The long of the short of it? Yes. You do need to rent a golf cart to explore Daufuskie Island. Here’s the thing, we really want you to enjoy your day over here. You’re taking the time to come visit Daufuskie Island. We see no point in you coming over just to be stranded at the dock.
Sure, we are little. Daufuskie is 5 miles in length, 3.5 miles at our widest. But the island is spread out. There is not a downtown area. No collection of shops. Our sporadically placed restaurants, artisans and galleries, museums and attractions are dotted all over the island. Plus, the beaches are on the opposite side of the island as the boat landings.
When you arrive, you’re dropped off on the marsh side of the island. At Melrose Landing and the County Dock, there are no public buildings, operating restaurants nor any stores at either location. This is why we meet you at the dock with the golf cart. You can start exploring right away. This is also why you want the cart the entire time you are over here.
What about biking? Yes, you can rent a bike to explore. Or bring your own. But again, the island is spread out. More important than the distance, about half the island’s roads are dirt. Our super sandy, barrier-island dirt is incredibly hard to balance on when we’ve had little rain or too much rain. Think biking on the soft sand near the dunes. Not easy. For more information about biking on Daufuskie, take a look at our blog focused on biking the island.
Trust us on this one. We’re looking out for your happiness. We want you to come to Daufuskie and enjoy your day. So rent a cart. Sit back, relax, cruise around and take it all in.