F4
KLMNO
SUNDAY, MAY 30, 2010
Of course, it’s all laid-back in the land of hammocks
pawleys continued from F1
I feel a freedom here, a quiet calmness,
that I don’t feel anywhere else. Life is re- duced to a few simple questions: tennis or boating? Book or movie? Shrimp or barbecue? Walk on the beach with the dogs or leave them home? (Actually, we always take them.) Every family sets its own priorities. Our best friends walk in the early morning, we prefer the evening, and that’s the whole point. No rules. Just don’t track sand into the house. Pawleys itself is pristine and protected
— just several hundred private homes, a few small inns, one egregious condo com- plex, no commercial enterprises. Even if every person in every house goes to the beach at the same time, it’s still pretty empty. But just across the causeway, five minutes away, is a 24-hour CVS, an in- valuable source of sunscreen and Band- Aids when the house is full of six active grandchildren. And beyond the CVS lies 60 miles of coastline, stretching from Myrtle Beach to Georgetown, harboring a gazillion things to do when everyone overdoses on sun and sand. The area goes by many names — the Low Country, the Grand Strand, and a new one, Hammock Coast — but I just think of it as Paradise. Or Home. Pretty much the same thing.
Hammock heaven
When people hear “Pawleys,” they of- ten think “hammock.” In 1889, a river- boat captain named Joshua Ward wanted a cool place to nap on muggy summer days, so he wove this deep, wide-bodied contraption out of cotton rope and hung it on the back of his boat. During the De- pression, Ward’s brother-in-law, Arthur Herbert “Doc” Lachicotte, was running a small gift shop for tourists and desperate for business. “We started selling the ham- mocks because it was the only thing we had,” Doc Jr. — son of the original Doc — once told me. Today, the hammocks are marketed around the world. They are un- usually comfortable — the mesh design catches the breeze — but they also serve as a symbol of the region. You actually have the time and the temperament here to use a hammock: to nap, to read, to cud- dle. Whatever. Now 83, Doc the Younger has turned
many of his business interests over to his daughter, Lu, but he’s still involved in civ- ic and church affairs, and he has more time to practice one of the region’s favor- ite pastimes, flounder fishing. He in- troduced me to the sport years ago, em- phasizing that the key to success is pa- tience. When you feel a bite, wait a minute before setting the hook. On our initial outing through the marshlands south of Pawleys, Doc caught the first fish. So skill and experience are essential, I thought. Then our daughter Rebecca, who was 9 at the time, caught the second. Beginners’ luck, I thought. Then she caught two more. I almost pushed her overboard. We’ve gone out many times with Doc over the years, but one day stands out. My wife, Cokie, and I took our catch home and sauteed it hours later. The fish was so fresh it was intoxicating (although a good white wine probably contributed to our euphoria), and the butter and lemon sauce that Cokie made coated our chins and fingers as we savored each morsel. That flounder remains on our Top 10 list of memorable meals. When Doc was busy, we’d fish from the
bridge over Pawleys Creek or take the kids on a charter boat out of Murrells In- let. It’s easy, even for little ones: bait your hook with squid, drop your line and wait for a bite. We often came home with strings of black sea bass — good eating, but not quite up to Doc’s flounder.
Gullahs and gardens
Before the Civil War, the Low Country was the center of America’s rice-growing industry. (To be precise: “Low Country” refers to the South Carolina coast from the Georgia border northward; “Grand Strand” refers to beaches from Myrtle Beach south; the two districts overlap at Pawleys.) Freshwater rivers thread the re- gion and flow into Winyah Bay, near Georgetown, so they’re subject to tidal action. Early planters built their homes along these waterways, harnessed the tides to flood their paddies and sent their families to Pawleys for the summer to es- cape the malarial mosquitoes. A few of those homes still exist, and we like to take our small boat on evening cruises and view them from the river, the way they were meant to be seen. The descendants of the slaves who were brought from Africa through the port of Charleston to work the rice fields are known today as the Gullah people. “Gullah” is a corruption of “Angola,” and
COMING & GOING DETAILS
GETTING THERE
US Airways has one-stop flights to Myrtle Beach from Reagan National with fares starting at $209 round trip. Pawleys Island is about 25 miles south of Myrtle Beach.
WHERE TO STAY
Pawleys Island Realty
843-237-4257
www.pawleysislandrealty.com
Renting a house gives you more room and privacy. This company handles property throughout the area and is totally reliable. Prices start at about $1,800 a week for a two- to three-bedroom house off the beach.
Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort
14276 Ocean Hwy., 888-766-4633
www.litchfieldbeach.com
Offers a wide range of accommodations, including town houses and high-rise apartments. Rates from about $120 a night for a hotel room to about $160 for a three-bedroom condo.
Sea View Inn
414 Myrtle Ave., 843-237-4253
seaviewinn.com
A small, slightly rustic inn right on the Pawleys beach that gets rave reviews. Rooms start at $215 a night, three meals included; take $20 off per person without food. Seven days usually required in summer, but they’ll be flexible if they’re not busy.
Holiday Inn Express
11445 Ocean Hwy., 877-863-4780
holidayinnexpress.com
Five minutes from the beach, nice pool, free hot breakfast. Rooms with a small kitchenette start at $99.
WHERE TO EAT
Thomas Cafe
703 Front St., Georgetown 843-546-7776
thomascafe.net
Our favorite for inexpensive lunches
the Gullah maintain more African tradi- tions than almost any other black com- munity in the States. Food is one example —the word “gumbo” derives from an An- golan word for okra. Basketry is another. Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant, a town
north of Charleston, is lined with stands that sell handcrafted baskets made by lo- cal artisans. Traditionally woven from thick sweet grasses that grow along the shore, they are unusually sturdy and range in tone from wheat to coffee. Years ago, we bought several from a woman named Bea Coaxum, who entertained vis- itors to Doc Lachicotte’s Hammock Shop by weaving her baskets in public. When Bea visited Washington once to represent South Carolina in a craft show, she was taken to the Renwick Gallery and shown an exhibit of baskets from around the world. She saw one at a distance and ex- claimed, “That’s our work!” meaning the Gullahs. When she got closer, she read the label: The basket came from Angola. After the rice industry collapsed fol- lowing the Civil War, huge parcels of land were left undisturbed for decades. They were perfect for building golf courses, and golf is big business here. I don’t play, but other family members do, and the
So far, resorts are unaffected by the unrest in Jamaica
Jamaican retreat?
The Jamaican capital of Kingston be-
came a battlefield last week after the government issued a warrant for the ar- rest of Christopher Coke, a reputed drug and weapons trafficker also wanted for extradition by the United States. So far, the violence has consumed only the Kingston area, which is not a popular destination, but the tourism industry
has not remained untouched.
Some carriers, such as American Air- lines and Air Jamaica, have had to can- cel or reschedule select flights to and from Kingston, and the threat of air-
port road closures could affect future
schedules. The U.S. State Department, in a new travel alert set to expire June 23, recommends that Americans avoid trav- el to Kingston and its environs “because of escalating violence, shootings and un- rest.” The Jamaican government called for a state of emergency in Kingston and nearby St. Andrew Parish. The most popular resort towns are far from the conflict, and such all-inclusives as San-
dals and Beaches continue to ply vaca-
tioners with buffets and tropical cock- tails. “If you’re going to Montego Bay or Negril, you’re fine,” said Samuel Logan, regional manager for the Americas at iJet, a risk assessment firm. “You couldn’t be farther away from Kingston unless you were on another island.”
Atlantic Ocean
At lantic Ocean
Pawleys
Pawleys
0 MILES
MILES
M.K. CANNISTRA/THE WASHINGTON POST
15
15
with kids. Try the shrimp and grits, a local specialty. Entrees start at $5.95.
Roz’s Rice Mill Cafe
10880 Ocean Hwy., No. 22 843-235-0196
rozsricemillcafe.com
In the Hammock Shops complex. Eat at the outdoor tables or in the glassed-in atrium. Dinner entrees start at about $16.
Frank’s Outback
10434 Ocean Hwy. 843-237-3030
franksandoutback.com
Lovely garden, excellent crab cakes. Entrees start at about $20.
High Hammock
10880 Ocean Hwy., No. 21 843-979-0300
www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/ highhammock
Easter brunch on the wooden deck was a truly memorable meal. The indoor
0 MILES
Columbia
Augusta GEORGIA
Savannah
20
CAROLINA
26
95
SOUTH
Detail
Charleston
Atlantic Ocean
50
Charlotte
95
N.C. Wilmington
setting, in rooms lined with old brick, is equally appealing. Lunch entrees start at $9, dinner at $17.
WHAT TO DO
Capt. Dick’s Marina
4123 U.S. 17 Business, Murrells Inlet, 866-557-3474
www.captdicks.com
Offers half-day offshore fishing trips, supplying rods and bait. $44 adults, $26 kids under 12. Also headquarters for dolphin-watching rides. $29 adults, $19 kids younger than 12.
Hopsewee Plantation
494 Hopsewee Rd., Georgetown 843-546-7891
www.hopsewee.com
House tours 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Adults $15, ages 5 to 17 $7.50. Grounds only, $5.
Hampton Plantation State Historic Site
1950 Rutledge Rd., McClellanville 843-546-9361
www.southcarolinaparks.com
Grounds open daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mansion tours Sat.-Tues. 1-3 p.m. on the hour. Admission to grounds is free; mansion is $4 adults, $3 ages 6 to 15.
Brookgreen Gardens
1931 Brookgreen Dr., Murrells Inlet 843-235-6000
www.brookgreen.org
Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission $12 adults, $6 children 4 to 12. Tickets are good for seven consecutive days. Boat and land excursions are an extra $7 for adults and $4 for children.
INFORMATION
www.hammockcoastsc.com/
Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
800-356-3016
www.visitmyrtlebeach.com
—S.V.R.
astounding bird life — herons, egrets, ducks of all stripes. There’s also a collec- tion of farm animals that were used dur- ing the plantation era, and a new butter- fly exhibit has become very popular. You can walk the back trails on your own through ancient oaks and head- stones or sign up for guided tours. I like the boat ride that winds through the old rice fields and provides a different per- spective on both topography and history. Across the highway, Huntington Beach
PHOTOS BY PAULA ILLINGWORTH FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
The Moser family — Klaus, Ursula, 3-year-old Wolfgang and Marc — admires Gleb Derujinsky’s “Sampson and the Lion” at Brookgreen Gardens, north of Pawleys Island. And natural beauties, such as a Murrells Inlet sunset, abound in the area, too.
State Park, leased by Brookgreen to the state, includes three miles of well-pre- served oceanfront, plus forests and marshlands that house 300 bird species (and a few sleepy alligators). Our grand- kids (and their parents) like the bike trails that are safely removed from vehic- ular traffic, and the nature center has a bird-feeding station that gives the little ones a close-up view of the park’s feath- ered residents. For the grown-ups, the park contains Atalaya, the Huntingtons’ winter home built in the Moorish style.
Getting off the beach
Even the most devoted beach bums can tire of building castles and jumping waves (at least those with two legs; the dogs will play fetch in the surf forever), so road trips are essential. Myrtle Beach, about 45 minutes north of Pawleys, was once full of down-and-dirty honky-tonks; now it’s full of upscale honky-tonks, from giant water slides to a NASCAR Speed- Park, where you can drive your own mock race car. Our favorite destination on a rainy day is the Ripley’s Aquarium, part of a large entertainment complex called Broadway at the Beach. A walk-through tunnel pro- vides close-up views of sharks’ teeth, still attached to the sharks, and the stingray petting pool is a big hit (as long as no one falls in). On sunny days, we may head to BB&T Coastal Field to catch a ballgame with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the local minor league team. Charleston is about 75 minutes south
of Pawleys, and we’ve taken several out- ings to Patriots’ Point, a port and mu- seum complex on the north side of the harbor. On one visit we toured the USS Yorktown, a World War II aircraft carrier, and on another, we took a boat out to Fort Sumter, the island outpost where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. The ex- hibits and ranger talks, coupled with a stunning view of the city from the top of the fort, impart a real sense of naval strat- egy 150 years ago. Added bonus: on the 40-minute ride out to the fort, we were escorted by several playful dolphins. A key part of any Low Country vaca- tion is eating, and one word describes the experience: fresh. Seafood is usually caught locally and sold within hours. If you’re cooking at home, our favorite source is the Pawleys Island Seafood Market — the tuna, grouper and flounder are specialties. We often buy shrimp from a fellow who parks his truck near the causeway. This is also barbecue country, and Hog
grandkids are starting to hit balls at the area’s many driving ranges. But some of the old plantations have been preserved. My wife, who has written several books on Colonial history, is fond of Hopsewee, just south of Georgetown. It was built in 1740 by Thomas Lynch Jr., sometimes called the “forgotten signer” of the Declaration of Independence. With walls of black cypress and floors of heart pine, this stately house on the banks of the North Santee River is the real thing, not a reconstruction. Only five families have owned it in 270 years; it’s still in pri- vate hands, but public tours are available. Hampton Plantation, a little north of the town of McClellanville, also dates to the 1740s and was long occupied by the Pinckney family. Eliza Lucas Pinckney, the mother of two Founding Fathers, lived here with her daughter, Harriott, af- ter the Revolutionary War and hosted George Washington in 1791. During his visit, Washington was asked whether a certain oak tree should be cut down to improve the view; he said no, he liked the tree, and the “Washington Oak” still stands today.
