Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach has over 100 golf courses in a 25-mile stretch of Atlantic coastline. That is one number that explains a lot about the place: it is purpose-built for leisure at scale, designed to absorb several million visitors per year without any of them having to try particularly hard. That is not a criticism. It is a useful characteristic if you understand it going in. Myrtle Beach will not surprise you with hidden depths, but it will give you a well-organised beach holiday, good seafood, and a choice of 60 miles of sandy coastline that most coastal cities can only dream about.

Getting There and Getting Around

Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) is 3.5 miles from the central beach strip. Rental cars are the most practical option for the area: the resort strip runs 60 miles from Little River in the north to Pawleys Island in the south, and without a car you are limited to a small central zone. Uber and Lyft operate throughout the Grand Strand. The Coast RTA bus network covers the main corridor for one dollar per ride on most routes; the 15S line runs between the airport and the boardwalk area and is useful for budget travellers staying near the centre.

Parking near the boardwalk costs around 2 to 5 dollars per hour in summer. Most oceanfront resorts include parking in their rates. If you are driving in from out of state, Highway 17 Business (Kings Highway) is the main north-south artery through the strip; US-501 is the primary inland route from I-95.

Where to Go

The Boardwalk and Ocean Boulevard: The 1.2-mile boardwalk between 14th Avenue North and 2nd Avenue North is the pedestrian spine of the resort area. The SkyWheel at the north end, an enclosed gondola Ferris wheel, gives good views up and down the beach for around 17 dollars per person. Pier 14, midway along, has a sit-down restaurant at the end over the water that is worth a table for the view rather than the food.

Broadway at the Beach: A 350-acre complex off US-17 bypass containing restaurants, bars, shops, mini-golf, a comedy club, and Ripley’s Aquarium. The aquarium (around 28 dollars for adults) is a reasonable half-day attraction with a walk-through shark tunnel and a respectable touch pool. Broadway at the Beach tends toward tourist pricing across the board; treat it as an entertainment district rather than a dining destination.

Brookgreen Gardens: This is the best single attraction in the entire Grand Strand area and the one most visitors shortchange. Located 16 miles south of Myrtle Beach in Murrell’s Inlet on Highway 17, Brookgreen was established in 1932 by sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington on the site of four former rice plantations. The outdoor sculpture collection, around 2,000 pieces spread across 9,000 acres of Lowcountry landscape, is the largest public collection of American figurative sculpture in the country. Entry runs around 22 dollars for adults. Budget at least three hours; a half-day is better. In December, the Nights of a Thousand Candles event fills the gardens with over 5,000 candles and holiday lights, which is genuinely spectacular.

Myrtle Beach State Park: Two miles south of the main strip on Highway 17 Business, the state park offers a quieter, cleaner beach experience than the commercial zone to the north. Day-use entry costs 8 dollars for adults. The maritime forest nature trail through the park is short (about a mile) but gives a clear sense of what the coastline looked like before development.

Murrells Inlet: The self-styled “seafood capital of South Carolina” sits about 15 miles south of Myrtle Beach. The MarshWalk is a half-mile boardwalk along the salt marsh inlet with eight waterfront restaurants, most of which host live music in the evenings and offer open-air seating over the water. Drunken Jack’s is the most atmospheric, built on a deck above the marsh with a menu centred on fried shrimp baskets, sea scallops, and the daily catch. Budget 20 to 30 dollars for a main.

Conway: Fifteen miles inland along Highway 501, Conway was founded in 1732 on the Waccamaw River and is the county seat of Horry County. Most beach visitors never go here, which makes it the nearest thing to a local secret the Grand Strand offers. The historic downtown along Kingston Street has 19th-century storefronts, a riverside walking trail, independent coffee shops, and no souvenir stores. A good half-morning alternative to another day on the sand.

Where to Eat

The Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood (US-17 Business): One of the best seafood buffets in the Southeast, consistently cited by locals over the tourist-oriented competitors. The buffet format means freshness depends on turnover, which is high enough at dinner service that the shrimp, crab legs, and hush puppies are reliably good. Expect around 35 to 45 dollars per person at dinner.

Peaches Corner (Ocean Boulevard): Operating since 1937, this is the oldest food stand on the boardwalk. Hot dogs, burgers, milkshakes, and the kind of no-frills setup that is increasingly rare in a beach resort. A full meal runs under 15 dollars.

Mrs. Fish (downtown Myrtle Beach): A local favourite that most visitors walk past without registering. Fresh seafood, low prices, paper plates. The fried flounder and shrimp and grits are the standouts. Expect 15 to 22 dollars for a main.

