The Sea View Inn has welcomed visitors to Pawleys since 1937

Larry Helm and his wife, Julijana Budjevac, were in their 20s when they first visited Pawleys Island, America’s oldest seaside resort.

Living in Washington, D.C., the couple had specific ideas on what would make the ideal vacation accommodation. They were looking for a beachfront inn, and they didn’t want to cook their own meals.

The Sea View Inn on Pawleys Island fit the bill perfectly for that 1997 trip. It was, in fact, so on the mark that Larry and Julijana have continued to make Pawleys and the Sea View their one-and-only destination every summer since.

“That first visit was enough to make us lifelong devotees,” Larry said. “Every time, it’s like coming home.”

While Pawleys Island offers a variety of vacation rentals – a group of condos at the pier, myriad vacation home rentals and one other historic inn, The Pelican Inn – Larry and Julijana always return to the Sea View Inn, a 20-room inn established in 1937 and well known for its laid-back atmosphere, stunning ocean views, and delicious home-cooked cuisine.

“Sea View Inn is old Pawleys at its finest,” said Brian Henry, who co-owns the inn with his wife, Sassy. “Sea View recharges its guests by taking them back in time and giving them the simple pleasures of unplugging from the world.”

Henry, who is also the mayor of the town of Pawleys Island, says it’s no surprise that Larry and Julijana opt for a return stay again and again, because that’s very much the norm for the inn. Once you discover the serenity of the Sea View, he said, there’s a joy in making it a favorite vacation destination year after year.

Larry and Julijana not only have returned for their annual summer sojourn, but, many times, they meet up with friends they’ve made over the years at the inn or even bring along friends to experience the inn and Pawleys for the first time, too.

“It feels a lot like an annual family reunion,” Larry said. “Some of the people we spend time with we met at the Sea View and some that we have brought with us now love the Sea View as much as we do.”

The relaxed atmosphere and slow pace make Sea View Inn a welcome escape from the electronically sped-up way of life we all live.

“The is no TV, no radio, no phones and meals are announced by the ringing of a bell,” Larry said. “You have no responsibilities other than to entertain yourself and you lose track of time, not even knowing the day of the week most of the time.” 

Although the inn has no air conditioning in the rooms, ocean breezes and shady porches make it pleasant anytime of the year. When Helm describes sitting in rocking chairs on the large oceanfront porch, the word he uses is “indescribable.”

“The inn is cocooned by greenery,” Helm said. “You can sit wrapped in a book, socializing with friends, or starring at the ocean, admiring an evolving storm, or maybe spotting some dolphins.”

Larry and Julijana have tried different rooms at the Sea View but have decided on one that best suits them as their favorite. It has become like a room in their house, he said.

“It’s a ‘side’ room, so it gets no direct sunlight, but there is still a breeze,” Helm said. “There is a window in the bathroom, and you can still hear the waves.”

Homemade meals at Sea View are served at breakfast and dinner.

“The grits, perfect eggs any way you want them, the option for pancakes at every breakfast. Fried chicken!,” Helm said, enthusiastically.

Myrtle Edwards and the late Vertrella Brown had been the cooks at Sea View since the early 1980s. Edwards is carrying on the legacy even after Vertrella’s passing. A host of others now help Myrtle prepare the delectable cuisine that has made the daily menu a favorite of guests and visitors, alike.

Upon arriving in 2001, Sassy Henry changed the menu to include more meals that Myrtle and Vertrella would cook at their own homes, and this has been very well received by the staff and guests.

Brian Henry said the food is prepared by staff that grew up in Pawleys Island. He added that the serving staff is eager to please and they do it with a smile and ease.

“They all take great pride in making sure our guests are well fed,” he said. “The meals are Lowcountry cuisine dominated by seafood, rice, vegetables and fried chicken.”

History of Sea View

Originally built in 1937, Sea View Inn has an interesting past that spans several owners, each of them appreciating that history and creating an atmosphere that allows people to experience what it was like in days gone by. Below is a brief synopsis of its history. For more historical information, click here.

1937 – 1953
The Clinkscales

During the 1930s, Pawleys Island had already become a place where the same families returned year after year. In 1937, Celeste and Will Clinkscales financed and built Sea View Inn. Celeste Clinkscales was the driving force of this endeavor and ultimately became the “hostess” of Sea View during those years.

