The Shrimp Shack and the Nature Center Scenic Trail at Hunting Island State Park

 

The Shrimp Shack

    This was an unplanned, just get in the car and go for a special occasion trip. We started our morning with a walk at Hunting Island State Park, which you can see and read about below, then we hit the Shrimp Shack. This is a location I have wanted to stop at for awhile, but often when I pass by it isn't open or it is just too busy for me. It seemed everything for the day worked out with perfect timing and when we arrived the Open flag was out and there was only one other car in the parking lot. 

Menu on 4/26/2025

    The empty lot did not last long and several cars and even a go-cart pulled in after us. A sign by the door does say dogs are not allowed inside, but they did allow Otis to sit out at one of their outdoor picnic tables. I don't know if they would allow this at crowded times. To the left is the current menu, we shared a 2 Combo Dinner of Shrimp and Flounder. 

    What is left out of this blog is that between the two mile walk with Otis in the morning and our stop at the Shrimp Shack, I did another 4 mile walk without him. I was hungry and this looked fantastic. I started with shrimp and they were perfect, plump and juicy on the inside with a crispy done to perfection breading on the outside. The fish was a nice fresh slab of flounder with the same kind of breading as the shrimp, along with the provided tartar sauce and house cocktail sauce the seafood was fantastic. The fries were average, but not bad and the coleslaw was pretty good. I personally don't like hushpuppies, but Otis and I did try one. They were unique compared to others I have had at BBQ places in the south. Made with beer batter and larger than most I have seen, it was different. In all, it was a great meal and the outdoor seating was nice. This is a spot I would recommend if you are looking for lunch around Hunting Island. We arrived right at 1:30 pm and by 2:00 they were closed. So if you do plan to stop, just know it is a lunch spot open at 11:00 am closed by 2:00 pm. I think the times do change and if you look at the menu it does say they have updates on Facebook.

    This pup loved the shrimp, fish, fries and would have devoured that leftover hushpuppy had I let him. I know in these blog posts I am giving him some not so healthy food items. He does eat much healthier at home and we a working on getting his weight down. This was a special occasion, so for future posts I will be trying to be more on the budget side of eating out. 

Otis being well behaved by the sign, mostly because I was holding the last piece of fish for him.

The Shrimp Shack

1929 Sea Island Parkway

St Helena Island, SC 29920

Nature Center Scenic Trail at Hunting Island State Park

    Along the South Carolina coast there are a number of places that have what locals call "boneyard" beaches. I think they all get this name from the one on Bull's Island where bones of different sea/marsh animals wash up and collect. Though not all of these beaches have piles of bones, they do all share that they are areas where the land is eroding away, the trees roots become inundated with saltwater and they die. This leaves a forest edge of dead trees that are in various states of being washed out to sea. Hunting Island State Park has the only "boneyard" beach that I know of that I have found so far where dogs are allowed. So for this walk we set off down the Nature Center Scenic Trail to see what we could find at the "boneyard" and along the trail.  

    We tried to get there as early as possible. I've found at this particular spot the earlier you go the better. If you are looking for something specific like shorebirds, it is best to check the tide charts as well for timing to see if the tides will be in or out. I did not on this trip and we just happened to get lucky with the tide. Like the majority of South Carolina State Parks there is an admission fee. Currently at the time of this post admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and $4 for ages 6-15. Not all parks have the same admission, so I will try to include this when I do go to state parks for the posts. The trail is similar to my last post from Edisto, you walk through a typical maritime forest with palms, pines and oaks comprising most of the tree species.   

Otis on the trail and ready to get walking and looking for critters.

    This Mourning Dove flew from the trail to the top of a palm and just watched us as we passed.  

    This Little Wood Satyr was one of the few butterflies seen along the trail. Hunting Island is right on the ocean, where the trail we walked last week with a lot of butterflies was tucked in the marsh. I am not sure if that has much impact of the prevalence of butterflies, but it may.

    The trail is flat, graveled and it is a relatively easy walk. From the parking lot to the bridge to the beach is about 0.4 miles. In total we did about a mile in and a mile out, but if you are just going to the beach and back it is about a mile round trip.

    Nearly to the foot bridge this Yellow-throated Warbler made an appearance on the trailside. I more commonly find them in Cypress Tupelo Swamps, but I have seen them at Hunting Island a couple times now.

    The foot bridge over the marsh. In the coming years the tree line you see in the distance will likely die off and slowly get washed away. The coast is always changing with portions eroding and other areas sand accumulating. Storm events can also change things overnight. If this is a place you want to see, sooner is better than later. It will not be around forever. 

    View from the bridge looking north. At low tide this can be a good area to see wading birds hunting.

