Saw the viewing platform and water nearby, so turned over. Within an hour saw Spoonbills, White…read moreIbis, Wood Storks, and more! A great place to get away and enjoy Nature!! Even saw some turtles!

Connecting the cities of North Myrtle Beach and Little River, carrying Sea Mountain Highway over…read morethe Intracoastal Waterway, the Little River Swing Bridge was built in 1935 and restored in 1980. It is a simple two-lane roadway but what's neat about this is that unlike the usual "bascule" style drawbridges that lift one or two sides like leaves, this is a swing bridge. When it opens, it twists 90 degrees to the side to allow waterway traffic to pass. Swing bridges are rare, but I managed to cross the Fort Denaud swing bridge last month in Central Florida https://www.yelp.com/biz/fort-denaud-bridge-labelle?hrid=U_pLy3N4EMHOlZebymMMLA. There are some other swing bridges in South Carolina including the Harbor River Bridge at Saint Helena Island, the Wappoo Creek Bridge and the Ben Sawyer Bridge near Charleston, the Woods Memorial Bridge in Beaufort and nearby, the Socastee Swing Bridge here in Myrtle Beach. The bridge is easy to drive over and there is no toll. If you're fortunate, you'll get to see this marvel open. [Review 19376 overall - 950 in South Carolina - 346 of 2023.]

First POTUS and hero of the Revolutionary War, George Washington resolved to tour the United…read moreStates. Part to observe the political climate and park to instill unity in the new country. He passed through here in 1791 and this official marker recalls that event. It reads, "Washington's Southern Tour. President Washington, on April 27, 1791, was a guest at the home of William Gause, Jr., which stood four miles south." Online there is more information, "After spending two nights in Wilmington, Washington made his way toward the South Carolina line in Brunswick County. On April 27, he was a breakfast guest in the home of William Gause Jr., about ten miles from the state line. The Gause house was located near Gause's Landing on the west and sound side of Shallotte Inlet. Gause was a war veteran, having lost a leg in the Revolution, and had served in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1778." Four miles south of the marker along Ocean Isle Beach Blvd is to the Intracoastal Waterway and is likely where "Gause Landing Creek" gets its name. [Review 13990 overall, 1312 of 2020, number 2630 in North Carolina.]

This was an amazing free WWII with a 9/11 memorial!! There wasn't a lot of parking but there is an…read moreempty lot next to it with a bathroom (was locked). You can even watch planes and helicopters from the airport take off. There was a lot of history and information here! Definitely worth a stop if in the area!

What a beautiful tribute to the men & women who have served our country and a great opportunity to…read morelearn about their service in a beautiful park setting. Everyone's comments have been very accurate. We enjoyed learning and seeing the 'nose art'. The WWII section was very well done with clear photographic images of that time. Do yourself a favor and take some time to honor those who sacrifice for our freedom.

Nice little bridge crossing the boat ditch in typical fashion: goes way up with a little wiggle and…read morecomes down easy like sundae morning. this is the culmination of a scheme that started with a well heeled and well connected individual pedaling influence, sharing a vision and probably about 4% off the top because that used to be how you got your name on a bridge... near side of the beach side looks like salt grass marsh with some really long piers poking out towards the channel, the mainland side looks like a nice place for lunch inside the swoop.

Until January 2011, there was only a floating pontoon bridge to bring vehicular traffic across from…read morethe mainland to the island. http://www.okeefes.org/Barrier_Islands/Sunset_Beach/Sunset_Beach_NC_Pontoon_Bridge/Sunset_Beach_Pontoon_Bridge.htm has some great detail and photographs. Then this bridge was constructed between 2008 and 2010. The highrise bridge carries Sunset Boulevard over the Intracoastal Waterway to the southern-most island in North Carolina. It is 65 feet high, a two-pane arc bridge. It is non-draw and non-swing. Where the island side of the bridge reaches the land there is a stop sign and it meets the Sunset Beach Fishing Pier. Good luck finding legal, cheap parking! The bridge is named for Mannon C. Gore, who purchased Bald Beach from the Brooks family, who dated its ownership back to the 1700's. Gore was impressed by the beautiful sunsets and renamed the island Sunset Beach. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Gore purchased 500 acres of mainland property along the Intracoastal Waterway from International Paper Company and began making his vision a reality. The original bridge tender's building is still nearby and is open as an interpretive center, http://www.theoldbridge.org/. There is no toll to cross the bridge and no stopping allowed. It is two lane with a double-yellow line, a narrow breakdown/pedestrian lane at each side and a high barrier. [Review 13984 overall, 1306 of 2020, number 2624 in North Carolina.]

We showed up at 10:30 on a Saturday during business hours and the museum doors are locked and no…read moreone is there .....

This was a cute place to spend an hour or so. There's a variety of exhibits, several of which are…read morehands-on or interactive for kids. There are taxidermy specimens and some live animals--fish tanks, a few snakes, seahorses, and a turtle. There's also a touch tank with urchins, horseshoe crabs, sea stars, and hermit crabs. Some of the urchins and sea stars looked in bad shape. I've also been told before that sea stars are very sensitive and their suction cups are easily damaged, not to mention repeated stress can be deadly to them. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable and I enjoyed my visit as a solo adult.

