Main Street and Ocean Drive, North Myrtle Beach

Main Street in North Myrtle Beach is the most characterful free outing on the north end, and the one place on the Grand Strand where a dance, a radio format and a whole beach culture still live on the same few blocks. The street runs through the Ocean Drive section of the city, one of the four beach towns that merged in 1968 to form North Myrtle Beach, and ends at the sand of Ocean Drive Beach, so you can walk from a breakfast counter to the surf in a few minutes. It is widely called the birthplace of the shag, the smooth, shuffling partner dance done to beach music that became South Carolina's official state dance, and the street still revolves around it. Fat Harold's Beach Club keeps its long-running dance floor busy and offers free shag lessons on Monday and Tuesday nights; the Shaggers Hall of Fame sits inside the Ocean Drive Beach and Golf Resort, where the beach-music station 94.9 The Surf broadcasts. Around them, Main Street mixes bars with live bands (Duck's, Flynn's Irish Tavern, Main Street Tap and Grill), local institutions such as Hoskins Restaurant, run by the same family since 1948, and the Golden Griddle, plus boutiques and a milkshake bar. Country Living named it one of the best small-town main streets in America. Twice a year the Society of Stranders brings shaggers from across the country for its Spring Safari and Fall Migration, and in March a St. Patrick's Day parade fills the street. Come for breakfast and a beach walk, or after dark for music and a lesson.

The shag in a paragraph: the dance grew up in the beach pavilions and jukebox joints of the Carolinas in the 1940s and 1950s, when young people danced to rhythm and blues on the sand at Ocean Drive. It is smooth rather than flashy, all footwork and a relaxed lead, and it carried a whole regional sound with it, the beach music still played on the local radio station. The lessons at Fat Harold's are friendly and beginner-proof; you do not need a partner, and regulars are generous with tips.

How to spend time here: arrive for breakfast at Hoskins or the Golden Griddle, walk to Ocean Drive Beach and along the sand, then browse the shops on the way back. In the evening, eat at one of the bars or restaurants on the street, look in at the Shaggers Hall of Fame, and join a Monday or Tuesday lesson. The SOS festivals in spring and fall bring the street to its liveliest, with clubs full and music everywhere; outside those weeks it is relaxed and easygoing, and in November and winter many places keep shorter hours, so check before making a special trip on a weeknight.

Fit and pairing: perfect for couples who want a night out with some local character, and for anyone curious about Carolina beach culture. Families enjoy the breakfast spots and the beach. Pair Main Street with a morning on Cherry Grove Pier a few minutes north, or an afternoon at Barefoot Landing on the waterway a short drive south.