How many of your weeknight plans this year started with a drive over the connector or out Folly Road toward the beach? The new places opening on James Island this fall are aimed at cutting that number down. A steakhouse with two stages is going into a long-running Camp Road restaurant space. An ice cream parlour on Folly Road pours Guinness and stays open past 9 p.m. The Town and County calendars hold the island's November evenings at Town Hall and James Island County Park.
The people behind the biggest of these projects have said so directly. They built the concept around what they kept hearing islanders wanted "close to home."
The Camp Road Room on Its Fourth Concept
The building at 1234 Camp Road has a long restaurant history. Smoky Oak Taproom ran there for 13 years before closing in 2021. Dills & Camp Sundries followed, then Smoky Yolk Cafe, which closed last November.
Next up is Char House Social, from Josh and Katie Drewry, who opened The Harlow at 1015 Harbor View Road in November 2023. Katie Drewry grew up on the island. Brett Riley, The Harlow's executive chef, will run this kitchen too.
"The Harlow was our first love letter to James Island. Char House Social is our second, created in response to what we kept hearing people wanted more of close to home."
Josh Drewry, speaking to the Post and Courier
The plans show what "close to home" means here. The Drewrys are going for a casual steakhouse, not the white-tablecloth kind you would book downtown. They plan to serve ribeyes, filets and strips, a burger, a loaded baked potato and Riley's "Tumbleweed onion," a tall pile of thin, crispy fried onions with a house-made dipping sauce. WhatNow's August report also listed grilled chicken and fish, Texas-style chili and queso. The bar will feature a wide selection of whiskeys and bourbons alongside wine, local craft beer and cocktails.
Most of the renovation is going into the parts of a restaurant that keep people around after the meal. Inside, there will be multiple TVs at the bar and a permanent stage. Outside, there will be several patios and a second stage in an area the couple calls The Yard at Char House, meant for people waiting on a table or just staying for a drink. They won't take reservations, but large parties can call ahead to request a table.
On timing, WhatNow reported on August 27 that the team was working toward an October opening, without a specific day. As of early October, no confirmed opening date has been announced. The restaurant's Instagram account, @charhousesocial, is where the owners have said they will post updates.
On Folly Road, Dessert Comes With a Bar
The same idea showed up two months earlier at 915 Folly Road, Unit P. Three Monkeys Ice Cream Parlour, owned by Stephanie and John Teevan, held its grand opening August 1. The Post and Courier's coverage describes more than a scoop shop, with a bar serving wine, cocktails and Guinness next to the ice cream and coffee.
The hours matter as much as the menu. Before opening, the shop listed noon to 9:15 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays. That makes it a place to end the evening, not just an afternoon stop.
Folly Road also lost a familiar name this summer. Donald Strong closed Yous Guys Sandwich Shop at 827 Folly Road in late July after eight years. A July 21 local listing reported that the shop is relocating. No new tenant for that storefront has been reported.
On the island's Maybank Highway side, a Five Guys is coming to 1739 Maybank Highway, Suite V, at James Island Center. WhatNow reported in late August that permitting and hiring were underway. An openings tracker updated October 2 still listed it as opening "soon" in the former Charlotte's on Maybank space.
Two Intersections That Change the Drive and the Walk
Places to spend an evening on the island only work if getting to them is easy. Two road projects on the island affect that this fall.
The Fort Johnson Road and Camp Road intersection opened to traffic as a roundabout on August 10. A sidewalk detour stayed in place while pedestrian work continued. Charleston County's September 24 update calls it a "traversable urban compact roundabout." The roundabout, drainage improvements and utility relocations are complete, and signage was being installed. The finished project is designed to include sidewalks, ramps, crosswalks and refuge areas.
The same release covers the second half of the Fort Johnson package, at Secessionville Road. That intersection is becoming a signalized crossing with crosswalks, pedestrian signals and dedicated turn lanes, and signal installation was expected to begin in October. Construction on the pair of intersections is expected to continue until June 2027. The project team holds quarterly public updates at James Island Town Hall, 1122 Dills Bluff Road.
The second project is on Riverland Drive, the road James Island County Park sits on, and it is less settled. The design for Central Park Road and Riverland Drive calls for a marked crosswalk, pedestrian-activated flashing beacons, a right-turn lane and wider sidewalks. It would also remove three protected grand trees and nine trees in poor condition, while preserving 29 other protected or grand trees. In mid-July, Live 5 described the project as on hold pending a decision by county leaders. The County's project page has since shown limited site-plan review approved with conditions, but it lists no construction start. For now, the intersection plan has approval but no schedule.
The Island's Evening Calendar, October Through December
The County and Town calendars keep the same close-to-home pattern going into the holidays. Almost every date below starts at or after 5:30 p.m.
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Fridays, next on November 6 | James Island Town Market | Town Hall | 6 to 9 p.m., music, vendors, food trucks, family activities |
| November 11 and 12 | Holiday Festival of Lights Fun Run & Walk | James Island County Park | Two-mile route, tickets sold per vehicle |
| November 13 to December 31 | Holiday Festival of Lights | James Island County Park, 871 Riverland Drive | Nightly, 5:30 to 10 p.m. |
| November 14 | A Very Merry Oyster Roast | James Island County Park | Oysters, other food, drinks, live music, $65 |
The Festival of Lights is in its 37th year. The three-mile driving route has more than 750 lit displays. Visitors can also park and walk to the gift shops, holiday train ride, giant sand sculpture, marshmallow roasting and Santa. On James Island it isn't a trip somewhere. It runs every night for seven weeks on Riverland Drive.
The Fun Run & Walk the two nights before opening gives you a slower look at the route. The Oyster Roast lands the night after the lights come on.
The Longer Project on Hillman Street
All of this points toward a permanent version. On April 22, the Town of James Island broke ground on a 10,000-square-foot Art and Community Center at 1129 Hillman Street, with completion expected in April 2027. A recent update on the Town's homepage says the concrete footings have been poured.
By next spring, then, the island should have a finished roundabout and signal on Fort Johnson Road and a new community building on Hillman Street. The Camp Road room should have spent its first months as Char House Social, and Three Monkeys will have been open on Folly Road for most of a year. The County has already set June 2027 as the expected end of the Fort Johnson construction.
New places like Char House Social, Three Monkeys and the Hillman Street center add to what a James Island address offers day to day. If you'd like to know how this fall's changes affect what your home is worth, Brad Williams and the team at Weichert, Realtors® - Lifestyle will gladly put together a valuation based on your street, not just the zip code. Get My Home Valuation.
