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Travel Logs July 2013

The Tenacious Traveler

Visit the Glory of South Carolina's Grand Strand

By Victor Block

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 recreates life on farms owned by African-Americans during their first decades of freedom.

 

vt_block0713 When I told a friend I was going to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, he asked if I was taking golf clubs. “I don’t golf,” I reminded him. "So you're going to relax on the beach, right?" Wrong!

Most visitors to the Myrtle Beach area go to golf and soak up the sun. That’s not surprising, because the destination has over 100 excellent 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 colorful cultural tidbits, any of which alone would be reason enough to go there.

Myrtle Beach itself sits near the middle of a dozen towns strung out along South Carolina's Atlantic coastline, collectively known as “the Grand Strand.” Each community has its own appeals and unique story to tell. Together they provide a something-for-everyone combination of things to do and see.

Much of the action is centered in Myrtle Beach, which has the greatest concentration of hotels, restaurants, shopping and nightlife. Its oceanfront boardwalk is lined by shops, fast food eateries and arcades. Overlooking the scene is the SkyWheel, a giant-sized Ferris wheel which 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 attract visitors who prefer quieter havens. Georgetown, at the southern end of the Strand, already was a colonial sea port when it was officially founded in 1729. Behind today’s commercial and industrial façade is 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, with exhibits that relate the story of the rice culture which evolved in South Carolina.

Pawley’s Island, several miles further north, became a pre-Civil War summer retreat for wealthy planters. Some of their homes are identified by markers that relate their history. The setting retains vestiges of the laid-back atmosphere that residents prefer, and refer to as “arrogantly shabby.”

In sharp contrast to that scene 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 salt water wetlands and provides glimpses of an outdoor aviary of pelicans, egrets and other migratory and resident birds. At dinner time, the walkway is jammed with people checking out a line of fun and funky restaurants with names like the Dead Dog Saloon, Creek Ratz and Drunken Jack’s.

Perched near the northern end of the Strand, Atlantic Beach has close ties to one of the more intriguing historical stories of the region. Many residents of that community, like those in other parts of the Grand Strand, are descendants of the Gullah-Geechee people who retain their unique and fascinating culture.

When early plantation owners realized that the area’s climate and “low country” tidal rivers provided a perfect environment for rice, they instigated an influx of slaves from west African countries where the crop had been grown for centuries. The Africans’ knowledge of rice cultivation was largely responsible for the success of planters in coastal regions of the southeast states.

Isolated at plantations and sea island communities that sprung up around them, the slaves developed a unique language and clung to their African cultural traditions more closely than those in other parts of the colonies. That distinction extended to their rituals, religious beliefs, food, and arts and crafts.

Many descendants of those slaves still live near where their ancestors did, in a narrow band stretching from the coastline of North Carolina to Florida, and about 30 miles inland. For reasons unknown, people in the northern section of this area are known as Gullah, while those further south are called Geechee.

In 2006, Congress passed a law establishing the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, to recognize the important contributions of those people to our country’s history and traditions. Visitors to the Grand Strand are surrounded by reminders of this fascinating story, some encountered in surprising places.

For example, a green on the golf course at the Barefoot Resort is nestled against the re-created ruins of a plantation home, and the Willowbrook course is laid out on land that once comprised two rice plantations. Another course was constructed over an early slave cemetery. That prompted the Gullah woman who showed me that site to remark, “My grandfather is buried under the 10th hole.”

Brookgreen Gardens also has a close connection with Gullah history. It encompasses four former rice-growing estates including Brookgreen Plantation, which was built by slaves 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.

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 recreates 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 yourself 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 over a century ago.

The sight of subsistence farmers toiling in fields is very different from stately plantation homes surrounded by lovely lawns and Spanish moss-draped oak trees. 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 fascinating, little-known history and you have an idea of what awaits visitors to Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand. Oh yes, there also are those stretches of broad sand beach and some 100 golf courses that may also be of interest.

 

Victor Block recommends that if you can’t visit a destination you’d like to, read about it. He’s happy to be your eyes and ears.

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