Hey Johns Island

Hey, Johns Island. Here's what lands every Thursday.

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Hey, Johns Island. This is what you’ll get every Thursday morning: what’s being built, what’s opening, what’s on this weekend, and a straight answer to something neighbors keep asking. Every item links to where we got it.

Roads & growth

Tuesday’s vote decides the southern pitchfork

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Charleston County voters decide whether to approve a half-cent sales tax for up to 25 years, or until it raises $4.25 billion: $2.702 billion for roads, $858 million for transit and $690 million for greenbelts. The County says it would continue the half-cent tax that began in 2004. For Johns Island, the project list includes the Maybank Highway southern pitchfork and roundabouts. The City of Charleston calls those part of a $65 million project that depends on the tax. The Mark Clark extension isn’t on the list. Read the ballot questions. (We don’t take sides on ballot questions.)

Early voting runs through Saturday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Any registered county voter can use any early-voting center, including the one on the island at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3673 Maybank Highway. On Tuesday, polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. What to bring and where to vote

A new roundabout where Main, River and Chisolm meet

Charleston County scheduled the new roundabout at Main, River and Chisolm roads to open Monday, Oct. 19. It’s part of the Main Road Segment A project, which is due in September 2028. Next up is the ramp connection to US 17 northbound, expected by the end of the year. County announcement

Maybank’s fourth lane heads to bid

The County lists the Maybank Highway fourth lane, from River Road to the Stono River bridge, for bids this quarter. Reported start dates range from October to early 2027. Where every project stands

This weekend

The Angel Oak is open Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., and it’s free. Know before you go
Legare Farms: 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., per the state agritourism listing. Its “Timber Scares” haunted walk runs through October. Confirm with the farm before you go.
Saturday market: the Sea Island Farmers Market runs 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 2024 Academy Road, year-round. More things to do

Openings & closings

Closed: The Heyday, the restaurant and bar at 605 Kindred Court in Hayes Park, closed Oct. 25. It opened in April 2025. Post and Courier
Coming soon: Stono’s Oyster Bar, 2409 Maybank Highway, is aiming for spring 2027. What Now Charleston
Coming soon: Locals Sushi & Sports Pub is taking over the former Blu Smoke Pit space at 1804 Crowne Commons Way. What Now Charleston
Coming soon: Asian Hibachi Grill, 3575 Maybank Highway. What Now Charleston

Every opening and closing we’ve tracked is on our openings and closings page. Know about one we missed? Send us a tip.

Island answers

How old is the Angel Oak, really?

Older than the country, though probably not as old as some websites say. The City of Charleston estimates 300 to 400 years, and other credible estimates run to 500. We couldn’t find a credible source for the 1,500-year figure you’ll see online. And as of May 21, the tree is on the National Register of Historic Places, the first tree in South Carolina to be listed on its own. The full answer

Before you go

Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. Under the 2026 state plan, Johns Island is in evacuation Zone B, not Zone A as older documents say. Your zone, route and alerts

That’s the preview. Subscribe below and Issue 1 lands in your inbox on a Thursday morning.

Hey Johns Island

Angel Oak Tree: hours, cost, rules and how old it really is

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The Angel Oak is a Southern live oak on Johns Island and one of the most visited places around Charleston: the City of Charleston estimates about 400,000 visitors a year. It stands in a small City park, and seeing it costs nothing.

Where is the Angel Oak Tree?

The tree is at 3688 Angel Oak Road, Johns Island, SC 29455, in a park run by the City of Charleston’s Special Facilities Division. One City page lists a downtown 29402 ZIP code, so use 29455 for directions.

When is the Angel Oak open?

Day	Hours
Monday–Saturday	9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday	1–5 p.m.

Last entry is 4:50 p.m., and the gift shop closes at 4:30 p.m. every day. The park closes on holidays, but the City doesn’t say which ones, so call 843-559-3496 before a holiday visit.

Admission is free. The City accepts donations for the tree’s care.

How old is the Angel Oak, really?

No exact age has been published, and estimates vary:

Source	Estimated age
City of Charleston (owner)	300–400 years
Post and Courier (June 2026)	About 300–500 years
The Cultural Landscape Foundation	400–500 years

Some websites claim 1,000 to 1,500 years. We couldn’t find a credible published source for any figure of 1,000 years or more.

How big is the Angel Oak?

The City lists the tree at 65 feet tall, with a trunk 25.5 feet around, shading about 17,000 square feet. It calls the Angel Oak “the largest Live Oak Tree east of the Mississippi.”

Why is it called the Angel Oak?

The name comes from a family, not from angels. According to The Cultural Landscape Foundation, Abraham Waight acquired the land in 1717. The plantation and its tree took the Angel name after Martha Waight married Justus Angel in 1810. Stories about ghosts or angels are folklore.

Rules to know before you go

Keep things off the tree. The City doesn’t allow blankets, drinks, food, props or tripods on or around it.
Picnics go in the picnic area, which has tables.
Pets are allowed on a leash in designated areas, including the picnic area.
Weddings and photo shoots need a permit, and so do engagement sessions and other special events. Contact the City’s Recreation Department at 843-724-7327 and apply at least 21 days ahead. The City’s May 2024 fee schedule lists a one-hour wedding for up to 25 people at $150, plus an application fee of $15 for City residents or $30 for non-residents.
Climbing and drones: the City’s posted rules don’t mention either. Our advice is to stay off the limbs, which are centuries old, and to ask the City before you fly anything.

Parking and accessibility

The City’s pages don’t describe parking or accessible routes. If you have accessibility needs, call the park at 843-559-3496 before you go. Plans for the new preserve include an entry road from Bohicket Road meant to keep parked cars off the tree’s roots.

The Angel Oak Preserve: what’s changing

More than a decade ago, land around the tree was approved for hundreds of new homes. Since then:

2013: The Lowcountry Land Trust secured a first tract of about 17 acres, stopping 254 planned housing units.
2014: The Land Trust started a campaign for a second tract of about 18 acres, which was permitted for 260 apartments plus retail.
2026: The City and the Land Trust now jointly protect the tree and the 44-acre landscape around it.
May 21, 2026: The Angel Oak was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first tree in South Carolina to be listed individually.

The preserve plan adds boardwalk trails and a nature play area, and the park stays free. In January 2026, Live 5 put the cost at $13.5 million. The Land Trust expected construction to begin in 2026, and a larger gift shop is planned for a future welcome center. We’ll report construction dates and any closures in the newsletter.

Tips for a better visit

Go early on a weekday. The tree draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, so weekday mornings are your best chance at a quiet visit.
Mind the Sunday hours: the park doesn’t open until 1 p.m.
Make a morning of it. Pair the tree with farm stands, trails and history stops from our things to do on Johns Island guide.

Christmas lights on and near Johns Island: the 2026 Festival of Lights, markets and parades

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

We didn’t find a public light show on Johns Island itself for 2026. The big one is next door: the Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park, with more than 750 displays along a three-mile drive. Here are its 2026 dates, prices and the route from the island, plus the holiday markets on Johns Island and five nearby events worth the drive. We checked every date on Oct. 29, 2026, against the sources linked here, and we add events and reader displays through December.

Where can you see Christmas lights near Johns Island?

At the Holiday Festival of Lights in James Island County Park, 871 Riverland Drive, about 8 miles from the Angel Oak. The festival dates to 1990, and 2026 is its 37th year. It’s open every night from Friday, Nov. 13, through Thursday, Dec. 31, 5:30 to 10 p.m.

Downtown, the South Carolina Aquarium fills its building with holiday light installations on select nights for Aquarium Aglow. Details on both are below. If you know of a display on the island, send it to us.

When is the 2026 Holiday Festival of Lights, and what does it cost?

It runs nightly from Nov. 13 to Dec. 31, 2026, 5:30 to 10 p.m., including Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission is per vehicle, and the price depends on how busy Charleston County Parks expects the night to be:

Night	Online in advance	At the gate
Green (lighter crowds)	$15	$25
Yellow (moderate crowds)	$25	$35
Red (heavy crowds)	$30	$45

Advance tickets aren’t refundable and are good only on the night you book. The gate takes cash and credit cards, and there’s no ATM on site. Gold Pass members get one free vehicle admission per membership year; bring the pass itself, not a receipt.

Your ticket covers the drive, and you can loop it as many times as you like. To park and walk around Santa’s Village, stay in the left lane: all of its parking lots are reached from it. Don’t stop or get out of your car on the driving tour. Bikes and pedestrians aren’t allowed during festival hours.

Inside Santa’s Village, according to the festival’s FAQs and Santa page:

Festival Express train: $5 per person for a ride of about 15 minutes, 6 to 10 p.m. Children 2 and under ride free on an adult’s lap. Ticket sales end at 9:40 p.m.
Carousel: $2 a ride, from 6 p.m.
Climbing wall: $4 for two climbs, 6 to 10 p.m.
Santa: a visit is free, nightly from 6 p.m. to closing through Dec. 23. Sign in with an elf to join a virtual line, and your phone gets a notice when your turn is close. Photo packages start at $16.99.
Marshmallow roasting: it’s over an open fire. Bring your own marshmallows and sticks or buy them at the snack stands, and don’t break branches off the trees.

There’s also a 50-ton sand sculpture with a new holiday scene each year, plus gift shops and snack stands. The gift shops open in the daytime too, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Dec. 5, 6, 12 and 13.

What special events are at the Festival of Lights in 2026?

Fun Run and Walk, Wednesday, Nov. 11, and Thursday, Nov. 12. A two-mile walk or run through the lights before the festival opens. It’s $38 per vehicle of up to 15 people, registration is required, and the county expects both nights to sell out. Arrive by 6 p.m.; the gates close to traffic at 6:30 p.m. Dogs on short, non-retractable leashes are welcome, and Gold Passes aren’t valid. Details and registration.
Mingle with Kringle, Saturday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 12. A daytime visit with Santa for a group of up to five, $85, with a digital photo package and one festival gift pass. Registration closes the Thursday before.
Inclusive Visit with Santa, Sunday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 13. Calm, scheduled sessions for people with disabilities and their families, $40 per group of up to five, with photos and a gift pass. Santa is fluent in American Sign Language.
New Year’s Eve fireworks, Thursday, Dec. 31.

Book the Santa visits on the festival’s Santa page. For accessibility questions, call the park at 843-406-6990. It lends a wheelchair and KultureCity sensory bags free, first come, first served, and a wheelchair-accessible train car is available on request.

Which Festival of Lights nights are least crowded?

Green nights. Charleston County Parks color-codes each night by expected traffic: green for lighter crowds, yellow for moderate and red for heavy. It recommends buying tickets online in advance and going on a green or yellow night, which also costs less. The night-by-night calendar is on the festival’s tickets page.

How do you get to the Festival of Lights from Johns Island?

Take Maybank Highway (SC 700) east across the Stono River bridge, the Paul Gelegotis Bridge, onto James Island. Turn right on Riverland Drive and follow it to the park entrance at 871 Riverland Drive. From the Angel Oak it’s about 8 miles, according to OpenStreetMap’s route planner.

