Callawassie Island, South Carolina: A Gated Island in Okatie
A gated island community of 880 acres in Okatie, reached by a half-mile causeway, with marsh on every side, a 27-hole Tom Fazio golf course and 19th-century sugar mill ruins.
Where Callawassie Island Is
Callawassie Island is a private, gated community in Okatie, in Beaufort County, about 17 miles southwest of Beaufort and 30 miles northeast of Savannah. Its mailing address is Okatie, but it is searched for and shopped alongside the Bluffton communities, and that is how we cover it. The island is 880 acres, ringed by salt marsh and tidal creeks where Callawassie Creek meets the Little Chechessee, Okatie and Colleton rivers, with about five miles of waterfront on the Port Royal Sound basin.
The way in is a half-mile causeway that leaves the mainland about a mile south of SC 170; boats can also come in on the deep water of the Colleton River. The community was built out between 1981 and 2002, with 717 homesites, 33 lagoons and land set aside for conservation and wildlife. It is gated, so arrange a visit ahead with a resident or the club.
The Tom Fazio Golf Course
Callawassie Island Club is a private Okatie, SC club with 27 Tom Fazio holes in three nines, a clubhouse, the River Club and racquet sports.
Callawassie Island Club has 27 holes designed by Tom Fazio, played as three nines: Dogwood, Magnolia and Palmetto. Our Callawassie Island Club golf page covers the course, and the club’s main clubhouse, about 26,000 square feet, has its dining room.
Pools, Courts, Docks and Clubhouses
Beyond the golf, residents have two pools, tennis and pickleball courts, a fitness center and two clubhouses. The water is the other draw: two kayak launch docks and three community docks for fishing and crabbing open onto the creeks and rivers.
The Callawassie Sugar Works and the Island’s History
People lived on the island about 4,000 years ago, and the Yamassee gave it the name Callawassie in the early 1600s. English settlers arrived in 1711. In the early 1800s James Hamilton Jr., later governor of South Carolina, is believed to have built the Callawassie Sugar Works, a mill for turning sugar cane into sugar, around 1815 to 1818. Its tabby walls still stand: they are the only sugar mill ruins known in South Carolina, and they were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
A Community Wildlife Habitat
In 2006 Callawassie Island became South Carolina’s first Community Wildlife Habitat, and the 15th in the nation. Marsh surrounds it, lagoons run through it, and parts of the island are kept as conservation and wildlife areas.
Homes and Nearby Communities
Callawassie Island homes for sale: houses and homesites on the gated 880-acre island in Okatie, with the live MLS search, club and rental questions to ask.
Oldfield is a private, member-owned community on the Okatie River near Bluffton, with a Greg Norman course, equestrian center, outfitters and weddings.
Colleton River Club, once Colleton River Plantation, is a gated Bluffton golf and waterfront community. See the golf, dock, courts, dining and dues.
Search homes for sale in Bluffton, SC by price, type and community, plus what the listings leave out: builders and gated, golf and 55-plus communities.
Bluffton, SC, across the bridges from Hilton Head: Old Town on the May River, where to eat, what to do, hotels, the grocery run and Palmetto Bluff.
Callawassie Island is its own area on the local MLS, and our Callawassie Island homes for sale page has the search and the questions to ask before you buy. Nearby, Oldfield is a private riverfront club community on the Okatie River, and Colleton River is a gated club community on the Colleton River.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Callawassie Island, SC?
In Okatie, Beaufort County, about 17 miles southwest of Beaufort and 30 miles northeast of Savannah. A half-mile causeway leaves the mainland about a mile south of SC 170.
Is Callawassie Island a gated community?
Yes. It is a private, gated community of 717 homesites, so arrange a visit ahead with a resident or the club.
How big is Callawassie Island?
About 880 acres, with about five miles of waterfront on the salt marsh.
What is the Callawassie Sugar Works?
The tabby ruins of a sugar mill built around 1815 to 1818, the only sugar mill ruins known in South Carolina. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
Who designed the golf course on Callawassie Island?
Tom Fazio designed its 27 holes, played as three nines: Dogwood, Magnolia and Palmetto.
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