Huntington Beach State Park

Huntington Beach State Park is the best-kept secret on the Grand Strand — a 2,500-acre coastal paradise about 20 minutes south of Myrtle Beach that offers families everything the crowded hotel beaches cannot: wild alligator sightings, an uncrowded pristine beach, a mysterious abandoned castle, and nature trails through salt marshes teeming with birds. Local families consider this the antidote to the commercial Myrtle Beach experience, and once you visit, you'll understand why they keep coming back.

The alligators are the immediate draw for kids. As you drive the causeway into the park, alligators bask on the mud banks of the salt marsh on both sides of the road. These are wild American alligators in their natural habitat, visible from just yards away without any fences, glass, or paid admission.

On warm mornings, it is common to spot a dozen or more gators of various sizes, from juveniles to impressive adults over 8 feet long. Kids press their faces to the car windows, gasping at each new sighting. The experience is free, unscripted, and feels like a wildlife documentary come to life.

The beach at Huntington Beach State Park is dramatically different from the hotel-lined Myrtle Beach shores. Here, a wide stretch of golden sand backs up against maritime forest and dunes rather than condominiums. The beach is never crowded by Myrtle Beach standards, even at peak summer capacity.

Shells are more plentiful and intact. Ghost crabs are easier to spot. The water tends to be cleaner.

For families seeking a genuine beach experience rather than a tourist beach experience, this is the spot.

Atalaya Castle is the park's other signature attraction, and it delights kids who love exploring mysterious old buildings. Built in the 1930s as the winter home and studio of sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington (whose work fills Brookgreen Gardens across the highway), this Moorish-influenced stone structure sits right on the beach. Its roofless rooms, arched doorways, interior courtyard, and tower staircase give kids the freedom to explore what genuinely feels like an ancient ruin — even though it is less than 100 years old.

Free ranger-led tours explain the building's fascinating history.

The park's nature trail system winds through salt marsh, maritime forest, and freshwater lagoon habitats. The Sandpiper Pond Nature Trail (0. 3 miles, boardwalk) is perfect for families, offering easy walking with excellent views of wading birds including great blue herons, snowy egrets, and roseate spoonbills.

During spring and fall migration, the park is a renowned bird-watching destination, and even casual observers can spot dozens of species in a single walk.

Huntington Beach State Park sits directly across Highway 17 from Brookgreen Gardens, making it easy to combine both attractions in a single day. Savvy families spend the morning at the state park — wildlife watching, beach time, and castle exploring — then cross the highway to Brookgreen for the sculpture gardens, zoo, and creek excursion in the afternoon.