A Local Guide To John's Island
Welcome to Johns Island Online! Johns Island is a sea island of coastal South Carolina. The island is rural, beautiful and beset with natural wonders. Johns Island is also the gateway to the pristine barrier islands of Kiawah and Seabrook, which host world-class resorts, golf courses, white sand beaches and Carolina-style southern hospitality galore. Now, ya'll stop back by often to discover the best of Johns Island with us. We're growing!
John's Island is one of many Sea Islands that lie along the Eastern coastline of the United States. These sea islands dot the eastern coast from north of the Carolinas to upper Florida. John's Island is the fourth largest sea island, and has a heritage tied closely to the land. It's also the gateway to the more famous, Kiawah and Seabrook Islands, and the Bohicket village area. From white, sandy beaches to saltwater marshes, fish-filled rivers, fields of potatoes, tomatoes and cutting flowers, and a cultural background that includes the Gullah peoples, Revolutionary and Civil War history, John's Island is a place that will ultimately bring you back to the land.
The semi-tropical southern climate just slows things down, ya'll! Long, lazy growing seasons in the Carolinas are extended beyond farming times north of the Mason-Dixon line. This contributes to a culture on John's Island forced to a slower pace in comparion to the gentle rush just across the river in the big city of Charleston. It's a fact that farm work quits in the Carolina's late afternoon heat. Big sips of sweet tea go great with an afternoon hiatus and are tradition in the Lowcountry. Come visit us. Once you've crossed the bridge, the patience of planters will wash over you as you explore a relaxed southern sea island community.
The Gullah people still existent on the islands today are typically descendants of West African slaves long ago imported to work in the rice and cotton fields of the south. Once the rice and cotton disappeared from the old plantations of southern coasts, whites left many of the sea islands and coastal areas for milder climates inland. The Gullahs spent generations living on the islands in isolation as society flocked to new suburbs and neighborhoods. Much of the reason the 300 year old coastal Gullah culture remains at all, lay in their separation.
