Morris Island

The previous review was incorrect. At the southern tip of Morris Island there is a lighthouse which used to be on the island. Due to erosion the lighthouse is now a few hundred yards off of the coast. There are beautiful forever changing sand bars all around the lighthouse that are wonderful for a little kayak picnic. The island itself is a few miles long with a very pretty shoreline. I walked two miles down the beach on a weekend day and didn’t run in to a single soul. There is a little bit of trash here and there that’s washed up on the beach that I would LOVE to rid the island of if I had a boat. The northern tip of the island is a hot spot for young boaters to go and have a drink and mingle. Half way down the island there are some 20 foot dirt cliffs from the erosion which are an interesting sight, as well as a few palmetto trees in the water at high tide near Cummings point (an amazing hammock spot). Please go enjoy Morris Island and leave it cleaner than you found it! It is a beautiful undeveloped place rich in history, sharks teeth, sand dollars and fun.

I really love lighthouses… I just find them inspiring and usually the settings are very picturesque. So when I heard about the historic lighthouse (built 1876) on Morris Island, I was eager to go see it. Being boatless, which is the only way to access Morris Island directly, we headed instead to the best place to view it, on the end of Folly Beach. If Morris Island sounds familiar, it may be because it was a strategically important site during the Civil War/​War Between the States as the home to Fort Wagner.
This section of Folly Beach is a nature reserve, but has a clear path, paved most of the way, and then sand into the beach. It is a quick stroll, about ¼ mile. There is some signage about the birds that nest on the preserve, and a nice little beach area from which you can enjoy the view. When we visited, the waves were crashing against the shore, salt water was flicking into the air, and it was just a very neat view.

Today, there is really not much to Morris Island. In fact, there is not much island at all — only a lighthouse which is barely even that — the iconic light itself is currently in the process of being strengthened so that it does not fall into the sea.
But some 150 years ago, the island at one end of Folly was the site of a relatively famous encounter during the civil war. It is in fact documented (well, popularized) in the film Glory, where the 54^th is seen in their attack on Morris Island.
These days, all that is left is the crumbling lighthouse. Though the light no longer functions, it is definitely worth the short walk from the end of Folly Beach to see the towering structure, especially at low tide when you can see the base. Few lighthouses are anything like it. There is usually not much of a crowd, other than a few gulls, and because of the location it just does not get much traffic once you get through town. Well worth the trip!

I like the end of folly beach, where you can see Morris lighthouse from the shores. Its peaceful and calm. The waters are less crowded. It’s a nice stroll along the coast, perfect and relaxing. The old lighthouse is abandoned and unreachable, but still stands gallantly, reminiscent of its glory days.

More local Charleston lore and history. Just off scenic Folly Beach, the Morris Island Lighthouse used to guide ships along the coast in the days before electric lights. Now the island is sinking and efforts are being made to preserve the lighthouse by firming its foundation and putting erosion-​proof barriers around its base. Once its base is secured, the people involved in Save the Light hope to refurbish the lighthouse. I hope that happens. Personally, I’d like to see it turned into a restaurant that would draw tourist dollars.

I am specifically speaking of the Morris Island lighthouse that stands alone on an island that is slowly being swallowed by the Atlantic.
We actually went to the northern end of Folly beach where you walk down a ¼ mile road that leads to the beach. From this end of the beach is a fantastic view of the lighthouse. I would approximate the island and lighthouse to be a few hundred yards away. I was told by locals and by reading another review by Josh A. that during the summer, you will find numerous boaters on the island as this is the only way to access the island itself. It is a popular spot to have fun and party.
The lighthouse is no longer a working lighthouse and you can tell that it use to be a bright white and red lighthouse that is now drab having been a victim to the sometimes brutal sea and salty air. There is a push to save the lighthouse. You can check it out at
. There is a great pic of the lighthouse on the sight as well.
Just a beautiful piece of S. C that I hope the preservation attempt proves successful.

Morris Island is one of the great beaches around Charleston, that’s only accesable by boat. Once you get out here, you find a beach that’s untouched by development. If you go during the summer, go early, because soon, a lot of other boaters will be headed out there party and have fun. You can go walking for miles on the beach or go fishing on the ocean side of the island. The fishing out there is pretty good too.