Winyah Bay

Winyah Bay Winyah Bay is a coastal estuary where the Black, Big Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee, Sampit, and Waccamaw rivers converge near the historic port city of Georgetown, South Carolina. The rivers flow through wooded areas, swamps, and historic rice plantations in Georgetown County and Marion County, offering a multitude of recreational land buying possibilities.

The tidal freshwater wetlands of the Winyah Bay region offer an excellent habitat for migratory birds, fish, and other wildlife, and hunting and fishing have always been the way of life. Turkey, deer, and waterfowl are plentiful, and this area has been a favorite among duck hunters for over a century. Likewise, the vast marshes, long rivers, and offshore waters provide outstanding fishing opportunities.

Many years ago, the rivers that feed into Winyah Bay provided an ideal location for farming tobacco, indigo, and rice, and the area's many rivers produced almost half of the total rice crop of the United States in the mid-1800s. The classic American folk artist Carew Rice portrayed life around Winyah Bay through his famous scissor silhouettes, many set along the area's rivers.

Numerous, intact, historic rice plantations remain, protected by conservation easements. Arcadia Plantation, formerly owned by Captain I.E. Emerson, encompasses approximately 25,000 acres of protected rice estates along the Waccamaw River. Hobcaw Barony, once a collection of rice plantations owned by Bernard Baruch, is now a 17,500 acre wildlife refuge that was left to the University of South Carolina and Clemson University by Baruch's daughter, Belle, upon her death. Tom Yawkey, the former Boston Red Sox owner, gave nearly 20,000 acres to the state of South Carolina, including North Island, South Island, and most of Cat Island, to frame what is now known as the Yawkey Wildlife Preserve.

Recreational land parcels in the Winyah Bay region range from 50 to 1,000 acres, offering private, rural living at its best. Convenient to the city of Georgetown's shops, restaurants, and activities, the Winyah Bay region provides the best of both worlds for recreational land owners.