• News & Culture
    • Arts & Events
    • Great Reads
    • Atlanta 500
    • Block by Block: Stories from the streets that connect us
    • Women Making a Mark
    • Pride Guide 2022
  • Food & Drink
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • 75 Best Restaurants in Atlanta
    • 50 Best Tacos
    • 123 Things to Eat on Buford Highway
    • 50 Best Bars
    • Best Barbecue
    • Best Breakfast
    • The TOUR Championship Cocktail Contest
  • Home
    • Artists & Galleries
    • Design Advice
    • Design News
    • Gardens
    • Real Estate
    • Neighborhoods
    • Real Estate All-Stars
    • Sponsored: Preferred HOME Partner
  • Life & Style
    • Style
    • School Guide
    • Health & Wellness
    • Top Doctors
    • Top Dentists
    • Sponsored: Physician & Dentist Profiles
    • Buckhead Guidebook
  • Travel
    • Southbound
    • 50 Best Things to Do in Georgia
    • Hidden Georgia
    • North Georgia Mountains
    • Great Georgia Hikes
    • Jekyll Island
    • Georgia Travel Guide
    • Gilmer: Ellijay Visitors Guide 2022
    • Alabama Vacation Guide 2023
  • Best of ATL
    • Eat
    • Drink
    • Do
    • Buy
    • Readers’ Choice
  • Magazine
    • Subscription Center
    • Newsletters
    • Digital Editions
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Pitch Us
    • Advertise
    • Custom Media
    • Give Atlanta
    • Employment
      • Careers
      • Internships
    • Archives
    • Where to Find
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • Atlanta Magazine Whiskey Festival 2022
      • 2020 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse
      • Atlanta Baby and Beyond
      • Atlanta Magazine Whiskey Festival 2019
      • DINES: A Taste of the City’s Best Restaurants
      • 2019 Modern Style Showhome
      • Best Burger Battle
      • Pinewood Forest Idea Home
      • 2018 Modern Style Showhouses
    • Event Photos
Sign in
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Create an account
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Sign up
Welcome!Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
Search
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Issue Archive
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Atlanta 500
  • Give Atlanta
  • GaBiz Magazine
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Create an account
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Create an account
Welcome! Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Atlanta Magazine Atlanta Magazine
Atlanta Magazine Atlanta Magazine
  • News & Culture
    • Arts & Events
    • Great Reads
    • Atlanta 500
    • Block by Block: Stories from the streets that connect us
    • Women Making a Mark
    • Pride Guide 2022
  • Food & Drink
    • Restaurant Reviews
    • 75 Best Restaurants in Atlanta
    • 50 Best Tacos
    • 123 Things to Eat on Buford Highway
    • 50 Best Bars
    • Best Barbecue
    • Best Breakfast
    • The TOUR Championship Cocktail Contest
  • Home
    • Artists & Galleries
    • Design Advice
    • Design News
    • Gardens
    • Real Estate
    • Neighborhoods
    • Real Estate All-Stars
    • Sponsored: Preferred HOME Partner
  • Life & Style
    • Style
    • School Guide
    • Health & Wellness
    • Top Doctors
    • Top Dentists
    • Sponsored: Physician & Dentist Profiles
    • Buckhead Guidebook
  • Travel
    • Southbound
    • 50 Best Things to Do in Georgia
    • Hidden Georgia
    • North Georgia Mountains
    • Great Georgia Hikes
    • Jekyll Island
    • Georgia Travel Guide
    • Gilmer: Ellijay Visitors Guide 2022
    • Alabama Vacation Guide 2023
  • Best of ATL
    • Eat
    • Drink
    • Do
    • Buy
    • Readers’ Choice
  • Magazine
    • Subscription Center
    • Newsletters
    • Digital Editions
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Pitch Us
    • Advertise
    • Custom Media
    • Give Atlanta
    • Employment
      • Careers
      • Internships
    • Archives
    • Where to Find
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • Atlanta Magazine Whiskey Festival 2022
      • 2020 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Designer Showhouse
      • Atlanta Baby and Beyond
      • Atlanta Magazine Whiskey Festival 2019
      • DINES: A Taste of the City’s Best Restaurants
      • 2019 Modern Style Showhome
      • Best Burger Battle
      • Pinewood Forest Idea Home
      • 2018 Modern Style Showhouses
    • Event Photos
Home Travel Pawleys Island: A Multi-Generational Family Tradition
Sponsored Pawleys Island

Pawleys Island: A Multi-Generational Family Tradition

By
Caroline Eubanks
-
September 5, 2018
2249
Photography by Bryan Maleckar

When it comes to places that people come back to year after year, none are quite as special as Pawleys Island, South Carolina. Set between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, and less than six hours from Atlanta, the town was originally a summer resort. First settled in the 1700s, Percival Pawley developed a rice plantation here that eventually earned the island its name. Later, in the 1800s, this area became known as a rice producing giant. Today, it has around 100 full-time residents that welcome visitors as if they were locals.

