Segway Through a Coastal State Park to a Moorish Castle
A guided Segway run through Huntington Beach State Park, with training first and Atalaya's 1930s walls at the far end.
Huntington Beach State Park holds a beach, a salt marsh and a freshwater lake on one property outside Murrells Inlet. This tour covers it standing up. A training session in the grass comes first, then the group moves out along park roads and packed trails with a guide narrating as it goes.
The park puts alligators mainly on the freshwater side of the causeway. Riders describe them sitting close to the path. One visitor wrote in August 2023 about watching three of them cross in front of the group.
Bookings cap at eight riders. First-timers fill most of the reviews, including a woman who booked for her husband's seventieth birthday and wrote that they were given training and time to ride around and get used to their individual Segway. Helmets are included and every rider signs a waiver before the lesson starts.
2-Hour Guided Segway Tour of Huntington Beach State ParkMyrtle Beach Segway · Up to 8 riders · Helmets and training includedwww.viator.comThe Lesson Comes First
Training runs in an open grassy area beside the parking lot and covers starting, stopping and turning before anyone heads out. Reviews from people who had never touched a Segway are consistent. One rider wrote that the tutorial before the start left her comfortable from the beginning. Another rode with a family of seven aged 15 to 51, all new to it, and described a guide patient enough that everyone felt confident.
One October 2023 review notes the lesson skipped how to park the machine, which the group worked out on its own. A separate review describes a short lesson followed by an expectation of expert riding. The tour averages 4.9 from 628 reviews, which puts both in the minority.
Where the Alligators Sit
The park names two places for alligators: the freshwater side of the causeway, and the straight road running from the Atalaya entrance out to Highway 17. Birds work the other side. The marsh edge of the causeway and Sandpiper Pond Nature Trail are the park's picks for pelicans, spoonbills and waders, and loggerhead turtles nest on the beach in season.
Wildlife here is a chance, and the tour sells it that way. Riders report gators often enough that it reads as routine. One described a nest alongside the animals. Another put it simply at plenty of them.
The Gate Fee Is Separate
Park admission is collected at the main gate and sits outside the tour price. The park publishes it in tiers: 8 dollars per adult, 5 dollars for a South Carolina senior, 4 dollars for youth aged 6 to 15, and no charge for children 5 and under. Atalaya charges its own admission of 2 dollars for anyone aged 6 and up, with under-fives free.
The fare covers the ride and the equipment, and the gate fee is yours to pay on arrival. Park gates run 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, stretching to 9:00 PM during daylight saving time. Atalaya keeps 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, extended to 5:00 PM in the same season. The Nature Center opens 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily.
Thirty Rooms, Twenty-Five Chimneys
Atalaya went up between 1931 and 1933, built by local laborers under contractor William Thompson to a design by Archer Milton Huntington, who modeled it on the Moorish architecture of the Spanish coast. His wife, the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, worked here through the winters. The single-story square sits about 150 yards back from the Atlantic, with thirty rooms off an inner hall and twenty-five chimneys capped by copper hoods that turn with the wind. It joined the National Register in 1984 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1992. The ride brings you to its walls. Going inside happens on your own, before or after the tour, on that separate 2-dollar admission.
The meeting point is the south parking lot at Huntington Beach State Park, across from the gift shop. The operator's own directions carry the detail that matters: once inside the park, cross the causeway, turn right, and continue about a thousand feet to the visitor center lot. Look for the white Ford van marked with Segway symbols.
The operator's booking notes for this tour ask riders to arrive no later than 30 minutes before the start time. Departures run daily at 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM. Riders need to be at least 12, and anyone under 18 rides with an adult. The ceiling is 300 pounds, with a floor the operator gives as roughly 70 pounds on its site and 80 pounds in its booking terms. Pregnant riders are not permitted. Cancelling at least 24 hours ahead returns the full fare.
Two current notes from the park: the Nature Center marsh boardwalk is closed for construction, and Atalaya shuts for large events on its calendar. The park office confirms a specific date. Weekends and holidays fill the lot, and the park suggests arriving outside the 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM crush.
Take the 3:30 PM departure in daylight saving season and the park stays open until 9:00 PM, which leaves the beach for afterwards.