Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Pawleys Island, South Carolina, located 25 miles south of Myrtle Beach, is known as one of the oldest summer resorts on the East Coast.
Pawleys Island is a barrier island less than 4 miles long and mostly 1 house wide, separated from the
mainland by a beautiful salt marsh and accessible by two short causeways. Generations of visitors have returned with the feeling that "their blood pressure goes down when they cross the causeway."
The beach is mostly private and pristine, and renowned for it's surf. Within five miles there are approximately ten first-rate golf courses and a large tennis complex. Fishing is available both in the surf and from two marsh bridges. On the island are two fine launch boat ramps. Pawleys is a family beach where you can enjoy crabbing off a crab dock, shelling, biking and canoeing or kayaking. The ambiance is laid back. The town speed limit is 25 mph, making it as safe as possible for the many users of the roadways.
Pawley’s Island was the last part of the Grand Strand to be heavily developed, and with its classic-style beach homes available for vacation rental, it’s referred to by the natives as “arrogantly shabby.” Offering many village-style shops, wonderful golf courses and fabulous dining, Pawleys Island prompts visitors to return year after year, and Brookgreen Gardens is a magnificent must-see, offering the worlds largest sculpture garden. Pawleys Island offers a laid back atmosphere and attitude benefiting its claim to fame: the original Pawleys Island Hammock.
Historical ghost stories abound in South Carolina, but one of the oldest and most famous is the story of the Gray Man of Pawleys Island. Several versions of this story exist, but all say the apparition appears before major storms to warn the island’s inhabitants of approaching danger. Read some of The Gray Man Tales here - and here.