Welcome to the islands!  Two of the most popular island beaches in the Charleston area are Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms.  The beaches are public and each features small downtown strips of unique restaurants.  Sullivan’s Island is a small three-mile long area of mostly residential homes.  It is the setting for Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Gold Bug” and just being on the island makes you want to slow down, take long bike rides, and spend endless hours on your porch.  Ever so slightly larger than Sullivan’s is Isle of Palms.  There’s a similar slow-pace here, with the addition of Wild Dunes - a large gated community of residential homes, resorts, golf courses, and anything else you could want for a neighborhood at the beach.