One-Tank Trips: Botany Bay is a different kind of beach trip
EDISTO ISLAND, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - One Tank Trip is back, and we are heading to the beach.
There is a hidden gem in the Lowcountry near Edisto Island; called Botany Bay.
It’s not your typical drive to the beach. There’s no traffic but instead a tunnel of trees.
When you park, a volunteer like Jim Wenthe will greet you.
“This is the South Carolina State Shell,” he said. “People come here because it’s not built up. It’s still like it was and hasn’t changed much.”
Every year, tens of thousands of people walk down this half-mile trail. And this is what they come for.
“There’s these dead trees, and it’s a very beautiful beach,” said Wenthe.
Erosion is moving the shore further inland, and it’s taking the trees with it. Now at high tide, there is no beach, but at low tide, you get this.
“This is a great little location, nice and secluded, quiet, which is what we like,” he said.
Jordan Neely brought his family here for the first time.
“It’s beautiful. It’s got the boneyard beach here with all the trees and beautiful shells, and not near as busy as a normal beach,” he said.
The beach is covered with shells. You can’t take them, so instead, many people hang them on trees.
Botany Bay may not be your typical beach, but for those who come here, that’s okay.
“You’re not gonna find the bathrooms you need for kids and things like that, but it’s worth it,” said Neely.
Botany Bay is a little less than three hours away from Augusta, and it’s free to go.
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