Is South Carolina’s best beach on the Hammock Coast? Make your voice heard!

Is South Carolina’s best beach on the Hammock Coast? Make your voice heard!

Three longtime favorites on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast – Pawleys Island, Huntington Beach, and Litchfield Beach – are in the running for a contest to name the “Best Beach in South Carolina.”

The USA Today/10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards will offer the public an opportunity to narrow the initial list of 17 nominees down to the “10 Best,” which will be announced in late May.

Voting began on Monday, April 22, at noon and will run through Monday, May 20, at 11:59 a.m.

To cast a vote for Pawleys Island, click here.

To cast a vote for Huntington Beach, click here.

To cast a vote for Litchfield Beach, click here.

To see the whole list, go here. You can vote once per day and on all your devices: desktop and laptop computer, smart phone or tablet.

The USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards highlight top-notch attractions and businesses, providing readers with trusted recommendations. You can read more about USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

This is not the first time a Hammock Coast community or attraction has been nominated in a USA Today/10 Best contest. Georgetown topped the Best Coastal Small Town contest in 2018 and was nominated again for many years. Just last month, Murrells Inlet reached No. 6 in the Best Small Town in the South contest. Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park have also been nominated in contests that have also yielded top results.

Pawleys Island, believed to be the oldest seaside resort in America, has welcomed vacationers to its shores since the 1700s. Originally, those visitors were families escaping the humidity and mosquitoes on inland plantations, but, today, those visitors come from around the world to enjoy Pawleys’ laidback beach vibes. In 2022, Garden & Gun Magazine put Pawleys Island at No. 2 in a contest to name the Best Beach Town in the South. And, in 2023, Condé Nast Traveler named Pawleys as one of America’s Top Best Beach Towns.

Likewise, Litchfield Beach, just north of Pawleys, welcomes visitors from far and wide to its pristine shores. TripAdviser once named it one of the ten best beaches in America, based on consistent five-star reviews.

Huntington Beach is the pristine beach connected to Huntington Beach State Park, which Southern Living recently named the best state park in South Carolina.

“It’s not a surprise when an area of the Hammock Coast is nominated for a best-of award,” said Beth Stedman, president and CEO of the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, “but it’s not often that our communities are competing against one another. That will make it a fun contest, locally, as well as nationally.

“Whatever the outcome, I know that South Carolina’s Hammock Coast is being well represented by Pawleys Island and Litchfield Beach, the two most-visited areas in Georgetown County. We encourage everyone to vote and help make both of our nominees reach the Top 10.”

Clayton Stairs, who serves as tourism manager for the Chamber, urged people to remember to vote every day.

“Consistent voting is important,” he said, “but it’s also important to share the contest with friends, family and fellow businesses and ask them to also vote. Let’s make sure people know the best beaches in South Carolina are right here on the Hammock Coast!”

USA Today/10 Best announces new contests each week. Contests are varied, including Best Aquarium, Best Hiking Trail, Best Drive-In Theater, Best RV Campground and more.

Again, follow this link to vote:

— By Mark A. Stevens, director of tourism development for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce