Litchfield is located on an eight-mile stretch of beach in the Waccamaw Neck section of Georgetown County, South Carolina. The Waccamaw Neck is a long, narrow stretch of land bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Waccamaw River (the largest fresh water section of the Intracoastal Waterway).

This area is home to little and great blue herons, snowy egrets, osprey, gulls and pelicans, among many other waterfowl. Sea turtles nest on the beaches here, and you can safely look at alligators at Huntington Beach State Park, just north of North Litchfield Beach. Other wildlife, as well as the world's largest collection of outdoor statuary, can be seen at Brookgreen Gardens, a five minute drive. Here, stately oaks shelter more than 400 pieces of art work, encompassing a wealth of American sculpture dating from the 19th century.

Championship golf and tennis facilities abound.

There are great restaurants. Sea crab soup is a specialty, but there are other bounties from the sea. Like plump jumbo shrimp (you can catch smaller ones on your own in the salt creeks here if you want to invest in a net and have lots of energy), succulent oysters, soft shell or blue crab and the very freshest of fish in settings from casual to casually elegant with outside dining. We'll be glad to give you our own personal list of favorite restaurants.

You can steep yourself in more than 300 years of American history at Historic Georgetown, 20 minutes south. Tour a sea captain's home form the 1700's that House Beautiful calls a "must see." Visit the fascinating Rice Museum. And take a walking or tram tour of the city's proudly maintained historic district. There are river tours as well, or you can make your own day trip on the river by renting a pontoon boat. (The boat comes with a map that offers suggested trips.)

This area has some of the best shelling in the Carolinas.

There are charter trips three days a week to Bull Island off Cape Romain which is south of Georgetown. You can catch a 30-minute boat ride to the island for a day of fantastic shelling. Shell treasures might include Scotch bonnets, whelks, sea urchins and horse conchs. Bull Island is wildlife untouched, featuring some 250 species of birds, 16 miles of trails and Boneyard Beach. Bring everything you'll need for the daylong excursion, including sunscreen, insect repelant, hats, picnic lunch and beverages - but don't take more than you can carry.

A half hour north is Myrtle Beach, with fabulous entertainment complexes featuring top name country entertainers and more.

Litchfield is a different state of mind and a different way of life.