Huntington Beach State Park at Low Tide

South end of Murrells Inlet, across from Brookgreen Gardens. Three miles of undeveloped coast that the golf courses and condo towers never reached. At low tide, sandbars emerge offshore — tidal pools, ghost crabs, small fish flashing silver in warm water.

The Atalaya Castle at the north end is worth your time — a Moorish-style winter home from the 1930s, built by the Huntingtons, courtyard open to sky, walls thick enough to block the surf. It looks like someone airlifted it from southern Spain and set it down in the lowcountry. The dissonance is part of the charm.

Late September through November is the window. Summer crowds vanish, migratory birds arrive. The marsh side has osprey, painted buntings, and the occasional bald eagle. Bring binoculars and the expectation that you'll stay longer than planned.