Overview
Once a quiet fishing village, Murrells Inlet is now one of the many popular seaside towns along the Grand Strand of South Carolina. The town is known primary for its salt marshes, seafood restaurants, and the biker bars that line the town's main drag. Compared to heavily commercialized Myrtle Beach just to the north, Murrells Inlet is much quieter, in keeping with its fishing village roots, and lies near the scenic natural reserve of Huntington Beach State Park, which has one of the most pristine, undeveloped stretches of beach on the Grand Strand.
2 sights
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Best things about Murrells Inlet
Brookgreen Gardens
A huge garden on the grounds of a former plantation that has one of the most significant collections of figurative sculpture by American artists in the world. The sculpture collection is large and quite varied, and sits …
Huntington Beach State Park
A splendid place for nature lovers, Huntington Beach is a large state park that preserves a three-mile stretch of pleasant sandy beach, one of the few remaining undeveloped stretches of shoreline in the area and a scenic…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Oct–May. Summer highs reach about 91°F; winter lows dip to about 39°F. Very hot (Jul, Aug) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Aug and Jul. (climate data from nearby Greater Charleston)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- MYR Myrtle Beach International Airport, Myrtle Beach — 11 mi away (major hub). Directions
- FLO Florence Regional Airport, Florence — 58 mi away. Directions
Murrells Inlet proper sits on US Highway 17, about ten miles south of Myrtle Beach. From US 17, you can exit onto Business US 17, the quieter main street of the town.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Brookgreen Gardens
- Afternoon Huntington Beach State Park
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
What to ask about, for your diet
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Photos
Map
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Get in
Murrells Inlet proper sits on US Highway 17, about ten miles south of Myrtle Beach. From US 17, you can exit onto Business US 17, the quieter main street of the town.
See
See Brookgreen Gardens
A huge garden on the grounds of a former plantation that has one of the most significant collections of figurative sculpture by American artists in the world. The sculpture collection is large and quite varied, and sits in a beautiful setting of lakes, ponds, and groves of oak trees covered in Spanish moss. Connected to the gardens is the Lowcountry Zoo, where you can see alligators, otters, foxes, and deer in naturalistic exhibits built into the swampland, as well as get (very) up-close with birds in a couple of aviaries. Additionally, there are historical exhibits, a playground with structures based on fairy tales, a butterfly house (extra admission required), sculpture pavilions, and a lake where you can take boat rides (extra admission required). A warning, however: the historical exhibits, particularly the movie that plays in the welcome center, have a habit of glorifying the plantation culture that was once here, so you might want to skip the movie and just get out into the gardens.
See Huntington Beach State Park
A splendid place for nature lovers, Huntington Beach is a large state park that preserves a three-mile stretch of pleasant sandy beach, one of the few remaining undeveloped stretches of shoreline in the area and a scenic and much quieter alternative for beach-goers and surf fishers. There are also opportunities to hike along a large salt marsh, where you can see alligators and a large variety of birds; a nature center in the park has exhibits on the animals in the area as well as a chance to see some critters up close. You can also take a tour of Atalaya Castle, an old and unusual home with Moorish-inspired architecture that was built in the 1930s and was the winter home of Archer and Anna Huntington.
Sleep
- Overnight camping is available at Huntington Beach State Park.
Nearby
Garden City
City / town · 4 listings · 4 mi away
Surfside Beach
City / town · 8 listings · 6 mi away
Pawleys Island
City / town · 14 listings · 9 mi away
Myrtle Beach
City / town · 45 listings · 15 mi away
Georgetown
City / town · 10 listings · 19 mi away
Conway
City / town · 6 listings · 20 mi away
North Myrtle Beach
City / town · 19 listings · 28 mi away
Little River
City / town · 16 listings · 33 mi away
My experience
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