Charleston County Parks’ own directions start from Folly Road: turn onto George L. Griffith Boulevard or Grimball Road, turn right on Riverland Drive, then turn left into the festival. In a larger vehicle, the county recommends Folly Road to Camp Road to Riverland Drive, to avoid low branches and tight turns. Tour buses should call the park office first at 843-406-6990.

For roadwork on Maybank Highway, see our traffic and road projects page.

What holiday events are on Johns Island in 2026?

Two holiday markets, plus holiday meals at The Dunlin. We didn’t find a public tree lighting or parade on the island this year.

Homegrown Holiday Bazaar, Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Sea Islands Chamber of Commerce holds its 12th annual bazaar at Johns Island County Park (Mullet Hall), 2662 Mullet Hall Road, with local goods, food vendors and a silent auction. The chamber says past years have drawn more than 100 vendors and 1,000 shoppers.
Sea Island Farmers Market Holiday Market, Saturday, Dec. 19, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. At the market’s usual spot, 2024 Academy Road, with fires for toasting marshmallows and a photo cutout. The regular market runs there Saturdays year-round.
The Dunlin, 6000 Kiawah River Drive. The resort in the Kiawah River community serves a festive afternoon tea at Linnette’s on Saturdays and Sundays from Nov. 7 to Dec. 31, 2026, with seatings from 2 to 3:45 p.m. Linnette’s also serves holiday dinners on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Book the tea on Resy; holiday dinner reservations open on Resy 30 days ahead. The resort’s holiday page lists more December activities, such as carols and breakfast with Santa, so ask whether they’re open to non-guests.

Is the Angel Oak open over the holidays?

Not on holidays. The City of Charleston closes the park on holidays but doesn’t say which ones, and it hadn’t posted a 2026 holiday schedule when we checked on Oct. 29, 2026. Otherwise it’s open Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4:50 p.m. Call 843-559-3496 before a holiday visit, and read our Angel Oak guide for the rules.

What nearby holiday events are worth the drive?

Freshfields Village, Nov. 27 to 29, Dec. 12 and Dec. 19. Santa poses for free photos in Santa’s Surf Shack on the Village Green, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; bring your own camera or phone. A holiday market runs Saturday, Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., when a St. Johns fire truck will be there for the third annual Stuff a Truck. Free holiday movies play on the Village Green at 6 p.m.: The Grinch on Saturday, Dec. 12, and Elf on Saturday, Dec. 19. Freshfields, at 165 Village Green Lane, has a Kiawah Island address and sits just outside the island boundary we use.
Town of James Island tree lighting, Friday, Dec. 4, 6 p.m. It’s on the Town’s calendar as part of the First Friday market, which runs 6 to 9 p.m. at James Island Town Hall, 1122 Dills Bluff Road.
Charleston Holiday Parade, Sunday, Dec. 6, 3 p.m. The City of Charleston’s parade steps off at 3 p.m. downtown. The Post and Courier’s holiday calendar says the route runs from Colonial Lake down Broad Street and Meeting Street to Marion Square, where a tree lighting follows.
Aquarium Aglow, select nights Nov. 20 to Dec. 31. The South Carolina Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, fills the building with holiday light installations from 5:30 to 9 p.m., with timed entry. The 2026 nights are Nov. 20–22 and 27–29, and Dec. 3–6, 10–13, 16–23 and 26–31. Buy tickets ahead from the aquarium; prices go up $3 on event dates. The most convenient parking, the aquarium says, is the city’s pay garage at 24 Calhoun Street.
Folly Beach Christmas Parade, Saturday, Dec. 12, noon. Floats and marching bands parade along Center Street, and Santa hands out goodies at Folly River Park afterward. Center Street closes to traffic by 11:30 a.m.

How can I add a Christmas lights display to this page?

Email tips@heyjohnsisland.com with the subject “Christmas lights” and send:

the street address
the nights and hours it’s lit
a photo
your permission to publish

We list a home’s address only with the owner’s OK, and we add reader displays through December. Know of a holiday event on the island that we missed? Send it to the same address.

Does Johns Island have a beach? Where islanders go instead

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Johns Island has marsh, tidal rivers and creeks, but no ocean beach. Here’s where islanders go instead: how far each public beach is, what parking costs, when lifeguards are on duty, and where to put a boat in on the island. Fees and hours are as the operators listed them on Oct. 29, 2026.

Does Johns Island have a beach?

No. Johns Island sits behind Kiawah and Seabrook, two barrier islands that face the Atlantic. Its edges are tidal water: the Stono River separates it from James Island and the mainland, the Kiawah River runs between it and Kiawah, and Church Creek divides it from Wadmalaw.

The ocean beaches belong to the barrier islands. Kiawah has about 10 miles of beach and Seabrook more than 3.5 miles, according to their towns. Charleston County Parks runs three beach parks, and none is on Johns Island: Kiawah Beachwalker Park, Folly Beach County Park and Isle of Palms County Park.

What’s the closest beach to Johns Island?

Kiawah Beachwalker Park, a Charleston County park at 8 Beachwalker Drive on Kiawah’s west end. It’s about 13 miles from the Angel Oak by road: Bohicket Road south to Betsy Kerrison Parkway, then Kiawah Island Parkway and Beachwalker Drive. We measured the route with OSRM, a router that uses OpenStreetMap’s road map. It’s the only public beach access on Kiawah.

Here’s what Charleston County Parks lists:

Hours: 9 a.m. to sunset, except 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from May through Labor Day. The gate closes to incoming cars 30 minutes before the park does.
Parking, per car: $5 in January, February, November and December; $10 in March and October; $15 in April and in September after Labor Day. From May through Labor Day it’s $15 on weekdays and $25 on weekends and holidays. Walk-ins and cyclists get in free.
Crowds: the lot has 150 spaces and usually fills by about 10:30 a.m. in summer. The Town of Kiawah Island bans idling or parking outside the entrance. If the lot is full, park staff can add you to a virtual line that texts you as you move up.
Lifeguards: seasonal, over a marked swimming area. After Labor Day 2026 they worked weekends only, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., through the end of September.
On site: restrooms, dressing rooms, picnic areas with grills, a seasonal snack bar, and rentals: $15 a day for a beach chair and $25 for an umbrella.
Rules: dogs must be leashed in the park. Alcohol, smoking and vaping aren’t allowed. The Town of Kiawah Island bans wading and swimming in Captain Sams Inlet, at the island’s west end.

How far is Folly Beach from Johns Island?

About 15 to 16 miles from the Angel Oak to the Folly Beach Pier, and about 17 miles to Folly Beach County Park at the island’s west end. Take Maybank Highway (SC 700) over the Stono River to James Island, then Folly Road (SC 171) south onto Folly. Cutting across James Island on Riverland Drive is the shortest way; staying on Maybank Highway all the way to Folly Road adds about half a mile.

Folly Beach County Park, 1100 West Ashley Avenue. It’s open 8 a.m. to sunset and charges the same parking fees as Beachwalker. It’s cashless: cards only, with a no-fee cash-to-card kiosk. The 225 spaces usually fill by 10:30 a.m. on weekends and holidays; when they do, the county sends drivers to City of Folly Beach parking on West Ashley Avenue. Lifeguards are seasonal, and after Labor Day 2026 they worked weekends only, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., through September.
The rest of Folly. The City of Folly Beach has public walkovers at every block. City lots and some streets charge for parking from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, and rates vary by lot; Park Folly Beach has them. From May through Labor Day, the city says, county lifeguards cover the county park and the beach from 2nd Street East to 3rd Street West.
Folly’s beach rules. No alcohol, glass or smoking on the beach. Dogs aren’t allowed on the beach from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. between May 1 and Sept. 30, must be leashed the rest of the time, and are never allowed on the pier.

Can you use the beach on Seabrook or the rest of Kiawah?

Not without a pass. On Kiawah, the beach accesses behind the gate are for property owners, their guests and renters, according to the Town of Kiawah Island. Beachwalker Park is the only public one.

Most of Seabrook sits behind the Seabrook Island Property Owners Association’s private security gate, and the Town of Seabrook Island doesn’t control who gets through. Residents and owners with a bar code, and guests with a visitor pass, go straight to the gate. The town says anyone else should call the association at 843-768-0061.

The Seabrook Island Club’s Equestrian Center offers guided beach rides to Captain Sams Inlet on Seabrook’s North Beach, at $175 a person for ages 12 and up, booked by phone. For more on how the gated islands are governed, see Is Johns Island the same as Kiawah Island?

Where can you get on the water on Johns Island?

At the Limehouse Boat Landing, on the Stono River at 395 Main Road, beside the Limehouse Bridge on the island side. The state lists it as John P. Limehouse Landing. It’s the only one of Charleston County Parks’ 19 public boat landings on Johns Island, about 6 miles north of the Angel Oak on Main Road, and its parking is gravel.

The county’s rules for its landings:

They’re self-managed and not always staffed. Tides and currents affect the ramps, and there are serious drop-offs at low tide, so check the tide times before you launch.
Parking is for people using the landing. On weekends and holidays, the trailer spaces are only for vehicles with trailers.
No alcohol, and no tying up at a floating dock for more than 15 minutes at a time.
Don’t leave a vehicle or trailer for more than 72 hours.

The next-closest public ramps are off the island: Cherry Point Landing on Bohicket Creek, at 2741 Cherry Point Road on Wadmalaw, about 12 miles from the Angel Oak, and Sol Legare Landing, also called Battery Island, on the Stono River on James Island.

For rentals and charters, Bohicket Marina, at 1880 Andell Bluff Boulevard just inside the Town of Seabrook Island, has boat rentals, and its charter office books fishing and sailing charters and paddleboarding, according to the town.

We found no other public kayak launch or dock on Johns Island in the county’s or the state’s landing lists. If you know one, tell us.

How do you stay safe at the beach?

Swim near a lifeguard, and watch for rip currents. The National Weather Service calls rip currents the biggest weather-related killer in the Carolinas: just under 200 deaths since 2000, about eight a year. Citing the U.S. Lifesaving Association, it puts the chance of drowning at a beach with lifeguards at 1 in 18 million.

Know when they’re likely. Rip currents often form on calm, sunny days. They’re most common within a few hours of low tide and near piers and jetties. At Folly, Charleston County Parks says to stay at least 200 feet from the pier when you swim.
Check the forecast. The weather service’s beach forecast for the Charleston area rates the rip current risk as low, moderate or high. A hurricane far away can still send deadly rip currents and waves; our hurricane guide covers storm season.
If you’re caught, stay calm and don’t swim against the current. Swim parallel to the shore until you’re out of it, then head in. If you can’t, float or tread water, face the shore, wave and yell for help.
Mind Captain Sams Inlet. Kiawah bans wading and swimming in the inlet, at the island’s west end. Seabrook bans swimming there from two hours before to two hours after low tide, and whenever dolphins are in the inlet.
Lightning. Charleston County Parks says to seek shelter immediately when lightning or severe weather approaches.

Lifeguards are seasonal. The 2026 season at Beachwalker Park and Folly Beach County Park ended in September, so swim with extra care in the off-season.

