Exploring the History, Culture and Beauty of the Area
In our frenetic world, many people have become much more selective about their vacation plans – moving in favor of a deeper dive into the heritage, traditions and lifestyle of a particular place. They’re seeking authenticity over superficiality.
This is cultural tourism, and it’s ideal for folks driven to discover a destination’s cultural offerings – heritage sites, museums, folklore, foodways, and more. According to data from Research and Markets on Yahoo! Finance, this sector is projected to grow to 2.6 trillion dollars by 2035.
Enter South Carolina’s Hammock Coast.
Although technically a part of the 60-mile stretch of coastline called the Grand Strand, the Hammock Coast might be better described as Grand Strand adjacent, based on conversations with a local tourism leader.
The Hammock Coast covers six distinct areas – Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach, Murrells Inlet, Southern Garden City, Historic Georgetown, and Andrews.
Grouping these areas into the Grand Strand at large might have been useful at one time, but for Mark A. Stevens, tourism development director for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast (the official, registered trademark of Georgetown County adopted in 2010), that time has long passed.
“At one point, it was easy to lump everything from North Myrtle to Pawleys as part of the Grand Strand, but, over time, the communities became more unique than one cohesive stretch of Atlantic Coast beaches,” Stevens says.
Much to Do: The Harborwalk (left) is a wooden boardwalk in Historic Georgetown, offering scenic views of Georgetown Harbor. Atalaya Castle (top right) was the winter home of sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington and industrialist husband Archer Huntington. Brookgreen Gardens (bottom right), founded by the Huntingtons, boasts 9,000 acres and houses the largest collection of American figurative sculpture in the United States.
According to Stevens, folks don’t come to Georgetown County for flashy boardwalks or crowded streets, but rather for something different, something laid-back.
“People come here for pristine beaches and a beautiful coastal getaway,” he says. “There’s a lot of joy in that – but we have a lot of entities that play into a really great cultural experience.”
One such entity is Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, boasting 9,000 acres and housing what Stevens calls one of the most spectacular sculpture gardens in the country. Brookgreen was co-founded by renowned sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington and her husband, industrialist and philanthropist Archer Huntington. The pair also built their winter home, Atalaya Castle, on the property now known as Huntington Beach State Park across U.S. Highway 17.
Both Brookgreen Gardens and Atalaya Castle are officially recognized as heritage and historic sites.
“Also at Brookgreen Gardens, there’s the Lowcountry Zoo, which focuses on local animals – so there’s cultural tourism in the sense of natural beauty and protection of land and preserving that,” Stevens says.
Another shining example of such preservation can be found just north of Georgetown at Hobcaw Barony – a 16,000-acre coastal reserve under the care of the Belle W. Baruch Foundation. Both Clemson University and the University of South Carolina have long conducted a wide range of ecological research there.
But there’s also deep history here. Named by Native Americans to mean “between the waters”, the land transitioned from an 18th-century colonial barony and bustling rice empire into a 20th-century winter hunting retreat owned by financier Bernard Baruch.
Of note is Friendfield Village, an African-American village that once housed 100 enslaved people and was later lived in by Black employees of Hobcaw Barony until 1952.
“There’s a church. There are the homes that tell the story about the culture and the history of this place,” Stevens says. “But Hobcaw goes through the history of the 20th Century as well when Winston Churchill and FDR stayed there – and this incredible woman who inherited it from her father.”
That woman was Belle W. Baruch, the celebrated equestrian and philanthropist who set up the aforementioned foundation before her death in 1964, leaving a lasting legacy centered on conservation and education.
“When I talk about culture here, I’m also talking about the many people who – without really knowing what the future was – preserved tens or perhaps hundreds of thousands of acres down here. We’ve not cut down every tree,” Stevens says. “We’ve preserved so much of our land that, thankfully, will be here for generations to come.”
Historian and author Lee G. Brockington says she believes visitors are as interested in history as they are in ecology. There is, in fact, a sub-category called eco-cultural tourism at play here in many cases.
Roseate Spoonbills gather at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center (top left), a 24,000-acre protected wilderness preserve in Georgetown, which offers guided tours, nature trails and birding trips. The Black River Cypress Preserve (bottom left) in Andrews is a 1,000-acre ecological sanctuary and outdoor recreation site along the Black River.
“When we can combine those two interests, we tell a richer and fuller story because the environment influences the culture,” she says.
