This is the best state park in SC for 2023, Southern Living says. Have you been?

Eleanor Nash
·1 min read

Southern Living recently named Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet the 2023 best state park in South Carolina.

The magazine lauded the variety of wildlife (including alligators and birds), opportunities for surf fishing and the Depression-era hidden gem, Atalaya Castle.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources with the help of volunteers put on a surf fishing clinic at Huntington Beach State Park on Thursday. July 14, 2022.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources with the help of volunteers put on a surf fishing clinic at Huntington Beach State Park on Thursday. July 14, 2022.

“Huntington Beach is renowned as one of the best birding sites in the Southeast, with diverse wetland habitats and three miles of beach that are home to a variety of wildlife,” the article stated.

Huntington Beach’s 2,500 acres were leased in 1960 from Brookgreen Gardens. Campers can stay at the 180 tent and RV campsites. The park hosts the annual Atalaya Arts and Crafts festival in September. Last year, Southern Living named Table Rock State Park the best in the state.

Visitors can tour Atalaya, the winter home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, S.C. Built in the 1930s and known as the “castle,” the home is a popular destination for tourist to discover the history and art of the low-country. January 18, 2023.
Visitors can tour Atalaya, the winter home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, S.C. Built in the 1930s and known as the “castle,” the home is a popular destination for tourist to discover the history and art of the low-country. January 18, 2023.

Here are the best Southern state parks for 2023 from Southern Living Magazine.

  • Alabama: Gulf State Park

  • Arkansas: Petit Jean State Park

  • Florida: John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

  • Georgia: Tallulah Gorge State Park

  • Kentucky: Natural Bridge State Resort Park

  • Louisiana: Fontainebleau State Park

  • Mississippi: Tishomingo State Park

  • North Carolina: Chimney Rock State Park

  • Oklahoma: Beavers Bend State Park

  • South Carolina: Huntington Beach State Park

  • Tennessee: Fall Creek Falls State Park

  • Texas: Big Bend Ranch State Park

  • Virginia: Smith Mountain Lake State Park

  • West Virginia: Blackwater Falls State Park