Is Johns Island in the City of Charleston? City vs. county addresses, explained

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Johns Island isn’t a town of its own. Almost every address on it is either inside the City of Charleston or in unincorporated Charleston County, meaning outside any city or town, and the line between them runs parcel by parcel. Here’s how to tell which side you’re on and what changes.

Which parts of Johns Island are in the City of Charleston?

Under a fifth of it, by area. We compared Charleston County’s map of municipal boundaries with OpenStreetMap’s outline of the island on Oct. 29, 2026. The City covers about 18 percent of the island’s area, or about one-sixth if you leave out tidal marsh and open water. Nearly all the rest is unincorporated county.

The City’s part has grown fast. The City estimates 15,117 residents in its Johns Island area for 2026, up from 11,884 in the 2020 Census and 5,266 in 2010, according to its Fast Facts. The City has been annexing land on the island since at least 1984, according to a history by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Almost all of the City’s land is in the island’s northeast, closest to James Island and West Ashley. That includes the Maybank Highway corridor between the Stono River and Main Road, neighborhoods north of the highway and the area around Charleston Executive Airport. Main Road north of Maybank Highway, most of River Road and nearly all of the island’s southern half, including Bohicket Road toward Kiawah and Seabrook and the Kiawah River area, are unincorporated.

Even in the northeast, it’s a patchwork. On Maybank Highway, the John’s Island Library and the post office are inside city limits, while St. John’s Water Company’s office and St. Johns Fire District’s Station 1, which sit between them, are in unincorporated county, according to County parcel records. The City calls unincorporated pockets surrounded by city land “donut holes” and says many exist on Johns Island.

How do I check whether an address is in the city?

Use the County’s map. Search the address or parcel number on Charleston County’s GIS map and turn on the Municipal Boundaries layer. That’s the method the City of Charleston gives for checking a property. The same map’s Chas County Urban Growth Boundary layer shows which side of the growth boundary a property is on.
Use the City’s map. The City’s fire department points people to Charleston GIS to see whether a property is inside city limits.
Ask. Charleston County Zoning & Planning, at 843-202-7200 or Planning@CharlestonCounty.org, will tell you whether a property is unincorporated. The City’s annexation planner reviews addresses sent to annex@charleston-sc.gov.
Look at the tax district. In County parcel records, Johns Island properties inside the City are in tax district 5-2, and unincorporated ones are in 5-1, the St. Johns Fire District.

Don’t go by the mailing address. “Johns Island, SC 29455” is used on both sides of the line, and by places that aren’t on the island at all.

What changes if you’re in the city?

	City of Charleston address	Unincorporated county address
Zoning and development	City Planning Commission, Boards of Zoning Appeals and City Council; City Zoning, 843-724-3765	County Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals and County Council; County Zoning & Planning, 843-202-7200
Garbage	Weekly City pickup; Trident Waste runs the island’s City routes	No County pickup; optional paid service from the County’s hauler, Trident Waste & Recycling, or a County drop-off center
Police	Charleston Police Department, Patrol Team 3	Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, West Patrol District
Fire	Charleston Fire Department	St. Johns Fire District
2025 property tax levy	298.1 mills	246.1 mills
Stormwater fee	$132 a year for a single-family home	$72 a year for residential property

Our Johns Island services guide has the phone numbers, hours and pickup details for each.

Who decides zoning and development?

The government your parcel is in. Rezonings, subdivisions and variances go to City boards for City land and County boards for unincorporated land. The County’s zoning ordinance “only applies to unincorporated properties,” according to County Zoning & Planning.

City of Charleston:

The Planning Commission, nine residents appointed by the mayor and City Council, reviews rezonings, subdivision requests, concept plans, street names and zoning ordinances. City Council has the final say on its recommendations, except for subdivision approvals, which the commission decides. It meets at 5 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at 2 George Street.
Two boards hear zoning variances and special exceptions: the Board of Zoning Appeals–Zoning and the Board of Zoning Appeals–Site Design, which handles tree protection, landscaping, parking lot design and street design.
City Zoning is at 2 George Street, 843-724-3765.

Charleston County:

The Planning Commission, nine members appointed by County Council, makes recommendations to County Council on rezonings, planned developments, comprehensive plan changes and zoning ordinance amendments. It has the final say on road name changes, preliminary subdivision plats and appeals of subdivision-related staff decisions. It meets on the second Monday of each month.
The Board of Zoning Appeals, also nine members appointed by Council, decides appeals of staff zoning decisions, variances and special exceptions.
County Zoning & Planning is in the Lonnie Hamilton III Public Services Building, 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston, open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 843-202-7200.

How do taxes and fees differ?

City addresses pay a City tax levy; unincorporated addresses pay a fire-district levy instead. For tax year 2025, the Charleston County Auditor’s millage card and breakdown list:

City of Charleston districts, including district 52 on Johns Island: 298.1 mills. That’s 216.1 countywide mills, for County government, the school district, parks and Trident Tech, plus 82.0 City mills: 72.5 for City operations, 4.0 for drainage and 5.5 for public safety infrastructure.
St. Johns Fire District, district 51, the unincorporated island: 246.1 mills. That’s the same 216.1 countywide mills plus 30.0 for the fire district.

So a City address on the island carries 52 more mills. What that means in dollars depends on a property’s assessed value. The City will prepare a tax, fee and service comparison for a specific property if you email its annexation staff at annex@charleston-sc.gov.

Stormwater fees differ too:

City: a flat $132 a year for a single-family home; other properties pay by their area of roofs and pavement. The fee is now billed on the County tax bill. City homeowners with a homestead exemption can apply for a waiver; for the 2027 fee, the deadline is Oct. 30, 2026.
County: residential property in unincorporated areas pays a flat $72 a year, according to County Public Works. The County also treats unincorporated Johns Island as a Stormwater Special Protection Area, with extra rules for development.

What stays the same either way?

Plenty. A property’s city or county status doesn’t change these:

Water: St. John’s Water Company serves both City and county areas of the island.
Power: Berkeley Electric Cooperative. In 1989, SCE&G began building a power line to a new shopping center on land it said the City had annexed. Berkeley Electric fought it, and SCE&G abandoned the line in 2001, according to the NRECA history. Confirm an address on the co-op’s service-territory map.
Public schools, the library, the post office and mosquito control, which come from the Charleston County School District, the Charleston County Public Library, USPS and Charleston County.

Sewer is mapped separately: Charleston Water System serves parts of Johns Island inside the urban growth boundary.

Can my property join the City?

Yes, if it touches the city limits and sits on the City side of the Urban Growth Boundary. The City’s Johns Island annexation page sets those conditions plus approval by City Council, and the property can’t already be in another town. Annexation is free:

The owner signs an application to join the City and sends it to the City’s Planning Division.
City Council considers it at two meetings. After the second approval, the property is in the city and City services begin.
The City notifies service providers, such as 9-1-1, tax offices and garbage pickup. The property then gets City zoning that corresponds to its County zoning unless a different zoning is requested; the Planning Commission hears it and City Council approves it.

The City says it receives annexation applications from Johns Island owners every year. Its annexation planner is at 843-577-1686.

What is the Johns Island Council?

A volunteer citizens’ group, not a government. The Johns Island Council brings together residents, property owners and business owners from Johns Island, plus an appointed voting representative from Wadmalaw Island. All of its members are volunteers.

It meets on the second Thursday of each month at the Berkeley Electric building, 1135 Main Road, and anyone can attend.
It hosts presentations by City and County officials, planners, developers, fire and police, and holds candidate forums, but it doesn’t endorse candidates.
Members speak at public hearings on development, zoning and environmental rules. Its four committees cover transportation and infrastructure, planning and zoning, community assistance and education, and it gives scholarships to island students.

It isn’t Charleston City Council or Charleston County Council, and it doesn’t make zoning or permit decisions. Those stay with the City and County bodies above.

Does a “Johns Island, SC 29455” address mean you’re on the island, or in the city?

Neither. The 29455 ZIP code covers more than the island. The Town of Kiawah Island’s town hall is at 4475 Betsy Kerrison Parkway, Kiawah Island, SC 29455, and the Town of Seabrook Island’s is at 2001 Seabrook Island Road, Seabrook Island, SC 29455. Our Johns Island vs. Kiawah guide explains the difference between the islands.

Some places with Johns Island mailing addresses sit just off the island. The MUSC Health emergency room at 1857 Seabrook Island Road, at the Freshfields Village roundabout, uses a Johns Island, SC 29455 address but falls outside the island’s outline, by our check.

And the mailing address says nothing about jurisdiction. The post office, in the city, and St. John’s Water Company, in the county, both have Johns Island, SC 29455 addresses.

Know a part of the island we’ve described wrong? Tell us.

Johns Island farms: farm stands, pumpkin patches, u-pick and farmers markets

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Johns Island’s farm stands sit along Main Road, River Road and Betsy Kerrison Parkway, and two of its farms open pumpkin patches in October. Here’s where to buy straight from a farm, meet the goats or join a CSA, with hours checked on Oct. 29, 2026. Farm hours change with the season and the weather, so call before you drive out.

How we built this list

We searched the SC Department of Agriculture’s agritourism, roadside-market and CSA directories, the state’s senior farmers market lists for 2025 and 2026, Lowcountry Local First’s market list and LocalHarvest. Then we checked each farm against its own website or social page and recent news. Every address went through OpenStreetMap’s outline of Johns Island, the same test our restaurants guide uses, and all 11 places in the island list passed.

Two u-pick farms next door on Wadmalaw are listed separately. We left out a flower farm that books its workshops only through Airbnb, because we couldn’t confirm where it is. If we missed a farm or a stand, tell us. We update this page as stands open, move and close, and log the changes on our openings and closings page.

Where can you pick a pumpkin on Johns Island?

At two farms, both in October.

Legare Farms, 2620 Hanscombe Point Road, runs a pumpkin patch on its 300-acre farm on the Stono River. The farm dates its founding to 1725, and descendants of its founder still run it. Its pumpkin patch page lists weekends in October: Friday 3 to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. Its contact page says Fridays start at 1 p.m., so call 843-559-0788 if you’re planning a Friday visit.

Gate admission is $5 per car. Pumpkins and most activities cost extra, including a hayride to feed the cows ($5), horse rides ($6), a scarecrow kit ($12) and gem mining ($5 or $10 a bucket). The barnyard and playground are free. No outside food, and no pets. In 2026 the farm also brought back a haunted forest walk, Timber Scares, which runs through October.

Full Circle Farm, 3014 River Road, opened its pumpkin patch Oct. 1. It’s open during regular farm hours, Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free in October if you buy a pumpkin. Its Halloween at the Farm night is Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, 6:30 to 8 p.m.: $20 a person and no more than $60 a family, with stories by the fire, s’mores, pumpkin decorating and a hayride. Buy tickets ahead.

For carving instead of picking, The Goatery at Kiawah River runs Gourds & Goats, pumpkin carving with its herd, from August through the fall. Register in advance.

Is there a farmers market on Johns Island?

Yes. The Sea Island Farmers Market runs every Saturday, year-round, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Charleston Collegiate School campus, 2024 Academy Road. It’s rain or shine, and it’s a producers’ market: vendors can sell only what they grow or make. Expect produce, locally raised meat, eggs, mushrooms and honey, plus breads, desserts, crafts and lunch. Leashed, well-behaved pets are allowed.

