Can I take my dog on the beach at Tybee Island?

Leave the dog home. No dogs, ever Dogs are not allowed on Tybee beaches at all — the ban protects nesting sea turtles and shorebirds, and it is enforced (first-offense fines run into the hundreds). Service animals excepted. Tybee does have a dog park by the Rivers End campground, and leashed dogs are fine in the neighborhoods and business district.

Can I take my dog on the beach at Hilton Head Island?

Bring the dog. Leash or voice control Outside the restricted daytime hours, dogs may be on a leash OR under positive voice control. A separate restriction protects shorebirds near Fish Haul Creek — watch for posted signage there.

Can I take my dog on the beach at Isle of Palms?

Bring the dog. Off-leash OK Off-leash still means leash in hand, dog under voice command, and you clean up. At every other hour dogs are welcome but leashed — including in the water.

Can I take my dog on the beach at Sullivan's Island?

Bring the dog. Off-leash OK The strictest permit regime on this coast, and it is enforced. Confirm the current season's hours with the Town before you rely on them.

Can I take my dog on the beach at Folly Beach?

Leash up. Leashed only Leashed and under control whenever dogs are allowed; never on the pier. Members of the FIDO club with current tags get off-leash privileges outside peak season.

Can I take my dog on the beach at Hunting Island State Park?

Leash up. Leashed only State-park rule: leash no longer than six feet, always. Dogs are kept off the beach in the middle of the day through turtle season. Not allowed in cabins or park buildings.

Can I take my dog on the beach at Edisto Beach State Park?

Leash up. Leashed only One of the friendlier stretches in the off-season — voice control is accepted on the sand from November through April. Six-foot leash the rest of the year.

Can I take my dog on the beach at Daufuskie Island?

We have not checked. Check with the town Daufuskie's beach is unincorporated Beaufort County and we have not confirmed a dog ordinance for it — we would rather say so than invent one. Assume leashed and under control, watch for posted signage, and check with the County.

Can I take my dog on the beach at Beachwalker Park (Kiawah)?

Leash up. Leashed only The only public access to Kiawah, and the rest of the island is private. Charleston County requires a leash and clean-up; the Town of Kiawah adds the season on top. Off-leash still means you stay with the dog and carry a lead, and you leash up if Beach Patrol or another beachgoer asks.

Are dogs allowed at The Battery & White Point Garden?

Dogs welcome. Leashed any time, and off-leash is permitted from dawn to 9am and again from 5pm to 11pm. It is unfenced and sits between two busy streets on the point, so only if the recall is genuinely reliable.

Are dogs allowed at ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge?

Leashed dogs OK. Unusually for a national wildlife refuge, ACE Basin allows dogs — Pinckney Island and the Savannah refuge do not. Dogs and cats only, restrained on a leash and under control at all times.

Are dogs allowed at Audubon Newhall Preserve?

Leashed dogs OK. Fifty acres of trails and a pond in the middle of the island, and leashed dogs are welcome — pick up after them. There are alligators in the pond, so keep the lead short.

Are dogs allowed at Burkes Beach?

Leashed dogs OK. Small, undeveloped access by the creek, and it follows the same town beach ordinance. Watch the signage at the Fish Haul Creek end, where the shorebird rules are stricter.

Are dogs allowed at Coligny Beach Park?

Leashed dogs OK. The island's busiest access, and it follows the town beach ordinance: no dogs between 10am and 5pm from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day, leash or voice control the rest of the year. The beach board above has the answer for right now.

Are dogs allowed at Driessen Beach Park?

Leashed dogs OK. Town beach ordinance applies: restricted 10am to 5pm in high summer, leash or voice control otherwise. Boardwalk, showers and a lot of shade in the parking lot.

Are dogs allowed at Edisto Beach State Park?

Leashed dogs OK. Leash or physical restraint at all times, and nothing in or around the lodging. Edisto is one of the friendlier stretches out of season — voice control is accepted on the sand from November through April.

Are dogs allowed at Fish Haul Creek Park?

Leashed dogs OK. The exception on Hilton Head: leash at all times here, no voice-control window, because the shorebird habitat at Fish Haul Creek is protected. Do not assume the island-wide beach rule applies at this one.

Are dogs allowed at Folly Field Beach Park?

