South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is the capital of the Grand Strand, sixty miles of wide, gently sloping Atlantic sand running from Little River near the North Carolina line down to Pawleys Island, and for generations of East Coast families it has simply been "the beach." The center of it is pure classic Americana: a 1.2-mile oceanfront boardwalk, the 187-foot SkyWheel lit up over the dunes, more than thirty themed mini golf courses, Broadway at the Beach's lake of shops and restaurants, and a stage-show scene that turns every November into a Christmas season of its own.
But the Strand is wider and wilder than its neon suggests. Drive south and you reach Murrells Inlet, the seafood capital of South Carolina, with its MarshWalk of dockside bars; Brookgreen Gardens, where Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington set one of the country's great collections of American sculpture among live oaks and old rice fields; the Huntingtons' Moorish winter house at Atalaya, beside three miles of undeveloped state-park beach and some of the best birding on the East Coast; and Pawleys Island, the "arrogantly shabby" cottage colony where the rope hammock was born. Drive north and North Myrtle Beach brings shag dancing, Barefoot Landing on the Intracoastal Waterway and big resort towers on quieter sand. This guide books the essentials properly, flags what runs seasonally, and matches you to the right base, because on a coast this long, where you stay decides the trip.
Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
Sharks gliding overhead in the Dangerous Reef tunnel, a stingray touch pool, penguins and thousands of reef fish at Broadway at the Beach. The Grand Strand's best rainy-day plan, open year-round.
SkyWheel Myrtle Beach
The 187-foot observation wheel on the boardwalk: climate-controlled glass gondolas, three slow revolutions over the Atlantic, and a nightly LED light show. Celebrating its 15th year and running all winter.
Broadway at the Beach
A 350-acre shopping, dining and entertainment district wrapped around 23-acre Lake Broadway: 100-plus shops, 20-plus restaurants, PopStroke, WonderWorks, Pavilion Park rides and theaters. Free to walk, busy year-round.
Myrtle Beach State Park
South Carolina's first state park, opened in 1936: a quiet beach, a fishing pier, maritime forest, a nature center and 1930s CCC cabins, minutes from the hotel strip. Trails close November through January.
A free, 1.2-mile oceanfront walk between the 14th Avenue and 2nd Avenue piers: a quiet dune stretch at one end, arcades, gift shops, the SkyWheel and Plyler Park at the other. Open around the clock, all year.
The 187-foot observation wheel on the boardwalk: climate-controlled glass gondolas, three slow revolutions over the Atlantic, and a nightly LED light show. Celebrating its 15th year and running all winter.
Sharks gliding overhead in the Dangerous Reef tunnel, a stingray touch pool, penguins and thousands of reef fish at Broadway at the Beach. The Grand Strand's best rainy-day plan, open year-round.
FreeA 350-acre shopping, dining and entertainment district wrapped around 23-acre Lake Broadway: 100-plus shops, 20-plus restaurants, PopStroke, WonderWorks, Pavilion Park rides and theaters. Free to walk, busy year-round.
The Huntingtons' masterpiece south of Murrells Inlet: American figurative sculpture set among live oak allees, formal gardens and old rice fields, with a native-animal collection. One ticket covers seven days.
Three miles of undeveloped beach, a freshwater lake with alligators, 300-plus recorded bird species and Atalaya, the Huntingtons' Moorish-style winter home. The wild south end of the Grand Strand.
A free half-mile wooden boardwalk along the salt marsh in the seafood capital of South Carolina, lined with dockside restaurants and bars, live music and sunset views over the inlet.
North Myrtle Beach's waterfront village on the Intracoastal Waterway: shops, restaurants with water views, Alligator Adventure, the Alabama Theatre and House of Blues. Free to stroll, with holiday shows from November.
Myrtle Beach's flagship variety theater: country, pop, gospel, comedy and dance with a big live band. November and December belong to The Christmas Show of the South, now in its 40th season.
Dolly Parton's pirate dinner show: Crimson versus Sapphire crews battling on full-size ships in an indoor lagoon, acrobatics, sea lions and a four-course feast. Christmas edition runs Nov 4, 2026 to Jan 2, 2027.
South Carolina's first state park, opened in 1936: a quiet beach, a fishing pier, maritime forest, a nature center and 1930s CCC cabins, minutes from the hotel strip. Trails close November through January.
The "arrogantly shabby" four-mile island at the south end of the Grand Strand: weathered cypress cottages, two old inns, no hotels or chain stores, and the birthplace of the Pawleys Island rope hammock.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
North Myrtle Beach
North Myrtle Beach's upscale condo resort, long known as North Beach Plantation: twin 18-story oceanfront towers, a 2.5-acre pool complex with swim-up bar and lazy river, a spa, and Barefoot Landing minutes away.