    Something new this trip were fishermen out in the marsh using cast nets. I think they would be catching bait fish. From the bridge it doesn't even look like there is open water where they are, but there must be pools hidden by the marsh grass. 

    It was overcast, but still hot and humid. Little Otis was huffing and puffing by the time we got to the beach.

    The tide was still going out when we arrived at the beach. Every time I have visited this spot it looks different when you get to this point. I am not sure how far out from this point this island once extended, but this had been a forest. Instead of going north and up through the dead and mostly downed trees, I noticed lines of shorebirds flying towards the inlet and we followed. 

    Going south and then back the inlet there are not too many trees left. You can find a trail on the back end of what is left of these islands that is used by the park when they check turtle nests with their ATV. Before we took that though and headed down the inlet, Otis was pulling me to go in for a dip.

    He likes the water, but still isn't sure of what to think of the waves coming in. He turned around for a couple of them, but then went back again.

    After his cool down, we went back to the ATV trail and to the inlet where I was met with an awesome surprise.

    The shorebirds were all landing to feed on the newly exposed sand and mud. It didn't take me too long to spot something I really wanted to see. Red Knots in breeding plumage! You can find Red Knots throughout the winter in SC, but they are gray and white and pretty plain looking birds. This species has been in decline since the 1980's according to Cornell University and in about a 20 year period its entire population dropped by 50%. Half of this species gone in 20 years and it is still not Federally Endangered, but the United States Fish and Wildlife Service does seem to be looking at critical habitat protections for this species. On the states Department of Natural Resources website, they have this species listed as Federally Endangered, it does not have that distinction yet. A sub-species is Federally Threatened and from a conservation standpoint the Federal designations are important. The higher the listing with Endangered being the highest, the greater likelihood for project and habitat funding to try to ensure the survival of the species.  

    Otis is getting really good with birding. If you have a dog, if you keep him/her on a leash and keep a respectable distance, you can still see a lot of wildlife. Here he just sat while I was taking photos and when we walked further down to the next group of birds, he ended up taking a nap next to me. With mammals though, he behaves much differently. 

    Red Knots flying in as we sat on the beach. I was excited to see this, for awhile now I wanted to see a congregation of them during migration and I actually thought it was going to be too late to see it this year.

Coming in for a landing!

This really was the highlight of my day.

    I may add a note in the future to this particular photo. While I was photographing the bright red Knot I ended up getting good enough shots of the bird to its right to read the leg band. With the band tag and number I am able to submit a report to the United States Geological Survey. This helps them track bird migrations and give notice to the bander who put the tag on that the bird is alive, well and on its migration with other birds. After the report is processed I will be sent a certificate that gives the birds original banding location, so I can see how far it traveled. That is the part I will try to add to this post when I get it. If you find a bird with readable leg tags, they can be reported at: Report a Band

Update: The banded Knot was banded on 5/27/2018 in Delaware. Listed on the report was that it would have been hatched 2016 or earlier. 

    The taller shorebird in this photo is a Black-bellied Plover. Dunlin and one Least Sandpiper were also mixed in with the Knots.

    While Otis and I were sitting and watching the Red Knots and other shorebirds, this Osprey came down right in front of us. It slammed into the water and with a few wing beats lifted back up with a Flounder in its talons. 

    This was also something new for me. I am not sure of the species of this Robber fly, but I will try to look it up. A quick search wasn't enough to narrow it down. Robber flies are often seen carrying a prey item. If you look closely this one is carrying a smaller fly species. 

    A couple Great Egrets in the marsh on the walk back.

    Back over the bridge to the main part of the island.

    Back at the Nature Center parking lot Otis got a drink and then hung out in the car with the AC on while I did a short walk down the pier at the center. I am almost certain there had been a sign that said no dogs on the pier, but I did not see one on this trip and a couple with two dogs walked out there. This is a nice stop if you don't want to walk that far and still see wildlife. Walking up to the pier, the center has bird feeders and a small pond with a running water element that attracts songbirds. Ospreys, terns, gulls and shorebirds can be viewed from the pier. On other trips I have seen raccoons and dolphins from it as well.

 

    

    Otis got another short beach walk in the afternoon, there wasn't much to it. Just from the car down to the water and back. His highlight is always rubbing his back in the sand. 

    On this final beach walk, I got to see and Otis got to sniff South Carolina's state shell. Well the critter it comes from. This is a Lettered Olive, a sea snail. If you find these on the beach please don't take them home with you unless it is an empty shell. Leaving critters that you may find undisturbed helps ensure that future generations will get to see them when they walk down the beach. We hope you enjoyed reading this post and that you may have learned about a new place to eat, go or at least a nature fact from it. Thanks for reading.

Nature Center Scenic Trail

Very last left turn on Hunting Island before the bridge to Fripp Island