Pawleys Island, South Carolina | Found at the southernmost end of the Grand Strand-around 25 miles south of central Myrtle Beach-Pawley Island is one of the oldest resorts on the East Coast and was the summer home to wealthy pre-Civil War rice planters, who retreated to the island to escape the heat and disease-causing mosquitoes. Twelve residences in the historic district, which date from the late 1700′s to the mid 1800′s, still remain intact, and several serve as historical markers throughout the small island provide brief histories to visitors. Pawleys Island is a narrow barrier island less than 4 miles long, separated from the mainland by a beautiful salt marsh and accessible by two short causeways. Residents and visitors alike proudly call Pawleys Island, “arrogantly shabby,” and revel in its simplicity and natural beauty. Today, the popular community of Pawleys Island boasts unique shops and restaurants sure to please every palate, but the slower pace encourages spending hours in hammocks gazing across the wide expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Beach houses are passed down through the generations and upgrades are few. From this leisurely existence, Pawleys Island has developed it’s laid back, shoeless lifestyle. An afternoon crabbing in the creek, following by a feast of the day’s catch is the kind of beautifully simple day that entices visitors year after year.