By Local Opinion
Stables Park is a relatively new addition to the attractions of Pawleys Island. It is home to some extremely well-maintained fields that host soccer, football, and lacrosse tournaments - and probably several other sports I just have’t happened to see yet. The fields are also open to the public, though not to dogs, so it’s not uncommon to see runners, walkers, and folks practicing sports out there on any given day.
The park also boasts Pawleys Island’s only disc golf course, Warrior Run. The course only has nine holes, but it offers some very challenging shots among low-hanging live oaks and over and around the ponds that dot that side of the park.
The ponds themselves are great fishing holes, with plentiful largemouth bass, panfish, and a few other species I’ve yet to see. They are also the home of many turtles and the occasional alligator. I’ve also seen ducks and other waterfowl.
Speaking of birds, Stables has fantastic birding, as it has some older growth long-leaf pine. These pines are very slow growing and were cut for timber and other uses in the past hundred years, so the birds and creatures that call these trees home become concentrated around them. At Stables, that means pileated woodpeckers and fox squirrels. I’ve probably seen more pileated woodpeckers at Stables than everywhere else combined.
The backside of the park hosts the disc golf course, but it’s also great for walkers and runners. There is a well-trodden path that circles the ponds and cuts through the park, often used by cross country teams to practice and compete. Many folks walk their dogs through there, and there are dog bag stations dotted throughout the park.
The park has a small concessions booth, though it’s never opened in my experience. The building also houses a couple of bathrooms, though they too are often locked.
One more interesting detail about the park: it borders a Carolina Bay! This geographical oddity means that part of the park is swampy and wet year-round. This does bring about the one major downside to Stables: the summertime mosquitos. Bring some bug repellant if you’re going to be walking near the woods!
Neighborhoods with Direct Access to Stables Park
Being in direct proxemity to the park is awesome - you can walk your dog (or just yourself) into the park at any time, catch a fish, play a couple holes of disc golf, and be home all in the time it takes most folks to get to the park.
These neighborhoods all have direct access to the park from some point, but obviously these communities can be large and it may be nontrivial to get from a given point inside the neighborhood to the park itself. Nevertheless, they all have some frontage or direct access to the park.