Hitting the beach this summer? Here are SC's top 10 beaches, voted by readers

Looking for the perfect beach to take the kids to during summer break? If you live in South Carolina, you are in luck.

While great weather keeps tourists coming back for more, the state is also home to some of the nation's best beaches, according to USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice Awards.

In the list, 10 S.C. beaches were ranked, with Pawleys Island landing first place for best beach. After this news breaks out, we expect beach bums to grab their favorite beach chair and make a mad dash for Pawleys. However, there are many other local favorites to consider visiting on the list, such as Cherry Grove Beach and Surfside Beach.

Or, you could just visit them all.

Wondering if your beach fav made the list? Read on to find out and learn why Pawleys Island is No. 1 this year.

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Pawley's Island is SC's best beach

Pawleys Island is one of the East Coast's oldest summer resorts located 70 miles north of Charleston and 25 miles south of Myrtle Beach. In the early 1700s, the families of rice planters who owned plantations on the nearby rivers first settled into the area, choosing to live on the seashore to avoid sickness caused by the rivers during the summer. Come May of each year, cows, horses, families, bedding, furniture, and provisions were moved into Pawleys, where the island goers stayed until November's first frost, according to Town of Pawleys Island. Twelve residences in the historic district remain in Pawleys today dating to the late 1700s to mid 1800s. The island is now known for its laid-back lifestyle where residents and visitors can enjoy crabbing in the creeks, fishing, listening to ghost stories, and dreaming away in hammocks.

"While the community is home to just over 100 residents, the population swells in the warm months, when beachgoers arrive to enjoy sunbathing, swimming, and surfing." said the USA TODAY story.

What other SC beaches made it into the Top 10?

∎ No. 1: Pawley's Island

∎ No. 2: North Myrtle Beach

∎ No. 3: Hunting Island State Park

∎ No. 4: Litchfield Beach

∎ No. 5: Huntington Beach, Murrells Inlet

∎ No. 6: Cherry Grove Beach, North Myrtle Beach

∎ No. 7: Surfside Beach

∎ No. 8: Central Myrtle Beach

∎ No. 9: Folly Beach

∎ No. 10: Kiawah Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island

Where are some of SC's least crowded beaches?

Pawleys Island sounds like it could very well be packed come summertime. This may leave shy guys wondering where S.C.'s least crowded beaches are. Let's face it ― not all beachgoers are willing to compromise their downtime with the sound of kids chasing one another on the sand, or a volleyball being tossed in their direction.

If you are a person where less is more, Livability recommends these S.C. beach spots to avoid crowds:

∎ Isle of Palms Beach

∎ Garden City Beach

∎ Bloody Point Beach

∎ Fripp Island Beach

∎ Folly Beach

∎ Huntington Beach State Park

∎ Kiawah Island

Nina Tran covers trending topics. Reach her via email at ntran@gannett.com