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Hello from Myrtle Beach South Carolina – 60 miles of beautiful sandy beaches on the pristine Atlantic Ocean coastline, ride the Stand’s 187-foot SkyWheel, stroll down the grounds of Brookgreen Gardens, and soak up the sunshine. There are dozens of amusement parks, an aquarium, interactive science museum, watersports, mini golf, zip-line adventures, state parks, and many dining options.
SEE ALSO: 7 Best Restaurants In Charleston
Here’s my ultimate guide to Myrtle Beach, SC with the best restaurants and things to do.
9 things to do in Myrtle Beach
Explore Brookgreen Gardens
Brookgreen gardens is the floral jewel of South Carolina’s coastal community and recently named one of the top 1- botanical gardens in America and the recipient of the 2019 Garden Excellence Award from the American Public Gardens Association. Brookgreen is the finest outdoor museum of its type in the world and contains the largest and most comprehensive collection of American figurative sculpture in the country, displayed in a stunning garden setting, three galleries, and a visible storage and research facility. The collection today contains over 2,700 works by 425 artists.
Lowcountry Zoo is located in Brookgreen Gardens and houses native animals that live in the woods and swamp waters of the South Carolina Lowcountry that have been displaced by the growing popularity of the area are taken care of here.
Guided tours: The popular excursion “Silent Cities’ offers a rare opportunity to travel on back roads to explore cemeteries at Brookgreen and learn about the historical burial customs of European and African origin. Tickets are $15 in addition to garden admission for this two-hour excursion. Daily at 12 and 2:30 pm.
Hours: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm, daily.
Admission: $20 adults
1931 Brookgreen Garden Dr, Murrells Inlet, SC, brookgreen.org
Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
See more than 14,0000 animals at Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach – we loved exploring the 330-foot tunnel in the reef, feeding stingrays and the new penguin exhibit.
See more than 14,000 animals at Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach! We loved exploring the 330-foot tunnel in the reef, the new penguin exhibit, and feeding stingrays.
1110 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach, SC, ripleyaquariums.com/myrtlebeach/
Walk around Barefoot Landing
There are several different shopping areas in Myrtle Beach, and Barefoot Landing is one of them with restaurants, a carousel, and retail shops.
4898 Hwy 17 S, North Myrtle Beach, SC, bflanding.com
Tour + Tasting at Twelve 33 Distillery
Rum, vodka, gin, whiskey, coffee liqueur – Twelve 33 Distillery makes it all in Little River, SC, not far from Myrtle Beach! Each of the handcrafted spirits are made from grains and other ingredients sourced directly from local farms. The tasting room at Twelve 33 Distillery is open Monday to Saturday each week (except select holidays) for tours and tastings. We had a tasting flight of their different spirits and you can also order cocktails.
There’s also a hidden speakeasy in the tasting room – look for the lion head and whisper “volstead”.
593 E Hwy 90, Little River, SC, twelve33distillery.com
Shop at the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove
One of the nation’s largest unique gift shops with 26,000 square feet, multiple levels, and on average 70,000 items since 1946.
916 North Ocean Boulevard
Design an airbrushed t-shirt
To remember our girl’s trip, Linda and I got airbrushed t-shirts with a beach design and our names!
Ride the SkyWheel on the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk
For the best view of Myrtle Beach, you have to ride the SkyWheel – this gigantic observation wheel has 42 glass-enclosed gondolas that can seat up to six people.
Tickets: $16 for adults and $12 for children.
1110 N Ocean Boulevard, skywheelmb.com
Walk around MarshWalk at Murrells Inlet
Originally a fishing village, Murrells Inlet used to be the lair of the infamous pirate Blackbeard and now it’s an hot spot for kayaking and day-long, chartered deep sea fishing excursions. The popular MarshWalk comes alive after dark with live music streaming from several waterfront restaurants like Wicked Tuna and Dead Dog Saloon.
4025 Hwy 17 Business, Murrells Inlet, SC
Visit Myrtle Beach
And of course, you have to visit Myrtle Beach. Beautiful beaches, restaurants and entertainment can be found up and down Myrtle Beach. Take a leisurely stroll on the oceanfront boardwalk and promenade, hop on the 187-tall Myrtle Beach SkyWheel, enjoy the ocean waves, go shopping at Gay Dolphin Gift Shop, or visit the Hollywood Wax Museum.
Beach activities include:
- jet skiing
- parasailing
- dolphin watch tour
- kayaking
- banana boat
- fishing charters
Other things to do in Myrtle Beach
- Huntington Beach State Park – set on 2,500 acres just south of Murrells Inlet, Huntington Beach State Park has a pristine stretch of expansive Grand Strand coastline. There’s sea-breeze camping, paramount surf fishing and some of the best bird watching along the East Coast.
