Brookgreen Gardens, Huntington Beach State Park, and Atalaya: One Perfect Day Trip

Murrells Inlet Guide

Brookgreen Gardens, Huntington Beach State Park, and Atalaya castle sit across Highway 17 from each other, about 10 minutes south of Murrells Inlet, and you can see all three in one day. Start at the beach and the castle in the morning, spend the afternoon in the gardens, and be back on the MarshWalk for dinner.

They share a history, too. In 1930, New Yorkers Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington bought four old rice plantations here as a winter retreat and a home for Anna’s sculpture. The gardens, the castle, and the park all came out of that land.

Huntington Beach State Park

Huntington Beach State Park has 3 miles of undeveloped beach, one of the few stretches of the Grand Strand with no high-rises in sight. It’s also one of the best birding spots on the East Coast, with more than 300 species recorded.

Don’t skip the causeway on the way in. Park at the end of it and walk both sides: freshwater lake on one side, salt marsh on the other, with alligators, herons, and egrets on view most days.

  • Hours: 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, extended to 9 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time
  • Admission: $8 adults, $5 South Carolina seniors, $4 ages 6–15, free for 5 and under
  • Dogs: welcome on a 6-foot leash, on the south end of the beach only
  • Also there: a nature center with a touch tank, surf fishing, camping, and 3 miles of the paved Waccamaw Neck Bikeway inside the park

Local tip: the park can temporarily close the gate when parking fills on weekends and holidays from spring through summer. Get there before 10 a.m.

Atalaya castle

Atalaya is the Huntingtons’ winter home, built between 1931 and 1933 in a Moorish style inspired by the coast of southern Spain. Anna had been diagnosed with tuberculosis, and the couple came south for the mild winters. The house wraps around an open courtyard, with Anna’s studio and the pens where she kept animals as sculpture models.

Atalaya was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and is now a National Historic Landmark.

  • Where: inside Huntington Beach State Park
  • Admission: $2 per person ages 6 and up, on top of park admission
  • Tours: self-guided, plus docent-led tours by the Friends of Huntington Beach State Park on a seasonal schedule
  • Tip: there’s no air conditioning, so go in the morning on hot days

Every late September, the Atalaya Arts & Crafts Festival fills the castle and courtyard with around 100 artists, live music, and local food. Admission is $10 for adults, and kids 15 and under get in free.

Brookgreen Gardens

Brookgreen Gardens is a 9,100-acre former rice plantation that the Huntingtons opened to the public in 1932 as a sculpture garden. Today it holds more than 2,000 American figurative sculptures set among live oaks and flowering gardens, plus the Lowcountry Zoo with native animals like river otters, alligators, and birds of prey.

  • Address: 1931 Brookgreen Drive, Murrells Inlet
  • Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; gates close at 4:30 p.m.
  • Admission: $25 adults (13–64), $23 seniors (65+), $14 children (4–12), free for 3 and under
  • Best deal: your ticket is good for 7 consecutive days, so you don’t have to see it all at once

Around the holidays, Brookgreen hosts Nights of a Thousand Candles, when thousands of hand-lit candles and lights fill the gardens. It’s a separate ticket and sells out, so book early.

The one-day plan

  1. 8:30 a.m. Drive south on Highway 17 to Huntington Beach State Park. Walk the causeway, then the beach.
  2. 10:30 a.m. Tour Atalaya before the afternoon heat.
  3. 12:30 p.m. Lunch. Pack a picnic for the park, or head back up to Murrells Inlet.
  4. 1:30 p.m. Cross Highway 17 to Brookgreen Gardens. Start with the sculpture gardens, then the zoo.
  5. 5:00 p.m. Head home and walk over to the MarshWalk for dinner and the sunset.

From Sunnyside Village, nothing on this list is more than a 15-minute drive, which means you can split the day up and come back as often as you like. When you live this close, a Brookgreen membership pays for itself quickly.

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FAQ

Are Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park the same place? No. They’re separate attractions with separate admission, directly across Highway 17 from each other. Both came from land owned by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington.

Is Atalaya inside Huntington Beach State Park? Yes. Atalaya admission is $2 per person on top of park admission.

How long does Brookgreen Gardens take? Most people spend 3 hours or more. Your ticket is good for 7 consecutive days, so you can return.

Are dogs allowed? Dogs on a leash are welcome at Huntington Beach State Park on the south end of the beach, but not inside Atalaya. At Brookgreen Gardens, only service animals are allowed.

How far are they from Murrells Inlet? About 10 minutes south on Highway 17.

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