Vacation, Amusement, and Shopping in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
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General
Myrtle Beach is a popular and charming resort town located in South Carolina, in the north of the state, about a two-hour drive north of Charleston. It is situated on a sandy beach strip about 100 km long in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean coastline called the "Grand Strand." It was selected by users of the world's leading travel site "Tripadvisor" as one of the top 25 tourist destinations in the entire USA! It is especially loved by families who can easily spend an entire week there thanks to the huge variety of attractions, and also by retirees looking for peace, tranquility, and warm, pleasant weather.
About 30,000 residents live in the city, but during the summer months, the number of residents grows to 350,000! It has more than 420 hotels of every type and level, including many branches of leading chains and also a wealth of vacation apartments for rent. It has over 1,400 restaurants of every style and level (the city is known for its many excellent seafood restaurants) and primarily endless options for vacation, amusement, entertainment, shows, and many attractive shopping spots.
♥ Recommended Hotels in Myrtle Beach:A 4-star resort in an excellent location, near the beach and close to plenty of shops, restaurants, and attractions. The hotel has 250 spacious apartments intended for up to 8 people. The hotel features swimming pools including an indoor pool and a lazy river, sports courts, a gym, a kids' club, and offers its guests a variety of activities. Free internet and parking. Holiday Inn at the Pavilion - Myrtle Beach - A 3-star hotel with 130 rooms and suites, some with a kitchenette, intended for 2-6 people. The hotel features an indoor swimming pool and a gym. Free parking and internet. The hotel is located on the beach near many restaurants and shops. Sheraton Broadway Plantation - A quality resort near the beach with 344 vacation villas with one or two bedrooms, a living room, and an equipped kitchen. The hotel has two swimming pools, one indoor and the other full of water fun for children, a gym, a tennis court, mini golf, a kids' club, and other vacation facilities. Plantation Resort - A large, quality 4-star resort near the beach with 517 guest rooms, suites, and vacation villas in various sizes intended for 2-12 people. Each unit has an equipped kitchen. The hotel features swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), a lazy river, a spa, a gym, ping pong, billiards, and plenty of play facilities for children.
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Show tickets in Myrtle Beach from GetYourGuide.com:
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♦ Guided Segway tour at Huntington Beach State Park in Myrtle Beach. Lasts about two hours.
2-Hour Guided Segway Tour of Huntington Beach State Park in Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach is considered the "Golf Capital" of the USA and has 120 golf courses. One of its nicknames is: “The Seaside Golf Capital of the World”. It also has so many fancy "mini-golf" sites (over 30) that another nickname for it is: "The Miniature Golf Capital of the World”. You can fly directly to Myrtle Beach from several destinations in the USA or fly to Charleston or one of the airports in nearby North Carolina. It is highly recommended to rent a car there because the attractions and shopping are spread over a relatively large area.
Myrtle Beach got its name from the "Sweet Myrtle Trees" growing there. The Indians, who were the first residents in the area before the arrival of the Spanish in 1526, called the area "Chicora" which means "the land."
Beaches
The beaches of Myrtle Beach are very popular and along their entire length is a promenade with many hotels, restaurants, shops, and entertainment sites. The most touristy part is called the Boardwalk and it stretches for almost 2 km between two long piers full of fishermen between 2nd Avenue and 14th Avenue.
Many events and street performances are held there during the summer months. Its symbol is a giant Ferris wheel with various other amusement park rides nearby including "Shark Mini-Golf."
Attractions
On the street parallel to the promenade are plenty of attractions, chief among them the Ripley's Odditorium Ripley Believe It or Not, Ripley's 4D cinema, and Ripley's Haunted Adventure. Another colorful tourist area is "Broadway at the Beach" Broadway at the Beach, which surprisingly is not located on the beach at all but on the shore of an artificial lake.
Among the leading attractions in this area, you can find the recommended Ripley's Aquarium Ripley's Aquarium, "WonderWorks" WonderWorks (a cool interactive museum located in an upside-down house), "MagiQuest" – an interactive and challenging game experience for the whole family, Soar and Explore zipline where you slide over the lake combined with a ropes course, NASCAR SpeedPark karting,
"Backstage Mirror Maze," Dragon’s Lair Fantasy Mini-Golf, a small water park, a 3D cinema, and more.
The site also has a huge variety of restaurants including impressive branches of Hard Rock Cafe located in a giant pyramid and Planet Hollywood. In the summer, street performances and fireworks displays over the lake are held. In the lake swim giant carp fish and ducks who are happy to receive food that can be bought from machines on the bridges over the lake.
Another entertainment and recreation area located in North Myrtle Beach is Barefoot Landing where the central attraction, in addition to plenty of shops, restaurants, a blues club, and a performance hall, is "Alligator Adventure," a wildlife park with an emphasis on alligators, snakes, and various reptiles where different shows are held. Animal lovers will also enjoy visiting the T.I.G.E.R.S / Preservation Station where you can pet tiger cubs, water chimpanzee babies, watch an elephant show, and more. In the House of Blues located in the complex, music shows are held and there is also a cool restaurant and pub.
About 30 km south of Myrtle Beach lies a town called Murrells Inlet where there are two recommended attractions: First and foremost are the "Brookgreen" sculpture gardens Brookgreen Gardens which are actually a combination of botanical gardens with a zoo and an outdoor art museum. A vast, magical, and well-maintained place with a Southern atmosphere. You can tour the place alone or join one of the variety of tours offered: from walking tours between the gardens and sculptures, a zoo tour including feedings, or a boat trip on the river crossing the gardens. The site also has large playgrounds for children, an interactive activity center, and a butterfly park.
The second attraction in the area is the Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk - a walk on a wooden boardwalk along a saltwater lake where you can sail in all types of boats, including jet skis. Along the lake is a selection of excellent fish and seafood restaurants.
Myrtle Beach is also known for the huge selection of plays and shows it offers its guests, ranging from dinner shows (Pirates, Wild West) to grandiose magic shows and impressive music shows. And for dessert: let's not forget the shopping. The city has branches of all the large department store chains, discount outlet stores, plenty of beach equipment and souvenir shops at attractive prices, and no less than two outlet centers, both belonging to the Tanger chain; each has dozens of outlet stores at attractive prices.