Pawleys Island

Pawleys Island in South Carolina is a much calmer beach experience than brash Myrtle Beach to the north. As one of the east coast’s oldest seaside resorts, it’s small with two causeway connections and a historic district with lots of historical signs. (Of which I got not a photo – sorry.)

Today, you’ll find two historic Inns, one condo complex, and an array of beach house rentals, from historic beach shacks to more modern homes. The cost is on the higher side to actually stay on the island, but if you do, there’s a strong walking community. You’ll find walkers getting in their exercise at all times of the day – I think it’s a hoot.

There’s a marsh side and an ocean side, and many houses have boardwalks that lead to one or the other (or both.) There is a pier, but it’s only open to those staying at the Pawleys Pier Village condominium complex. (I think it’s a bit bougie that everyone can’t use it. The island’s informal motto of “arrogantly shabby” does imply a certain amount of snobbery.)

Beach Parking

If you aren’t staying on Pawleys Island proper, there are several public beach entrances with small parking lots. They are long, narrow lots that you have to back out all the way to the entrance, and vehicles over a certain length aren’t allowed. There are often 2-3 street parking spots as well. Everything fills up fairly early in the day, and I imagine even more so on the weekends. There’s one larger parking lot at the south end of the island (or to the right as you’re driving.) That one leads to a wide cape, with the ocean on one side and a river good for fishing on the other.

Every time I sat on the beach – usually in the mornings until lunch, then again after dinner – it was the epitome of a calm, quiet beach. Most people sit around chatting or playing in the waves with their kids. It’s a very family-oriented atmosphere. Only once was I annoyed by a blanket full of teen girls with a stereo – keep that music to yourself, yo.

Shopping

The only non-residential buildings on Pawleys Island are a tiny post office, a historic chapel, and a new police & town hall building. For all the commercial stuff like restaurants, groceries, and shopping, the zip code of Pawleys Island includes a stretch of Ocean Highway 17.

Little clusters of shops – shopping villages – are popular at Pawleys Island. One is built up around the site of the original Pawleys Island rope hammocks. You can buy the hammocks as well as see them made (sometimes, at least.) Candy and ice cream shops are plentiful, as are beachy home decor. You can take home a book, a cheap souvenir, or outfit your beach house easily.

There are also larger shopping districts not too far from Pawleys Island. I visited the Tanger Outlets near Myrtle Beach to pick up some new Nikes from the factory store. And there’s a picturesque shopping and dining area called Market Common where I parked myself in a Barnes & Noble at one point. (Search Google Maps for the Barnes & Noble, not Market Common – it’s near the airport.)

Dining

There are loads of restaurants along the main road, from fast food to fine dining. I’ll only call out the three I visited during my short trip.

Rustic Table

My first stop in town was Rustic Table, one of the nicer dining options, serving southern comfort food. I had a salad with a solid piece of fried flounder on top, which was pretty good. I arrived in the afternoon right before they closed down lunch service, and while I had decent service during my meal, it was a little hard to get someone’s attention when I first arrived.

Pawleys Island Tavern

Rustic Table above is part of one of those shopping villages I mentioned, situated around a pond. In the back of the village is Pawleys Island Tavern, sort of the opposite in atmosphere from Rustic Table. Dollar bills are stapled to the ceiling, and pretty much every available bit of wall space is covered in detritus of varying sorts. The front patio has a large bar and is shaded with trees during the day.

The service was friendly, but my waitress seemed harried by continually reciting the list of all the things they were currently out of. I ended up with a basket of fried shrimp and scallops with potato salad and coleslaw. The shrimp was okay, maybe a little overcooked, but the scallops were delicious, as was the potato salad. The slaw wasn’t, however.

Captain John’s Seafood Grill

The best meal of my trip was at Captain John’s Seafood Grill, in a strip mall storefront. I had a plate of grilled fish, shrimp, and scallops with seasoned rice and coleslaw. It came out quickly and was SO good – even the rice and slaw, which aren’t often given as much care. I’d definitely recommend this restaurant in the Pawleys Island area, even though it’s much less picturesque than the other two.

Attractions

The attraction for most folks at Pawleys Island is the beach itself. But when you’re looking for something more, definitely check out Brookgreen Gardens a little north of Pawleys Island. Admission is $20 and under and is good for 7 days, so you can drop in all week. During the summer, they sometimes reopen in the evenings, and they used to have evening concerts. There’s a Lowcountry Zoo and an abundance of sculptures in beautifully landscaped gardens.

Across from Brookgreen Gardens is Huntington Beach State Park with a quiet, protected beach and the cool Atalaya Castle, the 1920’s winter home of Anna Hyatt Huntington, the sculptor of much of Brookgreen’s collection. It’s as good or better beach than Pawleys Island, but there is an ~$8 per-person entrance fee, and it closes at either 5 or 8 pm.

Continuing north, Murrell’s Inlet has several fresh seafood restaurants, and the Murrell’s Inlet Marsh Walk, with bars, restaurants, a pier, live music, and shopping. I once bought a pair of earrings from a street vendor back in here.

Then there’s just about anything you could want to do in Myrle Beach, about 40 minutes north of Pawleys Island. I visited the Family Kingdom Amusement Park and the Myrtle Beach Sky Wheel. And there are mini-golf courses, arcades, go-karts, and buffet restaurants galore. If you need a pancake house and a t-shirt shop on every corner, you’ll find it in Myrtle Beach.