Folly Beach, SC
Folly Beach is a wonderful barrier-island community just 20 minutes from downtown Charleston. Where else in America can one find a barrier island with such beautiful beaches just minutes from a terrific city? Yet another reason to love Charleston.
Folly is more synonymous with fun and funkiness than nearby Sullivan Island or Isle of Palms, which we also love. In his book Folly Beach: Glimpses of a Vanished Strand, Bill Bryan relates that George Gershwin wrote a substantial portion of Porgy & Bess from a beach house here in 1934. It makes sense given that he was collaborating with Charleston native and leading author DuBose Heyward. Edward Hopper also painted here on a regular basis.
Dutifully hanging out at the surf shop this morning, I learned that Folly is a serious surfing community. Seeing the surfers bring their lanky bodies and loopy shorts into the shop this morning reminded me of watching surfers compete in the Banzai Pipeline on the north shore of Oahu in the early '90s. I tried surfing once and got on the board long enough - a mere several seconds - for somebody to take a photograph. Now, if only I could find that shot.
Folly Beach is a wonderful barrier-island community just 20 minutes from downtown Charleston. Where else in America can one find a barrier island with such beautiful beaches just minutes from a terrific city? Yet another reason to love Charleston.
Folly is more synonymous with fun and funkiness than nearby Sullivan Island or Isle of Palms, which we also love. In his book Folly Beach: Glimpses of a Vanished Strand, Bill Bryan relates that George Gershwin wrote a substantial portion of Porgy & Bess from a beach house here in 1934. It makes sense given that he was collaborating with Charleston native and leading author DuBose Heyward. Edward Hopper also painted here on a regular basis.
Dutifully hanging out at the surf shop this morning, I learned that Folly is a serious surfing community. Seeing the surfers bring their lanky bodies and loopy shorts into the shop this morning reminded me of watching surfers compete in the Banzai Pipeline on the north shore of Oahu in the early '90s. I tried surfing once and got on the board long enough - a mere several seconds - for somebody to take a photograph. Now, if only I could find that shot.