The Grand Strand of South Carolina includes miles of sandy beach along the Atlantic Ocean, stretching from Georgetown up to North Myrtle. This part of the coast boasts some of the best beaches, seafood, and resorts in the country, and each beach offers something a little different for everyone.

My family traditions mean that I’ve spent most of my vacations along the southern part of the Grand Strand. Here, things are more laid back and slow. There are fewer high-rise hotels and flashy neon lights, but more natural beauty, history, and authenticity.

My family has spent a week or two in Litchfield Beach every summer since before I was born. The area has changed a lot, but still keeps a quieter, family-friendly atmosphere than a lot of the other beaches. Since I’ve spent so much time there, I decided to compile a comprehensive guide of things to do, see, and eat in the area. Read on for everything you need to know to vacation in the Grand Strand of South Carolina!

Myrtle Beach

Making up the northern end of the Grand Strand, Myrtle Beach is one of the most popular summer vacation destinations in the country and is nationally known for its nightlife, attractions, and beach activities. High-rise resorts line the sand, the Boardwalk offers entertainment and ocean views, and the Skywheel (the largest on the east coast) takes you high above the action. Myrtle has plenty to do for families and adults alike. Shopping, shows, games, arcades, golf, museums, beaches, water parks, and more are all within a short walk or drive.

Some things I’ve done over the years are:

Shop at the Gay Dolphin– this enormous gift shop is one of the oldest and most iconic Myrtle Beach establishments. Billing itself as a “shopping experience,” The Gay Dolphin has everything from home decor to shark’s teeth to apparel and it’s packed to the brim on each of its multiple stories.
Stroll down The Boardwalk
See a show at Medieval Times
Check out all that Broadway at the Beach has to offer
Find some live beach music- Myrtle Beach is the home of shag, so find a shag club and learn South Carolina’s state dance and enjoy the music!

Litchfield Beach & Pawley’s Island

Litchfield and Pawley’s lie a few miles apart, about 20-30 minutes north of Georgetown. Both areas are quiet and laid back and are more sparsely populated than other nearby beach communities. There are no high-rise hotels here and the beaches remain in a more natural state with sea oat-covered dunes lining the sand.

Pawley’s Island is home to a historic community of houses that are the epitome of shabby chic. In fact, many Pawley’s Island residents refer to the island as “arrogantly shabby,” describing the beautiful yet weatherworn houses. The island has resisted commercialization and strives to maintain as natural an environment as possible. When driving through the historic district, it can be hard to even spot some houses hidden behind twisted live oaks and thick vegetation.

Where to Stay

The lack of hotels means a quieter, less-crowded beach, but also means you’ll have to search a bit for accommodations.

The Litchfield Inn is an ocean-front hotel with rooms and villas steps from the beach and has a pool and beachfront bar and grill.
Litchfield by the Sea is a private oceanside resort community with villas, condos, and houses available for rent.
For a little more of a budget-friendly option, there’s a Hampton Inn that’s a less than 5 minute drive to the beach access.
If you want an authentic, historical stay that’s a bit more unique, check out the beautiful Pelican Inn on Pawley’s Island. This inn is almost 200 years old (and said to be haunted!)
There are lots of private condos and homes available on AirBnB and VRBO- I’ve personally stayed at this one and loved it. It was spacious, clean, and comfortable and only 15 minutes drive to the beach and even shorter to lots of restaurants.

Where to Eat

There’s no shortage of delicious food in the South Carolina lowcountry! Here are some of my personal favorites in Litchfield and Pawley’s.

Rustic Table– contemporary takes on Southern classics, has always been delicious every time we’ve gone. Get the shrimp and grits or blackened mahi and you can’t go wrong.
Bistro 217– seafood and grill
Habanero’s Mexican Cantina– great for those Tex-Mex cravings
Pawley’s Raw Bar– fun and casual seafood with a raw bar, good for kids (you can color on the table cloths!)
Litchfield Restaurant– classic American, diner style with a great breakfast
Austin’s Ocean One– open-air, beachside restaurant serving contemporary American and beachy cocktails

Murrell’s Inlet

One of the best things about staying along the southern Grand Strand is your proximity to the Seafood Capitol of South Carolina– Murrell’s Inlet. This marshside fishing town is just 15-20 minutes up HWY 17 and offers a host of great seafood dining options. Come prepared for longer wait times in the high season, but there’s plenty to do while you wait. Enjoy live music, stroll along the Marshwalk and watch the boats come and go across the marsh, or try and spot the goats on Goat Island. Here are some of my favorites restaurants in Murrell’s Inlet:

Graham’s Landing– casual and family-oriented seafood and pasta, overlooking the marsh
River City Cafe– laid back and casual spot for burgers
Wicked Tuna– delicious seafood and steaks with a big outdoor deck overlooking the water
The Claw House– waterfront seafood
Bovine’s– brick-oven pizza, steak, and seafood with Southwestern atmosphere

Georgetown

Georgetown is the 3rd oldest town in the state, established in 1729. The town has a rich and varied history of rice and indigo plantations, trade, slavery, and importance during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Today, much of its history is preserved in the waterfront downtown area and nearby neighborhoods.

Exploring Georgetown is enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. Drive through the historic neighborhoods of beautiful homes and try to spot the oldest one (they each have the year they were built displayed). Walk through the cemetery of beautiful Prince George Winyah Church and admire Bethel AME Church. Grab lunch on Front Street and stop in some of the shops (all locally owned, no chains here). Walk along the boardwalk and then enjoy an ice cream cone in the shade of the clock tower.

What to Do

There is no shortage of things to do on the coast! Here’s a long list of everything I’ve done in the many years I’ve spent visiting the area.

Go to the Beach

Of course, going to the beach should be the first thing on the list! The Grand Strand boasts some of the best beaches in the entire country, with beautiful natural dunes, soft sand, relatively calm waters, and lots of room to spread out. There is public beach access and parking in Litchfield next to the Litchfield Inn, or you can head up to Huntington Beach for more facilities like restrooms, showers, and more parking. However, you do have to pay for entrance into the state park, while the public access next to the Inn is free.

Visit Huntington Beach State Park

This state park is a great activity for outdoors-lovers. The park has 3 miles of pristine beach untouched by any development. It’s beautiful to see the natural state of the coast, with windswept live oaks and tall sea oats waving over the dunes. There are a couple miles of trails to explore to see the coastal ecosystems, including salt marshes, swamps, and forests. The park is also a fantastic place for birdwatching, with over 300 species known to visit.

Walk along the causeway to see a unique divide between two different ecosystems: saltwater marsh on one side and freshwater on the other. You can frequently spot alligators, egrets, spoonbills, ospreys, and eagles.

Explore Atalaya Castle

Possibly the most unique thing to do in Huntington Beach State Park (and maybe in the whole area) is visit Atalaya Castle. These ruins are located in the state park and are what remain of the former estate of the Huntingtons. Atalaya was built by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington to be their winter home and was modeled after Moorish and Spanish architecture, of which Archer was a noted scholar.

They built the home in the early 1930s after Anna was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The castle has over 30 rooms and many unique features, such as art studios and rooms built to house the animals Anna used as models for her sculptures.

It’s a beautiful and unique structure to wander and explore!

Hit the Arcade & Pier

Up the road is Garden City Beach, a family-friendly and lively beach community known for it’s long pier and arcade. For a few bucks you can rent fishing poles and bait to fish off the pier, or just stroll down it for free and check out what people are catching that day. Grab an ice cream cone or hotdog at the Pier Cafe and win prizes playing skeeball at the Pier Arcade. After dark, you’ll probably catch some fireworks set off on the beach by partiers. Garden City is a lot of fun to visit for people of any age and is open a later than a lot of activities in the area if you’re looking for something to do after dinner.

Charter a Boat Ride

There are boats of all sizes and functions available for charter in Murrell’s Inlet and Garden City. My family recently chartered a marsh fishing trip with Tide Chaser and had a great time! We caught lots of crabs and flounder, but even if you don’t catch anything it’s nice to spend time out on the water. There are also boat rides for dolphin-spotting and deep-sea and offshore fishing in the area.

Visit Brookgreen Gardens

Another contribution from the Huntingtons, Brookgreen Gardens is the one of largest outdoor sculpture gardens in the world. It was founded by the Huntingtons to display Anna’s sculptures and works by other artists on the site of former rice plantations. Explore the beautiful gardens and appreciate the artwork on display throughout. Brookgreen also offers historical tours and programs about the former plantations and Gullah culture, a small zoo, and nature trails to explore. The Lowcountry Trail offers a view of a restored rice field and aims to educate visitors about the lives of slaves on the plantations.

Brookgreen offers special events and exhibitions as well. The last time I went, artist Bruce Munro had created a special art installation of light that was spectacular to see. Entire fields and forests were transformed after dark into otherwordly and enchanting scenes.

