Later ’Gator – Huntington Beach State Park, Murrell’s Inlet, SC [November 30 – December 2, 2015]

We first visited Huntington Beach State Park in April 2014, and loved it so much that we decided to return for another visit after we left our rental house in Surfside Beach, just 10 miles away.  Huntington Beach State Park was originally the home of Archer Huntington, scholar and philanthropist, and his sculptor wife Anna Hyatt Huntington.  They loved nature and built their house Atalaya based upon Moorish designs on the large and secluded estate.  They created a fresh water pond, where alligators and other fresh water animals thrive, near to the salt water marsh that separates the island from the mainland.  In fact, you can observe the animals in both bodies of water along a causeway that separates the two.

We took a 2 mile bicycle ride around the freshwater pond and got to watch an alligator moving around, and a baby alligator basking on a small island.  Interestingly in both cases, birds swam or waded near to them.  Signage around the pond stated that the wading birds nested near the 'gators because their neighbors ate potential predators.  Both the pond and the marsh had gorgeous vantage points for photographing wildlife.

We also visited Atalaya, the Huntington home.  The home is empty now but the story behind it was fascinating.  It was built during the Depression, and the Huntington’s hired local workers for the construction providing employment for many families in the area.  The house is eccentric yet casual and unpretentious.  We were happy to see that there is a designated oyster room set aside for shucking oysters and processing other seafood.  Interestingly, Anna Hyatt Huntington sculpted animals, and so kept a menagerie of bears, dogs, horses and other animals for her to observe in life.  The audio tour was fascinating and worth the extra $4.

And, of course, the park has a gorgeous, wide, 3-mile long, white sand beach.  We didn't do everything we hoped to do, so we will just have to return!