Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant is one of the most scenic spots around. Located off of Coleman Boulevard, you travel right by it when you drive from the Isle of Palms to Charleston. Shem Creek is where you can spot commercial shrimp trawlers and the dolphins that often follow them. Several seafood restaurants with awesome views and rooftop bars line the creek, like Tavern and Table and Saltwater Cowboys. Red’s Ice House is a particularly hot spot where you can dine al fresco on the deck with your canine friend. Buy fresh-caught shrimp at Wando Shrimp Company, a tucked-away favorite of locals, at 102 Haddrell Street. The shrimp is excellent, as are the prices. Shem Creek is also the location of one of the best “new” parks in the area, the incredibly beautiful Shem Creek Park. Piers, boardwalks and docks stretch across the marsh and extend all the way towards Charleston harbor, offering great views previously only seen by boaters or birds.
The beauty of Shem Creek Park
The whole goal of Shem Creek park has been to increase the public’s access to the water, and boy has it succeeded beautifully. Shem Creek Park has been completed in phases. The first phase, constructing the boardwalk that runs all the way out to the harbor, opened in 2011 to rave reviews. Phase 2 involved building public and commercial docks that run along the side of Shem Creek near Vickery’s and Water’s Edge. It opened in 2016. Coleman Boulevard is a busy thoroughfare, as is its bridge that crosses the creek. Up until now, people who wanted to get from one side of the creek to the other and were not in a car or boat had to cram onto a very narrow sidewalk on the bridge itself, right alongside the rushing cars. This became a rather harrowing experience, as crowds of people, runners, parents with strollers and small children, pets on leashes, artists painting the view, all tried to share the narrow space while taking care not to step into the traffic whizzing by. The view from the bridge is, arguably, one of the very best views of Shem Creek. However, your eye had to be on the cars and road instead. Enter Phase 3.
Phase 3
This third and last phase of the project involves a key part in making the whole area around Shem Creek come together - literally. Phase 3 is a wide and lovely pedestrian bridge across the creek, running alongside Coleman Boulevard, to link both sides together. It creates the perfect solution, with a spacious and SAFE decked walkway for people and pets that runs along the harbor side of the Coleman Bridge. Construction on this final piece of the puzzle is underway now. It will even have a covered section and a tree that will provide shade on hot and sunny days. They recently added yet another feature to the original plan - an ADA-compliant ramp. It will allow easy access to the docks on the Tavern and Table side of Shem Creek. T&T graciously allowed the project to take down an old shed which supported their sign, to allow this new ramp to be built. Last I checked, the project is running a month ahead of schedule, even after adding this extra feature. It may even open by the end of July. This third and final phase of the project costs $3 million - money well spent for both public enjoyment and safety reasons as well. The image above is from Thomas & Hutton, who designed it. The good folks at Cape Romain Contractors are doing the construction. Read more on how the project is progressing in this story by Live 5 News. So check out one of the most scenic spots in the Lowcountry, Shem Creek and its lovely docks and boardwalks, and soon-to-be pedestrian bridge. And when you are looking for Isle of Palms vacation rentals, be sure to call EP. All best, Lowcountry Lisa your Isle of Palms vacation blogger