Hunting Island tops list of most visited SC state parks in 2014
Hunting Island State Park was the most visited state park in South Carolina in 2014.
An estimated 1.35 million people came to the beachfront island in northern Beaufort County last year -- a 26 percent rise over 2013, according to the S.C. Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department.
The higher numbers don't surprise Robb Wells, tourism division director for the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce.
"It's our No. 1 attraction in the area by far, because it attracts both visitors and locals," he said.
The chamber is doing its own analysis of visitor numbers, using iPads at the park to record where people are coming from. It's part of an ongoing project to find out why people come to the Beaufort area and what they like to do when they get here.
About 80 percent of them say the water draws them, Wells said. So it makes since that Hunting Island would be on the top of many local visitors' to-do lists
Not only does the island draw northern Beaufort County visitors, but the appeal of a beachfront state park also pulls tourists staying on Hilton Head Island, he said.
"You're talking about one of the more beautiful natural places in America," Wells said. "It's a natural landscape, something people are not used to seeing."
OTHER PARKS SEE UPTICK
After Hunting Island, second place on the visitor list was Myrtle Beach State Park, at nearly 1.3 million people. That represents a 4 percent increase over 2013.
Overall, visits to the state's 47 parks went up about 11 percent, from 6.9 million to 7.7 million people, according to Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
Agency spokesman Marion Edmonds cautioned, however, that the numbers should be viewed as "really rough" estimates, as it's not always easy to count all the visitors.
As for Hunting Island, this isn't its first mention on a list of top destinations.
Last March, online vacation website TripAdvisor ranked Hunting Island seventh on its list of the 10 best beaches in the U.S., as determined by its Travelers' Choice Beaches Awards.
Follow reporter Erin Moody at twitter.com/IPBG_Erin.
Related content:
- Historic Hunting Island lighthouse nears threatened status, advocates say , Sept. 21, 2014
- Lifeguards' return to Hunting Island in 2015 unclear , Aug. 27, 2014
- County, state to split cost of Hunting Island lifeguards , May 27, 2014
- Hunting Island in heart of Beaufort Barrier Island IBA , July 21, 2014
This story was originally published February 3, 2015 at 8:33 AM with the headline "Hunting Island tops list of most visited SC state parks in 2014."