The Bowery (Ocean Boulevard): Opened in 1944 and claims to be where Alabama played its first show. This is a honky-tonk bar with a food menu of ribs and Southern standards rather than a restaurant with live music on the side. The distinction matters for managing expectations: come for the atmosphere and the cold beer, not the cuisine.

MarshWalk restaurants (Murrells Inlet): See above. Drunken Jack’s, Bovine’s Waterfront Bar and Grill, and Wicked Tuna all have good reputations and consistent quality. Go on a weeknight in summer to avoid 45-minute waits.

Calabash-style seafood: The term refers to a style originating from the small North Carolina fishing town just over the state line. Calabash seafood means lightly battered and fried in small pieces (shrimp, fish, scallops, oysters) rather than heavy-battered, served with hush puppies and cole slaw. Multiple restaurants along the strip offer this; Calabash Seafood Hut in Little River and Captain’s Cabin in Surfside Beach are consistently rated above the tourist-zone competitors.

Where to Stay

Oceanfront resorts (mid-range): The Caravelle Resort and Breakers Resort are both well-established family properties with multiple pools, lazy rivers, and direct beach access. Rates run 120 to 250 dollars per night in shoulder season, rising to 250 to 400 dollars in peak July and August. The Caravelle’s condo-style units with kitchenettes are particularly useful for families wanting to reduce restaurant spending.

Budget: Hampton Inn and Suites Myrtle Beach Oceanfront (21st Avenue North) is a reliable mid-scale option from around 120 to 200 dollars per night in season, with breakfast included. For genuinely budget rates (70 to 100 dollars in shoulder season), look at the properties on US-17 Business one or two blocks from the beach rather than oceanfront.

Higher end: The Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort and Spa at Grande Dunes in the northern part of the strip (near 82nd Avenue North) is the most coherent upscale option, with a marina, two pools, and a stretch of semi-private beach away from the main commercial cluster. Rates from 200 to 450 dollars depending on season.

Short-term rentals: VRBO and Airbnb have significant inventory throughout the Grand Strand, particularly in North Myrtle Beach (quieter, more residential) and Pawleys Island (further south, genuinely slower-paced). A two-bedroom condo with kitchen access for a week often undercuts equivalent hotel room rates significantly.

Golf

Over 100 championship courses operate within the Grand Strand, from public daily-fee tracks running 40 to 80 dollars per round to resort-affiliated layouts with rates above 200 dollars. TPC Myrtle Beach at Barefoot Resort, Caledonia Golf and Fish Club in Pawleys Island, and Dunes Golf and Beach Club are considered the top three by most golf publications. Caledonia, designed by Mike Strantz, is generally rated the best-value top-tier track in the area. Spring and fall are the best seasons for golf: lower rates, cooler temperatures, and fewer weekend crowds.

Seasonal Timing

June through August is peak season. The beach is at its best, temperatures are in the high 80s to low 90s Fahrenheit, and every attraction and restaurant is operating. It is also the most expensive, most crowded, and hottest period. Highway 17 in July can be genuinely frustrating.

May and September are the practical sweet spot: warm enough to swim comfortably, prices 20 to 40 percent below peak, and noticeably less traffic on the strip.

October through April is off-season. The beach is pleasant on good days in October and November, and winter hotel rates drop below 100 dollars per night for decent oceanfront rooms. Hurricane season runs June through November; tropical weather affects the area most often in August and September, but significant storms are relatively infrequent.

Practical Notes

South Carolina has no state income tax on retirement income and low property taxes, which partly explains why the Grand Strand has a large permanent retiree population alongside the visitor economy. The area is politically conservative by the standards of major US coastal cities; this is relevant mainly in terms of the general character of the place rather than visitor experience.

Currency is US dollars; cards are accepted everywhere. Tipping of 18 to 20 percent is standard in restaurants. Sales tax in South Carolina is 6 percent plus local taxes, which pushes the effective rate to around 9 to 10 percent in Myrtle Beach.

Public beach access is guaranteed by South Carolina law at multiple access points along the strip. Paid parking lots operate at major access points in summer for around 2 to 5 dollars per hour. Most oceanfront hotels restrict beach access to guests, but the beach itself is public.

One practical tip that saves time: the main GPS route from I-95 to Myrtle Beach sends most arrivals along US-501 through Conway. In summer, the last 10 miles of this route can take 45 minutes in Friday afternoon traffic. The bypass via SC-544 (taking SC-576 east) avoids the worst of it and is worth adding to your routing app as a waypoint.