Vote for your favorite Hammock Coast beach in contest to name Best SC beach

Vote for your favorite Hammock Coast beach in contest to name Best SC beach

Once again three of the most popular beaches on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast – Pawleys Island, Huntington Beach, and Litchfield Beach – are in the running for a USA Today/10 Best contest to name the “Best Beach in South Carolina” for 2026.

Can Pawleys Island earn a three-peat title as the Palmetto State’s best beach for third year in a row? It won this same contest in both the 2024 and 2025 USA Today/10 Best national poll. In 2025, Litchfield Beach moved up to third place from its 2024 fourth-place slot, while Huntington Beach finished at fourth place in 2025, up from fifth the year before.

Those wins cemented three of the Hammock Coast’s most popular beaches as top choices for South Carolina beaches.

The USA Today/10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards offer the public an opportunity to narrow the initial list of nearly 20 nominees down to the “10 Best.” Voting begins on Monday, April 20, at noon and will end on Monday, May 18, at 11:59 a.m. The top 10 winners, as ranked by USA TODAY 10BEST readers, will be announced on Wednesday, May 27, at noon.

Cast Your Vote for Best Beach in South Carolina

To cast a vote for Pawleys Island, click here.

To cast a vote for Litchfield Beach, click here.

To cast a vote for Huntington Beach, click here.

To see the whole list, go here. You can vote once per day and on all your devices, such as desktop and laptop computers, smart phones, and tablets.

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. 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.

The latest Hammock Coast win was only weeks ago when Caledonia Golf and Fish Club in Pawleys Island came in at No. 8 in the United States in the “Best Public Golf Course” contest. The True Blue Grillroom at True Blue Golf Club in Pawleys Island placed 5th for the “Best Golf Course Restaurant.”

Best Beach in South Carolina nominee: Pawleys Island

Pawleys Island, sometimes referred to as 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.

USA Today describes it as a tiny town located on the eastern edge of Georgetown County. While the community is home to just over 100 residents, the population swells in the warm months, when beachgoers arrive to enjoy sunbathing, swimming, and surfing.

Best Beach in South Carolina nominee: Litchfield Beach

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

Once home to vast rice plantations, the Litchfield Beach area is now a top tourist destination on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast, thanks to its laid-back atmosphere and stunning scenery. Visitors can spend their days enjoying the tranquil charm of the area, taking a dip in the ocean, or simply lounging on the sand.

Best Beach in South Carolina nominee: Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach, with its wide and beautiful beach connected to Huntington Beach State Park, is a gem on the Hammock Coast. Southern Living recently named Huntington Beach the best state park in South Carolina.

Established in 1960, South Carolina’s Huntington Beach State Park offers 2,500 acres of pristine wilderness on the Hammock Coast for visitors to explore. While birdwatching and hiking are two particularly popular activities at the park, guests can also spend their visit lounging along the preserve’s vast, sandy beach.

“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, once again, make it a fun contest, locally, as well as nationally.

“Whatever the outcome, I know that South Carolina’s Hammock Coast is well represented by Pawleys Island, Huntington Beach State Park and Litchfield Beach, certainly some of the most-visited areas in Georgetown County. We encourage everyone to vote and help make our nominees reach the top.”

Stevens 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 see the whole list and vote for your favorite Hammock Coast beach

— By Clayton Stairs / tourism manager for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast®