Once again three of the most popular beaches in Georgetown County – Huntington Beach State Park, Litchfield Beach and Pawleys Island – are in the running for a USA Today/10 Best contest to name the “Best Beach in South Carolina” for 2025. Georgetown County is also known as South Carolina's Hammock Coast for tourism marketing purposes.
Can Pawleys Island earn a repeat title as the Palmetto State’s best beach? It won this same contest last year in the 2024 USA Today/10 Best national poll.
In that same poll in 2024, Litchfield Beach finished in fourth place, with Huntington Beach claiming fifth place.
Those wins put three of the Hammock Coast’s beaches in the Top 5 of South Carolina beaches.
The USA Today/10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards offer the public an opportunity to narrow the initial list of 17 nominees down to the “10 Best.”
The 2025 contest began on Monday, April 21, and will conclude on Monday, May 19, at 11:59 a.m. The Top 10 winners will be announced on Wednesday, May 28, at noon.
To cast a vote for your favorite Hammock Coast beach — Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach, or Huntington Beach State Park – go to: https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/best-beach-in-south-carolina/
Everyone can vote once per day and on all their devices: desktop and laptop computers, smart phones or tablets.
The USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards highlight top-notch attractions and businesses, providing readers with trusted recommendations.
This is not the first time a Hammock Coast community or attraction has been nominated in a USA Today/10 Best contest. Georgetown topped the Best Coastal Small Town contest in 2018 and was nominated again for many years. Murrells Inlet reached No. 6 in the Best Small Town in the South contest. Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park have also been nominated in contests that have also yielded top results.
The latest Hammock Coast win was only weeks ago when Caledonia Golf and Fish Club came in fourth in a national poll to name the Best Public Golf Courses. Caledonia was the only South Carolina course to make the Top 10 and one of only two in the South to make the Top 10.
Pawleys Island, often referred to as the oldest seaside resort in America, has welcomed vacationers to its shores since the 1700s. Originally, those visitors were families escaping the humidity and mosquitoes on inland plantations, but, today, those visitors come from around the world to enjoy Pawleys’ laidback beach vibes. In 2022, Garden & Gun Magazine put Pawleys Island at No. 2 in a contest to name the Best Beach Town in the South. And, in 2023, Condé Nast Traveler named Pawleys as one of America’s Top Best Beach Towns.
Likewise, Litchfield Beach, just north of Pawleys, welcomes visitors from far and wide to its pristine shores. TripAdviser once named it one of the ten best beaches in America, based on consistent five-star reviews.
Huntington Beach, with its wide and beautiful beach connected to Huntington Beach State Park, is a gem on the Hammock Coast. Southern Living recently named Huntington Beach as the best state park in South Carolina.
“It’s not a surprise when an area of the Hammock Coast is nominated for a best-of award,” said Beth Stedman, president and CEO of the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, “but it’s not often that our communities are competing against one another. That will, once again, make it a fun contest, locally, as well as nationally.
“Whatever the outcome, I know that South Carolina’s Hammock Coast is being well represented by Pawleys Island, Huntington Beach State Park and Litchfield Beach, certainly some of the most-visited areas in Georgetown County. We encourage everyone to vote and help make our nominees reach the top.”
Mark A. Stevens, the director of tourism development for the Chamber, urged members and the public to vote every day.
“It’s important to vote each day – and on all your devices: computers, phones, tablets, etc.,” Stevens said. “Each vote is important, as this is a very competitive contest voted on by folks from all over the United States. I’d love to see one of our Hammock Coast beaches top the list again!”
USA Today/10 Best announces new contests each week. Contests are varied, including Best Aquarium, Best Hiking Trail, Best Drive-In Theater, Best RV Campground and more.
Again, follow this link to vote: https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/best-beach-in-south-carolina/