Leashed dogs OK. Same town ordinance as the rest of the island — the midday summer restriction is the one that catches visitors out.

Are dogs allowed at Forsyth Park?

Leashed dogs OK. Leashed dogs anywhere across the thirty acres except the Nature Center. Off-leash is a city ordinance violation here however many people you see chancing it — Savannah has fenced dog parks at Daffin and elsewhere for that.

Are dogs allowed at Fort Pulaski National Monument?

Leashed dogs OK. One of the better forts to bring a dog to: leashed at six feet, they can come inside the fort itself and along every trail on the monument. Not in the visitor centre. Do not leave a dog in the car here between June and September.

Are dogs allowed at Hampton Plantation State Historic Site?

Leashed dogs OK. Leashed on the grounds, which are the good part anyway. No pets in the buildings, so the house tour is off the table.

Are dogs allowed at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park?

Leashed dogs OK. Leashed dogs along the river walk and the green, and several of the restaurants facing the park keep a water bowl by the door. The easiest dog walk in Beaufort.

Are dogs allowed at Hunting Island State Park?

Leashed dogs OK. State-park rule is a leash no longer than six feet, everywhere, and no pets in or around the cabins and buildings. The beach itself closes to dogs in the middle of the day through turtle season — check the beach board above before you drive out.

Are dogs allowed at Islanders Beach Park?

Leashed dogs OK. Quieter than Coligny and the parking is resident-permit in season. Town beach ordinance applies to dogs.

Are dogs allowed at Jarvis Creek Park?

Leashed dogs OK. Fifty-three acres of town park with a pond, a fishing pier and a mile of flat trail. Leash required, plenty of shade, and no gate fee — the easy default on Hilton Head.

Are dogs allowed at Kiawah Island Beachwalker Park?

Leashed dogs OK. The county rule is leashed and under control. The Town of Kiawah then adds a season on top: leashed from 1 March to 15 October, off-leash from 16 October to the end of February provided you stay with the dog and carry a lead. Leash up if Beach Patrol or another beachgoer asks — that is written into the rule.

Are dogs allowed at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens?

Leashed dogs OK. Leashed dogs, six-foot lead, across the sixty-six acres of grounds, the gardens and the Audubon Swamp Garden. Not on any tour, not in the wildlife centre, not in the gift shop. One of the few big Charleston attractions that says yes at all.

Are dogs allowed at Sea Pines Forest Preserve?

Leashed dogs OK. Six hundred acres of trails, leashed at all times. There is a gate fee per vehicle to get into Sea Pines. Assume every pond holds an alligator and keep the dog four car lengths back from the water — this is not a precaution people here treat as optional.

Are dogs allowed at Angel Oak Tree?

Partly. Leashed dogs are allowed in the designated areas, including the picnic ground, but not up at the tree itself — the root system is exactly what the city is protecting. Someone holds the lead while the other takes the photograph.

Are dogs allowed at Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens?

Partly. Leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds and through the gardens and the Avenue of Oaks, but not inside the plantation house, not on the tractor tour, and not in the other buildings. Special events like the Pumpkin Patch are service animals only.

Are dogs allowed at Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve?

Partly. Dogs are allowed across the 4,600 acres under voice control, but NOT on the causeway or the beach — which is the part everyone comes for. Grab a day pass at the kiosk. Closed Tuesdays and during scheduled hunts, and there is enough deer and turkey here that a dog with a poor recall will find them.

Are dogs allowed at Fort Moultrie?

Partly. Leashed dogs are fine on the paths, trails and grounds outside the fort. They cannot go inside the fort or the visitor centre, so bring someone who can hold the lead.

Are dogs allowed at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge?

Partly. Your dog can ride the four-and-a-half-mile Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive with you, in the car. Pets are not allowed on the refuge trails. Leashed walking is permitted at the Solomon Tract and north of I-95 off Purrysburg Road.

Are dogs allowed at Caw Caw Interpretive Center?

No dogs. No pets other than service animals. Charleston County runs it as a low-impact wildlife preserve, and bicycles are out too.

Are dogs allowed at Fort Sumter National Monument?

No dogs. No dogs at Fort Sumter, and the ferry operator does not carry pets — which settles it, since the boat is the only way out. Fort Moultrie, the other half of the same national park, does take leashed dogs on its grounds.

