Seafood Capital of South Carolina
Marsh grass at sunset, shrimp-boat mornings, waterfront seafood, Huntington Beach birds, Brookgreen shade, and fishing water that keeps the inlet from feeling like just another beach town.
Between Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island
Murrells Inlet meets the coast in tidal creeks, charter docks and seafood houses. The MarshWalk follows that inlet edge, not an Atlantic beach: spartina grass and creek water sit beside the restaurant decks, with boats and dock pilings part of the view.
Dinner and live music can make the half-mile boardwalk a whole evening. Give the marsh a share of it, too. The changing tide alters the water beside the railing, so a walk before the meal and a return afterward offer more than another look at the restaurants. You can also come for the waterfront and eat elsewhere in the village.
Explore the MarshWalk, from creek views to live music →
Beyond the inlet
Huntington Beach State Park and Brookgreen Gardens bring two different coastal days to the trip. Choose open sand and birding, or art among the trees; neither needs to be just a stop before an inlet dinner.
This is the Atlantic side of the visit: beach, birding and a causeway rather than restaurant decks beside a creek. Atalaya, the home and studio of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington, adds another reason to explore the park beyond the sand.
Explore the beach, birding and Atalaya →
Outdoor sculpture shares the setting with live oaks and Spanish moss. Come for art in a garden rather than a beach outing with an extra attraction attached. Brookgreen and Huntington sit across US-17 from each other, but a fuller visit to one can be more appealing than dividing the day evenly between both.
Compare the gardens with other coastal outings →Boats and seafood houses
Fishing is more than a backdrop here. Charter docks put time on the water within the trip, while seafood restaurants offer their own reason to visit. You do not need to book a boat to make the inlet the center of the day.
An inshore charter makes the creeks the outing, not just the view. Nearshore and offshore trips take the day in another direction. Compare the water you will fish and the time aboard before choosing by a half-day or full-day label alone.
Compare inshore, nearshore and offshore fishing →
Sushi and a raw bar, she-crab soup and hush puppies, or a fried seafood platter make different invitations to dinner. The dining guide compares those choices on the MarshWalk and beyond it. A waterfront address does not establish where every fish or oyster came from; ask what is local that day when choosing from the specials.
Find the seafood meal you want →First choices
Murrells Inlet sits between Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island, where tidal creeks meet a working fishing village. Start with the MarshWalk, charter fleet, Huntington Beach State Park, or Brookgreen Gardens.
Look near the MarshWalk if inlet dinners are the draw, or compare Garden City and Surfside for Atlantic beach access. Litchfield and Pawleys Island offer lodging south of the inlet. Start with the lodging-area guide, then compare available listings rather than treating the search as a selected stay.
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Seafood beyond the postcard
On the MarshWalk, dinner can be part of the waterfront evening: compare Wicked Tuna and Drunken Jack's, then leave time for the boardwalk and live music. The appeal is the combination of a meal and the marsh, not simply another seafood stop.
Give the inlet's other seafood rooms a place in the trip, too. Lee's Inlet Kitchen and Russell's offer the longtime seafood-house alternative to a MarshWalk table; Hot Fish Club is another direction for a more polished dinner. Choose the kind of evening you want before choosing the restaurant.
Compare the five restaurants in the dining guide →Keep exploring
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