Moon Coastal Carolinas

by Jim Morekis

  To get here from Myrtle Beach, take U.S. 501 north to Highway 90 and head east. After about seven miles, turn east onto the unpaved International Drive across from the Wild Horse subdivision. After about 1.5 miles on International Drive, veer left onto Old Kingston Road. The preserve is shortly ahead on both sides of the road; park along the shoulder.

  The Lower Grand Strand

  Tiny Pawleys Island (year-round population about 200) likes to call itself “America’s first resort” because of its early role, in the late 1700s, as a place for planters to go with their families to escape the mosquito-infested rice and cotton fields. It’s still a vacation getaway and still has a certain elite understatement, an attitude the locals call “arrogantly shabby.” While you can visit casually, most people who enjoy the famous Pawleys Island beaches do so from one of the many vacation rental properties.

  Shabby arrogance does have its upside, however—there is a ban on further commercial development in the community, allowing Pawleys to remain slow and peaceful. For generations, Pawleys was famous for its cypress cottages, many on stilts. Sadly, 1989’s Hurricane Hugo destroyed a great many of these iconic structures—27 out of 29 on the south end alone, most of which have been replaced by far less aesthetically pleasing homes.

  Directly adjacent to Pawleys, Litchfield Beach offers similar low-key enjoyment along with a world-class golf resort. Murrells Inlet is chiefly known for a single block of seafood restaurants on its eponymous waterway.

  SIGHTS

  S Brookgreen Gardens

  One of the most unique—and unlikely—sights in the developed Grand Strand area is bucolic Brookgreen Gardens (1931 Brookgreen Dr., 843/235-6000, www.brookgreen.org, May-Mar. daily 9:30am-5pm, Apr. daily 9:30am-8pm, $15 adults, $7 ages 6-12, free under age 6), directly across U.S. 17 from Huntington Beach State Park. Once one of several massive contiguous plantations in the Pawleys Island area, the modern Brookgreen is a result of the charity and passion of Archer Milton Huntington and his wife, Anna. Quite the sculptor in her own right, Anna Huntington saw to it that Brookgreen’s 9,000 acres would host by far the largest single collection of outdoor sculpture in the United States. To learn more, visit the on-site Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Center for American Sculpture, which offers seminars and workshops throughout the year. A highlight of the year is the Night of a Thousand Candles in early December. It’s actually closer to 6,000 candles, lit all across the grounds to gorgeous seasonal effect.

  Brookgreen Gardens hosts America’s largest outdoor sculpture collection.

  On the other end of the grounds opposite the gardens is the E. Craig Wall Jr. Lowcountry Nature Center, which includes a small enclosed cypress swamp with a boardwalk, herons and egrets, and a delightful river otter exhibit.

  To add an extra layer of enjoyment to your visit, you can explore this massive preserve much more deeply by taking one of several tours offered on Brookgreen’s pontoon boat ($7 adults, $4 children, on top of regular admission); check the website for a schedule.

  S Huntington Beach State Park

  Right across the street from Brookgreen is Huntington Beach State Park (16148 Ocean Hwy., 843/237-4440, www.southcarolinaparks.com, daily 6am-10pm, $5 adults, $3 ages 6-15, free under age 6), probably the best of South Carolina’s state parks not built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Once a part of the same vast parcel of land owned by Archer Huntington and his wife, Anna, the state has leased it from the trustees of their estate since the 1960s.

  You can tour the “castle” on the beach, Atalaya, former home of the Huntingtons and now the yearly site of the Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival. This evocative Moorish-style National Historic Landmark is open to the public for free guided tours (Memorial Day-Sept. daily noon-1pm, Oct. Tues.-Sat. noon-2pm, Sun.-Mon. noon-1pm). You can stroll three miles of beach, view birds and wildlife from several boardwalks into the marsh, hike several nature trails, and visit the well-done Environmental Education Center (843/235-8755, Tues.-Sun. 10am-5pm), which features a saltwater touch tank and a baby alligator.

