The Best Things to Do in Myrtle Beach

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.

1. 1

   Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade

   Free & iconicFree

   The 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: 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.

2. 2

   The Grand Strand: 60 miles of beach

   BeachFree

   The 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: 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.

3. 3

   SkyWheel Myrtle Beach

   Entertainment

   The 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: 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.

   Book tickets & tours for SkyWheel Myrtle Beachopen_in_new
4. 4

   Broadway at the Beach

   EntertainmentFree

   Myrtle 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: 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.

5. 5

   Brookgreen Gardens

   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: 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.

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6. 6

   Murrells Inlet MarshWalk

   Food & drinkFree

   Murrells 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: 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.

7. 7

   Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

   Family

   The 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: 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.

   Book tickets & tours for Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beachopen_in_new
8. 8

   Golf & mini-golf

   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: 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.

9. 9

   Barefoot Landing

   EntertainmentFree

   This 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: 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.

10. 10

    Huntington Beach State Park & Atalaya Castle

    Nature & history

    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: 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.

11. 11

    WonderWorks

    Family

    You 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: 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.

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12. 12

    Family Kingdom Amusement Park

    Family

    Family 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: 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.

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13. 13

    Alligator Adventure

    Family

    At 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: 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.

    Book tickets & tours for Alligator Adventureopen_in_new
14. 14

    The Carolina Opry & live shows

    Entertainment

    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: 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.

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15. 15

    Deep-sea fishing & the piers

    On the water

    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: 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.

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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.