Murrells Inlet, SC Road Trips

1 Brookgreen Gardens, 1931 Brookgreen Drive (off of US 17 south of town), ☏ +1 843 235-6000. A huge garden on the grounds of a former plantation that has one of the most significant collections of figurative sculpture by American artists in the world. The sculpture collection is large and quite varied, and sits in a beautiful setting of lakes, ponds, and groves of oak trees covered in Spanish moss. Connected to the gardens is the Lowcountry Zoo, where you can see alligators, otters, foxes, and deer in naturalistic exhibits built into the swampland, as well as get (very) up-close with birds in a couple of aviaries. Additionally, there are historical exhibits, a playground with structures based on fairy tales, a butterfly house (extra admission required), sculpture pavilions, and a lake where you can take boat rides (extra admission required). A warning, however: the historical exhibits, particularly the movie that plays in the welcome center, have a habit of glorifying the plantation culture that was once here, so you might want to skip the movie and just get out into the gardens. $14 adults, $12 seniors, $7 children. 2 Huntington Beach State Park, 16148 Ocean Hwy (off of US 17 south of town), ☏ +1 843 237-4440. Park opens at 6AM, closing times vary but are generally an hour or two after sunset; Atalaya open 9AM-5PM daily, year-round.

Overnight camping is available at Huntington Beach State Park.

Murrells Inlet proper sits on US Highway 17, about ten miles south of Myrtle Beach. From US 17, you can exit onto Business US 17, the quieter main street of the town.