Things to do on Johns Island, SC: a local's list

Johns Island has no boardwalk and no ocean beach of its own. It does have the Angel Oak, working farms, miles of trails and landmarks of civil rights history. Here’s what to do, with addresses and hours checked against official sources. Confirm hours before you go, especially at farms, which change with the season.

The Angel Oak Tree

The island’s big draw is a live oak the City of Charleston puts at 300 to 400 years old, in a free park at 3688 Angel Oak Road. It’s open Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Read our Angel Oak guide for the rules before you go.

Parks and trails

• Mullet Hall Equestrian Center (Johns Island County Park), 2662 Mullet Hall Road. Run by Charleston County Parks, it covers 738 acres with 20 miles of horse and walking trails, show rings and 196 stalls. Hours are 8 a.m. to sunset from September to April and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from May to August. Admission is $2 a person; Gold Pass members and children 2 and under get in free. It doesn’t offer lessons, rentals or boarding.
• Johns Island Park, 1727 Bozo Lane. A City of Charleston park with ball fields, tennis courts, disc golf, a dog park and a playground.
• Eden Wind Farm, 3038 Edenvale Road. Horseback riding lessons.

Not on Johns Island: Stono River County Park. It has a Johns Island mailing address, but it’s on the West Ashley side of the Stono River, at 3580 McLeod Mill Road. It has trails and a marsh boardwalk, and admission is $1. It’s an easy stop on your way on or off the island.

Farms and markets

Our Johns Island farms guide lists every farm stand, pumpkin patch and market on the island, with what’s in season when.

• Legare Farms, 2620 Hanscombe Point Road. Pumpkin u-pick, hayrides and camps. Its October hours have been Friday 3 to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m., and its “Timber Scares” haunted walk runs through October 2026.
• Stono Market & Tomato Shed Café, 842 Main Road. A farm market and café, open Tuesday and Wednesday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Rosebank Farms moved its farm stand in 2024 to the Kiawah River entrance on Betsy Kerrison Parkway.
• Sea Island Farmers Market, sometimes called the Johns Island farmers market. Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., year-round, at 2024 Academy Road.
• St. John’s Farmers Market, a Wednesday market at 3673 Maybank Highway, posted no 2026 dates, and we found no sign it ran this year.

On the water

Johns Island has no ocean beach. Our guide to the nearest beaches has drive times, parking fees and lifeguard seasons.

Check the tide times before you launch: high tide at Church Creek runs well over an hour behind Charleston Harbor.

• Bohicket Marina & Market, 1880 Andell Bluff Boulevard, just off the island in the Town of Seabrook Island. Fuel, boat storage, rentals, charters, a ship’s store, and food and drinks.
• John P. Limehouse Landing. A public Charleston County boat ramp on the Stono River, off Main Road.
• Cherry Point Landing, nearby on Wadmalaw Island. A public ramp on Bohicket Creek.

Gullah Geechee and civil rights history

• The Progressive Club, 3377 River Road. Esau Jenkins and Joe Williams founded it in 1948, and the first Citizenship School opened here in 1957. Hurricane Hugo damaged the building in 1989. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 and added to the African American Civil Rights Network in 2021. There are no visitor hours, and a group of islanders is working to revitalize it. The National Park Service page tells its story.
• Moving Star Hall, 3104 River Road. A praise house built around 1917 and listed on the National Register in 1982.

Both are community landmarks, not museums. View them from the road unless an event is open to the public.

Shopping and dining

Freshfields Village, 165 Village Green Lane, sits at the crossroads of Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns islands. It has more than 50 shops plus restaurants and hosts more than 100 free events a year. Its mailing address is Kiawah Island, SC 29455.

For restaurants on the island itself, see our Johns Island restaurants guide. The newsletter covers openings and closings every week.

Nearby day trips

• Charleston Tea Garden (Wadmalaw Island), 6617 Maybank Highway. Open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Trolley tours start at $16, and the factory tour is free.
• Deep Water Vineyard (Wadmalaw), 6775 Bears Bluff Road. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Ambrose Family Farm (Wadmalaw), 2349 Black Pond Lane. U-pick strawberries in spring.
• Kiawah Beachwalker Park. A Charleston County beach park on Kiawah. From May through Labor Day it’s open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with parking at $15 on weekdays and $25 on weekends. The rest of the year it’s $5 to $15, depending on the month.
• Seabrook Island Equestrian Center, 2313 Seabrook Island Road. Beach rides are $175 for ages 12 and up, by reservation, Monday to Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.