In Brief
What are the best things to do in Myrtle Beach?
The best things to do in Myrtle Beach are strolling the oceanfront Boardwalk and riding the SkyWheel, spending a day on the Grand Strand's 60 miles of beach, exploring Broadway at the Beach, visiting Brookgreen Gardens, and eating your way along the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk. Most visitors base along Ocean Boulevard and mix easy beach days with the boardwalk, a couple of family attractions, and a round of mini-golf or real golf.
Key takeaways
- It's one of the most family-friendly beach towns in the US: gentle surf, an oceanfront amusement park, an aquarium, and dozens of mini-golf courses within a few miles.
- Plenty is free - the 60 miles of beach, the 1.2-mile boardwalk, the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk, and summer fireworks and live music at Plyler Park.
- Walk the boardwalk in the evening when it's cooler and liveliest, then ride the SkyWheel at sunset for the best view down the coast.
- It's a self-styled golf capital with more than 80 courses, and the area calls itself the Mini Golf Capital of the World, with over 50 themed courses - great for rainy afternoons and family nights.
15 best things to do in Myrtle Beach
Ranked best-first, with an insider tip and how to book each. Prices and hours change - check before you go.
Free & iconic
Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade
FreeThe 1.2-mile oceanfront Boardwalk and Promenade is the heart of old Myrtle Beach, running between the 2nd Avenue and 14th Avenue piers past arcades, ice-cream stands, bars and the SkyWheel. It's the classic evening stroll and has landed on national best-boardwalk lists.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: Come in the evening when it's cooler and busiest; in summer there are free fireworks and live music at Plyler Park. Parking is easier a few blocks back off Ocean Boulevard than right on the strip.
Beach
The Grand Strand: 60 miles of beach
FreeThe whole point of Myrtle Beach is the beach: about 60 miles of wide, gently sloping Atlantic sand known as the Grand Strand, warm enough to swim from late spring into fall. The main stretch behind Ocean Boulevard is lively and hotel-lined; for a quieter, natural strand head to Myrtle Beach State Park at the south end or the family beaches of Surfside and North Myrtle.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: Public beach accesses run all along Ocean Boulevard - many have metered or permit parking, so arrive early in summer. Watch the colored flags for surf and rip-current conditions before you swim.
Entertainment
SkyWheel Myrtle Beach
Rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google Maps from 16,777 reviews, as of October 2026The 187-foot SkyWheel on the Boardwalk is the town's landmark, with 42 enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas that carry you high over the beach for a wide view down the coast. After dark it runs a color-changing LED light show that's part of the oceanfront skyline.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: Ride at sunset for the best light over the water, then stay to watch the evening light show from the sand. Each ride is a few slow revolutions - buy tickets online to skip the line in summer.
Entertainment
Broadway at the Beach
Rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google Maps from 68,837 reviews, as of October 2026FreeMyrtle Beach's biggest entertainment complex wraps around a lake with dozens of shops, restaurants and attractions, anchored by Ripley's Aquarium and WonderWorks (both below), plus the Hollywood Wax Museum and mini-golf. After dark, the Celebrity Square courtyard is the town's main nightlife hub.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: It's free to walk around and to park; you only pay for the individual attractions. Come in the evening to pair dinner, shopping and a show or the bars without moving the car.
Gardens
Brookgreen Gardens
About a 30-minute drive south near Murrells Inlet, Brookgreen is a National Historic Landmark holding the country's largest outdoor collection of American figurative sculpture, set in landscaped gardens on former rice-plantation land. There's also a Lowcountry Zoo of native animals - alligators, otters, birds of prey - and boat excursions on the old rice fields.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: Admission is good for seven straight days, so you can split the gardens and the zoo over two visits. In December it hosts Nights of a Thousand Candles, a popular holiday-lights event that needs advance tickets.
Food & drink
Murrells Inlet MarshWalk
FreeMurrells Inlet calls itself the seafood capital of South Carolina, and its half-mile MarshWalk is a wooden boardwalk over the salt marsh lined with waterfront seafood restaurants and bars. It's the best sunset-and-dinner spot on the Grand Strand, with live music and boats coming and going.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: It's free to walk; go for sunset and stay for dinner and live music at places like Drunken Jack's or the Dead Dog Saloon. Fishing, dolphin-watching and watersports boats all leave from here.
Family
Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
Rated 4.5 out of 5 on Google Maps from 24,859 reviews, as of October 2026The aquarium at Broadway at the Beach is the town's top rainy-day attraction, built around Dangerous Reef - a long underwater acrylic tunnel with a moving walkway that carries you beneath sharks, rays and sea turtles. Touch tanks and daily dive shows make it a reliable hit with kids.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: Buy timed tickets online, especially on rainy summer afternoons when everyone has the same idea. Go at opening or late in the day to have the tunnel more to yourself.
Golf
Golf & mini-golf
Myrtle Beach bills itself as a golf capital, with more than 80 courses spread along the Grand Strand and stay-and-play packages built around them. It's just as famous for mini-golf: over 50 elaborately themed courses have earned it the nickname Mini Golf Capital of the World, from pirate ships to erupting volcanoes.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: For real golf, book tee-time packages in the spring or fall shoulder seasons for the best weather and rates. For mini-golf, the North Myrtle Beach courses include Hawaiian Rumble, which hosts a pro masters tournament.
