Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum

The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum, known locally as the Myrtle Beach Art Museum, is the quiet surprise of the south end: a gracious oceanfront house turned gallery, open to the public since 1997, where you can swap the boardwalk's noise for an hour of art with the Atlantic just across the road. It occupies the historic Springmaid Villa at 3100 South Ocean Boulevard, a classic early beach house of the kind that once lined this coast, and its 11 galleries host exhibitions that rotate through the year rather than a fixed permanent display. The program ranges widely: painting, textiles, sculpture, photography, video, ceramics, assemblage and collage, with past shows that brought names such as Ansel Adams and Norman Rockwell to the beach alongside regional artists, including the Lowcountry painter Jonathan Green. The museum also runs a busy education program, and its Lineta Pritchard Pottery Studio, opened in 2018, offers public pottery classes for ages 16 and up. Admission is modest: $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and military, and free for children 18 and under and full-time students, with additional free-admission programs during the year. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., closed on Mondays and major holidays. The gift shop sells handmade art and locally inspired pieces that make better souvenirs than most of what the beach shops offer.

What to expect: because exhibitions rotate, every visit is different; check the museum's site before you go to see what is on. A typical visit takes about an hour, long enough to see all the galleries without hurrying, and the historic villa itself, a short walk from the sand, is part of the pleasure. Families will find it calm and manageable, and the free admission for children makes it an easy cultural hour on a beach trip.

When to go: it is an ideal rainy-day or off-season stop, and a cool, quiet break on a hot summer afternoon. Weekday mornings are the most peaceful. Remember that the museum is closed on Mondays, and that it closes for some days around the Christmas and New Year holidays, so check the hours page if you are visiting in late December.

Pairing: the museum sits on the south end of the oceanfront, close to Springmaid Pier and Myrtle Beach State Park, and a short drive from The Market Common. Spend the morning on the state park's beach, have lunch at Market Common, and visit the museum in the afternoon; or combine it with a walk on the beach across the road and dinner on the south end.