Myrtle Beach is only 2 hours north of Charleston and Mom really wanted to check it out while she was here. So we left early on a Sunday morning and headed to the Grand Strand (that's what they call the Myrtle Beach area... yeah I didn't know that either).
We stopped on the southern outskirt of Myrtle at Huntington Beach State Park to check out Atalaya Castle. A castle in the sand on the beach? Who wouldn't want to see that?
Atalaya was the winter home of rich couple Archer and Anna Huntington (she's a famous sculptor) and was built in the 1930s. Archer was influenced by Spanish architecture and culture while building the castle and named it Atalaya, which means "watch tower" in Spanish.
The castle didn't have a whole lot of interesting history beyond that, but it was interesting to see and get to explore the many rooms and hallways inside.
The outside of the castle.
Inside the castle courtyard.
John and Larry trying to see the ocean from the rooftop, despite the "Do not enter" sign.
Sarah and John in the bear cages. Yes, bears.
Best sand castle I've ever seen!
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