Play Mini-Golf

Mini golf is a classic beach pastime! There aren’t any courses right in Litchfield, but with a short drive north towards Garden City, you’ll pass a few options, and the closer you get to Myrtle Beach the more you’ll find!

Play Golf

Golf is not my thing at all, but South Carolina is home to some world-renowned courses and hosts many major golf tournaments each year. Myrtle Beach has even earned the nickname “Golf Capitol of the World” with close to 80 different courses! There are several courses right in Litchfield and Pawley’s, or you could head up to Myrtle for even more options.

Go Shopping

There are tons of places to do some shopping at the beach! I usually save shopping for a rainy day when you can’t enjoy the outdoors as much. Here are some of my favorite places on the southern Grand Strand for shopping.

The Joggling Board– this boutique sells everything Lily Pulitzer and is fun, colorful, and preppy to the max
L. Mae Boutique– cute women’s and kids’ clothes
Wild Mabel Clothing & Co.– trendy and boho women’s clothes
Litchfield Books– very nice bookstore with a huge selection of new fiction
Happy Places by Susan Albright– I discovered this new boutique last time I visited; Susan Albright designs everything in the shop herself and all the clothes are custom-made to order. She has such beautiful, beachy prints and I loved this small business!

The Hammock Shops– this could be an activity all on its own and is definitely worth a longer visit. The Hammock Shops are part of old Pawley’s and where the rope hammock was invented. The Original Hammock Shop offers daily hammock-making demonstrations in their historic building, and there are over 20 different shops and 2 restaurants hidden back under the live oaks. Clothing boutiques, gift and souvenir shops, artisans, wine, spices, clothing and jewelry, and home decor are all available among the historic but humble white buildings.

Rice Birds– unique, Southern gifts for the home
Indigo Mercantile– gourmet convenience store with some ready made foods and baking/cooking mixes and kitchen items
Augustus & Carolina Fine Home Furnishings– a gorgeous consignment shop with a huge selection of antique and vintage furniture
The Cottage– gift shop filled with unique items handmade by local artisans. I got a beautiful sweetgrass basket for a great price, and found several gifts for people here
Tanger Outlets– if you’re interested in some serious shopping, your favorite brands, and deals, head up the highway towards Myrtle Beach to hit the outlets
The Market Common– also in Myrtle Beach, this former Air Force Base-turned-community has it all. Shop at over 30 local or national retail stores, from luxury to affordable. Eat at 14 different restaurants, hit the bowling alley, or see a movie.

Visit Alice’s Grave

The Lowcountry is full of ghost stories and hauntings, and Pawley’s Island has a few of its own. One of the most famous is that of Alice Flagg. Legend tells that Alice was the sister of a wealthy man and lived in the nearby Hermitage Plantation. She fell in love with a man her brother disapproved of, and he sent her away to boarding school in Charleston. Her lover had secretly given her an engagement ring, however, which she wore on a chain around her neck to hide it. While in Charleston, she tragically died of malaria and when her body was sent home, her brother discovered the ring. He threw it into the marsh, and Alice was buried in the cemetery at All Saints Church with a headstone that simply says “Alice.” The story goes that if you visit her grave and walk around it three times, you may feel a tug or turn of your engagement or wedding ring as Alice’s ghost searches for the ring she lost.

Even if you don’t believe in ghost stories, All Saints Church and the cemetery are beautiful to see. Huge Spanish-moss draped live oaks shade the centuries-old headstones.

When to Visit

The summer months are definitely the best time to visit to fully enjoy the beach. May through August are the best months to come down. I’ve found early May is a little more hit or miss with the weather; it can be rainier and cooler and the ocean might be a little chilly to swim in. June and July will be the hottest but with probably the best weather. Days regularly hit the 90s and nights will be in the 80s. Afternoon thunderstorms can be common, so plan your beach days around the weather forecast. August has recently been one of the best times I’ve been, with the water staying perfectly refreshing and the temperatures hot but not unbearable and muggy. Beware though that this usually marks the beginning of hurricane season. However, I’ve only had one or two hurricanes impact my beach week in all the years I’ve been.

If you don’t care for sunbathing and swimming, the off season can be a relaxing time to visit for dining and shopping. October through April is usually the off-season when tourists are least common. Despite being on the coast, temperatures can get pretty chilly in winter, so don’t expect tropical weather if you come in December.

Summary

I hope this comprehensive guide to visiting the southern Grand Strand helps you plan your visit to South Carolina’s coast! If you liked this guide, check out some of my other posts below. Let me know in the comments your favorite places to eat, stay, and visit in the Lowcountry.