Settled Between Charleston And Myrtle Beach Is Little-Known Car-Free Island Perfect For A Quiet Getaway

There are a million things to do in South Carolina's tourist-friendly towns, like Charleston, with its world-famous, charming King Street, and Myrtle Beach, one of the top summer destinations of 2025. You could spend weeks in either one, without stopping for a rest. However, if you want to have a different sort of experience, learning about history, and getting a taste of a slower, more relaxing way of life, you may want to pay a visit to a small, inland island you may not have heard of. Around 80 miles from Charleston and 35 miles from Myrtle Beach, nestled between the Waccamaw and Grand Pee Dee Rivers, not far from Murrells Inlet, is Sandy Island. Covering around 12,000 acres, much of the island is owned by the Nature Conservancy, though you can visit today through a reserved tour. 

This place has fewer than 100 residents, and most of them are the descendants of enslaved Africans from before the Civil War. It's a quiet spot, with no cars, and only one official tour company, run by Rommy Pyatt, who grew up there. Through his company, Tours de Sandy Island, you can set up guided hikes, see wildlife like coyotes, bobcats, feral hogs, deer, eagles, osprey, and the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, or try out some freshwater fishing, kayaking, and camping. One person on Reddit's r/southcarolina recommended the area saying, "Sandy Island — remote as HELL and only one place to stay that is an adventure in itself. Lady is a sweetheart and makes a killer southern dinner. I can't stress the extreme remoteness."

Most residents on Sandy Island are descendants of the between 7,000 and 10,000 enslaved people who were once forced to work the rice plantations here. After gaining his freedom, Phillip Washington purchased hundreds of acres of land, which the residents still live on today. While you visit, you'll learn about the Gullah and Geechee cultures and see the old schoolhouse that once taught students until desegregation allowed them to be ferried to the mainland in the 1960s. (The building now functions as a community center.) These days, kids take the New Prince Washington boat across to get to school. 

Visiting Sandy Island is a break from the rest of the world, with only the one store, Pyatt's General Store, that sells souvenirs, books on the history of the area, shirts, hats, and drinks, with the only public restroom on the island, which you'll see if you take a tour. Tourists are also welcome to visit New Bethel Baptist Church from 1880 on Sundays for services. If you choose to stay on the island, you can do so at Wilma's Cottage, which has five bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, a den, a bathroom, and porches to relax on.

If you're planning a visit, your best bet is to fly into Myrtle Beach International, a small South Carolina airport with great reviews and low fares. However, you'll have to reserve your spot with Tours de Sandy Island first. The standard tour is around $50 at the time of writing, and lasts for 2.5 hours. There are discounts for children, seniors, and military members as well. The guided tour tells you all about the history of the island, where you'll visit the Mount Rena cemetery, with graves that date back to the 18th century, the schoolhouse, the volunteer fire department, several villages, and the general store, run by Rommy's mother. One reviewer on TripAdvisor said, "Captain Rommy gives a great tour. He's gracious, knowledgeable, and has countless Sandy Island stories to tell. It's apparent he cares about the past and future of this island he calls home. We were lucky to find him and thoroughly enjoyed the tour." You can ask about the aforementioned custom tours as well.

While you're in the area, after you visit Sandy Island, you must check out the Brookgreen Gardens, near the landing where you pick up your tour boat. Tickets are $22 for adults, with discount pricing for kids and seniors. Founded by Archer and Anna Huntington in 1931, this complex houses the Butterfly Garden and Live Oak Allée, with 250-year-old trees, the lovely Fountain of the Muses in the Palmetto Garden, their American sculpture collection with over 2,000 pieces, and the Lowcountry Zoo.