Broadway at the Beach

Broadway at the Beach is Myrtle Beach's all-in-one entertainment district and, after the oceanfront, the place almost every visitor ends up. Opened on July 4, 1995, it spreads over about 350 acres around 23-acre Lake Broadway, a short drive inland from the beach off the US-17 Bypass, and it is free to enter and wander. The loop around the lake strings together more than 100 shops and more than 20 restaurants (Hard Rock Cafe, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, Joe's Crab Shack, Paula Deen's Family Kitchen and Wahlburgers among them), plus a set of paid attractions that can fill a whole rainy day: Ripley's Aquarium, WonderWorks' upside-down science house, the Hollywood Wax Museum, Pavilion Park's nostalgic rides and the Broadway 360 observation wheel, and PopStroke, the Tiger Woods-designed putting venue that opened in 2024. The Hangout adds an outdoor amphitheater with live music; Senor Frog's, Crocodile Rocks dueling pianos and the theaters handle the nights. 2026 brought fresh additions including Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing, the Slime Kitchen and other new shops. It is commercial and unapologetically so, but it is well designed for families: lots of free parking, lakeside paths, and something for every age within a ten-minute walk. Use it as the base for a rainy day, an evening out or a holiday-season shopping trip.

The district rewards a plan, because it is bigger than it looks. Think of it in clusters. One side of the lake holds the attractions most families come for: Ripley's Aquarium, WonderWorks (more than 100 hands-on exhibits across three floors, plus a ropes course, laser tag and a simulator ride), the Hollywood Wax Museum and the Soar + Explore zipline that crosses about 1,000 feet above the water. Pavilion Park keeps alive the spirit of the old oceanfront Myrtle Beach Pavilion with its classic rides, and the Broadway 360 wheel gives a lakeside sunset view. PopStroke's two 18-hole putting courses, with drinks delivered to your hole, are the modern counterpoint. Restaurants and bars ring the lake, many with waterside decks.

Season shapes the experience. Summer brings the biggest crowds and the warm-weather extras, including the zipline and outdoor events, which operate seasonally and do not run normally in the colder months; some outdoor rides also scale back hours in winter. In November and December the district shifts into holiday mode with lights, shopping and the theaters' Christmas shows: the Broadway Theater, the Legends in Concert theater and the Charles Bach Wonders Theatre all run seasonal programs. Indoor attractions, restaurants and shops keep regular hours year-round, which is why locals send visitors here on gray days.

Practical tips: parking is free in the large surface lots, but the lots nearest the aquarium fill first on rainy afternoons, so arrive before lunch or after dinner. Combine tickets if you plan to do several paid attractions; Ripley's sells an aquarium-plus-two package that includes neighbors here. Families should set a meeting point (the lake's bridges work well) because the layout is a loop. And if you want the quieter version, come in the morning, when the paths around the water are almost peaceful.