Hunting Island has been named one of twenty islands to visit by Garden & Gun magazine in an article titled “Island Dreaming: Twenty Southern Escapes” in their July 2020 issue.
That’s no surprise. Hunting Island’s natural beauty and lack of commercial build up leaves it a much sought after destination.
The popular magazine listed twenty uninhabited sanctuaries, historic outposts and sumptuous playgrounds that they said they can’t wait to get back to, and referred to Hunting Island as a “beacon of light.”
“After climbing the 167 winding steps of the Hunting Island lighthouse, stop and take in the view: miles of beach bordering rambling trails and campgrounds tucked into maritime forests,” Garden & Gun said.
“Built in 1859—and rebuilt in 1875 after it was destroyed in the Civil War—the only publicly accessible lighthouse in the state has seen Hunting Island transform from an elite nineteenth-century hunting preserve to a beloved South Carolina state park.”
Also noted was the opportunity to visit St. Phillips Island.
“From Hunting, you can catch a ferry with Coastal Expeditions to roam the rugged trails and untouched beaches of nearby St. Phillips Island, until recently a private retreat for billionaire conservationist Ted Turner and a haven for fox squirrels, loggerheads, and painted buntings,” the article said.
Hunting Island is in some pretty darn good company, too.
Also on the list are the Exumas in the Bahamas, the Dry Tortugas in Florida, St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Mustang Island in Texas, Barbados, Assateague Island, Virginia, Bald Head Island, North Carolina, and historic Sandy Island, South Carolina up the coast near Garden City. They also referred to Sandy Island as a Gullah time capsule.
Hunting Island is no stranger to accolades either.
In the past it has been named one of the top 10 beaches in the whole U.S. That’s quite an accomplishment.
Recently, Coastal Living named it a 50 places to visit now, and Southern Living magazine named it one of the best state parks in the entire south.
Garden & Gun is a national magazine that typically focuses on the American South. The magazine reports on the South’s culture, food, music, art, literature, and its people and their ideas; among other things.
See the full Garden & Gun article here.
READ: 9 must see spots at Hunting Island State Park
READ: The History of Hunting Island: Treasure of the sea
