Fifteen to forty minutes south of the Myrtle Beach hotel strip, the Grand Strand changes completely. The towers give way to marsh, live oaks and low cottages, and a cluster of sights tells a richer story of the coast: rice plantations and the people enslaved on them, a philanthropic couple who turned the land into a garden and a park, a fishing village that feeds the region, and a beach colony that refused to modernize. This is the South Strand, and it deserves at least a full day.
The Huntingtons' legacy
In 1931, Archer Huntington, a philanthropist, and his wife Anna Hyatt Huntington, a sculptor, bought a run of former rice plantations between the Waccamaw River and the ocean. They created two places that still anchor the South Strand. On the inland side is Brookgreen Gardens, a public garden built to display American figurative sculpture outdoors among formal garden rooms, reflecting pools and a celebrated allee of live oaks. On the ocean side is Huntington Beach State Park, home to Atalaya, the couple's Moorish-style winter house and studio, now a National Historic Landmark. Seeing both on the same day connects the art and the house, and the landscape that inspired them.
Morning: Brookgreen Gardens
Arrive at opening, 9:30 a.m., and buy a general admission ticket ($25 for adults, $23 for seniors, $14 for ages 4 to 12), valid for seven consecutive days. Start with the sculpture garden rooms near the entrance, walk the live oak allee, and visit the native-animal collection, a favorite with children. Take time with the rice-field landscape too, which tells the harder history of the plantations and the enslaved Africans whose labor and skill built them; seasonal programs and boat excursions add depth when they run, so check the schedule at admissions. Austin's Harvest serves lunch on site. Pets are not allowed, even in cars.
Afternoon: Huntington Beach State Park and Atalaya
Cross US-17 to the state park ($8 for adults, $4 for ages 6 to 15, Atalaya $2 extra). Drive slowly along the causeway between the freshwater lake and the salt marsh and stop to look for alligators, herons, egrets and ospreys; more than 300 bird species have been recorded here. Walk through Atalaya's courtyards and rooms, then head to the beach for a long walk on three miles of undeveloped sand toward the north jetty. In autumn 2026, note that the Nature Center's marsh boardwalk is closed for construction, and that Atalaya can close for scheduled events.
Sunset: the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk
Ten minutes north, Murrells Inlet, the seafood capital of South Carolina, ends the day perfectly. Walk the half-mile boardwalk over the marsh, pick a deck at Wahoo's, The Claw House, Drunken Jack's, Creek Ratz, Dead Dog Saloon, Bovine's or The Wicked Tuna, and watch the sun go down over the inlet with a plate of local shrimp. Live music is free, and on weekends the walk is lively well into the evening.
Day two (or a detour): Pawleys Island
Fifteen minutes south of Brookgreen, Pawleys Island is a four-mile barrier island with no high-rises, no chain stores and no hotels apart from two old inns. Planters' families summered here from the 1700s to escape the heat and mosquitoes of the rice fields, and a dozen residences from the late 1700s to the mid-1800s survive. Drive or cycle the island road, walk the beach, crab from the creeks, and buy a Pawleys Island rope hammock, created here in the late 1800s, on the mainland side of the causeway. Litchfield Beach next door, with the 26-mile Waccamaw Neck Bikeway, makes a fine extension for cyclists.
Logistics
You need a car. US-17 links every stop, and Business 17 runs through the heart of Murrells Inlet past the MarshWalk. From central Myrtle Beach, allow around 30 minutes to Brookgreen, the same back from Murrells Inlet in the evening, and longer in summer traffic. Brookgreen and Huntington Beach State Park sit directly across the highway from each other, so there is no wasted time between them. Pack water, sunscreen, binoculars for the causeway, and walking shoes for the gardens. The state park can close temporarily on busy weekends when parking fills, so arrive outside the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. window in summer, and remember Brookgreen does not allow pets, even left in a car.
Ways to vary it
Families can swap Atalaya for a longer beach session and the native-animal area at Brookgreen. Art lovers can split Brookgreen over two days with the seven-day ticket and add a late opening. Cyclists can ride sections of the Waccamaw Neck Bikeway between Litchfield and the Murrells Inlet area. And in late November and December, Brookgreen's candlelit evenings turn the whole itinerary into a two-part day: park and beach in the afternoon, gardens by candlelight after dark.
Where to stay
Doing the South Strand as a day trip from central Myrtle Beach is easy, but staying nearby makes it relaxed, especially for Brookgreen's Nights of a Thousand Candles in December. Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort at Pawleys Island offers suites, condos and beach houses with a lazy river, indoor pool and golf, and the historic inns and rental cottages of Pawleys Island are the alternative for travelers who want the old island rhythm.
When to go
Spring and fall are ideal, with mild temperatures, migrating birds and calm beaches. Summer works if you start early and save the beach for late afternoon. In winter the gardens and park are peaceful and Brookgreen's holiday candles are the highlight of the season. Whenever you come, this is the side of the Grand Strand that visitors remember.
