The Wild Dunes On Isle of Palms Has It All Covered

The Isle of Palms has always been one of my favorite spots in the Charleston area for beachcombing, kayaking, and just hanging out for a day. Its beach was the first I checked out while vacationing here. One spring I stayed at a beach house off of Palm Blvd. It was a memorable time. That was before all the improvements were made around the pier and Ocean Blvd between County Park and 10th St. I still like to stop for a beer on the upper deck of Coconut Joe's around sunset or an ice cream cone at one of its shops after sunning or throwing the football around on the beach. Just up the road on Sullivan's Island is Poe's Tavern, a nostalgic place to eat.

The Isle of Palm is also home to the Wild Dunes, an oceanfront resort nestled on the northern end of the island. Here are some interesting facts for the history buffs before it became a resort. It was a staging point where Lord Cornwallis commanded 2,000 British troops in an attempt to take Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island. The Confederate submarine, H.L. Hunley, rammed and sank the Union warship, USS Housatonic around the island's waterways. The Isle of Palms Beach and Racquet Club was established in 1972, a tennis resort on 1,600 acres. In 1980 came the first of its two golf courses. In early 1990, Wild Dunes Resort became part of Destination Hotels & Resorts. The 1998 opening of the Boardwalk Inn provided guests a hotel stay in AAA Four Diamond style. Early 2008 large-scale beach erosion led to the depletion of the beachfront area of Wild Dunes wiping out the 18th hole of the Links Golf Course. Not to worry, it has since been repaired by pumping approximately 900,000 cubic feet of sand from offshore.

The resort now caters to everyone and every occassion. Couples who are looking for romance, families looking for together time, tennis players and golfers, meetings, weddings and celebrations. Specials and packages are available throughout the year for your convenience and affordability. Wild Dunes offers many accommodation styles, including condo rentals and vacation homes. Choose from six different dining spots from the simple to the elegant. The Grand Pavilion Café & Bar serves sandwiches, snacks, drinks and cocktails with a panoramic view of the ocean. For a suggestion of activities ranked among the best family recreation programs in the country check out Island Adventures.