 |
| Heritage Shores Nature Preserve, SC |
My pack’s (my wife, myself, and our Pomeranian Toby) 3 months long stay in Murrells Inlet (South Carolina) was one of the best trips we had taken since our early retirement in August of 2020. Myrtle Beach area, as well as destinations within a 3 hour driving distance from it, provided us with so many great memories.
When we planned our trip to the Grand Strand area, we thought we were going to be visiting the beach and the ocean much more, like we had during our trips to Ocean City (Maryland) and to Atlantic Beach (North Carolina). This didn’t quite turn out to be the case, as we only visited the beach/ocean on handful of occasions.
The reason for this was because the area has so many well known destinations to explore. As beautiful as the ocean is, we were more inspired to visit other places besides the ocean. Places like Charleston, Congaree National Park, Swan Lake Iris Gardens, and various state parks really kept us busy for the entire 3 months.
As beautiful (and well known) as these destinations are, we also visited several lesser known, scenic places around the Grand Strand. These are places I consider the unsung heroes of the park world, as they all are quite beautiful and are can’t miss places, in their own right.
All of these share a common characteristic which is that they are all unspoiled natural places, devoid of commercialization. No admission fee charged means it’s icing on the cake!
Some may be small, and some may not have the panache of famous places, but they all deserve our undivided attention just as well. We found them charming, serene, and best of all, undisturbed, and undiscovered.
With that introduction, I’d like to recommend these unsung heroes of the Grand Strand.
- Heritage Shores Nature Preserve
Heritage Shores Nature Preserve is located in North Myrtle Beach, and it was created in 2007. It is situated on an island that extends out into Cherry Grove Marsh, and it features elevated boardwalks, 7 acres of hiking trails, and views of the House Creek.
Our pack set out to explore this park on a chilly February day. We arrived at the park right before 1 p.m., and drove right up against the entrance to the nature preserve. We saw the entrance was blocked by a parking barrier, with instructions to park about 3 blocks back of the entrance instead.
We made a T-turn to go back 3 blocks until we found the aforementioned parking lot for the nature preserve. There was only one car parked in the lot when we arrived. After parking the car ourselves, we walked the same 3 blocks we had traversed in our car.
We walked past the parking lot barriers and already loved the place. It is located in an upscale neighborhood with beautiful homes and boats. We enjoyed looking at those homes as soon as we entered the nature preserve.
 |
| Heritage Shores Nature Preserve, SC |
 |
| View from the entrance area, Heritage Shores Nature Preserve |
To the left of the sign for the preserve, we saw an elevated boardwalk, and we started to walk on it. Even on a cloudy day, the place was magnificent! We saw plenty of sea birds, kayakers, and awesome scenery.
 |
| Heritage Shores Nature Preserve, SC |
 |
| Elevated boardwalk, Heritage Shores Nature Preserve, SC |
We stopped several times to take in the views and the sounds of birds calling each other. We heard gentle rustling of leaves which added to the soothing ambiance. As one part of boardwalk ended, it led to a dirt path along the marsh area.
Toby was happy to be outside and exploring again, but we did notice he wasn’t himself that day. He begrudgingly kept up, not enjoying the cold all that much. We fed him his favorite treats frequently to entice him to keep up. We fed him his treats when we walked on the elevated boardwalk sections, so as not to dirty his treats on the dirt path sections of the trail.
The dirt path sections were beautiful. We walked over fallen pine needles and leaves, hearing the satisfying gentle crunch as if we’re walking on freshly fallen snow. The trees along the trail, tall, and gently swaying to the breeze, set a surreal mood. The fragrant smell of pine trees intermixed with salty, briny smell of the waters really made us appreciate the place…
 |
| View from the picnic table facing north, Heritage Shores Nature Preserve |
We got to the end of the trail at the northern end where the lone picnic table is, then stopped to enjoy the views of the waters with houses to our right and the waters directly up ahead. We lifted Toby up so he can see the views himself. He seemed to like it. He looked at the views, slowly turning his head to gaze out into the distance.
We continued our walk to finish the trail. We again passed a dirt path for some time until we saw an observation deck. The deck had been blocked off due to damage, so we headed back on the trail yet again.
We loved the walk back to the entrance of the preserve, with more fantastic views of the creek, the marsh, and the birds. We really enjoyed the place!
Cherry Grove Boat Ramp is located right next to the Heritage Shores Nature Preserve’s parking lot. We had to walk over there as soon as got back to the parking lot!
We saw plenty of activities at the boat ramp. We saw couple of kayakers getting ready to launch their kayaks, we saw a lone fisherman on the fishing pier, we saw several people walking around the park, and we saw people picnicking.
We first walked on the smaller boat ramp to get a better look at the creek and the gliding seagulls. Toby was a bit hesitant to walk on the swaying boat ramp, so my wife stayed behind while I went ahead to take some photos.
 |
| Fishing pier, Cherry Grove Boat Ramp, SC |
 |
| Smaller boat ramp, Cherry Grove Boat Ramp, SC |
 |
| Larger boat ramp, Cherry Grove Boat Ramp, SC |
We headed in to the small park next to the boat ramp, walking along a promenade adjacent to the creek. Views were fantastic!
 |
| Cherry Grove Boat Ramp, SC |
When we walked towards the end of the short promenade, we saw a staircase for kayak launch. For whatever reason, I just love these things. I had to take a picture of it!
 |
| Kayak launch |
We sat down for few minutes watching seagulls, egrets, and cranes along the creek. A combined cacophony of their calls was both amusing and loud at times. We didn’t mind though. We were going to enjoy these things when we can!
