Things to Do in Pawleys Island, SC

Beaches, gardens, charters, paddling and golf, plus the state park and the sculpture gardens inland.

165 listings on Pawleys Island

Beaches and Access18 Where to park, where to walk on, and which stretch of sand suits the day you have in mind. Parks and Gardens13 Sculpture gardens, state park boardwalks, boat landings and the trails behind the dunes. Tours and Charters16 Creek cruises, marsh and gator eco tours, dolphin trips, sunset sails and history walks. Kayak and Paddleboard12 Rentals, guided creek paddles and the launches that work best on a rising tide. Golf15 The Waccamaw Neck runs on golf. Public tracks, resort courses and the ones locals replay. Beach Shops and Boutiques49 Hammock shops, surf shops, bookstores, antiques and the small storefronts along the highway. Art and Galleries13 Working studios, coastal galleries and the sculpture collections that draw people inland. History and Landmarks29 Rice plantations, a chapel on the creek, museums in Georgetown and the old summer houses.

The honest answer to what there is to do here is: less than at a resort, and that is the point. What Pawleys has instead is water, marsh, a lot of good golf and two genuinely significant places a short drive north.

Start with the beach, because most people do. Access is public but parking is the constraint rather than permission, so arrive early or plan on Huntington Beach State Park up at Murrells Inlet where parking is not the problem. The island is narrow enough that you are never far from either the ocean or the creek.

The creek is the part visitors miss. Behind the island is a tidal system that fills and empties twice a day, and it is the best thing here for kayaks, crabbing and inshore fishing. Launch on the incoming push so you are not fighting current on the way back, and check the creek gauge rather than the ocean one, because the two run on different clocks.

Inland, Brookgreen Gardens holds American figurative sculpture in formal gardens on a former rice plantation, with a native wildlife zoo and creek excursions. Directly across Highway 17 is Huntington Beach State Park, with three miles of undeveloped beach, a marsh boardwalk, the Atalaya house and some of the best birding in the state. Those two together fill a day comfortably and hold up in weather better than the beach does.

Golf is the other reason people come. The Waccamaw Neck has more good courses inside twenty minutes than most destinations manage in an hour, and the shoulder seasons are when the locals play.

  • Read the tide before you plan

    Paddling, crabbing and surf fishing all bend around it. The creek runs behind the ocean.

  • Go early or go inland

    Island parking fills. The state park does not.

  • The marsh is best at the edges of the day

    Golden hour on the boardwalk is the picture everybody comes home with.

  • Bring repellent that works on midges

    No see ums arrive at dusk from spring through fall and ordinary mosquito spray barely registers.

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Questions we get

About things to do in Pawleys Island

Straight answers, and we say when something is our opinion.

What is there to do at Pawleys Island besides the beach?

Kayaking and crabbing in the tidal creek, inshore and surf fishing, golf across the Waccamaw Neck, Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park just north at Murrells Inlet, the MarshWalk, and the historic waterfront at Georgetown about twenty minutes south.

Is Pawleys Island good for families?

Yes, with one caveat: the beaches are unguarded, with no lifeguards and no flag system. Whiting in the surf are dependable enough to keep a child interested, the creek is calm on a slack tide, and the state park boardwalk is an easy win. Read our rip current guide before the first swim.

What is there to do when it rains at Pawleys Island?

Brookgreen Gardens has indoor galleries alongside the sculpture gardens, the Atalaya house at Huntington Beach State Park is largely covered, and Georgetown has museums and a walkable Front Street. All three hold up in weather far better than the beach.

Are there alligators near Pawleys Island?

Yes. American alligators live in the fresh and brackish water of the Waccamaw Neck, including the ponds and old rice field impoundments. They are common at Huntington Beach State Park and on guided marsh and creek tours. Keep your distance, keep dogs leashed near fresh water, and never feed one.