- Myrtle Beach State Park – South Carolina’s first state park in 1936 with 312 acres on the city’s south end in a beautiful oceanfront maritime forest including almost a mile of sun soaked coastline. There’s a nature trail and some of the best surf fishing in the state. The park is open daily from 6am to 10pm from March through November and 6am to 8pm from December through February.
- WonderWorks – interactive science museum that’s fun on both sunny and rainy days with a glow-in-the-dark ropes course
- Ripley’s Believe It Or Not
- Myrtle Waves Water Park – South Carolina’s largest water park with 20 acres of waterslides, rides, rafts and chutes
- Miniature golf courses (mini-golf courses)
- Laser tag
- Family Kingdom Amusement Park
- Broadway at the Beach – family-friendly activities
- Broadway Grand Prix – 7 Go-Kart tracks, two 18-hole Mini-Golf Courses, and an all-new Arcade with Max Flight Simulator
- The Market Common
- Dolly Parton’s Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show
- The Carolina Opry
- Paddleboarding
- Pontoon boat
- Pavilion Park – popular amusement park at Broadway at the Beach with thrill rides and roller coasters
Best restaurants in Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach is known for fresh local seafood, rice, grits, sweet potatoes, peaches, berries, and fresh produce. You can find both North Carolina-style Calabash with traditional lightly-breaded, fried seafood meals and South Carolina’s rice, stone-ground grits, shrimp, blue crab, grouper and country ham.
Breakfast
Blueberry’s Grill
If you have a sweet tooth, you’re going to love the blasts at Blueberry’s Grill. You can choose from pancake, french toast, and waffle blasts – each of them come with fresh strawberries, blueberries, & bananas, then topped with vanilla icing, whipped cream, and warm syrup.
Don’t miss the grilled blueberry muffins – an iconic item at Blueberry’s Grill! They’re also known for their omelets and benedicts.
7931 N Kings Hwy. Myrtle Beach, SC, blueberrysgrill.com
Drift
Croissant benedicts are a popular breakfast here in Myrtle Beach and one of the best spots to go is Drift.
980 Cipriana Dr A-6, Myrtle Beach, SC, drifteatery.com
Lunch
Lulu’s
Lulu’s was one of my favorite restaurants in Myrtle Beach – loved the colorful patio, fresh seafood, and live music. We had the catch of the day – grilled or blackened, it was swordfish that day and it was DELICIOUS! We also had the fresh oysters with onion rings and smoked tuna dip. Ocean-to-table experience is the best here in Myrtle Beach so you have to eat all the seafood.
The 32oz Cruzan infusion comes in a souvenir bucket with pineapple juice, OJ, lemonade and a splash of grenadine and variety of flavored Cruzan Rums.
4954 Hwy 17 S, North Myrtle Beach, SC, lulubuffett.com/northmyrtlebeach/
RipTydz Oceanfront Bar and Grille
For the best view of Myrtle Beach, go to the rooftop of RipTydz Oceanfront Bar and Grille. You can see all of Myrtle Beach while enjoying a frozen pineapple cocktail. The seafood steamers with snow crab, clams, mussels, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and corn with a butter dipping sauce was also so good.
1210 North Ocean Boulevard, riptydz.com
Dinner
Wicked Tuna
Our first meal in Myrtle Beach was at Wicked Tuna on the beach and we were greeted with a beautiful sunset from our table. If you want dinner with a meal, Wicked Tuna is the ultimate spot and you can see the SkyWheel!
The catch of the day piccata was incredible Рthe grouper saut̩ed in lemon butter, shallots and capers served with broccolini. We also had the jumbo shrimp cocktail, Maryland sushi roll, and the ginger salad too.
110 N Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC, thewickedtuna.com
Joe’s Bar & Grill
Cozy up next to the fire with the best panoramic view of the saltwater marsh. We had the shrimp scampi with large gulf shrimp saut̩ed in garlic, butter velout̩ sauce, lemon and herbs, and served on a bed of angel hair Рit was delicious!
Fun fact: Joe’s Bar has raccoons in the backyard and you can sometime see them on the perch!
810 Conway St., North Myrtle Beach, SC, joesbarandgrillonline.com
Dead Dog Saloon
Dead Dog Saloon has been voted one of the best spots to listen to live music in the Myrtle Beach area. This restaurant is special because guests can bring pictures of their dogs that have passed and the restaurant will hang them up. Enjoy the nightlife around Murrells Inlet afterwards!
4079 US-17 BUS, Murrells Inlet, SC