I went to the Christmas lights festival tonight? It was beautiful for $10/person. There was a lot…read moreto do and it was decorate beautifully. You were able to tour the main house, too. They did a really great job for this! Food trucks, bar, photo ops, etc. beautiful place!

I had a nice visit at the Poplar Grove Plantation after figuring out where to park. What was…read morewritten on the ticket in great detail was not correct. They changed the parking to the next street and you aren't to enter at the flags like the ticket directions told you. I took a guided tour and learned about the Foy family that had a peanut and sweet potato farm. But the more important part of the story was about the Gullah Geechee people. I had first learned about them when I was in Beaufort SC. But there is a corridor that goes from Wilmington to St. Augustine, FL to protect the Gullah Geechee culture. Poplar Grove was built by the Gullah slaves who were very skilled. 59 lived on the property. They took care of the construction; lumber milling; brick making; tending to the livestock and crops as well as domestic chores. They need to be the focus of the tour.

This site had escaped my notice on numerous visits to the area, but I found a reason to stop in…read more The weather was rainy, but it actually wasn't the worst decision to visit, as rain without wind was reasonably manageable with an umbrella and the precipitation was effective in suppressing the bugs and heat that I would have otherwise experienced. There were no alligators in sight though, so what I got out of it was a historical visit. And I have to say, it's an impressive historical site. It has both a colonial and a Civil War history. One distinction I find hard to explain is that I don't hear a ton about pre-Revolution America in a lot of places I visit in DC, Maryland, or Virginia, but the Carolinas emphasize this period a lot more in their sites. This place has a museum, which includes such artifacts as a confederate flag that was apparently presented to Abraham Lincoln as a trophy of Union victory, leading to some interesting turns in history. The outdoor experiences include a walk through some excavated ruins and around the old earthen fort, as well as a nature trail. Notably, a memorial to the Africans who were brought to the area was affecting. For those visiting the area from afar, North Carolina does not charge for entrance to state park sites, unlike most other states. The location is not terribly far in absolute driving time from Wilmington, but it will transport you to another time.

Beautiful grounds, with very interesting ruins. The staff is also very friendly and helpful. We…read moreloved all of the fox squirrels!

Located just a quarter mile south of I-95 on South Carolina Highway 38, this marker has a small…read morespace for parking and a view. There is a "historical marker ahead" sign and you shouldn't miss the hulking shape of the machinery it points out. The marker reads, "This cotton press, built in 1798 according to tradition, is thought by many to be the oldest in existence. It was first owned and used by John Bethea, III, and later by Henry Berry. Powered by oxen or mules rotating the beam to tighten the press, it was rendered obsolete by modern machinery. A Berry descendant moved it to this site about 1948 to preserve it." The marker was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It had been built in 1798 for bailing ginned cotton and is made of pegged and doweled oak. Turning the screw (powered by mules) compressed the cotton into a wooden frame to form a bale. A very clever piece of machinery, all built by hand well prior to modern power tools. Except for minor repairs of the base and roof, it is still the original materials and is the only press of this era in South Carolina. [Review 14328 overall, 1652 of 2020, number 706 in South Carolina.]

This cotton press, built in 1798 according to tradition, is thought by many to be the oldest in…read moreexistence. It was first owned and used by John Bethea, III, and later by Henry Berry. Powered by oxen or mules rotating the beam to tighten the press, it was rendered obsolete by modem machinery. A Berry descendant moved it to this site about 1948 to preserve it. Erected by Dillon County Historical Society - 1974

Odell Williamson: decorated US Army Pilot, politician, developer, guy with his name on a bridge…read more.. kind of a nice bridge as far as weather resistant bridges go but nothing remarkable unless this is your regular commute in which case it's probably a functionally fine replacement for the earlier crossing but so utterly useful and un-storied so as to have no real story except that of it's namesake and the means it replaced... and yet here it stands in all it's linear concrete splendor - rising the 65 mandatory feet dictated by the intracoastal waterway commissioners - depositing resident and visitor alike in front of the Ocean Isle Beach / Pier which is exactly the point of it.

This review is a tribute to the gateway of Ocean Isle Beach, NC...the Odell Williamson Bridge. The…read moregateway because it is the ONLY access on/from the island itself, so you cannot avoid it if you come to OIB and want to get to the beach front, period. The bridge itself is fairly modern, clean, and a nice welcome to all those coming to OIB for some fun and relaxation. It arches pretty high at the peak as so vessels can navigate through using the Intercoastal Waterway of which it passes over. It's the first thing you see coming onto the island and the last thing you pass coming off there when you finish your visit and head home. It's a tried and true symbol. Why 4 stars? Well, on Saturdays when people are heading onto the island for their check-ins, it just becomes a long parking lot most of the day! So many come to OIB to enjoy their vacation that it takes some time to get everyone onto the island and set to enjoy their week. The wait can be a excruciating one, actually. So sadly, it escapes full 5 star status just on that. Bottom line: Beloved gateway landmark for Ocean Isle Beach. Except for being a long parking lot on Saturdays as people come onto the isle, it's a beautiful thing to behold.