Tag: bohicket marina

The 7 best places to watch the sunrise or sunset in Charleston SC

Charleston South Carolina has been blessed with a plethora of natural beauties.  Indeed, mother nature has been quite kind to the Charleston area.  Two of the greatest re-occurring beauties are our amazing sunrises and sunsets.  The glorious hues that paint the Charleston skyline contain some of the most amazing orange, pink, and purple highlights that you have ever seen.  Here are seven of the best places I have found around Charleston to see a sunrise or a sunset.

Sunrise at Shem creek.  Take a walk down the boardwalks of the Shem Creek park.  There is an area where the boardwalk from the park meets the boardwalk next to the creek.  If you stop right there and turn and face the sunrise you will catch the most beautiful sunrise coming up over the creek. 

Sunrise at Shem Creek

Sunset at Sullivan’s Island.  To find the perfect spot to view the sunset come out to Sullivan’s Island and go to the Station 10 beach access.  Once you enter the Station 10 area head down to the beach and turn up the beach towards the Ravenel Bridge.  Walk down the beach until the sand ends and you are surrounded by marsh.  The sunset views from this area are beautiful with amazing views of the Charleston peninsula skyline and the Ravenel Bridge. 

Sunset from Sullivan’s Island

Sunrise from the Ravenel Bridge.  The Arthur Ravenel Bridge has become a staple for those who love taking a brisk walk over the Cooper river, it also is somewhere that you can see fabulous sunrises.  Drive over to the Mount Pleasant side of the bridge and park your car in Waterfront Park.  From there you can walk up or ride your bike using the pedestrian lanes of the bridge.  The walk from one side of the bridge and back is 5 miles.  Along the bridge there are two areas that jut out with sitting areas and offer great views of Charleston and Patriots Point.  Either one of these areas is great to catch a view of the sunrise, just turn and face east.

Sunrise from the Ravenel Bridge

Sunset from the Pitt Street Bridge.  Take a stroll down the Pitt Street Bridge in the old village of Mount Pleasant.  When the sun sets over downtown Charleston you are treated to a beautiful silhouette of the Charleston skyline.  

Sunset from the Pitt Street Bridge

Sunrise from Folly Beach.  Come into the town of Folly Beach on Center Street and head down to the stoplight at Arctic Avenue.  Turn left on Arctic Avenue and head down past the pier.  The best areas of the beach with the least amount of people begin at the beach entrances starting on 6th street.  There are parking lots on the corner of Arctic and 6th, Arctic and 9th, and Arctic and 10th street.  Park at any of these lots or on a side street and head down one of these boardwalks to the beach to witness a beautiful sunrise, in which you can see the sun rise up from “out of the sea” in a brilliant ball of fire.

Sunrise at Folly Beach

Sunset at Bohicket Marina on Seabrook Island.  Enjoy a fabulous sunset as the sun goes down over Bohicket Marina.  What better way to enjoy the sunset than by having dinner on the outdoor patio of the Salty Dog café while the sun goes down.  On many nights you may even be treated to a visit by dolphins taking an evening swim around the marina. 

Sunset from Bohicket Marina on Seabrook Island

Sunset from the Pelican’s Nest on Seabrook Island.  A true treat is to have dinner at the outside restaurant on Seabrook Island called the Pelican’s Nest.  The tables are nestled up against the edge of the water and offer fantastic views of beach, ocean and the sunset. 

Sunset from the dining area of the Pelican’s Nest on Seabrook Island.

Dining review – The Salty Dog Cafe

Our main courses did not disappoint either. The highlights of our meal were the shrimp and grits, seafood pot pie, and the fresh catch of the day, which happened to be a marvelous swordfish.

This last Sunday was Mother’s Day, and both my wife and my elderly mom wanted out of the house after nearly two months of social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The governor of South Carolina just eased social distancing restrictions last week, and this weekend was the first weekend that restaurants were allowed to be open, but only for outside and patio dining.  We decided that we wanted a water view if we were going to be dining outside and chose the Salty Dog Café on Seabrook Island. 

Of course, there was a wait when we arrived at 6:00 PM because every restaurant in Charleston that could have outdoor dining was packed for Mother’s Day. Still, we didn’t mind the wait as it gave us an excellent opportunity to walk around the picturesque Bohicket Marina. 

Once we were seated, we were immediately greeted by our server.  The server recommended several appetizers, which we were happy to order.  The two appetizers that we ordered were the hush puppies and pimento cheese dip.  Both were excellent.  The hush puppies were paired with sweet butter that complemented the hush puppies that were crispy on the outside and soft and tasty on the inside.  The pimento cheese dip came with carrot sticks, homemade pita chips, and homemade thick-cut kettle potato chips.  The pimento dip was savory with a robust mix of spices, but to be honest, I think that those kettle chips stole the show.  This appetizer is worth ordering just to try the kettle chips. 

Our main courses did not disappoint either. The highlights of our meal were the shrimp and grits, seafood pot pie, and the fresh catch of the day, which happened to be a marvelous swordfish. The shrimp and grits were served with creamy andouille sausage and bacon gravy. The gravy was a perfect complement to the stone-ground grits and sautéed shrimp. The seafood potpie contained shrimp, scallops, and fresh fish wrapped in a light but tasty puff pastry. Lastly, the swordfish was quite amazing. It was light and delicious. For those people, like my wife, that like fish that don’t have that overly “fishy” taste, this is for you. My wife, who is not a fan of fish, tasted it and said it was the best fish she had ever tasted. On this particular night, we were too full to look at the dessert menu but were pleasantly surprised when our server told us that the two moms’ in our group would receive a complimentary slice of red velvet cake for dessert. The red velvet cake was moist and delicious and well received by both my wife and my mother.

As great as our food and service was, the highlight of the dining experience was watching the sunset go down over the marina and the surprise visit that the diners had from a group of local dolphins who decided to show up at the dock just about 100 yards from our table.  We give this restaurant a thumbs up, and we will be returning to the Salty Dog Café in the near future.