6 Best Nature Spots Near Myrtle Beach
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Most of Myrtle Beach’s nature is concentrated about 18 miles south, near Murrells Inlet, where a cluster of parks and gardens makes for a full nature-focused day away from the boardwalk.
Brookgreen Gardens
America’s foremost sculpture garden pairs its grounds with the Lowcountry Zoo, included in the roughly $25 admission and good for 7 consecutive days. It’s as much a nature spot as an art one, with native plants and habitats woven through the sculpture displays.
Huntington Beach State Park
Directly across the highway from Brookgreen, this park is serious birding territory, with 300-plus species recorded, plus three miles of undeveloped beach and a marsh boardwalk. Atalaya Castle, the Huntingtons’ 1930s Moorish-style winter home, sits on the same grounds. Entry runs about $8.
Myrtle Beach State Park
Inside city limits, this park offers a different pace: a maritime forest trail, a fishing pier, and a campground, all for about $5 entry. It’s a separate park from Huntington Beach State Park, worth remembering since the two get confused constantly.
Murrells Inlet MarshWalk
A half-mile boardwalk over the marsh, lined with the Strand’s best-known seafood restaurants, the MarshWalk is as much a nature walk as a dining destination if you go before the dinner rush and take in the marsh views.
The Grand Strand itself
Sixty miles of continuous beach running from the North Carolina line to Georgetown counts as the region’s headline natural feature, and it’s the one nature spot every visitor sees without trying, whether they’re here for a weekend or a week.
Pawleys Island
Quieter and more historic than the boardwalk towns, Pawleys Island sits south of Murrells Inlet and pairs naturally with a Brookgreen or Huntington Beach State Park day, since it’s a short drive further down the same road.
Read more: see Myrtle Beach’s hiking areas for how to actually walk these spots, or the 4-day itinerary for where a Brookgreen and Huntington Beach half-day fits.
One concrete tip: buy Brookgreen Gardens tickets online before a summer visit, since the 7-day validity means you can split the sculpture garden and the zoo across two calmer mornings instead of rushing both in one hot afternoon.