Resort Information

Resort History

The History of Charleston’s First Vacation Resort

It started with a warm welcome. When the first English settlers arrived to the waters off this Island, local Seewee Indians met them at the ships. The locals swam up – and carried the travelers to shore.

Wild Dunes Resort continues the tradition. Warm welcomes. Going the extra mile.

And why not? We work and live in a unique historic place. Originally named Hunting Island and then Long Island, Isle of Palms is at least 25,000 years old. Its history is colorful.

Long ago, the 18th hole at the Links Golf Course was the place where Lord Cornwallis commanded 2,000 men to head down the island, cross Breach Inlet and attack Fort Moultrie from the rear. About 600 North and South Carolina militia and Catawba Indians met them head on. Not a single soldier crossed over to Sullivan's Island that day; it was America's first victory in the South.

A century later, the island’s waterways played another historic role. It was here that the Confederate submarine, H.L. Hunley, rammed and sank the Union warship, USS Housatonic. It was the world's first successful submarine attack in battle. The anchor to the Housatonic sits outside our reception center.

In the years b.a.c. (before air conditioning) the Island was a summer refuge. Families came to escape the city heat. In 1899, the owner renamed it Isle of Palms in a ploy to become an Atlantic City-style resort.

After World War II, local developer J.C. Long built low-cost housing on the island. Veterans and their families moved in. Many remain.

Wild Dunes Resort’s development began in 1972, when Finch Properties purchased the site and sold the land to Sea Pines Company. They established the Isle of Palms Beach and Racquet Club – a tennis resort on 1,600 acres of land at the northeast end of the island.

As the original name implied, the Isle of Palms Beach and Racquet Club was designed around the tennis complex. In 1981 TENNIS Magazine named it one of the "Top 50 Tennis Resorts in the Country." We still are.

Next came golf. The Links Course was Tom Fazio's first solo design project. It opened for play in 1980. In just two years GOLF Magazine ranked it one of the world's best golf courses, a first for Fazio.

Two years later, our second Fazio design - the Harbor Course - opened. In 1988, GOLF Magazine awarded Wild Dunes Resort "The Gold Medal," which placed the Charleston golf resort among the top 12 golf resorts in America.

Meanwhile, Wild Dunes Resort continued to dominate tennis. The United States Tennis Association selected Wild Dunes Resort to be the site of the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in both 1988 and 1989.

In early 1990, Wild Dunes Resort became part of Destination Hotels & Resorts. The 1998 opening of the Boardwalk Inn provided guests a hotel stay in AAA Four Diamond style. Our numerous resort amenities make us popular with families, couples, golfers, meeting attendees, celebrities and retirees. We are considered the best South Carolina vacation resort by many measures.

Wild Dunes Resort is a part of the Destination Hotels & Resorts collection. Click here for more information.