History honored in coastal community

Visitors to Georgetown County, South Carolina, eat and play like the multi-generational families who make up this quiet community by the sea.

The calm oceanside town tucked between several rivers is home to a robust seafood culture and a strong Gullah/Geechee community. There, island-dwelling children ride the school boat to school and shrimp boats are met along the Sampit River by folks eager for fresh catch.

A beach vacation on what’s known as the Hammock Coast is as laid-back as its namesake. The iconic Pawleys Island Hammock (hammockshop.com) with its sturdy cotton-rope weave, was invented there in 1938 by Joshua Ward.

Relax along pristine beaches, where the view is unencumbered by high-rise buildings. Spend time on the water by renting kayaks from outfitters such as Black River Outdoors (blackriveroutdoors.com, @blackriveroutdoors) to journey along the rivers and salt marsh.

Glimpse sailboats stopping in as they traverse the Intracoastal Waterway or watch a small but dedicated community of surfers on Pawleys Island. Dine on lowcountry fare and local seafood like you’ll find at Russell’s Seafood Grill (Russell’s Seafood Grill and Raw Bar on Facebook) in Murrells Inlet.

Aside from its natural beauty, what sets Georgetown County apart from other coastal vacation destinations, however, is its connection to its past. Pre-Civil War, the area was mainly rice plantations, and the descendants of slaves who worked the fields have retained their African culture within the Gullah community. The locals’ historical reliance on as well as love of the water is kept alive through shellfish-centered cuisine and lowcountry culture.

Georgetown is situated north of Charleston and south of Myrtle Beach on the Atlantic Coast. The city, which was named the best small coastal town by USA Today’s 10 Best Reader’s Choice series in 2018, is connected to the Intracoastal Waterway via the Winyah Bay.

The bay meets Georgetown’s Harborwalk, which runs parallel to Front Street and the city’s historic downtown district. Chartered in the early 1700s, Georgetown retains an abundance of its colonial homes. The Waccamaw River flows into the bay, known for its shrimping industry and seafood restaurants.

Festivals showcase artisan culture and more

If you can time it right, visit during one of Georgetown County’s fall events that showcase the community’s unique nature.

Sample local food, listen to local music and shop the 43rd Annual Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival (southcarolinaparks.com/huntington-beach/atalaya-festival), which features over 100 artists on Sept. 28-30 at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet.

Spend a nautical weekend on Oct. 21-22 at the 29th Annual Georgetown Wooden Boat Show (woodenboatshow.com, @woodenboatshow), with a variety of boating-inspired activities and the main event, a wooden boat building contest. This year, competitors from around the country will work in teams of two to build a rowing skiff as fast as they can.

In December, spend an evening walking among the twinkling trees at Brookgreen Gardens during the Nights of a Thousand Lights (brookgreen.org/events/nightsthousand-candles-2018, @BrookgreenSC). The display, on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from December 6-22, features nearly 4,500 candles, a children’s colored lights garden with a snow machine, and drinks including hot chocolate and wine.

“It really is a magical evening,” said Lauren Joseph, director of marketing for Brookgreen Gardens.

Experiencing wildlife and local life

The county’s wildlife refuges include the nearly 55,000-acre Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge (fws.gov/refuge/Waccamaw) and the 24,000-acre Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center (dnr. sc.gov/mlands/TYawkeycalendar.html), which was left to the state by the former Boston Red Sox owner.

Five rivers that run through the county have helped preserve the Hammock Coast’s non-commercial atmosphere. These rivers have preserved the culture and made Georgetown unique on the South Carolina coast, said Jennifer Norman, tourism development director for the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce.

Take a boat tour to Sandy Island, through Tours de Sandy Island (toursdesandyisland.com). Here you’ll be immersed in a community where much of the population still speaks Gullah, and you can even stay in a guest house and eat with a local family.

Pawleys Island, located just north of Georgetown, has quaint lodgings like the Pelican Inn (pawleyspelican.com), built in 1858, Sea View Inn (seaviewinn.com) and an abundance of rental homes.

A cruise with Rover Boat Tours (roverboattours.com, @RoverBoatTours) takes you to North Island for shelling and to visit the Georgetown Light. Keep an eye out for bald eagles and dolphins as you float by the smokestack of a sunken Union battleship, the USS Harvest Moon.

Taste and shop

You can buy shrimp straight off the boat and cook it yourself, or you can sample local cuisine at some of the area’s popular restaurants, like Quigley’s Pint and Plate (pintandplate.com, @quigleyspintandplate), an Englishstyle pub.

Rustic Table (rustictable.com, @ Pawleysislandrustictable), a family-friendly eatery on the island’s Ocean Highway, and Bistro 217 (bistro217.com, @bistro217), with fine Southern dining, are co-owned by Adam Kirby, who was elected chef ambassador for the state of South Carolina. Atlantans may recognize Kirby, who won the 2017 Best of the Fest competition at the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival.

Connect with locals by dining alongside them. Norman said there always seems to be an oyster roast going on during oyster season, and many are open to the public. For example, the Georgetown School Annual Oyster Roast (cityofgeorgetownsc.com/ event/the-georgetown-schoolannual-oyster-roast) usually happens in November, and the Prince George Winyah Oyster Roast and Pig Pickin’ (pgwinyah.com/oyster-roast) takes place in spring.

Retail options include clothing boutiques, jewelry stores, candy shops and more in the Hammock Shops Village (hammockshopsvillage.com, @HammockShops). The village’s 25 shops and restaurants also include cafes and events such as wine tastings and live music. If you have kids, take a break from shopping with a hammock-weaving demonstration, and enjoy seasonal events like trick-or-treating on Halloween.

History and the arts on display

While there are plenty of shops and beaches to roam, Georgetown County’s cultural gems include a massive art collection, gardens and museums.

Brookgreen Gardens (brookgreen.org, @BrookgreenSC) was founded in 1931 by Archer and Anna Huntington as a winter retreat from harsh New York and Connecticut winters. The couple turned the property, which was formerly four rice plantations, into a sculpture garden.

“The Huntingtons envisioned bringing together natural and handmade beauty in this peaceful setting,” Joseph said. Archer Huntington described Brookgreen Gardens as “a quiet joining of hands between art and science.”

“The gardens and museum boast over 2,000 works of art by over 420 artists, including the world’s finest collection of American figurative sculpture,” said Joseph. The award-winning garden now is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and tickets allow you to visit over seven days.

Brookgreen Gardens has restored several rice fields to serve as an example of the industry that once prevailed in the area. Through a Gullah/Geechee educational program directed by Ron Daise, one of the stars of the 1990s TV show “Gullah Gullah Island,” visitors learn about their culture, history, language and food.

The Hobcaw Barony (hobcawbarony.org, @HobcawBarony), a research and conservation center that offers ecology programs like guided hikes through marshes, forests and beaches, is located on the Waccamaw Neck between the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic Ocean.

Founded by Bernard Baruch in 1905, the former rice plantations were turned into a winter hunting retreat for the Wall Street financier and financial adviser to Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who both spent time at the Barony.

Now, guided tours can be taken through the 16,000-acre preserve, left by Baruch’s daughter, Belle, to serve as educational land for South Carolina universities.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS Spending time along the Hammock Coast means gorgeous views everywhere you look, with no high-rise buildings to get in the way. Here, the sun rises on the Pawley Island pier.

In Georgetown County, many of the old ways — like cast-net fishing on the marsh, seen here — live on.

Georgetown, a calm oceanside village tucked between several rivers, is home to a robust fishing culture.