Sea View was designed and built to be an inn at the outset. The clientele was intended to be their wide circle of friends and family but also included many Pawleys regulars that wanted to try the new inn “in the middle of Pawleys Island.”

Almost immediately, Sea View became a place where guests returned for the same week in the same room every year, just as it is today. The Clinkscales kept Sea View for 15 years.

1954 Hurricane Hazel

Hurricane Hazel struck Pawleys Island in October 1954. Sea View Inn was toppled and destroyed by the storm tide and wind. Pawleys Island suffered major damage, and the future of Sea View was uncertain after this hurricane, but it was rebuilt.

The plan for the new inn was essentially the same as the original Sea View; the government required that and allowed practically no deviation. The house was set back a bit farther from the beach. The main building of Sea View was completed between 1954 – 1956.

1954 – 1970
Three ladies from Queens College

In April of 1954, Sea View Inn was sold to three women from Queens College. The three ladies informed the regular guests of Sea View that they had bought their “favorite vacation spot — lock, stock, and both barrels!”

During these years, Sea View guests were treated to the natural beauty of Pawleys and surrounding areas. Events such as guided nature expeditions, artist and photography workshops, and plantation tours offered guests a unique opportunity to see, learn, and experience Pawleys with a new perspective. These workshops and tours continue today.

1970 – 1978
Alma Hull

Over the years, for one reason or another, Loma and Thelma went their separate ways, leaving Alma as sole Proprietor until 1978. Alma developed some interesting policies during her term.

Alma locked the doors of Sea View promptly at 10 p.m. each evening, and if you were late, that was just too bad. No liquor was served, but some guests brought their own refreshments which they enjoyed in their own rooms. One gentleman asked Alma if he could get some ice for a drink at 9:30 one evening. Alma replied by calling the man a degenerate! On rainy days she pre-addressed post cards (to her Congressman) passed around to guests so that they could write messages.

There is no doubt that Alma Hull was a character, but she certainly made Sea View become one of the respected inns on the island. Of course, the food helped make that reputation, and if Alma ran the inn, it was Geneva Polite who was queen of the kitchen. Geneva, who was in her 70’s, still cooked up a storm three times a day. The breakfast was eggs any style, grits, bacon, sausage, pancakes, toast, juice and good coffee (exactly as it remains today!) On Sundays, supper was served as a “bagged picnic”.

1978 – 2001
Page Oberlin

Page Oberlin came to Pawleys often as a child and returned occasionally as an adult. In the spring of 1978, she came to Pawleys with her children from Ohio, where she had been running a restaurant. Page asked a friend if there was employment available that summer which would be interesting; while there was nothing immediately intriguing, the friend passed on the news that the Sea View was up for sale.

Since the early days, many traditions have started and endured to this day. The standard breakfast fare, coffee on the back porch, dinner bells, Saturday to Saturday reservations, same families in the same rooms sitting at the same table during the same week every year, book reading on the front and back porch, naps after lunch, board games on the living room floor, cocktails and sunsets on the creek dock, white serving uniforms, Lowcountry food, and many more.

1989
Hurricane Hugo

Hugo began as a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic and was a Category 4 storm by the time it made landfall near Sullivan’s Island on Sept. 22, 1989. Hugo produced the highest storm tide heights ever recorded along the U.S. East Coast, around 20 feet near Charleston, according to NOAA. Pawleys Island sustained significant damage, but Sea View Inn was still standing after the storm. It sustained a good bit of water damage and required considerable repairs before reopening in the Spring of 1990.

2002 – present
The Henrys

In the spring of 2002, Sassy and Brian Henry took on the role as the new “protectors” of Sea View and have maintained the integrity and ambiance of what has become an institution for so many people. Their primary focus has been to refine without changing and subtly improving with an eye toward historical appreciation.

The Henrys, who also own Get Carried Away Southern Market, welcome anyone who is interested in Sea View to give it a try.

“Take a step back in time and unplug from the hustle and bustle of today’s world,” Henry said. “At first glance, it may seem like it’s too rustic, but once you experience it, you’ll want to return every year.”

By Clayton Stairs / tourism manager for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce