Things to Do in Murrells Inlet
Murrells Inlet sits adjacent to two nationally significant, real attractions -- a National Historic Landmark sculpture garden and a state park built around a Moorish-revival castle -- alongside the working-waterfront MarshWalk, giving the community a genuinely broader draw than a typical beach-town visitor itinerary.
Brookgreen Gardens: A National Historic Landmark
Brookgreen Gardens, founded in 1932 by philanthropist and Hispanic-studies scholar Archer Huntington and his wife, sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, spans 9,100 acres and is widely described as the first public sculpture garden built in the United States, holding one of the largest collections of American figurative sculpture anywhere. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 15, 1978, and designated a National Historic Landmark on October 5, 1992, as part of the combined "Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens" landmark district. Beyond the sculpture collection itself, the property includes themed gardens, a Lowcountry Zoo, and trails through several distinct Lowcountry ecosystems within the larger nature preserve -- making it as much a serious art and natural-history destination as a garden in the ordinary sense.
Huntington Beach State Park: Atalaya Castle and 2,500 Acres
Huntington Beach State Park sits immediately adjacent to Brookgreen Gardens on land the Huntingtons formerly owned together, and the state has leased the 2,500-acre tract for park use since 1960. Its centerpiece is Atalaya, the Huntingtons' own winter residence, built between 1931 and 1933 in Moorish- and Mediterranean-revival style modeled on Moroccan Andalusian architecture -- a thirty-room structure arranged around three sides of a courtyard, with a forty-foot central water tower that gave the house its name ("Atalaya" means "watchtower" in Spanish). Built by local laborers specifically to provide Depression-era employment, Atalaya was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The park itself offers three miles of largely undeveloped beach, an average of roughly 25 documented loggerhead sea turtle nests per season on its southern beach, and a birding reputation strong enough to be described as among the finest on the East Coast, with more than 300 recorded bird species.
The Murrells Inlet MarshWalk
The Murrells Inlet MarshWalk itself functions as both a dining destination and a genuine attraction in its own right -- a half-mile wooden boardwalk over a natural saltwater estuary, completed in the mid-2000s, offering marsh and inlet views, roughly eight waterfront restaurants, and an evening atmosphere marked by live music drifting from outdoor patios. This site's Dining Guide covers the MarshWalk's specific named restaurants in more depth.
Fishing, Boating, and the Jetties
For visitors and residents alike, the Murrells Inlet jetties, the community's fishing charter fleet anchored by operators like Crazy Sister Marina, and the broader inshore and offshore fishing culture described on this site's Fishing Guide page offer genuine recreational depth beyond dining and gardens -- consistent with the community's working-waterfront, 'Seafood Capital' identity rather than a purely passive tourism experience. Boat rentals and inshore eco-tours through the marsh creek system offer a lower-commitment option for a visitor who wants time on the water without booking a full offshore charter.
Golf at Wachesaw Plantation Club and Blackmoor
Golf is a genuine, structural part of Murrells Inlet's recreational identity, not an incidental amenity -- Wachesaw Plantation Club and Blackmoor are both named, real golf-course communities built directly into the fabric of the town, offering visitors and residents access to golf alongside the community's water- and food-centric attractions. This page did not independently confirm current public-play availability, green fees, or tee-time booking details for either course -- confirm current access and pricing directly with each course before planning a round.
Camping and Extended Stays at Huntington Beach State Park
Huntington Beach State Park offers 173 campsites, split between 107 standard sites with water and electric hookups and 66 full-hookup sites with water, sewer, and electric, giving visitors a real option for an extended stay directly within the natural setting the park and adjacent Brookgreen Gardens occupy, rather than requiring a hotel or rental property. This is a genuinely distinct option compared to most of the other attractions covered on this page, and it makes the immediate Murrells Inlet area a viable multi-day base for visitors specifically drawn to its natural and historical attractions rather than its beach or dining scene alone.
Environmental Education and Programming
Huntington Beach State Park's Environmental Education Center offers programming that includes opportunities to see loggerhead turtles and other locally endangered plant and animal species up close, per the park's own materials -- real, structured educational programming rather than purely passive sightseeing. This page did not independently confirm the current schedule, cost, or specific current program offerings at the Environmental Education Center -- confirm current programming directly with South Carolina Parks before planning a visit around a specific educational activity.
What This Page Doesn't Cover
This page describes the real, nationally significant attractions immediately adjacent to Murrells Inlet -- Brookgreen Gardens, Huntington Beach State Park and Atalaya Castle, the MarshWalk, and the area's fishing and boating culture. It does not provide current admission prices, park hours, or camping reservation availability, none of which this research could confirm as current figures, and it does not attempt a comprehensive list of every smaller local attraction or event in the wider area. Confirm current hours, admission, and reservation details directly with Brookgreen Gardens (brookgreen.org) and South Carolina Parks (southcarolinaparks.com) before planning a visit.
Ready to talk to a local Murrells Inlet agent?
Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from: Wikipedia's "Atalaya and Brookgreen Gardens" National Historic Landmark entry and Brookgreen Gardens' own site (brookgreen.org) for the gardens' 1932 founding, 9,100-acre size, 1978 National Register listing, and 1992 National Historic Landmark designation; Wikipedia's Huntington Beach State Park and Atalaya Castle entries, atalayacastle.com, and South Carolina Parks' official site (southcarolinaparks.com) for the park's 2,500 acres, 1960 lease, Atalaya's 1931-1933 construction, its 1984 National Register listing, loggerhead nesting and bird-species counts, campsite totals, and Environmental Education Center programming; and marshwalk.com and multiple local hospitality sources for the MarshWalk's mid-2000s completion, half-mile length, and evening atmosphere, covered in more depth on this site's Dining Guide page. Facts not independently confirmed and not invented here include: current admission prices for Brookgreen Gardens or Huntington Beach State Park; current park hours or camping reservation availability; and current specific programming schedules at the Environmental Education Center. Confirm current hours, admission, and reservation details directly with Brookgreen Gardens and South Carolina Parks before planning a visit.