Here are five New Year's Resolutions for everyone who loves Pawleys Island

Here are five New Year’s Resolutions for everyone who loves Pawleys Island

With the dawn of the new year at hand, a lot of us are already thinking about resolutions that we know will, let’s be honest, largely go unfulfilled. You know the ones: Exercise more. Eat Better. Lose weight.

Blah, blah, blah.

The old stand-by new year’s resolutions are easy to make, but with everyone looking for a respite from the grind of daily life, goals for the next 12 months that are built around having fun may be a much better idea.

With that in mind, here are five things specifically tied to Pawleys Island (it doesn’t get more fun than that, right?) that you should resolve to do in the new year.

Want to find a Pawleys Shell? Well, you’ll need to hit the beach! (Photo by Chris Rogers/Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce)

1) Find a Pawleys Shell

Comb the beach and find your very own Pawleys Shell. Rumor has it that if you find this special shell your visit to the island has been blessed. The “Pawleys Shell” is also rumored to be found only on Pawleys, but, to be perfectly honest, some people – OK, scientists – claim that the shell, also known as the Imperial Venus Clam, can be found anywhere from the Carolinas to Texas and even in the Caribbean. Even if scientists are right, it doesn’t change the fact that finding one on Pawleys will make your visit a special one.

1B) Visit a Jeweler for Your Pawleys Shell

OK, for the “Find a Pawleys Shell” resolution, we will give you several ways that it can be fulfilled. If you’re not into playing beach detective in search of the very special Pawleys Shell, there is an easier way. Make your way over to the mainland and stop by Whitmire’s Fine Jewelry. Owner John Henry Whitmire has been designing jewelry since 1972 and just happens to be well-known for his line featuring the Pawleys Shell. It’s all part of his Treasures of the Seas collection.

Meredith Boos takes readers on a delightful adventure in her book “Pawleys Shells.”

1C) Read Meredith Boos’ Pawleys Shells book

Got a special little one in your life? Well, fulfill this resolution by reading aloud Meredith Boos’ excellent children’s book titled “Pawleys Shells,” which follows a boy named Pawley and his love of our special island and, most importantly, its extra-special shell.

Caledonia Golf & Fish Club is just one of the many Pawleys Island award-winning courses that can be found on the mainland of Pawleys. (Photo by Chris Rogers/Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce)

2) Play Golf in Pawleys Island

Links magazine has ranked Pawleys Island among America’s premier golf destinations and it doesn’t take long to understand why. All the Pawleys Island golf courses are found on the mainland, so a short drive off the island is allowed for this resolution. Home to Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, True Blue Golf Club, Heritage Club and Pawleys Plantation, all top 100 caliber courses, a round of golf at one of your choosing can fulfill this goal. Never golfed? Ask about a beginner’s lesson. That will count, too, and who knows? Maybe you’ll find that golf is the game for you.

Pawleys Island is a great place for surfing. Don’t know how to surf? Lessons on offered on Pawleys! (Photo by Chris Rogers/Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce)

3) Learn How To Surf

Surf the Earth, located at 47 Da Gullah Way, on the mainland of Pawleys offers surf lessons for those who want to race across the waves. Experienced surf instructors hold lessons on the north end of Pawleys Island at 2nd Street. This resolution will have to be delayed until spring, though. We all love Pawleys, but the water is a bit too cold in the winter! To sign up for lessons, click here.

A Snowy Egret is just one of many birds you’re sure to encounter on Pawleys Island.

4) Spot At Least Five Birds On Pawleys Island

Go birdwatching and document at least five feathered friends on Pawleys Island. This is the easiest of the resolutions. Pawleys Island and the region known as South Carolina’s Hammock Coast is one of the best areas on the East Coast to catch sight of hundreds of species of birds — everything from shorebirds and songbirds to raptors and hummingbirds. All you have to do is look around you on Pawleys, and you’ll be sure to catch sight of five birds in no time at all!

A visit to the Pawleys Island Chapel is always in order. (Photo by Chris Rogers/Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce)

5) Visit the Pawleys Island Chapel

No doubt, you’ve seen the Pawleys Island House of Worship, better known simply as the “Pawleys Chapel,” but have you read the historic marker erected there in the summer of 2021? The one-room building was originally the Pentecostal Holiness Church in Georgetown but was dismantled and rebuilt by the Georgetown Laymen’s Association in 1946 on Pawleys Island marshland, donated by Dr. and Mrs. J.H. Porter. The chapel has survived three major hurricanes: Hazel, Hugo, and Matthew. Swing by for a visit. Take a selfie. Read the new historical marker. Or, if you like, attend a Sunday service there.

Good luck on our list of resolutions. Let us know how you do, of course, and, most of all, just have fun.

— By Mark A. Stevens, director of tourism development for Only Pawleys and the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerc. Chris King contributed.