Behind the gates of Myrtle Beach State Park is a look at the Grand Strand when it was a remote stretch of quiet beach and forest. The first South Carolina state park to open to the public in 1936, the 312-acre park includes a campground, cabins and apartments, picnic tables, shelters, a fishing pier, nature center, and of course, the beach. Myrtle Beach State Park is also home to a 100-acre strand of maritime forest, one of the last examples of its kind in Horry County that allows visitors a close-up look at a forest by the sea.

Beautiful Places, released by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, is a vibrant photographic history of South Carolina’s forty-seven state parks. The product of decades of arduous work on the part of legislators, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and committed citizens, the parks preserve the diverse natural features of South Carolina--from its mountains to its forest canopies to its gentle, sprawling beaches. The striking eye of photographer Jon O. Holloway lends each image a unique, distinctly American beauty.

This bilingual coloring book introduces children to how South Carolinians can support local conservation effort by purchasing hunting, fishing, and boating licenses from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Children are also introduced to the different regions of the Palmetto State and to the wildlife that also make this state their home.

Most of us who live in the South view the Piedmont as the place we live, or the place we drive through to reach the mountains or the coast. We often see it as a heavily populated, heavily impacted landscape with little to offer. Join Patrick McMillan on an expedition that will shatter this stereotype.

Many publications and conference presentations use quotations to add interest and emphasize the importance of trails and greenways. This book contains over 1,000 trail-related quotes that have been used before, but just get better with use. They are arranged loosely according to subject matter from conservation to outdoor ethics and forests to rivers.

From the majestic Blue Ridge mountains to the sandy shores of the Atlantic Coastline, the South Carolina Nature Viewing Guide will lead you on a tour through ninety-three of the state’s most unique natural areas. Published in 1998, this guide includes beautifully detailed descriptions of the sites, maps, access information, nature viewing tips, and colorful, scenic photographs of the featured areas.

As part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) performed a variety of work throughout the Palmetto State, including soil conservation, reforestation, fire prevention, and the development of recreational areas. The work of the CCC in South Carolina provided the genesis of South Carolina’s state park system. The first state park opened in July 1936 in Myrtle Beach, and by 1938, fourteen state parks had opened and over 450,000 people had visited them.