Hunting Island Lighthouse — Attraction in Beaufort

TO: State Director of SC State Parks We feel we need to let you know of our recent experience o 6/15/21. Our family just had a terribly disappointing visit to your Hunting Island State Park. It certainly leaves a poor impression onn us and our out of state visitors who travelled far to visit South Carolina. To give a little background, our three sons and their families made the trip here from California, Florida and Texas, to join my wife and I who are now residents of South Carolina. We rented on the beach of Harbor Island for a first time reunion of our 3 sons and their families 15 of us!. My wife has heard great things about the Huntington Island park and we gathered portions of each family for a day trip there to mainly go to the lighthouse. We were not informed that reservations were required for the lighthouse at the main gate or any of the brochures. On the way to the lighthouse we encountered some very poorly maintained roads and had trouble locating the lighthouse as there is not good signage. We did finally come to the lighthouse, the one reason for the visit, and then were told that we needed reservations which they claimed was listed on the website (but we had only read the brochures), and the first avilable time was more than 3 hours later. We couldnt stand there and wait for 3 hours. They suggested we go to the gift shop, ha! it was closed. We did not see anything about that or the fees or the required reservations till we finally dug through the website upon returning back to our rentals. All in all a huge disappointment plus a waste of money ($36) for our less than half hour visit most of which was waiting at the fee booth and driving to the lighthouse. I will be sending my complaints to our State Senator Shane Massey as well as to the Govenor's office. Coming from Michigan, this was a huge let down for a State Park. Tom and Mary...

This is a wonderful place to visit, rather you're new to the area or someone who has lived in SC all their life (like me). My family and I went for the day in December and the weather was perfect! We were able to enjoy the beach, trails and the lighthouse tour without the heat. The lighthouse tour is a must! You get to read about the lighthouse as you go up the different levels and at the very end you get to see a beautiful view of the ocean! There are about 8 different trails that you can enjoy, some you can take bikes on and others are better for walking due to all the branches. If you're looking to picnic for the day there are many tables to use and one area near the lighthouse has a sheltered picnic table. If you're looking to camp there are plenty of spots, rather it's for a tent or camper you have the options for either with electric hookup. There is an awesome gift shop near the lighthouse that you can get plenty of souvenirs from your trip here. This place is so beautiful, please go and enjoy the scenery, you'll be glad you did! There is an entry fee of $5 for adults, there is a senior discount that lowers it by almost $2, kids under 5 are free. The lighthouse tour is $2 per person as long as you're 44" or taller. Pets are allowed for the most part, around the lighthouse area they are not able to go in the area. Lots of parking bathroom for...

I planned this trip to The Hunting island light house as a surprise for my 6yr old daughter who LOOOOOVES lighthouses. When we pulled up she was so excited jumping up and down the whole way to the office to find out that we could NOT go in with our almost 2yr old because they do not allow infants and toddlers in the lighthouse. However if the website had said that while doing my research I would not have wasted the time or money to travel all the way from Summerville SC. We would have taken her to the Tybee Island light house again where we HAVE taken our entire family before with no problems. I just wish I didn't have to see the disappointment on my child's face when she was told we could not go. :-( Please if the person who handles the website reads this PLEASE update your website to warn families before traveling to something they can not visit. :-/ Park and beach were nice but not the reason...