October 2020: The pier closes for the reconstruction project. December 2022: The new Folly Beach Pier opens at 25-ft wide and 1,049-ft long. January 2023: The pier closes for parking lot renovations and Folly Pier Fest is announced.
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Construction work began in October 2020, and the full pier reopened to the public on December 26, 2022.
Without constant policing, the island was a favorite of pirates and known for its shipwrecks, including the brig Amelia. Strategically located south of Charleston and close to Fort Sumter, Folly became a stronghold for Union soldiers during the Civil War.
Early maps show that Folly was once called “Coffin Land,” possibly because ships would often leave plague or cholera victims on barrier islands before approaching a large port. By 1861, however, the island housed a massive tent city of Union soldiers planning the siege of Charleston.
Folly Island was named after its coastline, which was once densely packed with trees and undergrowth, as the Old English name for such an area was “Folly.” The first official document that mentions the island is a land grant from King William III to William Rivers that dates to September 9, 1696.
The Folly Beach Fishing Pier is a mecca for a diverse group of Lowcountry pier fisherman. The pier is 1,045 feet long and, at the end during high tide, the water is 25 feet deep.
Folly is an easy beach to visit and to love, with enough natural beauty to justify driving out, and plenty of amenities and restaurants within an easy walking distance.
If you don't like crowds, stay away from the middle of the beach by Blu and the Tides Hotel. Instead, take a right at the end of Center Street and drive until just before you hit Folly Beach County Park.
NO POSSESSION OR CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL ALLOWED ON BEACH. NO GLASS is allowed on the beach. NO PLASTIC BAGS, BALLOONS, OR STYROFOAM are allowed on the beach.
Folly became a melting pot for the regular folks and temporary camps became permanent camps, and later cottages. From the 1940s onward, the building work steadily proceeded, reaching a peak in the 1960s with the construction of the Ocean Plaza with its amusement rides, boardwalk, shops and pier.
The sand will also appear darker at first, but will be eventually bleached by the sun. The darker color is due to moisture and organic content in the sand. There may also be drop-offs that you will notice at the high tide line.
Folly Beach is a great destination for a beach vacation, with plenty of activities and attractions to explore. Swimming: Folly Beach is perfect for swimming and splashing around in the waves.
The Folly Beach Monster is the nickname given to a globster that was found on Friday, March 22nd, 2012, on Folly Beach in South Carolina. Initially believed by locals to have been a sea monster, it was quickly discovered to be nothing more than the carcass of a rare fish.
Folly Beach is also home to “The Porgy House”, a cottage on the island where Charleston authors Dubose and Dorothy Heyward lived in the 1930's. In June of 1934, American composer and pianist George Gershwin came to town to write an opera based off of Dubose's novel, Porgy.
Beginning in the 1930s, the islands quickly began losing shoreline. In order to resolve the issue of the rapidly-eroding islands, the 1940s saw groins, or large rocks, placed within the waters of Folly Beach in an attempt to prevent further erosion.