Cherry Grove Pier

Cherry Grove Pier is the Grand Strand's classic fishing pier and the best place on the north end to stand above the Atlantic for a few dollars. It reaches 985 feet out from the beach at 3500 North Ocean Boulevard in the Cherry Grove section of North Myrtle Beach, a weathered timber walkway lined with anglers, and it ends at the only two-story observation deck in the Myrtle Beach area, where you can look back along miles of beach and out over the water for dolphins. The pier dates from the 1950s and has been part of one family's life since the Prince family bought it in 1965; it has survived the coast's storms by rebuilding, after Hurricane Hugo destroyed it in 1989, after Floyd damaged it in 1999, and most recently after Hurricane Ian in 2022, when it closed for repairs and reopened to walkers and anglers in March 2024. Its most famous moment is a fishing legend: the pier is home of a world-record tiger shark of about 1,789 pounds, a catch still celebrated in the shop. Today the experience is simple and inexpensive. Walkers pay a small admission fee, anglers pay per rod and need no separate fishing license, and the season runs from February 1 to December 1, with long daily hours (6 a.m. to midnight, subject to change off-season). At the base, the Boardwalk Beach Cafe serves frozen drinks, burgers and fish baskets, and the tackle and gift shop sells bait, ice cream and souvenirs. Come at sunrise or late afternoon, when the light and the fishing are best.

What you will see: anglers working the rails for whiting, spot, flounder and bluefish in season, pelicans gliding at eye level, surfers on either side when the swell is up, and, often, dolphins moving along the outer bars. The upper observation deck is the reason non-fishers come: it gives the best elevated view of the north end's beaches without a ticket to anything bigger. Sunrise is spectacular here, since the pier faces the open ocean, and late afternoon brings soft light and the evening bite.

If you want to fish: pay the pier admission plus the per-rod fee at the shop, where you can also buy or rent tackle and bait. No South Carolina saltwater license is required when you fish from a licensed pier with paid admission. Ask the staff what is biting; they know the season and the tides. Note that the pier's fishing season runs February 1 to December 1, so late autumn visits come near the end of the year's run, and hours can shorten off-season.

Fit and pairing: an easy, low-cost hour for families, couples and photographers, and a must for anglers. Pair it with breakfast on Main Street in the Ocean Drive section, a round at Tidewater Golf Club a few minutes away, or a sunset walk on Cherry Grove's wide beach. Behind the oceanfront, the Cherry Grove marsh channels are a quiet kayaking and crabbing area for those who want more time on the water.