Are dogs allowed at McLeod Plantation Historic Site?

No dogs. No pets other than service animals, and no bicycles. Charleston County runs McLeod as a historic site rather than a park, and treats it accordingly.

Are dogs allowed at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge?

No dogs. No pets anywhere on the refuge unless they stay inside the vehicle, service animals excepted. It is posted at the entrance and it is enforced. Worth knowing before you drive out, because this is the most-walked trail system on the island and every visitor assumes the dog can come.

Dog-friendly Lowcountry

Bring the dog

Which beaches will have him this afternoon, which patios mean it, which trails turn him away, and where you can both sleep. Savannah to Mount Pleasant, checked against the people who set the rules.

Right now at Hilton Head Island: Leash or voice control

Beach rules right now Where they are welcome

Isle of Palms at sunrise · Brian Stansberry, CC BY 4.0

Everything Lowcountry pets

What can we do with the dog?

Ninety-odd places from Savannah to Mount Pleasant, each one checked against whoever sets the rule — the town, the park service, the operator. Pick a direction.

Get out togetherTrails, parks & gardensSixty-six acres of Magnolia's gardens, six hundred at Sea Pines, and the six-foot-leash rule that governs every state park on this coast.28 places →Off the leadDog parksA lake they can swim in at James Island. A splash pad for dogs only at Wannamaker. Ten fenced parks, every town covered.10 places →

Eat out togetherPatios that mean itNot just tables outdoors — places that put a bowl down without being asked. One publishes a dog menu.12 places →

Do something togetherBoats, ferries & toursDolphin cruises that take a leashed dog, kayaks you can rent with one, and the ferry to Daufuskie that carries them.6 places →

Season by seasonEvery beach, every ruleThe full timetable for nine beaches, and the ordinance behind each one.9 places →

Bring them alongWhere you can both sleepReal pet fees and weight limits, from a $35-a-night inn on Bay Street to the resorts that charge $150 a room and mean it.10 places →Before you drive outWhere they are not welcomePinckney Island bans pets outright and it is the most-walked trail on Hilton Head. Fort Sumter's ferry will not carry one. Tybee's beach is closed to them all year.6 places to know about →And when you need oneVets, groomers & boardingThe working directory: practices, groomers, boarding and daycare, feed and supply, right along the corridor.18 places →AdoptThe shelters worth your SaturdaySix shelters and rescues, all of them full, most of them open when you actually have a Saturday.6 places →

Adopt

The shelters worth your Saturday

Every one of these takes walk-ins, and most of them are full. Adoption hours are short on weekdays and long on weekends, so check before you drive.

Beaufort County Animal Services

Okatie

The county shelter, and where a stray picked up in Bluffton, Beaufort or Port Royal ends up. If your animal has gone missing in Beaufort County, call here first and go in person. The county moved the shelter to the Pritcher Point campus in Okatie.

(843) 255-5010 Website →

Charleston Animal Society

North Charleston

Founded in 1874 and the animal-control contractor for Charleston County, which makes it the largest intake shelter in the region. Adoption hours are short on weekdays and much longer on weekends.

(843) 747-4849 See who needs a home →

Hilton Head Humane Association

Hilton Head

The island's shelter since 1980, on Humane Way off Beach City Road. They also run a second animal campus and a low-cost spay and neuter clinic at Pritcher Point in Okatie, and a thrift store on Old Wild Horse Road that funds the work.

(843) 681-8686 See who needs a home →

Humane Society for Greater Savannah

Savannah

Savannah's adoption centre on Sallie Mood Drive, with the Pet Fix Savannah clinic next door for low-cost spay and neuter surgery.

(912) 354-9515 See who needs a home →

Palmetto Animal League

Okatie

No-kill rescue in the Riverwalk business park, paired with an affordable veterinary clinic that treats the community's animals as well as its own. The Bluffton thrift store pays for a good share of it.

(843) 645-1725 See who needs a home →

Pet Helpers Adoption Center

Charleston

No-kill shelter on Folly Road on James Island, open every afternoon. Budget half an hour for the adoption process and arrive by 4:30 if you mean to take an animal home the same day.

(843) 795-1110 See who needs a home →