Searching for the Johns Island Farmers Market? This is it. When that market’s founders stepped away in early 2020, its vendors kept it going under the new name, the Charleston City Paper reported. Some listings call it the Sea Islands Farmers Market. Its 2026 holiday market is Saturday, Dec. 19, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; our Christmas guide has more December events.

The island’s other market, St. John’s Farmers Market, met on Wednesday afternoons at St. John’s Grove, 3673 Maybank Highway. Lowcountry Local First still lists it for Wednesdays 3 to 6 p.m., with its 2026 dates “coming soon.” The church’s market web page is no longer online, and we found no sign the market ran in 2026.

Which farm stands are open on Johns Island?

Five. Three are on or just off Betsy Kerrison Parkway near the Kiawah River entrance, toward Kiawah and Seabrook.

Rosebank Farms, 5018 Kiawah River Drive. Sidi Limehouse and Louise Bennett moved their stand in 2024 to the entrance of Kiawah River, a neighborhood that calls itself Charleston’s first “agrihood,” on land where Limehouse grew up. It sells the farm’s produce and flowers, plus local seafood, honey and grab-and-go dishes. Kiawah River says Limehouse grows carrots, lettuce, cabbage, okra, watermelon, artichokes and tomatoes there, along with zinnias and hydrangeas. The stand also stocks The Goatery’s goat cheese and milk in season. Its January 2025 listing said it was open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. We couldn’t confirm 2026 hours, so call 843-768-0508.
The Market at Storey Farms, 4104 Betsy Kerrison Parkway. It’s across the road from Kiawah River. Jeremy Storey left Chicago’s three-Michelin-star Alinea to raise chickens on Johns Island, and his market sells the farm’s eggs, poultry and pork plus produce and goods from neighboring farms. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Freeman Produce, 3801 Betsy Kerrison Parkway. A produce stand with no website we could find. The state’s 2025 senior farmers market list gave its hours as Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and it’s on the 2026 list too. Call 843-697-2612 before you go.
Joseph Fields Farm, 3129 River Road. A staffed stand on the 50-acre farm of Joseph Fields, a third-generation Gullah Geechee farmer. His grandson, CJ Dillahunt, is set to take it over, Live 5 News reported in 2025, and the farm gives tours. The state’s farm-stand directory lists more than two dozen crops, including strawberries, blueberries, collards, okra and muscadine grapes. That directory gives hours of daily 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., while the state’s 2025 senior-market list says Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so call 843-729-9606.
Stono Market & Tomato Shed Café, 842 Main Road. The Ambrose family’s farm market and café, open since 1989. It sells produce from Ambrose Family Farm on Wadmalaw, fills in with produce shipped from elsewhere out of season, and stocks local honey, stone-ground grits, jams and baked goods. The market is open Tuesday and Wednesday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Lunch is served Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and supper Thursday to Saturday, 4 to 9 p.m.

Which farms can you visit on Johns Island?

Five welcome visitors. Of these, only Full Circle Farm takes walk-in visitors outside Legare’s October pumpkin patch, so book the others ahead.

Full Circle Farm, 3014 River Road. Peter and Mary Conway started it in 2016 on fields that were for sale as one-acre lots. Stop by Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., pick up a map at the welcome booth and walk the farm for $5 a person, age 5 and up. A guided “inside the pens” tour with the goats, donkeys and ducks is $10 a person by appointment, and the farm doesn’t recommend it for children under 5. It sells duck eggs ($10 a dozen), seasoned firewood and, from Thanksgiving, Christmas trees. In December, admission is free if you buy a tree.
The Goatery at Kiawah River, 2574 Mullet Hall Road. A grade-A goat dairy run by Ray and Missy Farkouh. Visits are by appointment and cost $20 a person; children under 2 are free. It also holds goat yoga classes and birthday parties, and it makes raw goat milk, chèvre and pimento cheese.
Jeremiah Farm & Goat Dairy, 3853 Platt Road. A homestead and grade-A raw goat milk dairy that teaches cheese- and soap-making classes. Its state listing gives hours of Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with tours by appointment. Harvest Hosts calls it a seasonal dairy, so call 843-276-3115 before you go for milk.
Blackwater Acres, 2515 Breakaway Trail. An alpaca farm that sells yarn and fiber goods. Tours are by appointment, Wednesday to Sunday, per its state listing, and it posts tour dates on Instagram.
Legare Farms books school field trips year-round, including Thanksgiving on the Farm in November ($10 a child), and runs weeklong summer camps. In 2026 they ran in June and July for ages 6 to 11, at $300 a week. On weekdays outside October, call 843-559-0788 for an appointment.

Which Johns Island farms have a CSA or delivery?

Legare Farms. Its 2026 CSA is a weekly bag of six or seven vegetables for 15 weeks: 12 in spring and summer, then three in the fall after a midsummer break. Its online store lists a half share at $400 and a full share at $505. Pick up at the farm on Tuesdays, 1 to 6 p.m., or at stops on James Island and in West Ashley, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant; delivery costs extra. An egg share is available, and a six-week winter season runs January and February. For meat, its Butcher’s Club sells prepaid memberships of $250, $500 or $1,000 that take 20% off its beef, pork, lamb and eggs. Its Rolling Market sells vegetables, beef, pork, eggs and jams at stops around Charleston; call 843-559-0788 for the current schedule.
Rosebank Farms. Its CSA ran from April through December in 12-week seasons, with bags to pick up or boxes delivered, according to the farm’s January 2025 listing. Ask at the stand about 2026.
Spade & Clover Gardens. A small Johns Island farm that grows tomatoes, cucumbers and kale alongside turmeric, ginger and galangal. It started in 2013 in Lowcountry Local First’s Dirtworks incubator, and it now farms several fields at Full Circle Farm. Its website lists no farm stand: order online, or ask about the 19-week spring and summer CSA share in its state listing.
Ambrose Family Farm, Wadmalaw Island. Its year-round CSA delivers to Johns Island, according to its state listing. Its 2026 LocalHarvest listing puts shares at $25 to $55 a week.
Vital Mission Farm, Wadmalaw Island, delivers pasture-raised poultry, pork, beef and eggs, and Johns Island is in its delivery area.

What’s in season on Johns Island, month by month?

This calendar uses only what the farms themselves post. Ambrose Family Farm, which supplies the Stono Market, publishes the most detail. Weather moves every date, so call ahead.

When	What’s in	Where
January and February	Winter roots and greens: beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, lettuces and sugar snap peas	Ambrose Family Farm and the Stono Market; Legare Farms’ six-week winter CSA
March	The first strawberries, which Ambrose says can be ready “as early as March”	Ambrose Family Farm u-pick, Wadmalaw
Spring	Strawberry picking, plus peas, squash, cucumbers, potatoes, beans, peppers, eggplant, flowers and herbs	Ambrose Family Farm
June	Tomatoes, which Ambrose says “typically ripen in June”	Ambrose Family Farm and the Stono Market
Summer	Blueberries and blackberries (u-pick into early summer), sweet corn, melons, okra, figs, pears, and muscadine and scuppernong grapes	Ambrose Family Farm
August	Pumpkin carving with goats begins	The Goatery’s Gourds & Goats
October	Pumpkin patches	Legare Farms on weekends; Full Circle Farm from Oct. 1, Tuesday to Sunday
Fall	Pumpkins and winter squash, then salad greens and the winter roots and greens again	Ambrose Family Farm
Thanksgiving through December	Christmas trees	Full Circle Farm

Ambrose closes when it rains, so check the forecast before a picking trip.

Where can you pick strawberries near Johns Island?

Next door on Wadmalaw Island. We didn’t find a pick-your-own berry farm on Johns Island itself.

Ambrose Family Farm, 2349 Black Pond Lane, Wadmalaw Island. Pete Ambrose and his family have farmed 135 acres of the old Selkirk Plantation since 1976. Pick-your-own strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and flowers run in spring and early summer, with staff on hand to help. The farm stand is open year-round and runs on an honor system in the off-season. It takes cards but prefers cash or Venmo, and it closes when it rains. Call 843-709-8295.
Bugby Plantation U-Pick, Bugby Plantation Road, Wadmalaw Island. It’s just across the bridge from Johns Island, off Maybank Highway, with strawberries and seasonal vegetables to pick. The state’s listing gives Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., cash only. We couldn’t find its 2026 season dates, so call 843-209-3246 first.

What’s planned at Grayson Oaks?

Farm stands, eventually. In January 2025 the Lowcountry Land Trust announced it had acquired Grayson Oaks, 94 acres off Main and Humbert roads, which stays an active farm under a lease to local regenerative farmers. Its plans include walking trails, community events, field trips and farm stands, but it gave no dates, and we found none when we checked. We’ll add the farm here when it opens to the public.

Johns Island hurricane guide: evacuation zone, route, alerts and flood maps

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Johns Island is a sea island reached by bridges over the Stono River. When a storm threatens, you need to know your evacuation zone, your route off the island and how you’ll hear about orders. Everything below comes from government agencies, mostly state and county emergency managers, with links at the bottom.

What hurricane evacuation zone is Johns Island in?

Zone B. South Carolina’s 2026 hurricane plan puts “areas in and around Mount Pleasant, James Island, and Johns Island” in Zone B. Kiawah and Seabrook are in Zone A. Zone C covers the mainland behind Edisto, Johns and James islands out to the county line. Charleston County’s own zone map matches.

Older documents, such as the 2019 evacuation order for Hurricane Dorian, listed Johns Island in Zone A, and you’ll still find them online. The difference matters because evacuation orders are issued by zone. An order for Zone A alone wouldn’t include Johns Island; an order for Zones A and B would.

Check your own address on the state’s Know Your Zone map.

How do I evacuate off Johns Island?

The state’s official route is Maybank Highway (SC 700) to Main Road to US 17. From there, take US 17 South to SC 64 toward Walterboro, and continue toward Aiken and I-20.

Both Stono River bridges, Maybank Highway’s and the Limehouse Bridge on Main Road, are on the state’s list of high-profile bridges that may close in high winds. Leave early. SCDOT posts evacuation maps and written directions on its emergency page.

How do I get emergency alerts?

Sign up for Charleston County’s free alerts. They cover severe weather, road closures, missing persons and evacuations, by phone call, text and email. Charleston County Emergency Management is at (843) 746-3800.

For forecasts, follow the National Weather Service in Charleston. Our Johns Island weather page shows active weather alerts for the island and the National Hurricane Center’s seven-day outlook, live. Hey Johns Island subscribers may also get a short extra email when an evacuation order covers the island.

Where can I get sandbags?

Charleston County’s emergency pages don’t describe a standing sandbag program. The City of Charleston gives out sandbags only when it decides they’re needed, and it announces the sites by press release. The sites have been self-serve, with free sand and bags; bring your own shovel. In 2022 the limit was 10 bags per residence. The September 2025 sites didn’t include a Johns Island location. When sites open, we’ll list them in the newsletter.

Where are the hurricane shelters?

