Like siblings with different interests and distinct personalities, so are the communities that make up the 60 miles collectively called the Grand Strand. Head south on Highway 17 and you’ll soon find life a little more laid-back!
Surfside Beach and Garden City Beach, minutes from Myrtle Beach proper, developed as “family beaches” in the 1950s. And while change has come in the intervening years, they still remain family-oriented with cottages, fishing piers, traditional open-air hot dog diners, and arcades. It’s not unusual to see several generations of extended family enjoying the beach together.
Just beyond Garden City lies Murrells Inlet, a scenic village renowned for its seafood. Once populated mostly by fishing boats, seafood restaurants and their owners, it has, in recent years, become a highly desirable residential community with beautiful creek views and stately old live oaks. One highlight of the area is the Marshwalk and Veterans Pier, a community project built along the waterfront. It’s a wonderful place to stroll after a meal of freshly caught seafood!
Rich in history, Murrells Inlet marks the northernmost end of the Waccamaw Neck. This narrow spit of land between the Waccamaw River and Atlantic Ocean was once home to great rice plantations. Get a hint of what life might have been like in those days with stops at Huntington Beach State Park and Brookgreen Gardens.
The wide, pristine beaches and marshes at Huntington Beach State Park offer a look at the coast without development. It’s a great place for shelling and to view native alligators and dozens of species of birds.
One of the world’s largest outdoor sculpture gardens, Brookgreen Gardens is carved from several of the old plantations. It features more than 2,000 species of native plants, native wildlife, historical and cultural exhibits, and tours and excursions.
Continue through lushly landscaped Litchfield Beach to Pawleys Island. Known worldwide for rope hammocks, this picturesque little barrier island wears the title “arrogantly shabby” like a badge of honor, though big modern homes now sit alongside the historic old cottages and inns. Discover the communities of the South Strand, Myrtle’s quiet but entrancing “sisters.” |