Entertainment
Barefoot Landing
Rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google Maps from 16,724 reviews, as of October 2026FreeThis waterfront shopping-and-dining complex in North Myrtle Beach sits on the Intracoastal Waterway and is the quieter, north-end counterpart to Broadway at the Beach. It's home to Alligator Adventure (below), the House of Blues and the Alabama Theatre, plus shops, restaurants and boat cruises.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: Walking the boardwalk and feeding the fish off the docks is free. Come in the evening for dinner and a concert or show, and check the schedule at the House of Blues and the Alabama Theatre.
Nature & history
Huntington Beach State Park & Atalaya Castle
Across Highway 17 from Brookgreen, this state park pairs an unspoiled beach and salt marsh with Atalaya, the Moorish-style former winter home of sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington and her husband. It's one of the best birding spots on the East Coast, with alligators in the marsh and a good nature center.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: There's a small day-use fee, plus a little extra to tour Atalaya. Bring binoculars for the causeway marsh, and check for the Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival held at the castle each fall.
Family
WonderWorks
Rated 4.5 out of 5 on Google Maps from 9,350 reviews, as of October 2026You can't miss WonderWorks at Broadway at the Beach - it's built to look like an upside-down mansion. Inside are more than 100 hands-on science and illusion exhibits, from a hurricane simulator and a bed of nails to a ropes course and laser tag, aimed squarely at families and rainy days.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: It's an ideal rain plan; buy a combo ticket if you also want the ropes course and laser tag. Allow two to three hours to get your money's worth.
Family
Family Kingdom Amusement Park
Rated 4.3 out of 5 on Google Maps from 7,750 reviews, as of October 2026Family Kingdom is a classic oceanfront amusement park on the south end of Ocean Boulevard, anchored by the Swamp Fox, a rattly 1960s wooden roller coaster, plus a tall Ferris wheel and old-school thrill and kiddie rides. Across the street, its Splashes water park has slides and a lazy river in summer.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: Admission and parking are free - you pay per ride or buy an all-day wristband, which is the better deal for families. Rides run seasonally, mostly spring through early fall, so check the calendar.
Family
Alligator Adventure
Rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google Maps from 5,049 reviews, as of October 2026At Barefoot Landing, this reptile park is home to hundreds of alligators and crocodiles, along with giant snakes, tortoises and tropical birds. Daily alligator-feeding shows and boardwalks over the swamps make it an easy, shaded couple of hours.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: Time your visit around a feeding show - that's when the big crocodiles are most active. It pairs naturally with an evening at Barefoot Landing next door.
Entertainment
The Carolina Opry & live shows
Live variety shows are a Myrtle Beach tradition, and the long-running Carolina Opry on Highway 17 is the best known - a family-friendly night of music, comedy and dance. The wider Grand Strand also has dinner shows like Pirates Voyage and concerts at the Alabama Theatre and the House of Blues.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: Book ahead in summer and around the holidays, when the Christmas shows sell out. A show is a solid rainy-night or non-beach-evening plan for all ages.
On the water
Deep-sea fishing & the piers
Fishing is woven into the Grand Strand: half-day and full-day charters run out of Murrells Inlet and Little River for offshore and bottom fishing, while a string of ocean piers lets you drop a line or just walk out over the surf. The Apache Pier is one of the longest wooden piers on the East Coast, and the Myrtle Beach State Park pier is a scenic, low-key spot.
- Insider tip
- Insider tip: Book a charter ahead in summer and ask whether tackle, bait and license are included - on most head boats they are. For pier fishing you can rent rods on site, and sunrise is the best time.
Where to stay in Myrtle Beach
The best areas to base yourself, and who each suits.
Boardwalk / Downtown Myrtle Beach
First-timers and families who want to walk to the boardwalk, the SkyWheel, the piers and the busiest stretch of beach.
The Golden Mile
Couples and families wanting a calmer, residential oceanfront just north of downtown - mostly beach houses and rentals, no boardwalk crowds.
North Myrtle Beach
Returning visitors and families - quieter beaches, Barefoot Landing and the Cherry Grove and Ocean Drive neighborhoods, a short drive from the action.
Murrells Inlet / Surfside Beach
The quieter southern end - Surfside's laid-back family beach and Murrells Inlet's seafood MarshWalk, near Brookgreen and Huntington Beach.
Planning your Myrtle Beach trip
Best time to visit
Late April-May and September-October bring warm water, thinner crowds and lower rates; summer (mid-June through August) is peak, hot and busy, and Atlantic hurricane season runs June-November.
Getting around
A car is close to essential - the attractions spread about 30 miles along Ocean Boulevard and Highway 17, from Murrells Inlet up to North Myrtle Beach. The boardwalk and downtown are walkable, and a seasonal trolley and rideshare cover short hops, but you'll want a car or rental for Broadway at the Beach, Barefoot Landing, Brookgreen Gardens and the state parks.
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Photo credits (11)
Photos via Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.
- The Grand Strand: 60 miles of beach: DiscoA340 - CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
- SkyWheel Myrtle Beach: Claire P. from Northern Virginia, USA - CC BY 2.0 · source
- Broadway at the Beach: David - CC BY 2.0 · source
- Brookgreen Gardens: Doug Coldwell - Public domain · source
- Murrells Inlet MarshWalk: Cprintz20 - CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
- Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach: MusikAnimal - CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
- Huntington Beach State Park & Atalaya Castle: Upstateherd - CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
- WonderWorks: MusikAnimal - CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
- Family Kingdom Amusement Park: Martin Lewison - CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
- Alligator Adventure: Kyaw Tun mahuyar - CC0 · source
- Deep-sea fishing & the piers: Festiva76 ( talk ) - Public domain · source