After several minutes of being immersed in our environment, we slowly headed back to our car in the parking lot. It was a great excursion even if the weather didn’t cooperate!
- Sanford D. Cox Community Park
Sanford D. Cox Community Park, also known as Sam Cox Park, is located in Garden City, SC. It is about 4 miles from Murrells Inlet area and it features a small playground, elevated boardwalk with views of the marsh, and picnic tables.
We left for the park on a cold January morning, and arrived after a quick 10 minute drive. When we arrived, we noticed that there was no parking lot. We decided to park along the curb adjacent to the entrance to the park instead.
At around 9:30 a.m., we were the only ones at this small park. We didn’t mind that at all, as that meant we had the park all to ourselves!
We walked in, and let Toby get slowly acclimated to the place. He did his usual sniffing around and slowly exploring the playground, looking for new smells! We didn’t rush him, as we knew the park was very small.
 |
| Sanford D Cox Community Park, SC |
 |
| Marsh view, Sanford D Cox Community Park, SC |
 |
| Entrance to the boardwalk |
 |
| Another beautiful view from the boardwalk |
After he was fully satisfied with all the sniffing he can do, we slowly got on the elevated boardwalk. Views were just awesome and it never gets old…We loved the various sea birds looking for food in the morning and we loved the expansive views of the surrounding area.
 |
| View from inside the observation deck, Sanford D Cox Community Park |
 |
| View from the observation deck |
 |
| View looking north |
We must’ve seen at least 20 birds during our short time we were there. Some were perched on top of boardwalk with their thousand yard stares, while others were searching for food, slowly walking then halting as they made their way along the shallow waters.
On our way back, we saw a staircase used to launch kayaks/canoes, and we stopped to watch birds hunting food in the water. It was absolutely mesmerizing to see one of them lift one leg (very slowly), watch intently, then alternate the leg while searching. He was so focused, we’re not sure he saw us watching him, about 10 feet away.
We absolutely loved this small park with a whopping, spectacular views of the marsh, and all the birds! This place is a bird lover’s paradise!
Morse Park Landing is located in Murrells Inlet, and is noted for “Lost at Sea” memorial honoring lost fishermen. Park, although small, features a playground, short boardwalk, a boat ramp, and picnic tables.
We decided to check this park out as it was only a stone’s throw away from where we were staying. We arrived and parked next to the playground. The park reminded us of Sanford D Cox Community Park which we had visited a month prior. The dimensions of the park might be cozy, but it features spectacular views of the marsh area.
We got out and walked past the playground. We let Toby acclimate himself first, then we let him set the pace of our exploration. We let him be the “alpha” dog on that visit. One downside of him being the “alpha” dog is he rarely wants to walk much, but rather sniff.
Eventually, we had to nudge him and to let him know I’m taking over the role as the “alpha” male. He followed slowly, maybe a bit begrudgingly…
 |
| Morse Park Landing, SC |
 |
| View near the gazebo/entrance, Morse Park Landing, SC |
The short boardwalk beckoned us to check it out, and we did. We walked along it, enjoying the palmetto trees, the expansive views of marshland, and several egrets and herons going about their business. Even though we had seen plenty of sea birds by the third month of our stay, we never got sick of them.
We always marveled at their beauty and their fascinating behaviors. We will surely miss these things…
We took a seat at the small observation deck towards the middle of the short boardwalk and was greeted by a giant pelican flying not more than 6 feet in front of us, with wings fully extended. It looked to be a good 4 feet across in its wing span! We showed Toby to look at the flying pelican, but he totally missed it. Oh, well…
We at least enjoyed the close encounters of the sea bird kind!
In conclusion:
There may be plenty of well known and bigger places to explore near Myrtle Beach, but we always are fond of smaller places, the less well known places just waiting to be discovered. This is one major advantage of slow traveling, where we get to explore a place over a long time, a month or longer…
We are so grateful to be discovering these hidden gems wherever we go. Stay tuned for more of our adventures around the eastern parts of the United States!
Thank you all for reading!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ocean City, Maryland’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Bushkill Falls and Grey Towers.’
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 natural attractions in Las Vegas’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Zion National Park’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Vdara Hotel’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Chateau at Coindre Hall’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Oyster Bay’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ocean Casino Resort’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Wildwood Park and Fort Hunter Mansion’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Ottawa’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Fiore Suite and classic room at the Borgata’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 places with awesome views near Harrisburg, PA’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Quebec City, Canada’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 quintessential places to visit in New York City’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Ricketts Glen State Park, PA’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Beaufort, NC’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Vernon, NJ’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Harrisburg, PA’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Montreal, Canada’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Falls Lake Dam Recreation Area, Wake Forest, NC’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 parks to visit in Bogue Banks, North Carolina’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Review of Niagara Falls State Park’.
Please click here if you missed our ‘Top 3 things to do in Claysburg, PA’.
