Outfit Details:

Toss Sweatshirt (also love this one), J.Crew Tee, J.Crew Shorts, Mariella Vilar Bag, Ray Ban Sunglasses, Tuckernuck Hat

We love to wake up for sunrise when we travel, and we knew this was something we wanted to do on this trip. After some research we discovered two beaches that looked promising, Folly Beach and Sullivan’s Island. Both of them are super close to Downtown Charleston about 20 minutes, in opposite directions. After asking the hotel concierge we decided we’d wake up at 5:15am the next morning and head out to Sullivan’s Island just before the sun started to rise. When the time rolled around in the morning, we slept right through those alarms we had set (all 6 of them!). In our sleep defense, we did wake up at 3:30am for our flight to SC, so we were a bit ambitious. The next night we set our alarms again, went to bed a bit earlier and…success! We were up, ready and out the door in excitement to watch the sunrise. 

We parked right next to the Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse and walked out to the beach along the boardwalks. We were pleased to see other beachgoers out and about, probably executing their morning routine. There were people on beach cruiser bicycles riding on the firm sand exposed by the lower tide, walkers with their dogs and even a workout class. The weather that morning couldn’t have felt better, it was a nice 80F, even at 6am with a light breeze. When we dipped our toes in the water, we were delighted to feel how warm it was, especially compared to what we’re used to back home (even on an extra hot day!). We walked along the beach for a while in and out of the water as the sun rose over the far side of the beach, lighting up the sky in vibrant shades of pink and orange. We laid out some towels to sit on but that plan was quickly ruined when the tide began rising, forcing us to retreat to higher ground.

I ordered this oversized striped Toss sweatshirt (also love this one) last month as a cozy, lounging option for home and weekends and have worn it way more already than I thought I would. It’s the first thing I reach for on a Saturday morning and perfect for a summer day at the beach, especially if there’s a bit of wind. I also have these striped cotton lounge pants from J.Crew that I changed into almost immediately at the end of the day. They’re the best!

On our way back to downtown, we stopped at Collective Coffee, a great recommendation from a reader. We made sure to shake out as much sand as possible before heading inside and getting our fix of iced coffee and bagels, the perfect start to the day.