By Victor Block
When I told a friend I was going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, he asked if I was taking golf clubs. After I reminded him that I don't play golf, he inquired, "So you're just going to relax on the beach, right?" Wrong!
Most folks who visit the Myrtle Beach area go there to play golf and soak up the sun. That's not surprising since the destination has more than 100 outstanding golf courses and is bordered by a 60-mile stretch of soft sand beaches. As I discovered, it also has history-rich towns, reminders of Southern plantation life and intriguing cultural tidbits, any of which alone would be reason enough to visit.
Myrtle Beach sits near the middle of the "Grand Strand," as the dozen towns strung out along South Carolina's Atlantic coastline are known. Each has its own appeals and unique story to tell, but this city has the highest concentration of hotels, restaurants, shopping and nightlife. The action is centered along the oceanfront boardwalk, much of which is lined by stores, fast-food eateries and arcades. Overlooking the scene is the SkyWheel, a giant Ferris wheel that soars 187 feet into the air with glass-enclosed gondola cars that provide a bird's-eye view over the surroundings.
Some towns along the Grand Strand resemble Myrtle Beach in miniature, while others appeal to visitors who prefer quieter havens. Georgetown, at the southern end of the strip, already was a major seaport for the Colonies when it was officially founded in 1729. Behind today's commercial facade hides a residential area of oak-tree-canopied streets and gracious homes, a number of them pre-Revolutionary.
Georgetown also is home to the Rice Museum, whose exhibits relate the story of the rice culture that evolved in South Carolina and brought extreme wealth to many planters. Particularly interesting is a collection of bookkeeping ledgers from the time when rice was king. The hand-written entries conjure up images of early Colonists who grew rice and, along with it, developed a way of life.
Pawley's Island, farther north, became a pre-Civil War summer retreat for rich planters. Some of the stately homes are identified by markers that relate their history. Town residents stubbornly cling to the laid-back atmosphere that they prefer and refer to as "arrogantly shabby."
In sharp contrast to that quiet setting is Murrell's Inlet, which earns its reputation as the "Seafood Capital of South Carolina." Fresh fish, crabs, oysters and clams are pulled from the surrounding waters, and fishing boats and pleasure craft keep the 1,400-foot-long boardwalk bustling. Aptly called the Marsh Walk, it overlooks saltwater wetlands and provides glimpses of an outdoor aviary of pelicans, egrets and other migratory and resident birds.
Perched near the northern end of the Strand, Atlantic Beach has close ties to one of the more intriguing historical stories of the region. In the early 1930s, Atlantic Beach became a vacation destination for African-American families and was called the "Black Pearl." Many residents of that community, like those in other parts of the Grand Strand, are descendants of the Gullah-Geechee people who retain their fascinating culture.
Their forebears were slaves brought from West Africa, where they had worked growing rice. The Africans' knowledge of rice cultivation was largely responsible for the success of white planters in the New World.
Isolated at plantations and sea-island communities that sprang up around them, the slaves developed their own language while retaining their African rituals, religious beliefs and other cultural traditions more than in other parts of the Colonies. Their descendants in South Carolina are known as Gullah people, while those farther south are called Geechee.
Visitors to the Grand Strand are surrounded by reminders of this fascinating lifestyle, some in surprising places. For example, pointing out a golf course that had been laid out on the site of an early slave cemetery, a Gullah woman told me with a touch of humor in her voice, "My grandfather is buried under the 10th hole."
Brookgreen Gardens also has a close connection with Gullah history. It encompasses four former estates where slaves cultivated rice in the 18th century. Today the expansive lawns serve as a showcase of gardens, nature and art, including one of the largest and best collections of American figurative sculpture in the world.
While not as grand a setting as Brookgreen Gardens, the Hopsewee (pronounced HOP-suh-wee) rice plantation has other claims to fame. Built between 1735 and 1740, the graceful home is among the oldest preservations in the country open to the public. Preservation is the correct word because the original house has not been added to or restored, only maintained. Its first owner, Thomas Lynch Sr., was an early leader in the American Revolution, and his son was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. In the shadow of the house stand two original cabins that served as home to slaves who worked in the rice fields.
Another chapter in the history of slavery is recounted at Freewoods Farm, which was the center of a community established by freed slaves at the end of the Civil War. The 40-acre spread is the only living-history museum in the country that re-creates life on farms owned by African-Americans during their first decades of freedom.
Observing farm workers busy at their chores, it's easy to imagine being transported back in time. The land is tilled using mules pulling plows, crops are harvested by hand, and syrup and soap are made the time-consuming way they were more than a century ago.
The sight of subsistence farmers toiling in fields is very different from stately
plantation homes surrounded by lovely lawns. Occasional touches of honky-tonk
tourist attractions contrast sharply with a casual, laid-back island lifestyle to
which traditionalists cling with a kind of stubborn pride. Throw in a dose of
little-known history and you have an idea of what awaits visitors to
Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand. And, yes, there also are those stretches of
broad sand beach and some 100 golf courses that may be of interest.
WHEN YOU GO
For more information about Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand, visit www.visitmyrtlebeach.com or call 800-356-3016.
Victor Block is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
View Comments