It’s only appropriate that a place best known for its beaches is actually an island. The Grand Strand of South Carolina stretches for 60 miles along the northern Atlantic coast of the state, with Little River Inlet to the north and Winyah Bay to the south. Separated from the mainland by the Roosevelt-era shipping lane known as the Intracoastal Waterway, the area is connected to the mainland by four highways, including US 17, which runs the entire north-south length of the coast. In fact, the entire region can be cut off from vehicle traffic by closing seven bridges.
The Grand Strand is named so for a reason: The wide strand accommodates people of every type at various activities, including swimming, sunbathing, seashelling, volleyball playing, Sea-Dooing, fishing, parasailing, boating, and more. The communities are first and foremost beach oriented. All the houses and buildings are designed for optimum views of the water. One street inland, Myrtle Beach goes beyond sand in your shoes and provides restaurants, shopping, golf, and many other diversions.
Considered one of the nation’s top vacation destinations, the Grand Strand hosts nearly 14 million visitors annually. The increasing number of attractions, theaters, outlet malls, shopping centers, ecotourism opportunities, and golf courses attracts visitors throughout the year. The Myrtle Beach area has received these positive national reviews:
The Grand Strand is an attraction in itself, with its beautiful beach and plentiful restaurants, theaters, shopping, and golf. But no visit is complete without taking advantage of what else the area has to offer, including amusement parks, water parks, nature centers, historic gardens, museums, zoos, racetracks, bumper boats, arcades, hundreds of miniature golf courses, driving ranges and par 3 courses (see the Golf chapter for details)—more attractions than you can possibly imagine. If you have kids, or just want to feel like a kid, be sure to peruse the Kidstuff chapter; it’s filled with neat stuff we don’t list in this chapter. This chapter culminates with a special Historic Churches section featuring some architectural treasures.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started. In many instances prices and hours vary seasonally. We provide peak-season rates and times; call ahead during the off-season.
Kidstuff. It’s a trick word. If you cruise the attractions geared toward kids along the Grand Strand, you are going to discover that the word kid has very little to do with age and refers more to fun. While clearly there are scores of Grand Strand adventures that anywhere else in the world would be loved by kids only, here at the beach kidstuff fun overtakes everyone, regardless of age.
But step away from the ocean; the Strand offers outdoor playgrounds, water parks, arcades, adventures, candy makers, amusement parks, racetracks, adventure theaters (not recommended for some so-called adults), skating, splashing, oversize playpens, and even a supervised overnight lockup inside a giant playground/mall. In fact, the only thing lacking here is time; there is just not enough in one vacation to hit all the kidstuff and the beach.
Be sure to scan the Water Sports, Fishing, Attractions, and Parks and Recreation chapters for more stuff we didn’t list or detail here because, like we said, it is all kidstuff!
In an area replete with state-of-the-art theaters built to showcase international headline stars, you would think that the Grand Strand’s community arts scene would head for the beach to bury its proverbial head in the sand. Instead our native artists seem to have absorbed this main-stage professional energy and talent, launching more ambitious programs than ever before.
The loose Latin translation of the word amateur is “for the love of it.” Never underestimate the momentum and power created by amateur talent that performs and presents out of pure joy, without pay for the hours invested.
The Grand Strand boasts a nationally recognized symphony orchestra, a row of art galleries, a true cafe society, resident artists whose works are being shown worldwide, legitimate entrance to the museum community, and much more.
Not too surprisingly, when summer has packed the beach with tourists, the Grand Strand’s arts and cultural organizations taper or curtail their activities. In fact, most of these organizations’ seasons run from September to March or April. Traditionally, tourists have not provided large audiences for cultural offerings, and many of the organizations’ volunteers are too busy working at their “real jobs” during the summer months to devote more than minimal time to their favorite artistic endeavors.
Once upon a time there were lulls of “what can we do today” for Grand Strand visitors. These were usually rainy days when the beach was less than pleasant, long days during too-long vacations that needed a break in the monotony, and those disastrous days when the sun had turned the skin too lobster to handle another burning. But with the more recent growth along the Grand Strand, it is nearly impossible to find a day without some suitable activity, no matter what your particular interest.
This chapter offers suggestions for day trips. Any one of them will give you an up-close look at Southern culture, a taste of the extraordinary beauty and history of the Carolinas’ coastal region, and generally something to do if you wonder what is just beyond the Strand’s offerings. Zip to Conway or Charleston in South Carolina, or Wilmington, just across the state line in North Carolina, to spend a day enjoying the sights and return; you’ll be cozy in your bed before the lines shorten on Restaurant Row.