Boat tours explore scenic waterways on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast

Boat tours explore scenic waterways on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast

Lee Brockington’s voice rises and falls like the tide on a Hammock Coast beach.

Propped at the front of Storehouse Tours’ boat appropriately named “Imagine,” Brockington is cheerfully dispensing history, legends and local knowledge about the rivers, places and people of South Carolina’s Hammock Coast, but she pauses to read from a book by Elizabeth W. Allston Pringle.

“It was on the seashore, just at an inlet where the ocean view was,” Brockington begins in her lilting, mesmerizing tone, as the boat’s passengers lean to be sure to capture every word. “… as Mamma saw the great waves come rolling in, she was filled with joy anew.

“To me it has always been intoxicating, that first view each year of the waves rolling, rolling, rolling; and the smell of the sea … It is like a renewal of birth.”

Such experiences are often highlighted during boat tours, providing insights into the region’s rich maritime history.

Pringle’s book was published in 1922, but the words still ring true 104 years later – and Brockington, a Pawleys Island author and historian, is keen to share. Her books include “Pawleys Island: Stories from the Porch” and “Plantation Between the Waters,” and she’s the voice of two history tours on the free Hammock Coast app.

Pontoon boat tours explore waterways

The boat, delightful at either full throttle or at a peaceful sway, is piloted by Brockington’s co-host, Capt. Paul Kenny, a biologist whose Irish accent adds its own flavor to the mix of history, ecology and local lore.

In fact, Brockington, decked out in a lemon-colored Hammock Coast-branded cap, will sometimes assume captain’s duties by taking the wheel while Kenny uses a large map to detail to passengers just where they are — and where they’re going — on the sprawling Waccamaw Neck’s series of waterways that includes the Great Pee Dee River, the Waccamaw River, Squirrel Creek and more.

Storehouse Tours in Pawleys Island offers a series of “Imagine Tours” along the storied tributaries that feed into Winyah Bay near Georgetown. Tours to Hasty Point, Sandy Island, Pee Dee River plantations, and the Port of Georgetown are offered throughout the year. For specific dates and times, click here.

Linda Ludwik, owner of Storehouse Tours, urges anyone who would enjoy a day on the water, learning about the Hammock Coast, to come aboard for one of these very special tours.

“There are so many people that are new to the area that could benefit from learning about the Waccamaw Neck history,” Ludwik said. “They also make new friends when they come for a Pontoon River Tour or Day Trip.”

For these tours, there is room for five passengers on each pontoon tour, which are about three hours long that includes a restroom stop at one of the on-land portions of the adventure. Imagine Tours depart from Hagley Landing (at the end of Hagley Drive in Pawleys Island). Parking is allowed on Hagley Drive. 

Boat tour expertise

There’s a lot of expertise between the two hosts. Kenny is a licensed boat captain who is a former marine scientist with the University of South Carolina Baruch Marine Laboratory, and author Brockington is a former director of interpretation for Hobcaw Barony near Georgetown.

“I’m most interested with educating folks about what makes our portion of the Winyah Pee Dee Watershed so unique and remarkable as most guests rarely get the opportunity to experience the places we take them,” Kenny said. “What we have in our lower watershed is remarkable due to the incredible efforts of individuals, state agencies, and conservation groups and I enjoy sharing their efforts to help preserve these ecosystems for future generations.”

Brockington said these local historic, scenic tours are important, especially for visitors to the area. She has been sharing the history of the Lowcountry for years as an instructor for local education programs, as a public speaker for the Georgetown County Library System, and at Hobcaw Barony.

“We provide a way for people to get out on the rivers which were our first roads, our first interstate highways,” she said. “For those who don’t have their own boats, we can provide public access to these waterways and help visitors see the ecology and feel the history.”

Although shade and shelter are available on board, passengers are encouraged to bring their own weather and insect protection (hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, windbreaker, bug spray). Attire should include weather-appropriate outer wear and comfortable walking shoes. These tours involve walking, standing and uneven surfaces. Private charters may be requested for specific dates.

Water and ice are provided aboard the boat tours.

A look at various boat tours offered

Here’s a look at the various boat tours offered by Storehouse:

Hasty Point River Tour

Come aboard the canopied pontoon boat “Imagine” and retrace the original river route from Pawleys Island to the Pee Dee traveled by former rice plantation residents. Kenny and Brockington share the pre-Revolutionary War history of Hasty Point Plantation as you disembark to walk the live oak avenue and tour the early 19th-century rice barn to see its display of maps, tools, artifacts, and photographs. Learn of Hasty Point’s current role as part of the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge and the federally protected 38,000-acres, including Sandy Island, one of the nation’s greatest conservation stories.

Sandy Island River Tour

Travel with Kenny and Brockington to visit Sandy Island and learn its island environs. This Pontoon River Tour will take you to the Sandy Island boat landing, then a walk onto the sandy road leading to Wilma Cottage for a Southern mid-day meal with Laura Herriott. Later, continue your pontoon tour to other areas of Sandy Island. Total trip time is 3.5 hours, including the meal.

Pee Dee River Tour

Travel the storied rivers and tributaries feeding Winyah Bay as Kenny and Brockington imparting histories, mysteries, and tidbits of wisdom from the stern. Passing a long line of well-known rice plantations of the Pee Dee and Plantersville area, hear of men and women both the owners and the enslaved, and learn how rice was produced and why it ended. Attire should include weather appropriate outer wear.

Port of Georgetown River Tour

Travel down the Waccamaw River, under the bridges, into Winyah Bay, and up the Sampit River to the Historic Port of Georgetown. Learn more about the ecology of the watershed as tour guides discuss rivers and estuaries that are some of the most intriguing in the nation. Georgetown is the third oldest port city in SC and was an important colonial harbor, shipping “naval stores,” beef, pork, indigo, and rice. While on board, our Revolutionary War and Civil War history is discussed as well as a focus on 20th-century port activity which included the “world’s largest lumber mill,” International Paper, Liberty Steel Mill, fishing, and shrimping. A brief disembarkation includes the South Carolina Maritime Museum on the Harborwalk. Have a late lunch or bring your bag lunch on board.

All pontoon river boat tours will be confirmed 24 hours in advance once Capt. Kenny has confirmed the weather forecast. Private charters may be requested for specific dates

Tickets for Imagine Tours are $125 per person for each tour, except the Sandy Island River Tour which is $170 per person because it includes lunch. For specific dates and times for pontoon river tours, click here. For day trips, click here.

Visiting captivating places via boat tours

“I love being on the boat, but also appreciate being able to step off at such interesting places like Sandy Island and Hasty Point Plantation,” Brockington said. “Our guests also seem to really enjoy arriving in Georgetown by boat…a first for most everyone.”

People who have been on the boat tours say it is definitely worth it. Elizabeth Fitzgerald of Greenville, North Carolina, said the Sandy Island tour was especially wonderful.

“Lee Brockington is a dynamic speaker with vast knowledge of history of the Lowcountry,” she said. “Capt. Paul Kenny guided us up the Waccamaw River and explained a lot about the history and environmental impact of the river. The cherry on top was lunch at Laura’s sweet home. I will repeat this tour in the future.”

Karen Owens, who lives in Conway, said the stories about rice heritage and the amazing roles the rivers and estuaries played as transportation routes for the Georgetown County area were mesmerizing.

“The time flies as you are immersed in their wonderful storytelling about the waters, lands and people along the journey, and before you know it, you’re heading back to Hagley Landing,” Owens said. “It’s a great opportunity to celebrate our nation’s 250^th anniversary while enjoying a relaxing boat ride through lovely waterways.”

Other trips by Storehouse Tours

Storehouse Tours, a member of the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, offers more than boat tours. In fact, the tour company offers motorcoach tours, including a two-night Candlelight Christmas sojourn at Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina.

Storehouse Tours also offers longer national and international tours with Premier World Discovery, traveling to see beautiful sights in our country and abroad, she said. Those include trips to the Great Lakes, the Grand Canyon, Albuquerque, New Mexico, England, Scotland, Wales, the French Riviera, Italy, Iceland, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Kenya and more.

For more information, visit the Storehouse Tours website by clicking here.

By Mark A. Stevens and Clayton Stairs for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast®