The 51st Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival runs Friday through Sunday, September 25–27, 2026, in the courtyard and rooms of Atalaya Castle inside Huntington Beach State Park. More than 100 juried artists, live music, and a food court, all inside a Moorish-style 1930s house on one of the least developed beaches on the Grand Strand.
Here’s the thing almost nobody does: the park you’re driving into is also one of the best paddling spots in the corridor, and the causeway launch is a few minutes from the festival gate. Paddle at eight, be walking the castle by noon. It’s the best version of this weekend and it costs you nothing extra.
Key takeaways
- Dates: Friday, September 25 (noon–5 p.m.), Saturday and Sunday, September 26–27 (10 a.m.–5 p.m.).
- Admission is $10 per adult, free for children 15 and under — and park admission is free during the festival, which normally runs $8 per adult.
- Launch from the causeway inside the park. Calm water on both sides: freshwater lagoon on one, salt marsh on the other.
- Paddle early. Be on the water by 8 a.m. and off before the festival traffic arrives.
- Parking is the whole game on Saturday. Friday afternoon and Sunday are noticeably easier.
- Alligators live in the lagoon. They avoid boats. Keep your distance and don’t approach one for a photo.
Confirm dates and times at southcarolinaparks.com before you plan around them — festival schedules occasionally shift.
The festival, briefly
Atalaya was the winter home of Archer Huntington and his wife Anna Hyatt Huntington, the sculptor who founded Brookgreen Gardens across the highway. It was built during the Depression, and it looks like nothing else on this coast — a low, square, Moorish-style compound built around an open courtyard, with a sculpture studio and a brick tower.
For three days at the end of September, artists set up in the courtyard and inside the castle rooms. There’s a stage with regional musicians and a food court running seafood, barbecue, and the usual festival lineup. It’s one of the oldest juried craft festivals in the Southeast and it draws serious crowds, which is the one thing you have to plan around.
Full details on our Huntington Beach State Park guide.
The paddle: launch from the causeway
The causeway launch sits inside the park, and it’s the most interesting launch in the corridor because you get two completely different bodies of water from one spot.
The freshwater lagoon side is calm, sheltered, and thick with wildlife. This is the alligator side and the best birding water in the park. On a still morning it’s glass.
The salt marsh side is tidal, opening into the southern end of the Murrells Inlet estuary. Marsh grass, fiddler crabs, wading birds, and more space to cover.
Both are flat and easy. The launch itself is a flat sandy bank — no ramp needed, easy for a first-timer, and one of the few launches in the area where the tide stage doesn’t dictate whether you can get in the water. Full details on our launch sites page.
Which side to pick: if you want wildlife and calm, take the lagoon. If you want to actually cover distance and see the estuary, take the marsh side and time it around the tide — our Best Time to Kayak Murrells Inlet guide covers the rising-tide rule. If you’ve got two hours, do a bit of both.
The timeline that works
7:30 a.m. — Arrive at the park. Festival crowds haven’t started; gate traffic is light.
8:00 a.m. — On the water. Best light, calmest wind, most active wildlife, coolest air.
10:00 a.m. — Off the water, gear stowed, dry clothes on. (Bring a change; you will be damp.)
10:30 a.m. — Walk the beach or the boardwalk while the parking situation sorts itself out.
Noon onward — The castle. Food court for lunch, artists through the afternoon, music in the courtyard.
If you’d rather flip it, an afternoon paddle after the festival closes at 5 p.m. is lovely in late September — the light is excellent and the water empties out. Just be off before dark.
Wildlife, which is the real reason to paddle here
Huntington Beach State Park is regarded as one of the best birding sites in the Southeast, and late September is migration season. From a kayak on the lagoon you’ll get closer to more of it than anyone on the boardwalk.
Expect: great and snowy egrets, great blue and tricolored herons, night herons, ibis, ospreys, and — with real regularity — bald eagles. In the marsh, clapper rails you’ll hear before you see and fiddler crabs by the thousand.
Possible in late September: migrating shorebirds staging on the mudflats, wood storks, and roseate spoonbills, which have been showing up in SC estuaries more often in recent years.
On the marsh side: dolphins work the creek mouths and channels on a moving tide. Our guide to seeing dolphins from a kayak covers where to sit and how to watch them legally.
And alligators, on the freshwater side. Which brings us to the etiquette.
Gator etiquette on the lagoon side
Alligators live in the freshwater and brackish systems throughout coastal South Carolina, and the Huntington Beach lagoon is a reliable place to see one. Encounters from a kayak are uncommon and alligators are naturally wary of boats.
The rules are simple and non-negotiable:
- Give any alligator you see a wide berth and keep paddling. Don’t stop to close the distance for a photo — use a zoom.
- Never feed one. It’s illegal, and a fed alligator loses its wariness of people, which is how alligators end up destroyed.
- Keep kids and any dogs close and inside the boat.
- Don’t get out on the bank in the lagoon area.
Do those four things and it’s a non-issue. More context in our safety guide.
Parking strategy
This is where the weekend is won or lost. Park admission is free during the festival, which is generous and also means the lot fills.
Saturday is the busiest day by a wide margin. If Saturday is your only option, arrive before 9 a.m. — which conveniently is also when you’d be arriving to paddle first.
Friday afternoon (noon–5) is the quietest window of the three days. If your schedule is flexible, this is the move: paddle Friday morning, walk the festival Friday afternoon, done before the weekend crowd arrives.
Sunday is a middle option, usually easier than Saturday, and the artists are still fully set up.
If you’re paddling first, park once and stay parked. Don’t leave and try to come back mid-day.
What to bring
For the paddle: closed-toe shoes you don’t mind ruining (oyster shell and pluff mud are unforgiving), polarized sunglasses, a dry bag clipped to the boat, sun protection, and water. Our full gear list covers the rest.
For the festival: cash for the food court in case card service is slow, a bag for whatever you buy, and comfortable shoes — the courtyard is brick and gravel.
And in the car: a change of clothes and a towel. Nobody wants to browse pottery in wet shorts.
If you don’t have a kayak
Local operators rent by the hour and half-day, and a couple run guided trips in the park itself. Book ahead for festival weekend — it’s one of the busiest weekends of the fall on this stretch of coast. See our rentals page for who’s operating, and the cost guide for what to expect to pay.
Or tell us your weekend and we’ll build the whole thing — launch, tide window, operator, and where to eat afterward.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival in 2026?
September 25–27, 2026. Friday noon–5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Confirm at southcarolinaparks.com.
How much is admission?
$10 per adult, free for kids 15 and under. Park admission is free during the festival.
Can I launch a kayak inside Huntington Beach State Park?
Yes, from the causeway. It’s a flat sandy bank with easy access to both the freshwater lagoon and the salt marsh.
Is the paddling suitable for beginners?
Very. Both sides of the causeway are sheltered and calm, and the launch is one of the easiest in the corridor. See our beginner’s guide if it’s your first time.
Can I do this with kids?
Yes, and the park is the best family launch in the area — it’s the one with restrooms, a beach, and a short paddle. See kayaking with kids in Murrells Inlet.
What’s the weather like in late September?
Usually excellent — water still warm from summer, air cooling off, and more settled conditions than August. It’s still hurricane season, though, so check the forecast in the days beforehand.
What else is nearby?
Brookgreen Gardens is directly across US 17, and the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk is a short drive north for dinner. See our guides to things to do and where to eat.
Festival details from South Carolina State Parks; confirm dates, times, and admission at southcarolinaparks.com before you travel. Check the tide chart and marine forecast before launching.