Charleston County opens general-population shelters only when they’re needed. As of Oct. 29, 2026, none were open. If you go to one:

Bring three days of food and water, two weeks of prescriptions and ID.
Leave alcohol, drugs and weapons behind; they aren’t allowed.
Pets can go only to pet-friendly shelters. Service animals are always allowed.

If you rely on powered medical equipment, South Carolina’s Department of Public Health runs Medical Equipment Power Shelters. Call 833-351-9990.

Am I in a flood zone?

Evacuation zones and flood zones are different things. Evacuation zones decide who is told to leave before a hurricane. FEMA flood zones decide flood-insurance requirements and building rules.

To look up any address, use FEMA’s Flood Map Service Center or Charleston County’s flood map viewer.
For a determination letter on an unincorporated county address, email FloodServices@CharlestonCounty.org. For a City of Charleston address, email floodplain-info@charleston-sc.gov or call 843-579-6481.

Coming home after an evacuation

Go back only when officials say it’s safe. Charleston County’s re-entry plan, last revised as a draft in 2017, calls for:

Phased re-entry, with possible curfews.
Checkpoints. On Johns Island these are at the Stono River bridges on Main Road and Maybank Highway, and on Maybank Highway at Brownswood Road.
ID that proves you live here, such as a driver’s license, utility bill or tax receipt.

Businesses can register for a “Dash Pass” at the start of hurricane season. We didn’t find a resident pass program.

Before the next storm: a short checklist

Look up your zone on Know Your Zone and write it down.
Sign up for Charleston County alerts.
Plan your route off the island (Maybank Highway, then Main Road, then US 17) and somewhere inland to stay.
Pack three days of food and water, two weeks of prescriptions, ID and a document that proves your address.
Decide where your pets will go: a pet-friendly shelter or pet-friendly lodging.
Check your FEMA flood zone and your flood insurance before the season starts June 1.

Johns Island restaurants: 39 places to eat and drink on the island

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

How we built this list

On Oct. 29, 2026, we ran 15 Google Maps searches for Johns Island using terms like “restaurant,” “bar,” “pizza,” “coffee shop” and “brewery.” They turned up 1,143 places. We checked each location against OpenStreetMap’s outline of Johns Island, and only 64 were on the island. We dropped the ones that aren’t places to eat or drink, like the Angel Oak, grocery stores and a nail salon. Then we confirmed that each of the rest was still in business through its own website, news coverage or recent Google reviews.

Six national chains are listed separately. We left out a few taco trucks and stands we couldn’t confirm. If one of them is still running, or we missed a place, tell us and we’ll add it. We update this list as places open and close, and the newsletter covers openings and closings every week.

Where the restaurants are

Maybank Highway is the island’s restaurant row: 23 of the 39 places are on it. Live Oak Square, on Crowne Commons Way just off Maybank, has five more, including Tolli’s Trattoria, KISS Cafe and The Woodruff.

The rest are spread around the island:

Main Road: Sunrise Bistro and the Stono Market & Tomato Shed Café
Betsy Kerrison Parkway, toward Kiawah and Seabrook: Periwinkle Kitchen, El Rincón Chiapaneco and the Maine Line Seafood truck
Meek’s Farm Road: Estuary Beans & Barley and Charleston Distilling Co.
Bohicket Road: Blackbird Market
River Road: Linda’s Tienda Mexicana
Hayes Park: Somm Wine Bar
Kiawah River Drive: Linnette’s, at The Dunlin resort

The most-reviewed places

Review counts show which places have drawn the biggest crowds over the years. They aren’t a ranking of quality. Counts and star ratings are from Google Maps on Oct. 29, 2026.

Place	Google reviews	Rating
Tattooed Moose	2,867	4.6
Wild Olive	2,049	4.7
Stono Market & Tomato Shed Café	1,349	4.7
Sunrise Bistro	1,219	4.6
The Royal Tern	905	4.7
Cabana & Co	837	4.4
Maria’s Mexican Grill	807	4.2
Low Tide Brewing	752	4.8
Krazy Owls	728	4.2
Blackbird Market	705	4.6

Among places with at least 100 reviews, the highest rated are Somm Wine Bar and Gold Star Coffee, at 4.9 stars, followed by Seanachai, The Woodruff, Low Tide Brewing, Tacos La Familia and Gallina Loca, at 4.8.

Where to get pizza on Johns Island

Zeppelin Pizza Co., at 2817 Maybank Highway, is a full-service restaurant with pizza, subs and salads. Ji Pizza is nearby at 2770 Maybank Highway. Tolli’s Trattoria in Live Oak Square serves pizza alongside Italian dinners and pasta. There’s also a Domino’s at 1766 Main Road.

Chains on the island

Six national chains have locations on the island: McDonald’s (3575 Maybank Highway), Taco Bell (1828 Bohicket Road), Subway (1766A Main Road), Domino’s (1766 Main Road), Jersey Mike’s (1800 Produce Lane) and Tropical Smoothie Cafe (2005 Slack Tide Drive). Food Lion and Lowes Foods have grocery stores here too.

Coming soon

Stono’s Oyster Bar, 2409 Maybank Highway. A waterfront oyster bar on the Stono River with indoor and outdoor seating, a wraparound deck and about 60 free boat slips for diners. Owner Mike Shuler told The Post and Courier it’s on schedule for spring 2027.
Locals Sushi & Sports Pub, 1804 Crowne Commons Way. The fourth Locals, in Live Oak Square, in the space Blu Smoke Pit left. It aimed to open in September 2026 and hadn’t opened when we checked on Oct. 29.
Asian Hibachi Grill, 3575 Maybank Highway. A Japanese restaurant that aimed to open in mid-to-late September 2026. We found no sign it had opened by Oct. 29.

Recently closed

The Heyday, a restaurant and bar at 605 Kindred Court in Hayes Park, closed Oct. 25, 2026. It opened in April 2025. Google Maps still listed it as open when we checked, which is why we confirm closings in the news, not just on listings.
Blu Smoke Pit, the barbecue spot at 1804 Crowne Commons Way, quietly closed in summer 2026. Its owners had run Blu Oyster Sushi & Seafood in the same space. Blu Oyster closed Nov. 18, 2024, and reopened in March 2025 before the switch.
Bar Copa, at 3297 Maybank Highway, closed Feb. 1, 2025. Snow Monkeys opened in the space that June.
Colectivo, a Mexican restaurant at 2901 Maybank Highway, closed Aug. 31, 2024, almost exactly a year after it opened. La Taqueria by El Molino opened there in 2025.

We log every opening and closing on the island, newest first, on our openings and closings page.

Johns Island addresses that aren’t on the island

The 29455 ZIP code covers more than the island. Kiawah and Seabrook share it, and it reaches across the Stono River onto the mainland. That’s why map searches for Johns Island restaurants turn up places that aren’t here:

The mainland side of the Stono. Gilligan’s, at 160 Main Road, has a Johns Island address but sits north of the Main Road bridge. So do a few other places nearby on Main Road and Savannah Highway.
Freshfields Village. Its restaurants use Kiawah Island addresses and fall just outside the island boundary we used.
Bohicket Marina. Its restaurants, including the Salty Dog Cafe, use Johns Island addresses but also fall just outside the boundary.
Kiawah and Seabrook. Resort restaurants on those islands share the ZIP code, not the island.

Johns Island traffic and road projects: closures this week and what's being built

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

This is the island’s traffic page and its road-projects page. Up top: what’s closed this week, the roads on and off the island, and where to check traffic live. Below that: where each road project stands, who’s in charge and the source behind every date. We update it as things change, and the newsletter’s “Roads & growth” section carries the week-to-week news.

Traffic this week

Nothing is posted for island roads. As of Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, there are no announced closures, detours, lane shifts or night work on Johns Island roads. We checked SCDOT’s road conditions list, SC511, Charleston County’s news releases and the City of Charleston’s News Flash. The newsletter refreshes “Traffic this week” every Thursday.

The roundabout at Main, River and Chisolm roads. Charleston County scheduled it to open at 6 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, after closing River Road from 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, to finish paving and stormwater pipes, with a detour via Old Pond Road to Main Road. As of Oct. 29, we haven’t found a County notice confirming it opened on schedule, or one announcing a delay.

Main Road Segment A. The County lists the project as under construction on Main Road between Bees Ferry Road and River Road. It hasn’t posted lane closures or night work for it this week.

Maybank Highway widening. No work is posted. The County’s project page still lists the bid package as pending (details below).

On the drive downtown:

James Island Connector, Saturday, Oct. 31: closed for the James Island Connector Run. Closures start at 6 a.m. SCDOT lists the Connector reopening at 11:30 a.m., and the City of Charleston says all roads should reopen by noon. The City says drivers can still use Folly Road, the Wappoo Cut bridge and the Ashley River bridge. The Wappoo Cut bridge won’t open for boats from 5:30 to 11:30 a.m. that morning.
Wappoo Cut bridge on Folly Road: SCDOT lists right-lane closures in both directions for a routine inspection, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., through Friday, Oct. 30.
Next week, US 17 over the Ashley River: SCDOT lists right-lane closures on the US 17 Ashley River bridges for inspections, starting at 10 p.m., on Nov. 2 through 5. More are listed for Nov. 17 through 20.

Getting on and off the island

Two roads cross the Stono River to the rest of Charleston: Main Road, over the Limehouse Bridge to US 17 in West Ashley, and Maybank Highway, over the Stono River bridge to James Island. Traffic to and from Kiawah, Seabrook and Wadmalaw islands uses the same two roads, as the Post and Courier has noted.

Main Road (S-20) runs north from Maybank Highway, through the River and Chisolm roads intersection and over the Limehouse Bridge, to US 17 (Savannah Highway). From the River and Chisolm intersection to US 17 it has one lane each way; the County’s Segment A project will widen that stretch to two lanes each way, according to the project site.
Maybank Highway (SC 700) heads east past River Road and over the Stono River bridge to James Island, where it meets Folly Road.
River Road is the island’s other main north-south road. It runs from Main Road at the Chisolm Road intersection, across Maybank Highway, to Bohicket Road where Betsy Kerrison Parkway begins. SCDOT numbers it S-54 north of Maybank Highway and S-91 south of it, according to its traffic count data. It doesn’t leave the island; it feeds Main Road and Maybank Highway.
Bohicket Road and Betsy Kerrison Parkway are the way to Kiawah and Seabrook. South of Maybank Highway, Main Road becomes Bohicket Road, then Betsy Kerrison Parkway, which leads to a roundabout at Kiawah Island Parkway, according to Kiawah Island Golf Resort’s directions.
To Wadmalaw, take Maybank Highway west from Main Road. The Charleston Tea Garden, for example, is at 6617 Maybank Highway, Wadmalaw Island.

For the hurricane evacuation route, see our hurricane guide.

Where does traffic back up?

US 17 at Main Road. “That intersection at 17 and Main not only has a long traffic queue, but it’s a dangerous intersection,” Herbert Nimz, the County Public Works engineering manager, told Live 5 in April. The Segment A flyovers are meant to fix it.
Maybank Highway heading off the island. The roughly half-mile stretch from Fenwick Hall Allee to the Stono River bridge has only one outbound lane, according to a Post and Courier editorial. The County’s fourth-lane project adds a second one.
Maybank Highway at River Road. City Councilmember Jim McBride considers it one of the worst intersections in the city, according to the Post and Courier. The northern pitchfork lets drivers skip the traffic light there, the County says.
A crash at either crossing. On the night of July 9, 2026, a serious crash closed Maybank Highway at the Stono River bridge in both directions, and drivers were told to use the Limehouse Bridge on Main Road instead, Live 5 reported.

