Folly Beach Activities Guide: Best Things to Do on the Water
Dolphin Tour
Folly Beach has a well-earned reputation as Charleston’s chillest barrier island, but its best moments don’t happen on the sand — they happen on the water. Between the tidal creeks, the marsh grass, and the pod of dolphins that seems to have a standing reservation just offshore, Folly is basically one giant reason to get on a boat. Here’s a rundown of the best water-based things to do while you’re in town.
Go Dolphin Watching (Because Obviously)
You can’t talk about Folly Beach water activities without leading with dolphins. The creeks and marshes behind the island are home to a resident pod of wild Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, and a Folly Beach dolphin boat tour is the easiest way to see them up close, along with a stop at the historic Morris Island Lighthouse and some beachcombing for shells and shark teeth along the way.
If you’d rather catch the dolphins with the sky doing all the showing off, book a sunset dolphin cruise instead. Same creeks, same dolphins, but with a Lowcountry sunset thrown in for free — no filter required.
Slow Down with a Shelling Trip
Not everyone wants a fast-paced tour. If your idea of a good time is wandering a quiet shoreline with a bucket in hand, the shelling and nature tour to Morris Island is built for you. It’s a 2.5-hour trip focused on the shoreline itself — sand dollars, shark teeth, and whatever else the tide decided to leave behind that morning.
Book a Private Charter
Traveling with a small group and want the boat to yourselves? A small private boat tour fits up to six people (plus your dog, if it’s a good boat dog) and covers the same dolphin-and-Morris-Island ground at your own pace, without sharing the deck with strangers.
Get in the Water, Not Just on It
If boats aren’t quite active enough for you, Folly’s calm tidal creeks are also excellent for kayaking. Paddling behind the island gives you a slower, quieter view of the same marshes and wildlife, and it’s an easy add-on if you’re staying more than a day or two.
Chase Some TV Fame
Folly Beach and the surrounding Charleston waterways also happen to be real-life filming locations for Netflix’s Outer Banks. Fans can visit spots like the Boneyard Beach and Poguelandia by water on the OBX filming locations boat tour — part behind-the-scenes tour, part regular dolphin-watching cruise, since the wildlife doesn’t know it’s supposed to stay off camera.
Celebrate on the Water
Bachelorette party in town? Skip the crowded bars and take the party to the creeks instead. Charleston bachelorette party boat charters let your group cruise the waterways, stop at a sandbar to swim, and generally have a much better story to tell than “we went to a rooftop bar.”
Planning Your Day on the Water
Most of these tours run two to three hours, which makes it easy to fit one in around a beach day without losing the whole afternoon. Tides and weather do affect scheduling, especially for the shelling and OBX tours, so it’s worth booking a few days ahead during peak season (May through September).
However you spend your time on the water, Folly Beach delivers — whether you’re there for the dolphins, the sunset, the shelling, or the chance to stand where your favorite Pogues once stood. Check out all of our boat tours to find the one that fits your trip best.