  Pawleys Island Historic District

  Although many of the island’s homes were leveled by Hurricane Hugo, the Pawleys Island Historic District (843/237-1698, www.townofpawleysisland.com), in the central portion of the island, still has a dozen contributing structures, almost all on Myrtle Avenue. Among them are the Weston House (506 Myrtle Ave.), or Pelican Inn, and the Ward House (520 Myrtle Ave.), or Liberty Lodge. As you view the structures, many with their own historical markers, note the architecture. Because these were intended to be lived in May-November, they resemble open and airy Caribbean homes, with extensive porches and plenty of windows.

  EVENTS

  The highlight of the lower Grand Strand calendar is the annual Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival (www.atalayafestival.com, $6 adults, free under age 16), which takes place on the grounds of Huntington Beach State Park each September. There’s music, food, and about 100 vendors who show their art and wares within the exotic Atalaya home. Admission to the park is free during the festival.

  Also in September is the Pawleys Island Festival of Music and Art (www.pawleysmusic.com, prices vary), which happens outdoors, across U.S. 17 under the stars in Brookgreen Gardens, with a few performances at nearby Litchfield Plantation.

  A main event in Murrells Inlet is the annual Fourth of July Boat Parade (843/651-0900, free), which celebrates American independence with a patriotically themed procession of all kinds of streamer- and flag-bedecked watercraft down the inlet. It begins at about 6pm and ends, of course, with a big fireworks display.

  Another big deal in Murrells Inlet is the annual Blessing of the Inlet (843/651-5099, www.belinumc.org), always held the first Saturday in May and sponsored by a local Methodist church. Enjoy food vendors, goods baked by local women, and a great family atmosphere.

  SHOPPING

  The shopping scene revolves around the famous Pawleys Island hammock, a beautiful and practical bit of local handiwork sold primarily at the Hammock Shops Village (10880 Ocean Hwy., 843/237-8448, Mon.-Sat. 10am-6pm, Sun. 1pm-5pm). To purchase a Pawleys Island hammock, go to The Original Hammock Shop (843/237-9122, www.thehammockshop.com), housed in a century-old cottage. Next door is the affiliated Hammock Shop General Store, which, as the name implies, sells a variety of other goods such as beachwear, books, and a notable style of local fudge. The actual hammocks are handcrafted in the shed next door, the way they have been since 1889.

  SPORTS AND RECREATION

  Beaches

  First, the good news: The beaches are pristine and beautiful. The bad news: Public access is very limited. Simply put, that means the best way to enjoy the beach is to rent one of the many private beach homes for a week or so. Although it’s only a short distance from Myrtle Beach, the beaches at Pawleys and vicinity are infinitely more peaceful and easygoing.

  Beach access with parking at Pawleys Island includes a fairly large lot at the south end of the island and parking areas off Atlantic Avenue at Hazard, 1st, Pearce, 2nd, and 3rd Streets, and Shell Road.

  Kayaking and Canoeing

  The Waccamaw River and associated inlets and creeks are peaceful and scenic places to kayak, with plenty of bird-watching opportunities to boot. For a two-hour guided tour of the area salt marsh, reserve a spot on the kayak trips sponsored by the Environmental Education Center (Huntington Beach State Park, 843/235-8755, office Tues.-Sun. 10am-5pm, $30 pp). Call for tour days and times. Or you can put in yourself at Oyster Landing, about one mile from the entrance to the state park.

  Golf

  Home to some of the best links in the Carolinas, the lower part of the Grand Strand recently organized its courses under the umbrella moniker Waccamaw Golf Trail (www.waccamawgolftrail.com), chiefly for marketing purposes. No matter, the courses are still as superb as ever, if generally pricier than their counterparts up the coast.

  The best course in the area, and one of the best in the country, is the Caledonia Golf and Fish Club (369 Caledonia Dr., 843/237-3675, www.fishclub.com
, $195). While the course itself is almost ridiculously young—it opened in 1995—this masterpiece is built, as so many area courses are, on the grounds of a former rice plantation. The clubhouse, in fact, dates from before the Civil War. Packages (800/449-4005, www.myrtlebeachcondorentals.com) are available. Affiliated with Caledonia is the fine True Blue Golf Club (900 Blue Stem Dr., 843/235-0900, www.fishclub.com, $100), considered perhaps the most challenging single course on the Strand.

