Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WHILE YOU'RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Pawleys Island, with its wide beach and sand dunes, is one of the East Coast's oldest
summer resorts. Starting in the early 1700s, rice plantation owners packed up their
families, horses, cows, provisions, and furniture and moved them to Pawleys each
summer. Today, it's known for its shoeless, carefree, laid-back lifestyle that includes
crabbing, fishing, and bird-watching. If you insist on donning shoes, there is a his-
toric district in Georgetown with 12 residences dating back to the late 18th cen-
tury. You can tour a sea captain's home, visit a rice museum, and take a walking
or tram tour. Be on the lookout for the Gray Man, a friendly ghost who accord-
ing to local legend warns of impending hurricanes. Pawleys Island, 843-237-1698,
www.townofpawleysisland.com.
Pawleys Island is also known for its hammocks. These unique rope “beds” have
been around since 1889 when Capt. Joshua Ward, a riverboat pilot who barged sup-
plies between Georgetown and the great rice plantations of the South Carolina low
country, found the boat's lumpy, grass-filled mattresses too hot for the sultry sum-
mers. After several uncomfortable designs, Captain Ward came up with a hammock
using wooden spreaders without knots. It proved so comfortable that it's still being
used today. Thanks to the late Strom Thurmond, the second longest serving senat-
or in U.S. history (after Robert Byrd), every president since Truman has received
a Pawleys Island hammock. Others who have owned the strong and sturdy ham-
mocks include Mickey Spillane, Barbara Mandrell, Tom Selleck, and Magic John-
son—who ordered a custom-made seven-foot hammock to accommodate his height.
The Original Hammock Shop, 10880 Ocean Highway, P.O. Box 201, Pawleys Is-
land, SC 29585, 800-332-3490 or 843-237-9122, http://hammockshop.com.
Anna Huntington, a pioneering sculptor and one of America's most prolific artists, has
95 pieces displayed in the Brookgreen Sculpture Garden, including “Fighting Stallions,” one
of the largest sculptures ever to be cast in aluminum, and her masterpiece, “Joan of Arc.”
Besides her work, the Brookgreen collection also includes “The Puritan” by Augustus Saint-
Gaudens, “The Fisher Boy” by Hiram Powers, and “Resting Stag” by Elie Nadelman. There
are also two indoor collections.
Brookgreen doubles as the Lowcountry History and Wildlife Preserve, with plants and
animals in their native forest and swamp settings. The preserve, an accredited zoo, offers
nature- and history-themed pontoon boat trips around Brookgreen, the freshwater creeks, and
the carefully managed rice paddies. Scattered throughout the public gardens, its many nature
trails, and adjacent marshland are 2,000 plant species, many of which are identified, such as
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