So, what makes Pawleys such a beloved place? Perhaps it’s the great outdoors, including quiet beaches and inlets ideal for kayaking, fishing, and crabbing. Or maybe it’s the shops selling uniquely local goods like the Pawleys Island Hammock, found at the famous Hammock Shops, and Palmetto Cheese, regarded as the best brand of pimento cheese. Of course, there are also historic inns and cozy rental homes that make your stay relaxing, like the Sea View Inn and Pelican Inn.

Atlanta resident Caroline Johnson has been going on vacation to Pawleys Island since she was born, following her mother’s tradition of doing the same. They drove from her hometown of Darlington, South Carolina before later moving to Georgia. Growing up, they would stay with her mom’s family and friends, making it a family reunion of sorts, but later rented different houses on the island.

Over the years, she and her family have developed a number of favorite spots: “We always visit The PIT (Pawleys Island Tavern) and we always like to stay on the south end because that’s where the island comes to a point so we can go fish there.” Hog Heaven BBQ and Applewood’s House of Pancakes are newer traditions, found during the trip to Pawleys for Johnson’s wedding.

The Pawleys Island Chapel is one of the most photographed spots in town and holds a special place in Johnson’s heart. “My grandma and I, every summer when we were there, would always go to the chapel and it would just be us two for the sunrise service. So I always knew that I wanted to get married there.” She ended up tying the knot in that very chapel on her grandmother’s birthday, one of only two dates the chapel was available.

The Hammock Shops is another favorite of Johnson’s for its fudge. A famous Pawleys Island hammock on their own back deck at home is a constant reminder of the special place. These days, she visits the island with the next generation of travelers. “It was the first beach trip for both of my kids. They both went before they were six weeks old.”

Knoxville resident Dr. Abby Blackmon is likewise enamored with the island, having started her trips there at nine years old with her mom, brother, and family friends. They had such a good time that they went back later in the summer with the extended family. She’s been going back for 40 years, first with her parents and later with her own kids.

One of her favorite memories was when she brought her young children with her parents, brother, and maternal grandparents. It was the last trip to Pawleys with them, and the Blackmons recorded stories told about World War II and her grandfather’s time fighting in Papua New Guinea.

Her family has stayed in a few houses on their visits, but prefers the southern side of the island. “For 15 years, we’ve stayed two weeks at Liberty Lodge, one of the oldest houses on the island. It was moved across the marsh to its present site in 1849.” It’s here they have a lowcountry boil every trip, with her husband’s hushpuppies and fresh seafood dumped onto newspaper-lined tables.

Like other families, the Blackmons never miss a trip to the Hammock Shops for fudge and t-shirts. They also have a Pawleys Island hammock at their home. It’s an important reminder of her “heart’s home,” even seven hours drive away. “I have to go back. I’m not whole any place in the world but Pawleys Island.”

Advertisement
  • TAGS
  • Pawleys Island
kateweimer

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Outdoors
Sponsored Pawleys Island

Pawleys Island is one of the South’s best-kept secrets

Follow Us

69,386FansLike
144,836FollowersFollow
493,480FollowersFollow
Atlanta Magazine
Since 1961, Atlanta magazine, the city’s premier general interest publication, has served as the authority on Atlanta, providing its readers with a mix of long-form nonfiction, lively lifestyle coverage, in-depth service journalism, and literary essays, columns, and profiles.

Most recent

Mend Coffee Buckhead

Mend Coffee & Goods aims to create an accessible community space for people with disabilities

March 21, 2023
2023 Atlanta 500: Arts, Sports, & Entertainment

2023 Atlanta 500: Arts, Sports, & Entertainment

January 27, 2023
2023 Atlanta 500: Real Estate

2023 Atlanta 500: Real Estate

January 27, 2023

GREAT READS

Repurposing downtown Atlanta springs

The scent of water: Searching for hidden springs in downtown Atlanta

February 3, 2023
Abu Talib

Hell and high water: A harrowing journey from Myanmar to Clarkston, Georgia

February 1, 2023
Stop Cop City protestors South River Forest Atlanta

“The birds stopped singing”: Inside the battle for Atlanta’s South River Forest

January 20, 2023
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Issue Archive
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Business Forum
  • Privacy and Cookies Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • General Contest Rules
© 2023. All rights reserved.