The airports that are closest to the Baruch Institutes are Myrtle Beach, SC and Charleston, SC.
We will run a limited number of shuttles to the Myrtle Beach airport.

Carpool form 

Amtrak. For those of you on the East Coast, the Silver Meteor and the Palmetto Amtrak routes
stop at North Charleston and Kingstree, SC. Kingstree is the closest station (1 hour drive to
Hobcaw), but then if you want to rent a car your option is Enterprise in Lake City 20 min away
and not toward Georgetown. It is unstaffed. If you are hoping to coordinate a ride with someone
else, North Charleston might be easier as that station is 4 miles/15 minutes from the Charleston
airport and then a 90 min drive to Hobcaw. That station is staffed. There is no train service in
Myrtle Beach.
Uber from the Myrtle Beach airport to Hobcaw Barony is about $60.

By Car:
Hobcaw Barony is on US Route 17 just North of the Waccamaw River and Georgetown, SC.
Hobcaw is at 33.36385194966518, -79.2292989839832 or 177 Hobcaw Road, Georgetown, SC,
29440.
Heading north from Georgetown, after you cross the Peedee and Waccamaw Rivers, Hobcaw is
the first right, about ¾ of a mile after the bridge.
Heading South from Pawley’s Island, Hobcaw Barony is about 5 miles after the last of the
development. You’ll see the entrance to Debordieu Colony on the left and then the Little Red
Barn on the right, about ½ mile from Hobcaw, which is on the left. If you cross the river, you just
missed it.

Annual Meeting Full Schedule 

OBFS PROGRAM 2024

Workshops will be held before and after the main portion of the meeting, Thursday night will be the auction and dance party to allow everyone to fly out on Friday

Annual Meeting Workshops List

Monday 11/11

Workshop #1: Expand Your FSML Horizons with The Virtual Field: 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Workshop #2:  Development of an Interoperable Field Station Management Platform: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. 

Workshop #3: Best Practices for Field Station Outreach and Environmental Education: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. 

Friday 11/15

Workshop #4: Ecotones: Arts at Field Stations & Marine Labs: 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 

Workshop #5: Developing Workflows for Field Station Data Using R and GIS Tools: 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Housing Choices:

Please take a look at the full details here (OBFS Housing Choices) Housing options will also all be broken down on the registration form. Pillows are included but there will be an add-on option for linens and towels.

Housing on site is limited (60 beds) and is typical to field station lodging – no frills, mostly twin beds, some top bunks. Please see description of housing options below.  Linens/towels are not provided. You can bring your own or opt in for linen service during registration.

Happily, there are numerous other options within a 15-minute drive. Beach and other AirBnB/VRBO rentals abound and November is generally a low season. Look at Georgetown, Pawleys Island, or Litchfield, roughly 15 min from Hobcaw. Murrells Inlet or Garden City are about 30 minutes away. You might line up folks to share through the OBFS listserve.

Area hotels:

Walking distance to food and drinks:

Hampton Inn (Pawleys Island),

Georgetown’s new boutique hotel, The George.

Best Western (Pawleys Island).

Hampton Inn (Georgetown)

Not walking distance to food, but not far from Hobcaw Barony and recently remodeled:

Quality Inn (Pawleys)

We do not recommend the Baymont or the Budget Inn in Georgetown.

OBFS Tours

It’s confusing, but Hobcaw Barony was the private property of Belle W. Baruch who purchased it
from her father, Bernard Baruch, a Wall Street Financier and Presidential advisor. When Belle
died in 1964, she placed her property in a non-profit trust with the charge to work with the public
universities of South Carolina to further research and education in forestry, wildlife, and marine
science. Her partner, Ella Severin, helped guide the Foundation until her death in 2001. In 1968
the Clemson Baruch Institute was founded (Non-Marine Natural Resources), with USC Baruch
Institute (Marine Sciences) following in 1969. A few years ago, Coastal Carolina University and
Francis Marion University co-sponsored a new SC Studies Institute (Anthropology and History).
So from 1 visionary woman we have 1 property, 16,000 acres, 3 institutes, 4 universities, 2 fully-
staffed field stations (Clemson and USC), and 10,000 years of history.

View Map 

Please upload your generous and hilarious auction items here! We are looking for unique items that will bring in a lot of buck for their bang (see what I did there?!) - think handmade items, regional specialties, art, puns, kid's stuff, unique performances, professional services, science-y stuff, outdoor gear, amazing trips and experiences, field station swag, and more! Be creative!

• If you cancel before October 12, you'll receive a 95% refund. (The 5% covers credit card fees.) If you subsequently want to register for virtual participation, you are welcome to do so.
• If you cancel starting October 12, you'll get a refund of your registration fee minus 5%, plus a $50 fee, and any non-refundable costs for field trips or workshops. The fee covers other expenses incurred by then but in return you will be automatically registered for virtual participation.

To cancel your registration: please email Website Administrator- web_admin@obfs.org

To request a refund: please email the Treasurer - pwetzel@smith.edu

Join us on Friday, November 15th from 5-7 p.m. at Georgetown Public Library 405 Cleland St. Georgetown SC! 

Buy Your Tickets Now! 
Light bites and non alcoholic drinks provided!

With Special Speaker Patrick D. McMillan, PhD, this is an event you will not want to miss. Patrick's expertise and commitment to conservation resonate deeply, making him a voice that will inspire us all to appreciate and protect our natural world. Join us for an enlightening session filled with insights, stories, and a fresh perspective on the beauty of nature that you won’t want to miss!
View his full bio