This Spot On South Carolina's Coast Is A Pristine, Uncrowded Alternative To Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is always a great option for your next vacation (despite it being a hotbed for sharks), especially if you've got a large group of people who want to be close to the action. According to the Myrtle Beach Visitors Bureau, the 157,000 hotel room units in the area are "on par with the room units in Las Vegas," with some deserving recognition among the best beach resorts in the U.S. No matter where you stay, there will be plenty of dining options, golf courses galore, and Ferris wheels.

However, when you're at the beach, you might not want it to feel like Las Vegas. If you're looking for a quieter, more naturally beautiful, and more spacious coastal vacation, Litchfield Beach is the spot. It's about 45 minutes by car from downtown Myrtle Beach, but it can feel like stepping into a new state. You'll find miles of wide-open Atlantic beachfront, as well as brackish playgrounds loaded with inlets, tidal pools, and calm waters.

Far from the high-rise hotels and putt-putt golf of Myrtle, Litchfield is all about its botanical gardens and state parks, making the area's natural setting a large part of its tourism pitch. There are still plenty of nearby fine dining and comfortable accommodation options, but you'll find no roller coasters. If you're after a tranquil alternative to Myrtle Beach, Litchfield Beach could be the place.

The most important thing to do on Litchfield Beach is nothing at all. Just pour yourself something tall and strong and hit the coast. Once your hair is properly salty, your toes properly sandy, and you're ready for something else to do, start by exploring the Brookgreen Gardens. This tranquil space is a botanical garden, sculpture exhibition, and low country zoo all in one. This zoo only takes in animals that were either raised in captivity or could no longer survive in the wild. It's a place with a purpose, and it can be considered a microcosm of the entire area's ethos. 

Juxtaposed next to Myrtle Beach's tourism and convenience at all costs mindset, Litchfield's tourism appeal exists within the context of all that came before it. The best activities around Litchfield Beach highlight the history and natural beauty of the lowcountry. Nowhere does that better than Huntington Beach State Park, home to over 2,000 acres of well-preserved coastal lands. The area is dotted with hiking trails and campsites that put you right in the mix alongside the 300 or so bird species that dip through the park's marshy backdrops.

While Litchfield is much quieter than Myrtle Beach, there are still plenty of golf courses, tennis courts, shopping, and fine dining to enjoy. A lot of the action coalesces around the Litchfield By The Sea community, but you can find smaller inns and rental companies across the beach. The choice is yours.

There is a lot going on at Myrtle Beach, and for some vacations, that's a great thing. Other vacationers might just want their own small slice of paradise where slow is the way to go. For laid-back trips, there's Litchfield Beach and its two friendly neighbors: Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet. All three are connected by State Highway 17 and the Waccamaw Neck Bikeway, a paved bike path that winds from town to town. If you're walking in from the Atlantic, the three stretches of sand are split by inlets and tidal waters ripe for crabbing.

Pawleys — due south of Litchfield Beach — is described by its local government as home to a "shoeless, carefree, laidback lifestyle." The two areas are so close, both in mindset and geographically, that Litchfield Beach is sometimes considered a part of the greater Pawleys Island area. The beaches are separated by an inlet where the Pawleys Island creek meets the sea, allowing visitors to wade from one town to the other and walk to the small Pawleys Island Nature Park and check out the beach house architecture along the way.

Murrells Inlet is on the north side of town, just past Huntington Beach State Park. Litchfield and Murrells South Jetty share a large chunk of beachfront land almost completely untouched by modern development. Visitors can splash in the marshes, ponds, and estuaries, wander off towards Drunken Jack Island, or explore the delightful Sandpiper Pond Trail.