About This Park - Huntington Beach State Park

Huntington Beach State Park

[ Add to Trip Planner | Local Weather | Maps & Directions ]

/files/gallery/castlecourtyard©2005studiok.jpg

A sweeping Grand Strand beach, pristine and wide open. Sea-breeze camping and fishing from a jetty or in the surf. And some of the finest bird-watching on the East Coast.

That’s not all Huntington Beach State Park has to offer. There’s also Atalaya, the picturesque, Moorish-style winter home of Anna Hyatt and Archer Huntington, sculptress and philanthropist, respectively, who left the park and adjacent Brookgreen Gardens as their legacy.

Nature lovers also will enjoy the park’s Environmental Education Center and wide variety of programming, including the chance to see loggerhead turtles and other endangered plant and animal species up close. The park’s freshwater lake is a sure-fire place to see alligators and sometimes even a mink or two.

Art lovers, meanwhile, flock by the thousands to the prestigious, juried Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival held in and around the castle each September.

GENERAL

Counties: Georgetown
Acreage: 2500
When & How PRT Acquired: Leased in 1960 from Brookgreen Trustees
Pets: Pets are allowed in most outdoor areas provided they are kept under physical restraint or on a leash not longer than six feet.
Tour and Programs Information: The park also features its Coastal Exploration program. From March to November, "field trips" allow visitors to join staff educators for alligator viewing, marsh and nature trail exploration and more, including a close-up look at the history and mystery of Atalaya.
Significant Natural Features: Perhaps the best known "studiers" of wildlife at Huntington Beach State Park are the birders who for years have been coming to see some of the more than 300 species that have been recorded here, giving the park a reputation as a top spot on the East Coast. A birding checklist is available for enthusiasts to print.

In addition to three miles of beach, much of the park is salt marshes, one of the world’s most productive eco-systems.

Much of Huntington Beach’s marsh is now registered under the South Carolina Heritage Trust Program to help preserve its unusually pristine nature.
Historical Significance: Atalaya, a National Historic Landmark, stands as monument to the creativity and generosity of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington.

A noted scholar of Spanish culture and art, Archer Huntington modeled the couple’s winter home in the style of the Moorish architecture of the Spanish Mediterranean coast.
Pay Phone on Site: Yes

HOURS

Admissions: $5/adult; $3.25/ S.C. Senior; $3/youth age 6-15; Free for children 5 and younger.
Office Hours: 9am-4:30pm
Days and Hours of Operation: Sat-Th 6am-6pm; Fri 6am-8pm (hours are extended to 10pm daily during Daylight Savings Time) Atalaya Hours: 9am-5pm

LOCATION

Driving Directions:
From Murrells Inlet: Drive 3 mi. S. on Hwy 17. Park entrance is on the left.
From Georgetown: Drive 20 mi N on Hwy 17. park entrance is on the right.
Beach Location: Yes
Miles to Nearest Hospital: 2
Miles to Nearest Town: 3
Miles to Nearest Grocery Store: 2