Callawassie Island Blog

On a brisk and sunny Fall morning crossing the causeway onto Callawassie Island at high tide can truly be a breathtaking experience. Beautiful pink blooms of Muhley grass, billowing and delicate, stand at attention as guardians of the roadway, surrounding marshlands and navigable waters. The serenity of the moment is captivating. “My shoulders relax and a content smile is pasted on my face especially when I’m a passenger so I can enjoy the whole vista the causeway has to offer.” says resident Janet Matlock.

The native ornamental grass sometimes referred to as sweet grass comes in many varieties and changes colors throughout the year. Green in Spring and Summer; reddish pink in the Fall; and golden brown in the Winter. Callawassie's is a Florida variety that sways in the breeze and is extremely beneficial in holding the soil along the causeway.

Several years ago a Callawassie resident was shopping in the Charleston market and befriended basket weaver Joe Forman, nicknamed “Basket Case”! Joe’s mother, Mary Foreman Jackson, Gullah by heritage, taught him the art of basket weaving. His mother is an acclaimed and highly talented basket weaver who has her works placed at an impressive list of worldwide museums. In fact, Jackson’s baskets are so highly regarded that when prominent figures visit South Carolina, they are presented with one of her baskets as a remembrance of the event.

Joe, trying to find his calling, moved away from Charleston for many years. He worked “up North” as a letter carrier but found himself yearning to come home. He has been weaving baskets ever since. Joe is one of the few men preserving the art of sweet grass basketry, an art that expresses the Gullah culture and heritage of his ancestors.

In the spring of 2010, Joe was invited to Callawassie to pull the grass to use for his art. Joe and two others came in the late Spring of 2010 and harvested the sweet grass for half a day. We are inviting Joe to return again this year.

Who knows what magnificent baskets Joe might create or where they may find homes. What we do know is that near and far a part of Callawassie Island is being shared. In that, we can take pride.

Are you cold? Tired of scraping off snow from your car every morning? Looking for a paradise that you can escape to? Well Callawassie Island offers an escape from those tired routines. If you don't know much about Callawassie - here are some things that our members get to experience everyday. Now imagine being on a beautiful, lush island completely surrounded by water and ask yourself if you'd like to experience these things everyday.

1. Have you gone out in the morning to retrieve your newspaper and listened to the twittering of God’s creatures?
2. Have you kayaked the circumference of Callawassie Island in amazement and sheer pride of living on an island?
3. Have you looked up to marvel at gigantic and seemingly ageless live oak trees abounding with resurrection ferns and Spanish moss?
4. Have you visited any of several bird rookeries in astonishment of their snowy appearance on the surrounding waterway trees?
5. Have you experienced a western sunset from the swing in Sequoia Park?
6. Have you toured Callawassie Island in your golf cart on a lazy late afternoon with your favorite beverage?
7. Have you seen the dolphins fishing for their meal in the waters off of the River Club dock?
8. Have you sat on your back porch and marveled at the wildlife sharing your habitat?
9. Have you smelled the “pluff mud” at low tide and observed the fiddler crabs scurrying about?
10. Have you cast a shrimp net into the waters of Callawassie Island while remembering to let go of the net held in your teeth?
11. Have you observed a shell midden on Callawassie Island remembering it historic significance?
12. Have you visited a blue bird box and observed blue bird fledglings still in their nest?
13. Have you gone outside during full moon and looked up to see the starry night and bright moon?

It's all only a Discovery Tour away... We are waiting for you!

For more information on Callawassie Island or to ask about our Discovery Tour, please contact Courtney Vacha, Marketing Coordinator by e-mail, cvacha@callawassieislandclub.com or at (843) 987-2125.

Have you ever wondered what Callawassie might look like twenty years from now?  Will the wildlife we enjoy today continue to make their home on Callawassie in 2031?  Will the island’s common properties remain in their natural state as they do today?

The answers to all three questions are completely dependent on whether or not sufficient and sustainable habitat will remain on the island in the year 2031! We could have taken our chances and hoped the island would be as wildlife friendly then as it is today, but that didn’t seem to be an adequate explanation.  At best, it left our wildlife’s future simply up to chance.  However, rest assured, both questions are much easier to answer now that the CIMC and CIPOA Board of Directors evaluated and approved the concept of adopting a Wildlife Habitat Preservation Plan in October 2008. 

Callawassie Island’s Wildlife Habitat Preservation Plan

The Wildlife Habitat Preservation Plan/Land Management Plan (WHP/LMP) has identified 60 parcels made up of CIPOA common properties and CIMC out-of-play areas along the periphery of the island’s golf courses.  The Plan does not include private property.

