Pawleys Island has always been a South Carolina secret—a small town and island situated between the bustling city of Myrtle Beach and the quiet, historic small town that is Georgetown. Homeowners used to call Pawleys “Arrogantly Shabby,” but that was pre-Hurricane Hugo in 1989. After the powerful Category 5 storm blew across the state, many of the existing homes on Pawleys were severely damaged or destroyed.
The island was rebuilt with newer and bigger homes, although one can still find some older and smaller “shacks” still around. There are two access roads—a north and a south causeway—to the true Pawleys Island. Unlike most South Carolina beach towns, you will find no retail shops or restaurants—just a 3-mile barrier island with beach rental homes to fit any need, along with limited public beach parking and access.
Pawleys Island also includes the area on the mainland along busy Highway 17 featuring quaint shops and great restaurants that offer fresh seafood, local farm-to-table cuisine and fine dining establishments, as well as popular attractions such as Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park.
For all of the quiet and solitude that Pawleys Island offers, you are never far from great dining, one-of-a-kind attractions and shopping. But at the end of your excursions, you can slip back over the causeway and get back on “Pawleys Island Time.”