How much traffic do the main roads carry?

These are SCDOT’s estimates of 2025 average daily traffic (AADT), from its statewide count data and Charleston County sheet.

Road	Segment (SCDOT station)	Vehicles a day, 2025
Maybank Highway	River Road to Riverland Drive, across the Stono River (269)	39,700
Main Road	Bees Ferry Road to Chisolm Road, across the Stono River (345)	32,700
US 17	Main Road to Dobbin Road, West Ashley (113)	51,900
Maybank Highway	Main Road to River Road (267)	20,700
Main Road	Chisolm Road to Maybank Highway (347)	18,800
Bohicket Road	Maybank Highway to Edenvale Road (349)	17,600
Bohicket Road	Edenvale Road to River Road and Betsy Kerrison Parkway (346)	14,200
River Road	Maybank Highway to Plow Ground Road (357)	11,100
River Road	Main Road to Maybank Highway (355)	6,700
Maybank Highway, toward Wadmalaw	Main Road to Bears Bluff Road (265)	6,700

SCDOT’s 2025 data has no count station on Betsy Kerrison Parkway, which is a local road.

Live traffic tools

For what’s happening right now, use SC511. For planned work, check SCDOT’s road conditions list and sign up for County and City alerts.

SC511 is SCDOT’s traffic site: a map of incidents, construction, message signs and traffic cameras, with a trip planner, plus an app for iPhone and Android. A free My511SC account adds email and text alerts and saved cameras. SCDOT doesn’t record camera video, so there’s no footage of past events.
Cameras: As of Oct. 29, 2026, none of SC511’s 798 cameras is on a Johns Island road, Main Road or Maybank Highway. The closest on the drive off the island are “I-526 E @ MM 10 (US 17),” where I-526 meets US 17 in West Ashley; “Hwy 17N @ Ashley River Bridge”; and “Hwy 171 S @ Wappoo Cut Bridge,” on Folly Road.
SCDOT road conditions lists construction, maintenance and weather closures on state-maintained roads, including closures scheduled weeks ahead. Maybank Highway, Main Road, Bohicket Road and River Road are state roads. Betsy Kerrison Parkway is a local road, so it won’t show up there. SCDOT also announces bigger closures in its news releases.
Charleston County’s CHSAlerts, formerly Citizen Alerts, sends texts, calls or emails about emergencies, including “significant traffic and transportation disruptions or major road closures,” according to the County’s announcement. The County posts road project notices on its news releases page.
Main Road project emails: the Main Road Corridor contact page has a box to get project announcements by email.
The City of Charleston’s Notify Me sends its Emergency Alerts and police CPD Newsroom posts by email or text, and its News Flash by email. You need a City website account to subscribe. The City posts closures such as the Connector Run on its News Flash.

Status at a glance

Project	What it is	Status (Oct. 29, 2026)
Main Road Segment A	Flyover ramps from US 17, a bridge over US 17, widening and a roundabout, Bees Ferry Road to River and Chisolm roads	Under construction; due Sept. 27, 2028
Main, River and Chisolm roundabout	Part of Segment A	Scheduled to open Oct. 19, 2026
Maybank Highway fourth lane	Outbound lane from River Road to the Stono River bridge	In design; bid expected Q4 2026
Northern pitchfork	Connects Maybank Highway to Fenwick Hall Allee and River Road	Open since March 25, 2024
Southern pitchfork and roundabouts	Second pitchfork road plus roundabouts on Maybank Highway and River Road	Not funded; on the Nov. 3 ballot
River Road at Brownswood Road	New roundabout	Bid expected Q1 2027
Burden Creek bridge (River Road)	SCDOT bridge replacement	Right-of-way spring 2027; construction early 2028
Main Road Segment B	River Road to Maybank Highway	Inactive
Main Road Segment C	Bohicket Road, Maybank Highway to Betsy Kerrison Parkway	Work stopped in 2025
I-526 (Mark Clark) extension	Interstate extension to James and Johns islands	Terminated May 12, 2025

Main Road Segment A: the US 17 flyovers

Segment A covers 2.4 miles of Main Road, from Bees Ferry Road across US 17 to River and Chisolm roads. It adds flyover ramps from US 17, a spur bridge over US 17, a second lane each way, a new bridge over the CSX railroad and the roundabout at Main, River and Chisolm roads.

Who: Charleston County, paid for by the 2016 transportation sales tax. Archer-United-Banks Joint Venture holds the design-build contract, awarded Sept. 10, 2024.
Cost: The contract is worth $354.3 million. The County has also cited a projected funding total of $445 million.
When: Anticipated completion is Sept. 27, 2028, according to the project’s August 2026 newsletter.

Latest: The County scheduled the roundabout at Main, River and Chisolm roads to open Oct. 19, 2026 (see “Traffic this week”). The August newsletter expected the Ramp 3 connection to US 17 northbound in the fourth quarter of 2026, and the project site says work on the new CSX railroad bridge begins in fall 2026.

For walkers and cyclists: In April 2025 the County approved a barrier-separated path up to 10 feet wide across the Limehouse Bridge, alongside four 11-foot lanes, for about $10 million. The path, nearly three miles long, will connect to the Bees Ferry Road, Glenn McConnell Parkway and West Ashley Greenway paths.

Maybank Highway’s fourth lane

The County will add an outbound lane on Maybank Highway between River Road and the Stono River bridge. That leaves four 11-foot lanes, with turn lanes at Fenwick Hall Allee and a left turn into Indigo Grove.

Who: Charleston County Public Works.
Cost: About $10 million, according to the Post and Courier in January and Live 5 in September. A Post and Courier story on Oct. 2 put it at $12 million.
Money: The transportation sales tax. In January 2026 the County also proposed moving about $78 million left over from the cancelled Mark Clark extension to nine road projects, this one among them.
Status: As of Oct. 29, 2026, the County’s project page says it’s in design, with final plans due shortly, utility coordination and environmental permits underway, and the bid package pending. Its tentative bid date is the fourth quarter of 2026. In January, the County had aimed to advertise for bids in August or September.

When will construction start? Reports differ:

Source	Start	Finish
County deputy public works director Devri DeToma, in the Post and Courier, Jan. 22, 2026	January 2027	Summer 2028
Live 5, Sept. 24, 2026	Early 2027	Fall 2027
Post and Courier, Oct. 2, 2026	October 2026	Not given
City Councilmember Jim McBride at the City’s Oct. 6 State of Our City meeting, quoted by Live 5	“This month” (October 2026)	Not given

We’ll report the actual start when crews show up.

The pitchforks

Northern pitchfork (open): a County road connecting Maybank Highway to Fenwick Hall Allee and River Road. It opened March 25, 2024.

Southern pitchfork (not funded): the second half of the plan. At its Oct. 6 State of Our City meeting on Johns Island, the City of Charleston presented the Maybank Highway and River Road pitchforks and roundabouts as a $65 million project that depends on the transportation sales tax. The southern pitchfork is on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot’s project list.

What’s on the Nov. 3 sales-tax ballot for Johns Island?

On Nov. 3, 2026, Charleston County voters decide whether to approve a half-cent sales tax for up to 25 years, or until it raises $4.25 billion: $2.702 billion for roads, $858 million for transit and $690 million for greenbelts. The County says it would continue the existing half-cent tax that began in 2004. These projects on the list touch Johns Island or the drive to it:

Maybank Highway southern pitchfork and roundabouts
Intersection work at Maybank Highway and Riverland Drive
A roundabout at Main Road and Mary Ann Point
US 17 South widening from Dobbin Road to SC 162

The Mark Clark extension isn’t on the list. The full wording is in the County’s ballot questions document. Hey Johns Island doesn’t take positions on ballot questions.

River Road

Brownswood Road roundabout: tentative bid date in the first quarter of 2027. The County lists its funding as a state appropriation. About $5 million in state money was sought, and the roundabout was also on the County’s January list for leftover Mark Clark money.
Burden Creek bridge: SCDOT plans to replace the River Road (S-91) bridge over Burden Creek to correct structural deficiencies. Today’s bridge has two 10-foot lanes and about a foot of paved shoulder; the new road will have two 12-foot lanes. Right-of-way work is set for spring 2027 and construction for early 2028. SCDOT held a public meeting on April 23, 2026.
Johns Island Elementary roundabout: the school district, SCDOT and the City built a roundabout on River Road in front of the new Johns Island Elementary School, which opened Aug. 12, 2025.

Main Road Segments B and C (on hold)

Segment B (Main Road from River Road to Maybank Highway) is listed as “currently inactive.” A separate $1.2 million state earmark covers a Main Road sidewalk from Chisolm Road to Maybank Highway.
Segment C (Bohicket Road from Maybank Highway to Betsy Kerrison Parkway): the County stopped work after a February 2025 staff update.

What happened to the I-526 extension?

The Mark Clark Expressway extension would have connected I-526 at Savannah Highway in West Ashley to Johns Island and the James Island Expressway. It’s cancelled:

June 8, 2007: The original funding agreement was signed.
Jan. 10, 2019: An amended agreement capped the State Transportation Infrastructure Bank’s share at $420 million, for a four-lane parkway with 35–45 mph speeds.
November 2024: Charleston County’s sales-tax referendum failed.
December 2024: A state legislative committee revoked the $420 million.
May 12, 2025: The Infrastructure Bank’s board voted unanimously to terminate the agreement.

SCDOT is keeping the $41 million worth of land it bought for the route, and the County received a refund of about $3.1 million. The extension isn’t on the 2026 ballot.

Johns Island services: library, post office, water, power, trash, schools and who to call

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

This is the island’s “who serves my address” desk. Every address, phone number and set of hours here was checked on Oct. 29, 2026, against the official sources linked below, and places listed as on the island were checked against OpenStreetMap’s outline of Johns Island.

Does it matter whether I’m in the city or the county?

Yes, for trash, police and fire. Johns Island is split, parcel by parcel, between the City of Charleston and unincorporated Charleston County, and those three services follow the line. Water, power, public schools, the library, the post office, mosquito control and the elections office are the same on either side.

To check an address, search it on Charleston County’s GIS map and turn on the Municipal Boundaries layer, the method the City of Charleston recommends. Or call County Zoning & Planning at 843-202-7200. Our guide Is Johns Island in the City of Charleston? covers what else changes.

Who do I call about…?