For those who are considering a cultural tourism getaway on the Hammock Coast, Brockington suggests they first access the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce’s audio tours, which can be found on the Hammock Coast’s mobile app.
Brockington herself is one of the virtual tour guides, leading participants through a Georgetown National Historic Register Tour and Pawleys Island Historical Sites Tour. Author, educator, and performer Ron Daise narrates the African-American Heritage Tour.
“Upon arrival they might have already handpicked a few of the many museums in the area that appealed to them,” Brockington explains.
Some of these museums include The Gullah Museum of Georgetown, Rice Museum, Georgetown County Museum, South Carolina Maritime Museum, and more.
She says these places are a wonderful way to get a wider view before venturing out into the sea of options that await outside of those walls.
Brockington, who served on the education staff for 25 years at Hobcaw Barony, is also the author of “Plantation Between the Waters: A Brief History of Hobcaw Barony.” She has written extensively about Hobcaw Barony, Pawleys Island and Georgetown County over the course of four books, with a fifth due out in December.
“You’re going to get a big dose of history at Hopsewee Plantation [in Georgetown], but Hobcaw is still a great place to get the big picture because they touch first on the environment and then the culture through the ages – Native American, Colonial, antebellum, slavery, reconstruction, transition to Northern ownership – and women’s history with Belle Baruch,” she says.
Brockington uses the term “outdoor laboratories” in her descriptions of not only Hobcaw Barony but also places like the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center in Georgetown and the Santee Coastal Reserve in McClellanville.
“If your taste runs more to ecology and art, Brookgreen Gardens. If your taste runs more to history and science, Hobcaw Barony. But get the broad picture first and then based on personal interest, pick and choose,” says Brockington, who also suggests picking up books on the area from a local independent bookshop to take home for a deeper dive.
For Brockington, what sets the Hammock Coast apart is the fact that so many historical and ecological sites remain, due in large part to conservation efforts by visionaries with well-known last names like Huntington, Baruch, Yawkey, and more – but also numerous private property owners who have sought to put their property into conservation easements.
“With the pressure of development in Horry County and Charleston County, we’ve seen the loss of a great number of acres associated with Native American, African American, English, French, and Jewish history. But in Georgetown County, so much of the land is protected in perpetuity,” Brockington says.
Gullah culture is the heart of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Without it, the region’s landscape, dialect, and culinary traditions would not exist. Because of enslaved West Africans brought over specifically to cultivate it, Carolina Gold rice succeeded and became South Carolina’s defining agricultural export.
The foodways of the Gullah Geechee people are enshrined in the local dishes we hold dear: Hoppin’ John, okra soup, shrimp and grits, and more. The sweetgrass baskets we admire today are a direct artistic tradition passed down from enslaved West Africans – and their knowledge of coastal environments transformed the region.
A Brookings Institute report, “Empowering the Gullah/Geechee Economy” includes the following: “According to Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor’s (GGCHC) 2020 market assessment, Gullah heritage tourism is a substantial contributor to the region’s leisure industry with the potential to drive up to $34 billion in tourist spending.”
Gullah: (left) A Gullah presentation at Hopsewee Plantation in Georgetown. (right) Gullah Historical Interpreter Glander Pressley at a Gullah Geechee event at Hopsewee Plantation.
The Gullah Museum of Georgetown is a brick-and-mortar tribute to Gullah culture. Founded by Vermelle “Bunny” Smith Rodrigues (1938-2015) and husband Andrew Rodrigues, JD (1936-2023), it features displays on the Gullah language, rice culture, Gullah Geechee foodways, spiritual practices, and more – including story quilts, arts, crafts, and music. The museum also offers presentations on Gullah Geechee culture and history.
Creative Director Janette Rodrigues is one of four siblings who now run the museum, including Beatrice Rodrigues, Julia House, and Anna Freeman.
“All four of us operate the museum together,” Rodrigues says. “We make big decisions about the museum and its future together as a family.”
For Rodrigues, growing up in the Gullah culture was something to be proud of, perhaps because her mother was so proud of her heritage – although her mother grew up in a time when Gullah Geechee people were thought of as less-than by other groups, Black and white alike.
“When my mother and her siblings went to elementary school, they were encouraged not to speak Gullah,” she says.
Rodrigues says her mother was an artist, and her way of telling the story of the Gullah people usually involved a mixed-media piece.
