Exploring the Grand Strand, you'd be sad to miss Hobcaw Barony, a massive 16,000 acre tract of pristine, undeveloped coastal land located just south of Pawleys Island in the Waccamaw Neck section of Georgetown County. Derived from a Native American word meaning "between the waters," Hobcaw sits beautifully between the Waccamaw River and the Atlantic Ocean. Originally established as a colonial land grant by King George I in 1718, it was eventually subdivided into roughly a dozen distinct rice plantations that relied on the grueling labor of enslaved Africans. Today, it is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places as a fully intact time capsule of Lowcountry history and biodiversity.

The 20th-century chapter of the property is defined by the Baruch family, beginning when South Carolina native and Wall Street financier Bernard Baruch purchased the land between 1905 and 1907 to use as a winter hunting retreat. As a powerful presidential advisor, Baruch hosted world leaders like President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at his grand, 1930s Georgian-style Hobcaw House. However, the modern preservation of this jewel belongs entirely to his fiercely independent daughter, Belle Baruch, a champion equestrian, pilot, and conservationist. Recognizing the threat of overdevelopment crawling down Highway 17, Belle purchased the entire property from her father and, upon her death in 1964, established a trust ensuring the land would never be commercially developed.

If you are hoping to visit, it is important to understand that Hobcaw Barony is not an amusement park or an open-access public beach, but rather a highly restricted, world-class research reserve. Under the stewardship of The Belle W. Baruch Foundation, its maritime forests, salt marshes, and cypress swamps serve as a massive "living laboratory" utilized by Clemson University and the University of South Carolina to study coastal ecology and marine biology. To experience its 37 historic structures—including the grand estate homes and the heartbreaking, remarkably preserved Friendship slave village —visitors must book guided bus, boat, or walking tours. Start your journey at the Hobcaw Barony Discovery Center right off Highway 17, where you can see firsthand why this breathtaking expanse remains completely untamed. Click here to learn more and schedule your tour today!