About	Who handles it	Phone
Any emergency	Police, fire and ambulance	Call or text 911
Police, non-emergency	Sheriff’s Office (county areas) or Charleston Police (city areas)	843-743-7200
Power outage	Berkeley Electric Cooperative	1-855-938-3615
No water or a leak	St. John’s Water Company	843-559-0186; after hours 843-724-7912
Sewer	Charleston Water System or Seabrook Island Utility Commission	843-727-6800 or 843-768-0102
Garbage cart or pickup, city address	City Citizen Services Desk	843-724-7311
Trash pickup, county address	Trident Waste & Recycling, the County’s hauler	843-576-5050
Recycling carts and drop-off centers	Charleston County Environmental Management	843-720-7111
Mosquitoes	Charleston County Mosquito Control	843-202-7880
Zoning	City Zoning or County Zoning & Planning	843-724-3765 or 843-202-7200
Fire department business	St. Johns Fire District or Charleston Fire Department	843-559-9194 or 843-720-3991
Voting	Charleston County Board of Voter Registration & Elections	843-744-8683

What are the John’s Island Library’s hours?

Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Sunday. Those were the Charleston County Public Library’s posted hours for the John’s Island Library, 3531 Maybank Highway, on Oct. 29, 2026. Call 843-559-1945.

The library opened Oct. 26, 2004. Besides books and movies, it has Wi-Fi and public computers, printing, meeting rooms you can reserve and a notary by appointment.

When is the Johns Island post office open?

Weekdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 to 10 a.m. Those are the counter hours at the Johns Island Post Office, 2860 Maybank Highway, according to USPS on Oct. 29, 2026. It’s closed Sunday. The phone number is 843-559-0622.

Lunch break: the counter closes from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Last mail collection: 4:45 p.m. weekdays, noon Saturday.
Passports: by appointment weekdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday 9 to 11 a.m. Walk-ins are taken Tuesday to Thursday, 9 to 10 a.m.
PO boxes: open around the clock.

Who provides water and sewer?

Water comes from St. John’s Water Company, often written St. Johns Water Company, for City and county addresses alike. It’s a member-owned, nonprofit co-op formed in 1975. It buys its water from Charleston Water System, has almost 10,000 retail customers and also sells water to Kiawah and Seabrook, according to its 2025 water quality report.

Office: 3362 Maybank Highway, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; 843-559-0186. New service is set up there until 4 p.m.
After-hours emergencies: 843-724-7912. You can pay by phone any time at 855-786-4097.
Rates since Jan. 1, 2026: a $20.90 monthly minimum that includes 2,000 gallons, then $8.55 per 1,000 gallons up to 8,000 gallons, on a standard 3/4-inch meter (rates and fees).
Moving in: call the office to put an existing tap in your name; the service fee is $35 on a standard meter. A new standard tap costs $3,000, plus a $75 user fee for owners that’s refunded, minus anything you owe, when service ends.

Sewer is a separate utility. St. John’s provides water only. Charleston Water System provides sewer in parts of Johns Island inside the urban growth boundary, and the Seabrook Island Utility Commission serves some other areas. Search an address on CWS’s service-area map. A home that isn’t on public sewer has its own system, such as a septic tank. For a copy of a septic permit, call the SC Department of Environmental Services at 1-855-731-2504.

Who provides electricity, and who do I call when the power goes out?

Berkeley Electric Cooperative. The member-owned co-op has a Johns Island district office at 1135 Main Road, open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Electric service territories are set by the state, so confirm an address on the co-op’s service-territory map.

To report an outage, call 1-855-938-3615 or report it online, and follow repairs on the outage map. The co-op asks you to check your breakers first and not to assume a neighbor has already called.

Construction has driven a run of outages. In October 2025, Berkeley Electric told The Post and Courier it had logged 75 outages in six months in the River Road area between Main Road and Maybank Highway, up from 40 in the same months of 2024, and that 73 percent were tied to construction.

Dominion Energy South Carolina’s outage map counted 2,614 customers in the 29455 ZIP code on Oct. 29, 2026. That ZIP code reaches beyond the island, and we couldn’t confirm whether any of those customers are on Johns Island itself. If your bill comes from Dominion, report outages through Dominion; its line for downed wires is 1-888-333-4465.

Getting ready for a storm? Our hurricane guide covers the island’s evacuation zone, route and emergency alerts.

Who picks up trash and recycling?

It depends on which side of the city line you’re on.

City of Charleston addresses get garbage pickup once a week from green carts, plus weekly pickup of yard waste and bulky “trash” set at the curb. On Johns Island, the City’s routes are run by its contractor, Trident Waste. Look up your day in the City’s CHS TrashTracker app or on its Mapnet map. For a cart, call the Citizen Services Desk at 843-724-7311.

Put garbage out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before pickup, and trash no earlier than two days before.
Leaves and clippings go in brown paper yard bags. Cut tree limbs into 4-foot lengths and stack them at the curb.

Unincorporated county addresses don’t get County garbage service: Charleston County’s Environmental Management Department “does not collect garbage.” Curbside pickup there is an optional subscription from the County’s franchise hauler, Trident Waste & Recycling, which took over in July 2023. Call 843-576-5050 to sign up or check service at your address. Otherwise, haul it to a County convenience center, which is free for county residents who show a photo ID with proof of residency.

There’s no convenience center on Johns Island. The closest full-service one is at 1558 Liberia Road on Wadmalaw, open Monday to Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. as of Oct. 29, 2026. It takes household garbage, yard debris, furniture and other bulky items, appliances and scrap metal, up to four tires, recycling, TVs and computers, paint and other household hazardous waste. The Signal Point Road center on James Island takes recycling, electronics, paint, batteries and tires, but not household garbage, yard waste, construction debris or appliances. Double-axle trailers, box trucks and moving vans need an appointment: 843-720-7111.

Recycling: the City doesn’t collect recycling. City addresses get County curbside recycling every other week; look up your day on the County’s recycling map, or call 843-720-7111 for a cart. In unincorporated areas, the County’s 2023 contract offered curbside recycling from Trident as a paid add-on. Any county resident can drop off recycling at a convenience center.

Which fire department serves my address?

St. Johns Fire District in unincorporated areas; the City of Charleston Fire Department inside city limits. Charleston County’s GIS map assigns island parcels to one fire district or the other in its County Tax Districts layer. In an emergency, call 911 either way; the County’s consolidated 9-1-1 center dispatches both departments.

St. Johns Fire District has protected Johns, Kiawah, Seabrook and Wadmalaw islands, about 185 square miles, since 1959. Its headquarters is at 1148 Main Road (843-559-9194), and three of its seven stations are on Johns Island: Station 1 on Maybank Highway, Station 5 on River Road and Station 7 on Main Road. Work on a new Station 5, on the same site, began in October 2026; the old station stays open until the new one is done. Station 8 is under construction in the Kiawah River neighborhood. The district’s crews provide advanced life support but don’t transport patients.

Charleston Fire Department runs Station 17 at 1830 Bohicket Road. Its second island station, Station 23, is going up at Maybank Highway and Wildts Battery Boulevard. It was first set to open in October 2026, The Post and Courier reported in June. On Oct. 6, City officials said it was on track for completion by the end of 2026, ABC News 4 reported.

Who polices Johns Island?

The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office in unincorporated areas, and the Charleston Police Department inside city limits. The Sheriff’s West Patrol District covers Johns Island along with West Ashley, James Island, Wadmalaw, Seabrook and Kiawah. Charleston Police Patrol Team 3 covers James Island and Johns Island. The team’s listed contact number is 843-720-3916, but police team substations aren’t staffed around the clock.

For non-emergencies, both agencies use the same dispatch line, 843-743-7200. For emergencies, call or text 911.

Which public schools serve Johns Island?

The Charleston County School District runs four schools on the island:

School	Grades	Address
Angel Oak Primary	Pre-K to 1st	6134 Chisolm Road
Johns Island Elementary	2 to 5	2950 Claybrook Street
Haut Gap Middle	6 to 8	1861 Bohicket Road
St. John’s High	9 to 12	1518 Main Road

Johns Island Elementary opened Aug. 12, 2025, combining Mount Zion and Angel Oak elementary schools, Live 5 News reported. On neighboring Wadmalaw Island, Edith L. Frierson Montessori School serves pre-K to 8th grade at 6133 Maybank Highway.

Your address decides your zoned school. Look it up with the district’s Find My School tool, which the district links from its schools map for zoning and magnet options.

When does Charleston County spray for mosquitoes?

Spray trucks treat for adult mosquitoes from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Charleston County Mosquito Control covers the whole county, 1,353 square miles, by truck, helicopter and plane.

Ground spraying: enter your address on the ground spray schedule to find your zone.
Aerial spraying: check the aerial spray schedule. None was scheduled on Oct. 29, 2026.
Requests and notices: report a mosquito problem or join the notification list, used by beekeepers and people with allergies or chemical sensitivities, through the request form or at 843-202-7880. People on the list get at least 24 hours’ notice before aerial spraying for adult mosquitoes and about 36 hours’ notice before truck spraying.

Where do I vote?

Look up your polling place on scVOTES. For registration questions, contact the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration & Elections, 4340 Corporate Road in North Charleston, at 843-744-8683 (744-VOTE).

The statewide general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting runs through Saturday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Any registered county voter can use any early-voting center, including the one on the island at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3673 Maybank Highway. Bring an unexpired photo ID, such as a South Carolina driver’s license or DMV ID card, a voter registration card with photo, a U.S. passport or a military ID.

Where are the nearest DMV and emergency rooms?

SCDMV: the closest branch is in West Ashley at 946 Orleans Road, 843-852-2636. As of Oct. 29, 2026, it’s open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Knowledge tests stop at 4 p.m., and walk-in road tests at 1:30 p.m.

Emergency rooms: in an emergency, call 911. The island doesn’t have an ER yet. Trident Health’s freestanding Johns Island ER, on Maybank Highway near Zelasko Road, was due to open by September 2026; on Oct. 29, Trident’s website still listed it as coming soon. The nearest options, all open 24 hours:

MUSC Health Emergency at Kiawah Partners Medical Pavilion, 1857 Seabrook Island Road, at the Freshfields Village roundabout just off the island; 843-985-4500. It opened in December 2025.
HCA Healthcare James Island ER, 945 Folly Road; 854-214-2510.
Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, 2095 Henry Tecklenburg Drive in West Ashley, the closest full hospital; 843-402-1000.

Spot an outdated hour or phone number? Tell us and we’ll fix it.

Is Johns Island the same as Kiawah Island? How the sea islands fit together

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Johns Island is the big island you cross to reach Kiawah and Seabrook, and all three share the 29455 ZIP code. That’s why the names get mixed up. They’re separate islands with separate governments. Here’s how Johns, Kiawah, Seabrook, Wadmalaw and James islands fit together, checked against town, county and Census Bureau sources on Oct. 29, 2026.

Is Johns Island the same as Kiawah Island?

No. Kiawah is a separate barrier island with about 10 miles of beach. It has its own government, the Town of Kiawah Island, which the state incorporated on Sept. 13, 1988, and the town describes the island as a private gated community.

Johns Island sits behind Kiawah and Seabrook. The Kiawah River runs between it and Kiawah, and the Stono River separates it from James Island and the mainland. It has no town government of its own: nearly all of it is either City of Charleston or unincorporated Charleston County. Our guide Is Johns Island in Charleston? explains which is which.

