Brookgreen Gardens

Brookgreen Gardens is the reason many travelers who think they know Myrtle Beach end up rethinking it. In 1931, the philanthropist Archer Huntington and his wife, the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, bought a run of former rice plantations between the Waccamaw River and the ocean as a private refuge; they turned the inland side into Brookgreen, a public garden built to show American figurative sculpture in the open air, and the ocean side became Huntington Beach State Park. The result is one of the great garden experiences of the Southeast: hundreds of sculptures, from classical bronzes to playful animal figures, placed in outdoor rooms framed by brick walls, reflecting pools, clipped hedges and a famous allee of centuries-old live oaks draped in moss. Beyond the formal heart lie the wilder parts of the property: a native-animal collection of Lowcountry wildlife, and the old rice fields and creeks that tell the harder history of the plantations, where enslaved Africans built and worked the fields that made the land valuable. The gardens are open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (gates close at 4:30), with extended hours to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Daily admission is $25 for adults, $23 for seniors and $14 for ages 4 to 12, and each ticket is valid for seven consecutive days, so you can come back for a second morning. Late November through New Year's, the separately ticketed Nights of a Thousand Candles lights the gardens with thousands of hand-lit candles.

Plan for more time than you expect. The sculpture gardens near the entrance alone fill two hours if you read the labels and wander the side rooms; the live oak allee, the reflecting pools and Anna Hyatt Huntington's own animal sculptures are the highlights most visitors remember. The property is large, so wear walking shoes, bring water in warm months and pick up a map at the admissions plaza. The animal collection focuses on native species, a gentle stop for children, and seasonal programs, boat excursions and history tours on the old rice-field landscape add depth when they run; check the day's schedule on arrival, as offerings vary by season. The on-site restaurant, Austin's Harvest, serves lunch and special holiday menus.

The seven-day ticket is the best value on the Grand Strand and changes how you should use it. Do a first, unhurried visit early in your trip, then return for a second morning or one of the late Wednesday or Saturday evenings. Guests staying at or visiting Huntington Beach State Park across the highway can get a small discount on admission. Pets are not allowed, and may not be left in vehicles; service animals are welcome. In bad weather, unused tickets may be treated as a donation rather than refunded, so check the forecast.

November and December are a superb time to come. The heat and summer crowds are gone, the light is soft and the gardens are calm. Nights of a Thousand Candles, the holiday tradition, runs on 21 evenings in 2026 (November 27 to 29, select dates through December, and January 1 to 3, 2027), from 4 to 9 p.m., with tickets of $40 for adults and $20 for children ages 4 to 12 for non-members. Buy only through Brookgreen or its official ticketing partner; resold tickets may not be valid, and popular nights sell out well in advance.