Occasionally I do detour off of Highway 17 - and one worthy reason to do so is to visit Hunting Island State Park, which is part of the Ace Basin area. Hunting Island is a 5,000 acre barrier island that has been classified as a state park since 1935. more.
The beach at Botany Bay Plantation is, quite simply, a magical place - with shells tucked into the crevices of the cabbage palmetto bark and the over-turned bones of long-gone live oaks. more.
Huntington Beach is one of my favorite beaches along the South Carolina coast - and it's just a hop, skip, and a jump (across the marsh... but thankfully there is a land bridge) from Highway 17. more.
If you find yourself along Highway 17 in Murrell's Inlet - do stop at the Huntington Beach State Park - it'll cost you $5 to get out to the Park, and for another $2 you can take a tour of Atalaya Castle, the beach home of the Huntington family. more.
The 37th Annual Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28-30, 2012 at Huntington Beach State Park near Murrells Inlet. more.