  Another excellent Pawleys course is the Litchfield Country Club (U.S. 17 and Magnolia Dr., 843/237-3411, www.litchcc.com, $60), one of the Grand Strand’s oldest. The facilities are self-consciously dated—this is a country club, after all—setting it apart from the flashier, newer courses sprouting like mushrooms farther up the Strand. It’s a deceptive course that’s short on yards but heavy on doglegs.

  The Jack Nicklaus-designed Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club (70 Tanglewood Dr., 843/237-6100, www.pawleysplantation.com, $150) has set a tough example for the last 20 years. The front nine is a traditional layout, while the back nine melts into the marsh.

  ACCOMMODATIONS

  Under $150

  Similarly named but not to be confused with Litchfield Plantation is the nearby Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort (14276 Ocean Hwy., 866/538-0187, www.litchfieldbeach.com, $100-170). In typical Grand Strand fashion, this property delivers a lot of service for a surprisingly low price and offers a wide range of lodging choices, from a basic room at the Seaside Inn on the low end to four-bedroom villas ($230). A regular free shuttle takes you to the beach. There are also lots of water activities right on the premises, including a ubiquitous “lazy river” tube course.

  $150-300

  The premier B&B-style lodging on the entire Grand Strand is S Litchfield Plantation (Kings River Rd., 843/237-9121, www.litchfieldplantation.com, $230-275) on Pawleys Island, built, as you’ve probably come to expect by now, on an old plantation. There is a host of lodging choices, all of them absolutely splendid. The Plantation House has four sumptuous suites, all impeccably decorated. The humbly named Guest House—actually an old mansion—has six bedrooms, and the entire 2nd floor is an executive suite. Lastly, the newer outparcel Villas contain an assortment of two- and three-bedroom suites.

  Vacation Rentals

  Many who enjoy the Pawleys area do so using a vacation rental as a home base rather than a traditional hotel or B&B. Pawleys Island Realty (88 N. Causeway Rd., 800/937-7352, www.pawleysislandrealty.com) can hook you up.

  Camping

  At Huntington Beach State Park (16148 Ocean Hwy., 843/237-4440, www.southcarolinaparks.com, daily 6am-10pm, $5 adults, $3 ages 6-15, free under age 6), the beach is beautiful, there are trails and an education center, and the bird-watching is known as some of the best on the East Coast. While there are 131 RV-suitable sites ($23-28), tenters should go to one of the six walk-in tent sites ($17-19).

  FOOD

  Breakfast and Brunch

  The high-end strip mall setting isn’t the most romantic, but by broad consensus the best breakfast on the entire Strand is at Applewood House of Pancakes (14361 Ocean Hwy., 843/979-1022, daily 6am-2pm, $5-10) in Pawleys. Eggs Benedict, specialty omelets, crepes, waffles, and pancakes abound in this roomy, unpretentious dining room. Do it; you won’t regret it.

  Seafood

  Murrells Inlet has several good places clustered together along the marsh on U.S. 17. The best is S Lee’s Inlet Kitchen (4460 Business U.S. 17, 843/651-2881, www.leesinletkitchen.com, Mar.-Nov. Mon.-Sat. 4:30pm-10pm, $20-40), the only joint still in the original family—in this case the Lee family, who started the place in the mid-1940s. The seafood is simply but delectably prepared (your choice of fried or broiled). They close down December-February.

  Everything from the fried green tomatoes to the crab cakes is fresh, hot, and tasty at Flo’s Place Restaurant (3797 Business U.S. 17, 843/651-7222, www.flosplace.com, daily 11am-10pm, $15-25). Flo is sadly no longer with us, but her place still eschews schlock for a humble, down-home feel. In recent years the menu has added more New Orleans-style Creole seafood dishes.

  On the other end of the spectrum style-wise is Divine Fish House (3993 Business U.S. 17, 843/651-5800, www.divinefishhouse.com, daily 5pm-10pm, $20-33), which offers more adventurous high-end cuisine like the fine San Antonio Salmon (smothered with pepper-jack cheese and bacon) and the Asian-flavored Banana Leaf Mangrove Grouper.

