Tourism News
Myrtle Beach Attractions Spotlight: Huntington Beach State Park & Atalaya Castle

Archer M. Huntington and Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington were the original owners of the area.

In the 19th century, Huntington Beach State Park was the seaside portion of a sprawling rice plantation, known as the Waccamaw Neck Rice Plantations.

In the early 20th century, the Huntingtons, acquired the land that is now Huntington Beach State Park. He purchased this plantation to serve as a retreat and hunting preserve, as well as a place for Anna to work on her sculptures.

In 1931, the Huntingtons built Atalaya as their oceanside, winter home and established Brookgreen Gardens, located just across what is now Highway 17, as a place to put Anna’s sculptures on display. The name Atalaya” is a Spanish term for watchtower.

Archer Huntington designed the house after the Moorish architecture of the Spanish Mediterranean Coast. During World War II, the Huntingtons turned over Atalaya and the surrounding land to the U.S. Army Air Corps.

The grounds were fortified and a radar station was set up inside of Atalaya. Shell casings still wash ashore as reminders of the time when the beach was used as training ground to prepare young soldiers for battle.

Today, Huntington Beach State Park is operated by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

In addition to the 3-mile stretch of beach, Huntington Park is also home to one of the world’s most productive ecosystems: the saltwater marsh.

The marsh can be viewed from the causeway where you can walk alongside the water to view its serenity and all of the wildlife living at Huntington Beach State Park. Animals you may see include alligators, pelicans, bald eagles, and spoonbills. 

There are docks equipped with binoculars to help you get a better view of the marsh and its inhabitants.

Perhaps the most well-known animals that many viewers come to see at Huntington Beach State Park are the birds. Birders have been coming to Huntington Beach State Park for years to see the more than 300 species of birds that have been recorded here.

Huntington is one of the top spots on the East Coast for bird watching. Birds such as bald eagles, ducks, mergansers, and buffleheads can be observed from the causeway.

Birds can also be spotted from the jetty and at the beach. The jetty is a little over a one-mile walk from the main beach entrance, but it’s worth it if you’re up for some exercise. The jetty is a man-made replica of a rocky coastline that has a paved top so that visitors can walk out to the edge to get a great view of the offshore waters.

Birds such as razorbills, black guillemots, and horned grebes can be seen hanging out around the jetty. The best chance at seeing all of these birds is in the wintertime.

The park also has a freshwater lake, where you can spot alligators and maybe even a few minks. There is a boat access ramp located one mile from the park entrance at Oyster Landing.