Things to do in Myrtle Beach
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Myrtle Beach
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Deep off season, 50s to 60s, snowbird monthly rentals, empty sand and Brookgreen camellias.
Marathon, Can-Am Days and the St Patrick's festival, golf season ignites, sea still cold.
Best window, 70s to 80s, golf peak and everything open before summer crowds, watch Bike Week dates.
Carolina Country Music Fest takes over downtown in early June, then full summer begins.
Peak heat, humidity, thunderstorms and queues, book everything and tee off early or late.
World Amateur fills courses in late August, then prices drop after Labour Day while the sea stays warm, hurricane risk peaks.
Second best window, driest stretch, fall festivals, oyster roasts and swimmable sea into October.
Festive and underrated, Nights of a Thousand Candles and Christmas shows with the cheapest good hotel rates.
What's on
- Restaurant Week January
The value dining move of deep off season.
- Myrtle Beach Marathon early March
Early March marathon as golf season starts.
- Can-Am Days Usually mid March
Festival for the Canadian winter visitors.
- North Myrtle Beach St. Patrick's Parade & Festival Usually a Saturday in mid March
Parade and festival in North Myrtle Beach.
- ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic May
PGA Tour event at the Dunes Club, book the north end ahead.
- Bike Week Spring Rally Usually mid May, ten days
Ten days centred on Murrells Inlet, base north if you do not ride.
- Blue Crab Festival Usually a weekend in mid May
Little River seafood festival in mid May.
- Carolina Country Music Fest Usually early June, four days
Four day oceanfront downtown festival, come for it or avoid the weekend entirely.
- Hot Summer Nights begins in June
Boardwalk summer entertainment season begins.
- World Amateur Handicap Championship late Aug-early Sept
Fills mid tier golf courses across the Strand.
Best things to do in Myrtle Beach
Brookgreen Gardens
Sculpture gardens, live oaks and a Lowcountry zoo on a former rice plantation south of town.
Myrtle Beach Boardwalk
A 1.2 mile oceanfront promenade between two piers, best walked once at dusk for orientation.
SkyWheel Myrtle Beach
A 187 foot wheel with enclosed gondolas giving the best single view of how long the Strand is.
Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
A strong mid size aquarium with a shark tunnel and penguin habitat, the best rainy day move.
The Carolina Opry
The original Strand variety show, two hours of country, rock and Broadway covers with comedy.
Alabama Theatre
The north end rival variety theatre at Barefoot Landing, running ICONIC and guest concerts.
Myrtle Beach State Park
A mile of undeveloped oceanfront with a fishing pier and maritime forest minutes from the strip.
Huntington Beach State Park
Three miles of wild beach, marsh boardwalks and top birding across from Brookgreen Gardens.
Where to stay in Myrtle Beach
The North End / Grande Dunes / Golden Mile
first trip, all-round base
Residential Golden Mile plus planned Grande Dunes luxury, close to the Boardwalk without its noise.
North Myrtle Beach - Ocean Drive / Main Street
walkable social base
A separate, calmer city with shag clubs, restaurants and the OD Pavilion around Main Street.
The Market Common
couples, longer stays
A walkable village of shops, restaurants and a cinema by a less commercial beach and the state park.
Downtown / Boardwalk
Boardwalk-focused trips only
Most convenient for the Boardwalk, Family Kingdom and nightlife, but loudest and most variable in quality.
Surfside Beach + Garden City
family house and condo rentals
Lower, residential and golf cart friendly beaches, better for a week than the central strip.
Murrells Inlet / Litchfield / Pawleys Island
food, nature and golf luxury
Base for Brookgreen, Huntington Beach, Caledonia and MarshWalk dinners, a drive from Myrtle Beach proper.
Think twice about
- South-end oceanfront motel strip
Ageing budget motels south of Family Kingdom with the Strand most persistent cleanliness, noise and late night complaints.
- Downtown side streets after midnight
Quiet, poorly lit streets inland and south of the patrolled Boardwalk get risky after bar hours on big event weekends.
- Kings Highway and US-501 inland motel corridors
Highway motels sold as Myrtle Beach with no walkable beach access and no neighbourhood at all.
- Conway, Socastee and Carolina Forest listings sold as Myrtle Beach
Fine residential areas but the wrong base for a beach trip without a car plan, up to 20 minutes from the ocean.
Best restaurants in Myrtle Beach
Frank's
The dining room half of the Pawleys institution since 1988, Lowcountry cooking with Pacific Rim turns.
Frank's Outback
The garden pavilion room at Frank's, most locals favourite seat at the Strand best restaurant.
New York Prime
A clubby white tablecloth steakhouse for Prime cuts and big martinis, the golf trip celebration dinner.
Aspen Grille
Contemporary fine dining with live jazz, known for seared scallops over risotto and local seafood.
Bistro 90
The sister room to Aspen Grille just inland, the alternative when Aspen is fully booked.
Hook & Barrel
Eco conscious seafood house with a raw bar and whole local fish, seafood cooked rather than just fried.
