffiti (painted by local high schoolers, it’s a right of passage around here!) on your way out to the pristine beach which has beautiful driftwood and a close up view of the Morris Island Lighthouse!
Excursions from Folly Beach
Dolphin Boat Tours – Boat tours leaving directly from Folly Beach are a huge hit with kids because they’ll enjoy a scenic boat ride with close up dolphin sightings with educational (but fun) guides! Some tours even focus on dolphin “strand feeding”—a rare and amazing behavior unique to the dolphins living only in the low country of South Carolina! You might reach out to Tideline Tours or Flipper Finders
Kayaking + Paddleboarding (Family-Friendly Options) –
This is an incredible experiene for slightly older kids!
Guided tours through the marsh include:
- Wildlife spotting (birds, fish, dolphins)
- Calm, shallow water routes
- Easy instruction for beginners
You might reach out to SUP Safaris
Family Fishing Charters
If your kids love hands-on activities, this is a winner because family-friendly fishing charters from Folly Beach are shorter trips (perfect for our friends with shorter attention spans!) and easy to catch species. You might reach out to Holy City Fishing Charters or Tight Line Fishing Charters
Nearby Fun on James Island
James Island is just 10-15 minutes away and has a few fun activities for kids!
Explore James Island County Park – Our kids love the county park on James Island! We spend a lot of time there riding bikes on miles and miles of paved paths, we fish and shrimp from the fishing dock, we play on the massive playground and splash pad AND my kids LOVE the water park inside the county park in the summer! It’s perfect because it’s not too big but as super fun water features, a lazy river and about 5 different slides and of course, the pool!
Visit The Sport Yard
The Sport Yard is one of the coolest things to happen for kids on Folly Beach / James Island in a while! It recently opened and my kids + all their friends (all athletes) love it! It’s not a gym, it’s not a trampoline park, it’s a 15,000 sq ft kids sports & trick shot facility featuring a basketball court, huge indoor turf field, and dedicated training zones. Perfect for ages 5+
📸 Don’t Miss Out on the Opportunity to Update those Family Portraits while you’re here!
Folly Beach vacations are filled with the kind of sun soaked, summer moments that you wish you could freeze—sunset walks, sandy toes, and kids laughing without a care in the world.
If you’re already planning a trip, it’s the perfect time to book a relaxed, beachside family photography session and turn those moments into something tangible that you can take home!
I’m Brittany, I’m a local mom (I have two boys ages 8 & 9) and I’m also a small business owner / photographer (for the last 16 years!)
I specialize in:
- Luxury, full-service, editorial style family photography experiences
- Beautiful Coast Light
- Working with young children
- Beach and coastal family portraits (Folly Beach, Isle of Palms,Sullivan’s Island, Kiawah and Seabrook Island)
- Guided posing that feels effortless and authentic
- Styling support
- Capturing genuine connection and emotion—not stiff, awkward poses!
- Timeless, heirloom-quality artwork designed to live on your walls! (albums, wall art, framed prints)
👉 Inquire here to reserve your Folly Beach family session — CONTACT BRITTANY