Another president, Franklin D. Roose- velt, often visited Hobcaw Barony, an es-
Jamaican Director of Tourism John
Lynch said last week that few travelers have canceled their trips to the Carib- bean island. But the situation is volatile and fluid, so travelers should confirm
flight and hotel plans before they go.
The situation “has enough energy to last a few more days,” said Logan. Info: Jamaica Tourist Board, 800-
526-2422,
www.visitjamaica.com
How much is that campsite?
Campsites at Yosemite National Park
generally go faster than tickets to a Mi- ley Cyrus concert. So it may be no sur- prise that some entrepreneurial individ-
uals are trying to cash in — and cash in
on — their own reservations. Sarah Cox of Arlington, Tex., recently
tate of 17,000 acres east of Georgetown, owned by his friend and adviser, Bernard Baruch. Assembled from 11 different plantations, Hobcaw today is a nature preserve and a research station. The main house survives, but I think the high point of any visit is the slave village, the last one remaining in the Carolinas, a re- minder that the plantation system thrived on the backs of black labor. Elsewhere, Archer Huntington, step- son of railroad magnate Collis Hunting- ton, and his wife, the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, found another use for old plantations. In 1931 they combined four of them to create Brookgreen Gardens, a nonprofit garden museum near Murrells Inlet. Its 9,200 acres include manicured gardens, nature trails and a well-crafted exhibit that clearly explains the history of the rice-growing culture. More than a thousand pieces of out-
door sculpture line the paths and gar- dens. I find many of them overly huge and heroic, but the small zoo returns you to a more human — or animal — scale. The kids enjoy the river otters and several bald eagles that were rescued from the wild. I’m partial to the ingenious cage that gives you a close-up view of the area’s
returned from the California park and reported hearing that people are putting
reservations up for sale on Craigslist.
This, according to National Park
Service policy, is illegal. “We do troll those sites and have them removed,” Yosemite spokeswoman Kari Cobb said of the listings. But it’s not easy to keep up with the postings. CoGo did some browsing on Craigs- list and found a few ads for the July 4 weekend. At least a few people hoped to make a tidy profit by charging $150 for three nights. The official going rate is $20 per night. “There’s not a lot of budget accommo-
dations in Yosemite,” Cox said. “Ideally, camping is supposed to be affordable.” Even though resale is unlawful, Cobb
Heaven, on Highway 17 south of Pawleys, has great ribs, chopped pork and banana pudding. Produce stands dot the high- way and a fresh-picked, locally grown to- mato tastes completely different from the store-bought variety. Also try the local melons and peaches, but load up on nap- kins, because the juice will be dripping down your chin. Better yet, just let it rip. Or drip. The Low Country is about ordi- nary things. A ripe peach. A grilled shrimp. A true putt. A fiery sunset. A cool breeze. And always, a welcoming beach. For many years we strolled this shore and dreamed of a day when our grand- children might play here. Now it has hap- pened. The Low Country does that to you. So fair warning: This Place May Be Habit- Forming.
travel@washpost.com
Roberts teaches journalism and politics at George Washington University and is the author most recently of “From Every End of This Earth: 13 Families and the New Lives They Made in America.”
washingtonpost.com/travel
on
washingtonpost.com
See more photos of Pawleys Island
and the South Carolina coast at
acknowledged that current park policy isn’t a catch-all for keeping people from flipping their reservations. One person can check in using another’s reservation as long as they have the confirmation sheet. It’s also possible to change the name on a reservation. Cox said she’s troubled that people are taking advantage of a resource that should be open to everyone. CoGo wouldn’t disagree. So if you’re tempted to buy or sell a coveted reservation, the wise word is, don’t.
Reporting: Andrea Sachs and Becky Krystal. Help feed CoGo. Send travel news to: cogo@
washpost.com. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158