Kiawah Island has one of America’s finest beaches – and that’s not just our opinion.

In 2002, The Travel Channel, in conjunction with renowned “Beachologist” Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, named Kiawah Island one of America’s Top 10 Beaches for 2002 for the first time since he began publishing his annual findings 12 years ago.

Kiawah’s number nine position was revealed during a Travel Channel telecast. In addition to its top 10 rating, Kiawah was also called “America’s Best Wildlife Getaway Beach.” The program was part of the channel’s “Beach Week” and one of its highest-rated shows.

The outstanding natural quality of Kiawah’s beach is a credit to the ongoing efforts of the Town of Kiawah, property owners, our resort staff and their mission to protect Kiawah’s original masterplan.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort offers numerous beach-related activities, including ocean seining, biking and kayaking. Moreover, unlike most oceanfront resort communities on the East Coast, Kiawah Island has only one resort hotel on its 10 miles of beach, creating a uniquely pristine and private beach experience for visitors.

Not only is Kiawah’s beach 10 miles long, but also uninterrupted. At low tide there is more than 100 yards of sand from the dunes to the ocean. According to the South Carolina Annual State of the Beaches Report, Kiawah is one of the most stable barrier islands in the state with no trend of erosion. Island homes are set back behind the secondary dune line and do not encroach on the shoreline.

Kiawah’s beach is also a nesting ground for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle. Thanks mainly to the town-sponsored Turtle Patrol, a federal- and state-permitted program involving island residents, the survival rate of hatchlings is about 90 percent – substantially higher than the 10 percent typical in areas without assistance.

Kiawah has also been named one of the two most romantic beaches on the entire East Coast by National Geographic Traveler. Night-blooming jasmine and vibrant colored sweet grass border the sea and sloping dunes, while millions of exquisite seashells, sand dollars and conchs are scattered amid the white, sandy beach that leads to the temperate waters of the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean. Often, dolphins are seen playing in the surf during the day.