Pawley’s Island Historical Resort Area
Vacationers have been coming to Pawleys Island to get away from it all for over three hundred years. Over the centuries all sorts of people have enjoyed this tiny island south of Myrtle Beach, including George Washington and Franklin Roosevelt, and even international famous people like Winston Churchill have come to enjoy the peaceful solitude in style. The rich plantation owners of the 1700s vacationed here, to get away from their hot rice paddies during the hottest months of the year. Rice plantations were situated in low-lying areas, where summer’s heat combined with the intense humidity produced an environment that was seemingly unbearable for these wealthy landowners who had the luxury of heading out to Pawleys Island to escape.
They lived here all summer, adding to the historical posh atmosphere and old-style luxury that gives Pawleys Island its character today. Today, it’s more shabby chic than snobby or exclusive, but that’s all the better for just regular folks who want to escape the crowds and amusements at Myrtle Beach but who still want to enjoy what the region has to offer.
There is one downside to Pawley Island’s history as a retreat for the wealthy: much of the land is still privately owned, so access to the ocean can be limited in many areas of the island. If you do manage to gain access to the public beaches, however, you will be happy to find that they are among the best in the area. They are immaculately maintained the least polluted, and the widest on the coast of South Carolina.
If you choose to stay and spend your vacation in this area rather than Myrtle Beach proper, you will be pleased to find that if crowds do arrive, they’re just coming for a short time to purchase a rope hammock at the Original Pawleys Island Rope Hammock shop, which is famously well-known and offers demonstrations of the hammock-making process. The various plantation shops, known as hammock shops, also sell pewter, candles, brass, china, and other historical-themed items.
Pawleys Island is in the vicinity of Litchfield, which is located between Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet. Litchfield Beach is an excellent beach, as are all the beaches along this strip near Pawleys Island, known as the Waccamaw Neck. The Waccamaw Neck is a strip of land thirty miles long and three miles wide. To get more information about this area, you can visit the Pawleys Island Visitors Center, which is located on Highway 17 at Planter’s Exchange. The center is open seven days a week, business hours except for Sunday, which is open for limited hours, from 10 am to 2 pm.
Take a ride around one of the oldest beach resorts on the east coast! Pawley’s Island is located just south of the Myrtle Beach area.