Each parcel was photographed as it appeared in 2008 and assigned one of the following categories (Category I – Aesthetic, Category II – Vista, Category III – Buffer and Category IV – Meadows).  Each category utilizes a specific approach to the care and maintenance of the parcels, lists the specific types of wildlife species found in that area and identifies those parcels that would require Beaufort County permitting to prune or remove vegetation near the water’s edge.  Any change to a parcel’s status must first be Board approved followed by appropriate documentation which includes the reason and date of the change.  This information has been assembled in two master Log Books. One Log Book is in the CIPOA Property Manager’s office and the other is in the Golf Course Superintendent’s office.  Both are available for reviewing by Callawassie Island residents. 

The WHP Plan does not interfere with, nor is contrary to, the overall goal of the Island to reach its fiscal and residential “build-out” goals.  Instead, the Wildlife Habitat Preservation/Land Management Plan, as committed to by the CIPOA and CIMC Board of Directors, and adhered to by the CIPOA and CIMC employees, will provide a consistent approach to maintaining Callawassie Island’s common and open space properties in their current beautiful, natural and wildlife friendly state.  If followed, Callawassie Island will be as beautiful in 2031 and beyond as it is today!

Click here to view several properties included in the Wildlife Habitat Plan/Land Management Plan.

Many Callawassie Island residents look forward to family coming to Callawassie Island for the holidays and others are heading off island to spend the holidays with loved ones. 

A number of Callawassie Island holiday traditions benefit others. These include the Women’s Club annual “Toys for Tots” drive and the annual food drive which has already begun for this year. We also have island residents who serve holiday meals through area churches.  A lot of us deliver cookies and meals to the Fire Station just outside the gate.

Our island really lights up for the holidays. Members of the Garden Club and other Callawassie residents join together to decorate road signs for the holidays. The Clubhouse and River Club are also decorated to create holiday cheer. Many Callawassie Island members decorate their homes in the spirit of the holiday season. There is a home on Winding Oak with the largest light display on the island, and another home on Longwood with a light display in sync with holiday music. You might also see some island pets in their holiday attire. In addition, Callawassie lights up the water with docks and boats decorated with holiday lights.

Another part of the Callawassie Island tradition is holiday music. The Callawassie Chorus’ annual concert has become a December tradition as has the annual Heron Walk caroling party.

Click here for a Holiday Home Light show by one of Callawassie's members

Boxgroove (www.boxgroove.com), an inventive, reliable online network offering golfers the opportunity to play private golf courses of their choosing, has added Callawassie Island Club in Okatie, SC, in the heart of the low country, to the list of private courses Boxgroove members can play.

"The breathtaking beauty of the 27-hole golf course at Callawassie Island Club will be a memorable experience for Boxgroove members," said McRedmond Morelli, founder and CEO of Boxgroove. "Players of all abilities will enjoy playing at this magnificent private golf course."

Click here to read the full article

Congratulations to Lee and Andy Scott!

The home of Lee and Andy Scott at 14 South Oak Forest on Callawassie Island has won three prestigious Lighthouse Awards by the Hilton Head Island Builders Association. Their beautiful and evocative New England cottage meets Lowcountry charmer and sits on a marsh front lot with endless views from the lovely screened porches which surround the home.

Awards won by 14 South Oak Forest Drive (Callawassie Island)

Builder: Tilton Signature Homes

Architect: Tom Hiatt

New Home (category 7)

BEST OVERALL: 
Highest visual appearance and overall craftsmanship.

BEST KITCHEN:
Superior installation, function and design of all kitchen fixtures, appliances, cabinets, countertops, lighting, flooring, wall finishes, ceiling and trim.

BEST EXTERIOR: 
Superior construction, function and design of all exterior features including, finish, roofing, windows, doors, soffit, fascia, porches, patios, decks, landscape and hardscape.

Residents on Callawassie Island come from a wide range of backgrounds, careers, experiences, and geography that expand the globe. Without question, Callawassie Island has the single most central location of any community in the Hilton Head region. Our pristine Island is directly between scenic Beaufort (20 minutes) and Bluffton (15 minutes). But, Callawassie is also close to Hilton Head Island (30 minutes), Savannah (35 minutes), and Charleston (90 minutes). Making the Island’s location even more desirable is its privacy from traffic, noise, and congestion. 

“Location, location, location.” We have all heard that mantra thousands of times and know its fundamental importance to real estate. So, what is the best location in the beautiful Lowcountry?

Our community includes a total of 114 veterans from all branches of the military including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and the Coast Guard. Some served as enlisted men and women and some served as commissioned officers. Several saw combat in World War II, Korea, or Vietnam. Some were injured, one was a Prisoner of War and one had the honor of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington. All served our Country with pride, honor and courage and we thank them for their services.

Thank you to all of the men and women who reside and work on Callawassie Island who have served in the Military and to those in memoriam.