Three things keep the two confused:

Johns Island, Kiawah and Seabrook all use 29455, so a 29455 address can be on any of the three, or on the mainland across the Stono River.
You reach Kiawah and Seabrook by crossing Johns Island on Bohicket Road and Betsy Kerrison Parkway.
Kiawah River is a 2,000-acre community on Johns Island, along the river of the same name, not on Kiawah Island. And the Town of Kiawah Island’s town hall, at 4475 Betsy Kerrison Parkway, is “off the island,” in the town’s own words. It’s on the Johns Island side, inside a small piece of Kiawah’s town limits.

How do Johns, Kiawah, Seabrook, Wadmalaw and James islands compare?

Island	Local government	Addresses read	From Johns Island
Johns Island	City of Charleston or unincorporated Charleston County	Johns Island, SC 29455	—
Kiawah Island	Town of Kiawah Island, since 1988; gated	Kiawah Island, SC 29455	Betsy Kerrison Parkway, then Kiawah Island Parkway
Seabrook Island	Town of Seabrook Island, since 1987; mostly gated	Seabrook Island, SC 29455	Betsy Kerrison Parkway, then Seabrook Island Road
Wadmalaw Island	Unincorporated Charleston County, plus the Town of Rockville	Wadmalaw Island, SC 29487	Maybank Highway west, over Church Creek
James Island	Town of James Island, City of Charleston and unincorporated county	James Island or Charleston, SC 29412	Maybank Highway east, over the Stono River

The addresses are from the Johns Island post office, the Kiawah and Seabrook town halls, the Charleston Tea Garden, and James Island’s town hall and McLeod Plantation.

Area (Census Bureau geography)	People, 2020–24	Land area	Median household income, 2020–24
Johns Island (Johns Island division)	22,013	75.7 sq mi	$118,103
Kiawah Island (Town of Kiawah Island)	2,326	11.2 sq mi	$213,594
Seabrook Island (Town of Seabrook Island)	2,204	5.8 sq mi	$127,500
Wadmalaw Island (Wadmalaw Island division)	2,703	41.9 sq mi	$105,592
James Island (Town of James Island only)	12,198	4.8 sq mi	$104,217
Charleston County	420,264	918.3 sq mi	$88,494

People and income are the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey estimates for 2020–24, the latest five-year release. Land area is from the Bureau’s 2026 Gazetteer files. The 2020 Census counted 22,854 people in the Johns Island division, 2,013 in the Town of Kiawah Island, 2,050 in the Town of Seabrook Island and 141 in the Town of Rockville.

A note on the geography: the Census Bureau’s Johns Island division takes in the whole island as OpenStreetMap outlines it, and its land area is within a square mile of that outline’s. Kiawah and Seabrook share a separate division, and Wadmalaw has its own. For James Island we used the town, which covers only part of the island; the Bureau’s James Island division also takes in Folly Beach.

Is Johns Island affluent?

By household income, yes. The median household income in the Census Bureau’s Johns Island division was $118,103 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey. That’s about a third higher than Charleston County’s $88,494, and above the medians for South Carolina ($69,324) and the United States ($80,734).

Kiawah is in another bracket. The Town of Kiawah Island’s median household income was $213,594, and the median value of an owner-occupied home there was $2 million or more, the top of the survey’s scale. Seabrook’s median income, $127,500, isn’t measurably different from Johns Island’s, given the margins of error.

By two other measures, Johns Island looks like the rest of the county. About 1 in 10 residents (9.9%) lived below the poverty line, against 11.3% countywide, and its median home value of $518,500 was within the margin of error of the county’s $489,100.

Survey estimates for small places are rough. Johns Island’s median income carries a margin of error of $12,214, and Kiawah’s $44,182. Figures for the 29455 ZIP code, about 27,600 people, mix Kiawah and Seabrook in with Johns Island.

How do you get from Johns Island to its neighbors?

Two roads cross the Stono River off the island: Main Road and Maybank Highway. Distances below are by road from the Angel Oak, measured with OSRM, a router that uses OpenStreetMap’s road map.

James Island: Maybank Highway (SC 700) runs east over the Stono River bridge. Charleston County’s widening project there adds an outbound lane “off of Johns Island and onto James Island.” McLeod Plantation is about 8 miles from the Angel Oak this way.
West Ashley and US 17: Main Road runs north over the Limehouse Bridge and on to US 17. Stono River County Park is at the foot of the bridge on the mainland side, about 7 miles from the Angel Oak.
Kiawah and Seabrook: Bohicket Road runs south from Maybank Highway to Betsy Kerrison Parkway, according to Charleston County. At the traffic circle by Freshfields Village, Kiawah Island Parkway heads to Kiawah and Seabrook Island Road to Seabrook. Kiawah Beachwalker Park is about 13 miles from the Angel Oak.
Wadmalaw: Maybank Highway also runs west, crossing Church Creek onto Wadmalaw less than a mile from the Angel Oak. The Charleston Tea Garden is about 10 miles away.
Folly Beach: from James Island, Folly Road (SC 171) runs south to Folly Island. Our beach guide has the route.

Our road projects guide tracks the construction on these roads.

Which places get put on the wrong island?

We checked each place in the list above against OpenStreetMap’s Johns Island boundary, the same one our restaurant list uses, and against the Census Bureau’s town maps.

Not on Johns Island: McLeod Plantation Historic Site is on James Island. Stono River County Park is on the West Ashley side of the Stono. Freshfields Village is inside the Town of Kiawah Island, and Bohicket Marina is inside the Town of Seabrook Island. The Charleston Tea Garden and Deep Water Vineyard are on Wadmalaw.
On Johns Island, despite the name: The Dunlin resort and the rest of the Kiawah River community, and the Town of Kiawah Island’s town hall.

Mailing addresses won’t settle it. Stono River County Park and Bohicket Marina both use Johns Island addresses without being on the island, and Freshfields Village, with its Kiawah Island address, calls itself the crossroads of Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns islands.

Know a place we should check? Tell us.

Moving to Johns Island, SC: what to know before you buy or rent

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Growth is the island’s biggest story. At the mayor’s Johns Island community event in October 2026, traffic and growth dominated the discussion. If you’re thinking about moving here, these are the questions newcomers ask, answered with official sources.

Where is Johns Island?

Johns Island is a sea island southwest of downtown Charleston, in Charleston County. It sits between James Island and Wadmalaw Island, with Kiawah and Seabrook islands along its southern edge. The federal place name is “Johns Island,” with no apostrophe, though some local institutions use one: the John’s Island Library and St. John’s High School, for example. It isn’t the same place as John’s Island in Vero Beach, Florida.

Is Johns Island part of the City of Charleston?

Partly. Some of the island is inside Charleston city limits, and the rest is unincorporated Charleston County. Which one you’re in depends on your exact address. By our check of the County’s boundary map, under a fifth of the island’s area is inside city limits. Our city or county guide shows how to check any address. The City can annex land only if it touches existing city limits and sits on the city side of the Urban Growth Boundary.

Your jurisdiction decides who you call:

Service	City of Charleston address	Unincorporated county address
Zoning and planning	City Zoning, 843-724-3765	County Zoning & Planning, 843-202-7200
Trash pickup	City Environmental Services; Trident Waste runs the island routes	Optional paid curbside service from the County’s franchise hauler, Trident Waste & Recycling
Police	Charleston Police Department	Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, West Patrol District

The County runs no trash drop-off center on the island. The nearest full-service one is at 1558 Liberia Road on Wadmalaw; the 1716 Signal Point Road center on James Island takes recycling but not household garbage. Not sure which side you’re on? Call City or County zoning with your address before you buy.

What’s the ZIP code?

29455, with the USPS city name “Johns Island.” Kiawah and Seabrook addresses use 29455 too, so a 29455 address isn’t necessarily on Johns Island. Wadmalaw Island uses 29487.

Which schools serve Johns Island?

The Charleston County School District reorganized the island’s schools in August 2025:

School	Grades	Address
Angel Oak Primary	PK–1	6134 Chisolm Road
Johns Island Elementary	2–5	2950 Claybrook Street
Haut Gap Middle (partial magnet)	6–8	1861 Bohicket Road
St. John’s High	9–12	1518 Main Road

Johns Island Elementary opened Aug. 12, 2025, with about 700 students. It combined Mount Zion and Angel Oak elementary schools. Attendance zones can change, so confirm your address with the district before you sign anything.

Utilities

Electric: Berkeley Electric Cooperative serves the island and has a Johns Island district office at 1135 Main Road. Check its service-territory map for your address.
Water and sewer: Charleston Water System sells water wholesale to St. Johns Water Company and provides sewer service to parts of the island. Ask whether a home is on public sewer before you buy.
Trash: depends on City or County; see the table above.

Fire and police

St. Johns Fire District was created in 1959. It covers about 185 square miles across Johns, Kiawah, Seabrook and Wadmalaw islands from its headquarters at 1148 Main Road, and Stations 1, 5 and 7 are on Johns Island. A $9.5 million County loan approved in July 2026 will replace Station 5 with a new station on the same site and build a new Station 8 at Kiawah River.

The City of Charleston Fire Department shares coverage of the island. It runs Station 17 at 1830 Bohicket Road and is building Station 23 at Maybank Highway and Wildts Battery Boulevard, expected to open in late 2026.

For police, the Sheriff’s West Patrol District covers unincorporated areas and Charleston Police cover City areas. Charleston County has also announced plans for a public safety complex on the island.

Getting around

Main Road and Maybank Highway carry the island’s traffic across the Stono River, and both are under construction or about to be:

Main Road Segment A: the $354 million project with flyovers at US 17 is due in September 2028.
Maybank Highway: a fourth lane is expected to start in late 2026 or early 2027.
I-526: the extension to the island is cancelled.

Our road projects guide tracks each one.

Charleston Executive Airport (JZI), at 2742 Fort Trenholm Road, is a general-aviation airport on the island. Airline flights use Charleston International (CHS).

Hurricanes and flooding

Johns Island is in hurricane evacuation Zone B. Before you buy, check the property’s FEMA flood zone and get a flood-insurance quote. Our hurricane guide has the evacuation route, alert sign-ups and flood-map links.

Everyday services

Our Johns Island services guide has the phone numbers, hours and outage lines for each of these, and for water, power, trash, fire, police and schools.

Library: the John’s Island Library (Charleston County Public Library), 3531 Maybank Highway, 843-559-1945. Open Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Sunday.
Post office: 2860 Maybank Highway. Open weekdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 5 p.m., and Saturday 9 to 10 a.m.
Johns Island Council: a citizens’ group for Johns and Wadmalaw islands that hosts briefings from City and County agencies. It meets on the second Thursday of each month at the Berkeley Electric building, 1135 Main Road.
Rural Mission, 3429 Camp Care Road: home repair, crisis aid and migrant Head Start.
Sea Islands Chamber of Commerce: an events calendar and a map of Johns and Wadmalaw islands.

Where to get Johns Island news

Johns Island coverage is scattered:

Metro-wide outlets cover the island now and then: the Post and Courier, Live 5, ABC News 4 and 6AM City’s CHStoday.
The Island Connection focuses on Kiawah and Seabrook.
The Johns Island Advocate is a resident newsletter focused on growth and roads.

Hey Johns Island pulls the island-specific news together every Thursday. Subscribe free.

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

Thu, 29 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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.