Folly Beach Parking Guide | Where to Park, Prices & More

Folly Beach is one of Charleston’s beaches, just thirty minutes outside the city and with so much character it’s more than worth a visit. I love Folly! Luckily Folly Beach parking isn’t too tough to navigate, but you do need to know the rules and prep a little before you go.

Free Folly Beach Parking

Folly Beach parking isn’t always easy but a great thing is that parking on both Center street (which has a 2-hour limit) and all side streets is free.

That being said, when parking on the street make sure you aren’t 1.) parking in a no-parking zone 2.) blocking anything like private driveways etc. 3.) within 20 feet of an intersection, 15 feet of a fire hydrant or 30 feet of a stop sign 4.) parking on yellow curbs, against yellow lines or along red street lines OR lastly 5.) diagonal parking (especially important for parking your golf cart). Most importantly, always park with the flow of traffic with all four tires outside the white lines and off the road.

It’s very important to always make sure your entire car is outside of the white lines and off the road when parking in Folly.

They DO give parking tickets frequently in Folly, so it’s important to pay attention to the Folly Beach parking rules.

Below you’ll see an example of a side street you can park on, which is just one of many streets. You can basically park on any street where you see a shoulder either made of grass or dirt, as long as you, again, get both of your tires completely off of the road (it’s very important if you can’t tell!). You can see a complete list of the parking rules below.

Paid Folly Beach Parking

If you’re not able to find street parking or you need to be in a certain parking lot with easy access to the beach, for example for people who are handicapped or have a surfboard with them, finding paid public parking lots will be no trouble at all except maybe on major holidays. Payment is made via your mobile phone using a QR code which is posted to many signs throughout Folly and inputting a credit card.

One of the most popular lot is the Folly Beach Pier parking lot, which is especially popular for surfers since there’s lots of places to rinse your board. There are 49 public beach access points up and down Folly with parking spots at each. The paid parking lots are in effect from 8:00am to 10:00pm every day of the week, and you aren’t allowed to park overnight in the lots. You can find a full list on the Park Folly Beach website.

Note: Very few beach access points in Folly Beach have outdoor showers. This is something I was somewhat surprised about. If in doubt, there are plenty of outdoor showers at the Folly Beach pier.

You’ll also find a large lot with 250 parking spots at Folly Beach County Park, which is one of the best Charleston County parks and a beautiful spot on the beach, with all-day rates you can find information on at their website.

Keep in mind if you need overnight parking, there is no parking in the public lots and spaces past 10:00pm each night, so you’ll want to move your car to a side street overnight if you’re in a paid spot.

About Driving Into Folly

The bridge that goes into Folly Beach is known to get terribly backed up and cause tons of traffic. Knowing this, it’s best to get over the bridge on warm weekends by 9:30 or 10:00am to prevent being stuck in a lot of traffic. On Holiday weekends you’ll want to arrive even earlier.

Another important note – the bridge and all roads on Folly Beach have a 25mph speed limit. And they do ticket, I would know. 😬

Seasonality of Folly Beach Parking

Naturally, parking on Folly Beach will be easier in the off season before Memorial Day and after Labor Day. During the peak summer months and summer weekends, getting onto Folly Beach before 9:30am will substantially increase your chances of getting a good spot.

Before Memorial Day and after Labor Day during the off season, there’s really no need to stress about parking, although you may have to use a lot on the warmer weekends if you get into Folly Beach midday. During the week you will have no issues finding a great spot easily.

Of course the best way to avoid parking issues at Folly Beach is to stay right at the beach. After visiting many times I wrote a blog about the best Folly Beach hotels you can read to find the best one for your group, OR if the city is your style check out my popular guide to where to stay in Charleston SC.