  INFORMATION AND SERVICES

  On Pawleys Island is the Georgetown County Visitors Bureau (95-A Centermarsh Ln., 843/235-6595, www.visitgeorgetowncountysc.com). The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce (3401 U.S. 17, 843/651-1010, www.visitmybeach.com) and the new Waccamaw Community Hospital (4070 U.S. 17 Bypass, 843/652-1000, www.georgetownhospitalsystem.org) are in Murrells Inlet. Pawleys Island is served by the Pawleys Island Police Department (321 Myrtle Ave., 843/237-3008, www.townofpawleysisland.com).

  Georgetown and Vicinity

  Think of Georgetown as Beaufort’s lesser-known cousin. Like Beaufort, it’s an hour away from Charleston, it boasts a tidy historic downtown, and it was once a major center of Lowcountry plantation culture. However, Georgetown gets significantly less attention and less traffic. Certainly the fact that the entrance to town is dominated by the sprawling, ominous-looking Georgetown Steel mill on one side of the road and the massive International Paper plant on the other has something to do with it. Making matters worse was a disastrous fire in September 2013, which destroyed seven historic waterfront buildings.

  There are several enjoyable and educational places a short ways north of Georgetown on U.S. 17, chief among them Hobcaw Barony, former playground of the rich turned environmental education center, and Hampton Plantation, a well-preserved look back into antebellum elegance and rice-culture history.

  HISTORY

  The third-oldest city in South Carolina, after Charleston and Beaufort, Georgetown was founded in 1729 on a four- by eight-block grid, most of which still exists today, complete with original street names. The Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox,” was born in nearby Berkeley County and conducted operations in and around the area during the entire war.

  While Charleston-area plantations get most of the attention, the truth is that by 1840 about 150 rice plantations on the Sampit and Little Pee Dee Rivers were producing half of the entire national output of the staple crop. After the Civil War, the collapse of the slave-based economy (at its height, 90 percent of Georgetown’s population were enslaved) meant the collapse of the rice economy as well.

  In 1905, Bernard Baruch—native South Carolinian, Wall Street mover and shaker, and adviser to presidents—came to town, purchasing Hobcaw Barony, a former plantation. It became his winter residence and hunting ground, and his legacy of conservation lives on there today in an education center on the site.

  On the national level Georgetown is perhaps best known for being the hometown of comedian Chris Rock; although he moved away long ago, many members of his family continue to live here.

  SIGHTS

  Kaminski House

  The city of Georgetown owns and operates the historic Kaminski House (1003 Front St., 843/546-7706, www.kaminskimuseum.org, Mon.-Sat. 9am-5pm, $7 adults, $3 ages 6-12, free under age 6). Not to be confused with the Kaminski Hardware Building down the block, this grand home was built in 1769 and was the executive residence of several city mayors. It is furnished with a particularly exquisite selection of 18th- and 19th-century antiques.

  The grounds are beautiful as well, overlooking the Sampit River and lined with Spanish moss-covered oaks. Take the free 45-minute guided tour departing Monday-Saturday at 11am, 1pm, and 3pm; call ahead to confirm tour times.

  Rice Museum

  The succinctly named Rice Museum (633 Front St., 843/546-7423, www.ricemuseum.org, Mon.-Sat. 10am-4:30pm, $7 adults, $3 ages 6-21, free under age 6) is a look back at the all-important staple crop and its massive effects on Georgetown, which at one point accounted for half of the country’s rice production.


  There are actually two parts of the museum. The Old Market building, often simply called “The Town Clock” because of its 1842 timepiece, hosts the bulk of the archival information on the impact of rice growing on the region’s history and economy. The adjacent Kaminski Hardware Building includes a 17-minute video on the rice industry, a good Gullah-Geechee cultural exhibit, and a gift shop.

  Most visitors to the Rice Museum take a one-hour guided tour, included in the price of admission. The highlight is the “Browns Ferry Vessel,” the remains of a wrecked local colonial-era boat, circa 1730, which has its own listing on the National Register of Historic Places.