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$$$Kingston Resorts / North Myrtle Beach Area
255 refreshed two-room oceanfront suites at Kingston Resorts, with free breakfast and evening reception, the Currents waterparks, Black Drum Brewing, a spa and pickleball. The best full-service family hotel on the Strand.
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$$Central Oceanfront
A long-running family resort on about 700 feet of central oceanfront: four towers of condos and suites, a lazy river, The Cove indoor slides, a sunken pirate ship and a short walk to the boardwalk.
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$$Central Oceanfront / Near Broadway at the Beach
A big, cheerful oceanfront family resort at 3000 North Ocean Boulevard with more than 14 pools, an outdoor lazy river, an indoor pool deck, a tiki bar and Broadway at the Beach a few minutes away.
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$$Oceanfront Myrtle Beach
The Myrtle Beach family favorite with a 30,000-square-foot indoor water park, a 250-foot river ride, year-round kids club and oceanfront rooms with kitchens. Built for rainy days and winter breaks.
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$$South Ocean Boulevard
A south-end family resort at 901 South Ocean Boulevard with 15 water features, including an indoor lazy river and a pirate-ship kids waterpark, a refreshed lobby and the new District entertainment venue.
Check rates →Litchfield Beach / Pawleys Island
A 600-acre resort on the South Strand at Pawleys Island: oceanfront suites, condos and beach houses, a pool plaza with lazy river, an indoor heated pool, golf and bike trails, minutes from Brookgreen.
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$$$Grande Dunes / North End Myrtle Beach
The Grand Strand's most polished full-service beach hotel: oceanfront rooms with balconies in the upscale Grande Dunes community, indoor and outdoor pools, Hibiscus Spa, five restaurants and championship golf nearby.
Check rates →Kingston Resorts / North End Myrtle Beach
The quieter, more adult sister of the Embassy Suites at Kingston: oceanfront balcony rooms, a sand-bottom pool with cabanas, Spa33, Black Drum's local beers and access to the Currents waterparks next door.
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$$South Ocean Boulevard
A big, freshly renovated south-end family resort: three oceanfront towers, more than 530 rooms to three-bedroom condos, and 23 water features, including three lazy rivers, six pools and two waterslides.
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$$South Ocean Boulevard
A dependable brand-name oceanfront stay on South Ocean Boulevard with free hot breakfast, a pool deck with a lazy river and kids splash zone, balcony rooms with living areas and a poolside bar with ocean views.
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$$South Ocean Boulevard / Springmaid Beach
The south-end resort beside Springmaid Pier, with renovated oceanfront rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a resort charge that covers pier fishing, mini golf and water-park access, and dog-friendly stays.
Check rates →Surfside Beach
A relaxed oceanfront hotel in Surfside Beach, the Family Beach south of Myrtle Beach: free parking, kids eat free, bunk-bed family rooms, an outdoor pool on the sand and Saltaire Coastal Kitchen.
Check rates →Murrells Inlet
The budget base for the South Strand: suites with kitchens, free hot breakfast, free parking and a saline pool, 1.5 miles from the MarshWalk and a short drive from Brookgreen and Huntington Beach State Park.
Check rates →Little River
A budget base on the harbor in Little River, the fishing village at the top of the Grand Strand: marina-view suites, free breakfast and parking, a dog-friendly policy and Cherry Grove beaches about three miles away.
Check rates →The orientation every first visit needs: the sixty-mile shape of the Grand Strand, which end suits which traveler, the free essentials, the paid highlights worth booking, and what changes from summer to the off-season.
The base decision that shapes every Grand Strand trip: North Myrtle Beach's condo towers, central Myrtle Beach's walkable oceanfront, or the quiet South Strand near Brookgreen and Pawleys, with this guide's seven hotels placed.
A three-day plan that balances the classic beach strip with the gardens and marsh of the South Strand, sequences the bookable highlights, and adapts for rainy days, young children and the November-to-March off-season.
How to eat well on the Grand Strand: what Calabash-style seafood is and where to find it, the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk crawl, the dining hubs at Broadway at the Beach and Barefoot Landing, and how the off-season changes the scene.
What stays open, what closes and what is better when the crowds go home: holiday shows, Brookgreen's candlelit nights, empty beaches, dog-friendly boardwalks, indoor water parks and the lowest rates of the year.
The day (or two) that changes how people see Myrtle Beach: the Huntingtons' gardens and winter house, a wild state-park beach, the seafood capital's MarshWalk and the arrogantly shabby cottages of Pawleys Island.