“She had her story quilts. She had her African and Gullah Geechee artifacts and she would [tell stories],” she says. “Her ‘Gullah Women’ story quilt tells the story of the Gullah people and how we shaped America – or her Michelle Obama family story quilt (featured in the 2013 Presidential Inauguration Parade in Washington, D.C., and now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture). I love it. It’s [her] family story from the slave house at Friendfield Plantation to the White House.”
When it comes to the cultural tourism component, Rodrigues’ approach is to engage people while educating them.
“We are of this land,” Rodrigues says. “My ancestors were brought here to create and labor on these rice plantations. That, by the way, changed how the southeastern United States looks. The first job they had to do was take this maritime forest, this swamp full of primeval cypress and other types of trees – and they had to clear that by hand, using rudimentary tools.”
But this skilled yet enslaved workforce was instrumental, first in the production of indigo and later, rice.
There is so much more to learn, and the perfect jumping-off point is the Gullah Museum.
“I am very, very proud of the story we tell in the museum,” says Rodrigues. “You can get a guided tour or you can learn the story yourself just by reading what we have on the walls or watching one of the videos that we’ll show you.”
No cultural tourism getaway on the Hammock Coast would be complete without visiting Historic Georgetown, the third-oldest city in South Carolina – or Murrells Inlet, long recognized as “the Seafood capital of South Carolina” or “arrogantly shabby” Pawleys Island. To be sure, all of these places are steeped in history and rich in culture.
But 20 miles inland from Georgetown sits Andrews, a quiet railroad town straddling Georgetown and Williamsburg counties and a vital part of South Carolina’s Hammock Coast.
Cultural tourism in Andrews focuses on preserving the town’s deep-rooted railroad and timber heritage, indigenous history, and natural Black River Lowcountry ecosystems. The Black River Cypress Preserve, part of the Black River State Park network, is a big part of the equation. Visitors can also explore the Andrews Town Hall Museum, which showcases the town’s 1909 founding through historical photographs, railroad and logging memorabilia, and period rooms.
Andrews Mayor Frank McClary is actively leading efforts to transform the town into a destination centered on the Black River Initiative, which focuses on highlighting the river’s natural beauty, local history, and supporting new recreational tourism, including paddling and hiking.
McClary is also working on town revitalization projects and is a supporter of the annual Andrews Heritage Festival, which fosters civic pride, promotes tourism, and highlights the area’s history and culture.
“Cultural tourism fits perfectly with Andrews,” says McClary. “Obviously, its natural resources, which in our case is the Black River – but we also have a rich history with the railroad and with timber.”
McClary points to the just-completed Town of Andrews 2045 Comprehensive Plan – which the town website says is meant to establish a roadmap for future land use decisions, infrastructure investments, and development policies for the next 20 years.
“We’re trying to capture the things that are culturally significant to the Town of Andrews and give people a reason to make Andrews a part of their tourism,” McClary says.
Of note is the fact that two well-known entertainers hail from Andrews: Chris Rock and Chubby Checker. The Andrews Heritage Festival hearkens back to the Good Old Days Festival that included appearances by Checker, replete with a carnival and more.
“We’re still developing that into a really cultural event with music and the arts, although we’ve been doing it now for six, seven years.”
McClary says the Town of Andrews has partnered with several organizations to promote fishing and other outdoor activities - with an eye toward conservation.
“These folks have seen the growth and the value of Andrews and where it sits on the Black River and its proximity to Myrtle Beach and Charleston.”
McClary wants to be sure that the residents of Andrews are on board with the changes coming down the pike.
“My message to our local people is to get involved, embrace this thing and be a part of it. There are opportunities along the way as we get these resources – and we want them to be a part of the planning process.”
As part of its cultural tourism initiative, South Carolina’s Hammock Coast and the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce have partnered with The Goss Agency to produce a pocket-sized history of Georgetown County.
The 3.5-by-5-inch booklet folds out to a 13.75-by-31.25-inch sheet that lays out the county’s history in small sections of text over the 30-panel, double-sided publication.
“It’s like a cultural passport that you can put in your pocket,” says Mark Stevens, tourism development director for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast. “Basically, it’s to whet your appetite, narrowing things down to different times and places so that it makes sense. It’s the CliffsNotes of the history here.”
For details, visit www.hammockcoastsc.com.
