No matter the name, we love these structures for providing easy access to Southern waterways.
Dock, wharf, or pier?
By definition, all three words are defined similarly.
Credit: Jessica Sample
And while some Southerners use the terms interchangeably, geography often shapes how people refer to them.
Read on for what these structures actually are and what different parts of the South may call them.
What Are A Wharf, Dock, And Pier?
Credit:Peter Frank Edwards
So what are these structures actually?
They consider wharves to land somewhere in between the two, serving a variety of uses.
Peter Frank Edwards
Used most interchangeably with wharf, piers are often longer and communal.
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If its the lake, we call it a dock.
At the beach, we call public fishing, shopping, and hangout areas a pier, she says.
Virginia-raised editorial fellow Mary Alice Russell says for her, its always a pier.
Credit:Robbie Caponetto
For Brennan Long who grew up going to the lake in North Carolina, this rings true.
You dock your boat, so…its a dock."
Everyone from Mobile and Fairhope calls it a wharf.
“Theyre fulloutdoor living areasmade for entertaining.
Theres no party like a wharf party.
A boardwalk is a walkway that runs parallel to a beach or shoreline.
A pier extends from the beach out over the water.
The Santa Monica Pier is one of the most well-known piers.
It extends over the Pacific Ocean and offers beautiful views as well as an amusement park.