Croissants Bistro & Bakery
The brunch move next door to Hook & Barrel, from the same team behind the modern seafood favourite.
Sea Captain's House
An oceanfront institution since the 1960s for she crab soup, shrimp and grits and a queued for breakfast.
Best bars in Myrtle Beach
Dead Dog Saloon
A MarshWalk saloon for a finish the night drink after dinner on the marsh.
Bubba's Love Shak
A casual MarshWalk bar for a post dinner drink while walking the marsh at night.
Outdoor things to do in Myrtle Beach
The Dunes Golf and Beach Club
Robert Trent Jones Sr 1948 classic and the bucket list round in town, with the famous Waterloo 13th.
Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
Mike Strantz beloved Pawleys course through oak allees and marsh, with a clubhouse porch finish.
True Blue Golf Club
Caledonia brawnier Strantz sibling, wide, sandy and dramatic, ideal as the second round of a pair.
TPC Myrtle Beach
Tom Fazio tournament conditioned course and the best test of golf on the South Strand.
Tidewater Golf Club
The scenic north end course threaded through marsh and Intracoastal holes.
The Dye Course at Barefoot Resort
Pete Dye course at the four course Barefoot Resort, for a stay and play a different architect daily.
The Fazio Course at Barefoot Resort
Tom Fazio course at Barefoot Resort, part of the Strand strongest multi course resort line up.
Grande Dunes Resort Course
Big links flavoured course with seven holes on the Intracoastal, walkable from the Grande Dunes hotels.
Best hotels in Myrtle Beach
Marina Inn at Grande Dunes
The best all round luxury stay, on the Intracoastal with a beach club shuttle and a calm grown up feel.
Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes
The flagship true oceanfront luxury tower on a wide, quieter north end beach, with a full spa.
Island Vista Resort
All suite condo resort with kitchens on a residential stretch of beach, quiet and not downtown.
North Beach Resort & Villas
Amenity heavy villa resort with multiple pools, a swim up bar, spa and steakhouse for groups.
Avista Resort
The North Myrtle walk to dinner and music option, near Main Street in Ocean Drive.
Sea Watch Resort
A big family condo resort with lazy rivers below Grande Dunes prices, in a safe north base.
Kingston Plantation
A large condo resort plantation in Windy Hill, family value with extensive water amenities.
Hampton Inn & Suites Myrtle Beach/Oceanfront
The reliable mid range chain on the sand, with included breakfast and multiple pools in a good area.
Is Myrtle Beach expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $145 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $290 a person |
| Splurge | $600 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach: a few days ahead
- The Carolina Opry: weeks ahead
- Alabama Theatre: weeks ahead
- The Dunes Golf and Beach Club: months ahead
- Caledonia Golf & Fish Club: months ahead
- True Blue Golf Club: months ahead
- Murrells Inlet Fishing Charters: weeks ahead
- Offshore Fishing Charter from Little River: weeks ahead
- Hotels and rentals for June to early August, CCMF, Bike Weeks and Brookgreen candle nights sell out at every tier.
- Dunes, Caledonia and True Blue tee times go months ahead in spring and fall golf season.
- Book Frank's, New York Prime, Aspen Grille and Hook & Barrel for weekend dinners in season.
- Book Opry and Alabama Theatre good seats, Nights of a Thousand Candles, offshore charters and Waites Island rides early.
- On the MarshWalk, put your name in at two rooms and arrive at 5pm or after 8.30pm to cut the wait.
Is Myrtle Beach safe?
- Empty the car completely at beach access lots, break ins there are the Strand signature property crime.
- Swim near a lifeguard, watch rip currents, leave the water at first thunder, and heed jellyfish warnings in late summer.
- Alligators live in every freshwater pond including golf course ponds, never feed them or let dogs swim in them.
- After heavy rain, wait a day or check state swim advisories before swimming on your stretch.
- Emergency number 911.
Myrtle Beach travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Ripley's cluster beyond the aquarium charges theme park prices for 30 minute walk throughs.
- Giant all you can eat seafood buffets sell volume, order a fried platter a la carte instead and spend the saving at Frank's.
- Timeshare welcome gift pitches trade discounted tickets for a hard sell half day presentation.
- Daily beach umbrella and chair rentals can exceed buying a set by day three of a week.
- Broadway at the Beach is an evening, not a full day, give that day to Brookgreen and Huntington Beach.
- Do not drive the whole 60 mile Strand in one day, cluster north, central and south by day.
Getting around Myrtle Beach: public transport and more
- You need a car, there is no useful visitor transit along the Strand.
- Use Highway 31 for longer north to south trips, US-17 Bypass over slow Kings Highway, and Ocean Blvd only for the beach.
- Myrtle Beach International MYR is by Market Common, 10 minutes to south hotels and 20 to 30 to the north end.
- Confirm hotel parking and resort fees before comparing rates, and expect paid downtown Boardwalk parking in season.
Who Myrtle Beach suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Myrtle Beach your trip
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