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| Ranking Among U.S. Cities / Regions: #11 |
| Venturers: 7 |
| Mid-Venturers: 8 |
| Centrics-Venturers: 8 |
| Centrics-Authentics: 8 |
| Mid-Authentics: 9 |
| Authentics: 10 |
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| • Duffers play about 4.13 million rounds of golf in the Myrtle Beach area each year |
| • Myrtle Beach got its name as a result of a newspaper’s naming contest |
| • There are more than 300 outlet stores in the area |
| • In 1901, oceanfront lots cost $25; buyers received another lot if they built a $500 house |
| • The Pine Lakes International Country Club was the birthplace of “Sports Illustrated” |
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For families and golfers
South Carolina’s rich history dates from colonial times through the Civil War to the present. Myrtle Beach has many reminders of its part in that history, with its museums, stately homes, magnificent gardens and statues by famous artists. But most visitors remember it as a place to have fun, especially for the family. With more than 60 miles of beaches, theme parks and public parks, more than 100 golf courses, 50 miniature golf courses, plentiful entertainment, great shopping and water sports, all family members easily find something to do. Although it has activities for all personality types, it appeals most strongly to the Authentic side of the scale.
About Myrtle Beach
Few places offer a combination of lots to do in a warm weather setting. Myrtle Beach is mostly a year-round resort although it can turn hot and humid in the summer and cold at times in the winter. You could spend a week pursuing any of a number of special interests — theme parks, golf, water sports, entertainment, shopping, motor sports, historic plantation and garden tours, and more. But the primary focus is family entertainment and golf. Families will enjoy Family Kingdom, a seaside theme park that features a wooden roller coaster and a beachfront water park, along with the usual array of games and carnival types of attractions.
Myrtle Beach also considers itself the miniature golf capital of the world with its 50 miniature courses, each elaborately themed and challenging. The IMAX 3D Theatre and the Le Grand Cirque show of acrobats and tumblers add to the thrills that children will enjoy. The well-maintained public parks are great places for picnics and where the kids can run and yell without disturbing others. It’s a safe place for all, and there are plenty of reasonably priced hotels and restaurants to keep a Myrtle Beach sojourn from becoming a costly family vacation.
As for adult holidays, the choices are equally numerous. Nearby North Myrtle Beach adds to the wide selection of golf courses. Prices vary from reasonable, especially if included in a packaged vacation, to expensive for courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Arnold Palmer. Regardless of price, most courses are beautiful and challenging. Water sports cover the range of options — fishing (on your own or with a group), boat rentals, scuba diving, snorkeling, waterskiing and more. Nighttime entertainment offers many choices, and dining varies from family restaurants to elegant. Myrtle Beach satisfies most who want a sun ‘n fun vacation, but with so many other options, as well, it is clear why Myrtle Beach scores well in the rankings.
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• If you haven’t done it before, try parasailing. Have someone ready with a camera to capture your liftoff, glide and splash-down.
• Get out on jet skis. Myrtle Beach offers several areas to enjoy this sport.
• This is a great place for windsurfing and kayaking, especially if you’re a novice, because the winds are constant but gentle. Obviously, scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing and power boating also are options.
• More than any other group, Venturers are active tennis players. Myrtle Beach has more than 200 courts at high-end resort properties and public parks. Get some lessons, too, from top teachers.
• How about the thrill of driving a race car on a track? Myrtle Beach is a center for NASCAR, and there are multiple opportunities to test your skills. You may qualify for the Driving Experience at a little over $300 (nine laps) or the Performance Experience for close to $500 (24 laps) at Beach Motor Sports.
• Explore the Inland Waterways with its many inlets and access to ancient rivers, winding creeks and marshes, in a pontoon boat. There are endless opportunities for discovery and many surprises.
• Saddle up and go horseback riding. Trails have beautiful views along the beach and through parks; riding is also available in North Myrtle Beach.
• Go out on the town. Many choices await you for lively nighttime entertainment. Look for jazz, comedy or simply a pleasing ambience at various bars and lounges. Pick up a directory in your hotel to find out what’s current.
• Try a Swedish massage at one of several European-style day spas. It’s relaxing and healthful, especially for burned-out Venturers who seldom slow down.
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• If golf is your game, don’t limit yourself to one day. Even if you played two rounds a day at two different courses during a three-day stay, you would miss many challenging courses with seaside views.
• Go to a ballgame. With high ticket prices for Major League baseball games, the Minors are enjoying success, and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of the Carolina League, a team founded in 1999, is a case in point. It’s inexpensive for a family, quality of play is high and you can interact with the players, some of whom will later star in the Majors.
• Le Grande Cirque, at the Palace Theatre, features highly choreographed performances by more than 50 acrobats and tumblers from around the world. It’s usually sold out so get advance reservations.
• Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, founded in 1676 by the Drayton family, survives today as the oldest public gardens in America. It offers several tours in a beautiful garden setting. Each takes from 30 minutes to an hour and is well worth it.
• Discover another surprising setting: Brookgreen Gardens, south of Myrtle Beach. It offers six separate gardens, including a children’s garden, in a huge 9,200 acre setting. It features an array of statuary.
• Walk through Broadway at the Beach during the daytime and at night. You can buy an ice cream cone to lick while you window-shop at the more than 100 stores.
• If you like NASCAR racing, it’s available just 70 miles south at Darlington Raceway, a track called too tough to tame. It hosts races from 200 to 500 miles.
• Join a charter fishing group. Atlantic fishing offers a chance at prized game fish so be prepared take home big catches if you are lucky.
• Splurge on fine dining. This is the place for that because of the variety of culinary styles and more reasonable prices than you’ll find in most big cities. Ask your hotel concierge or the front desk for recommendations.
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• Have fun with your family at any of the more than 50 miniature golf courses. Each has a unique theme and offers some true putting challenges.
• Your kids will be thrilled at a ride-along experience in a race car and, at a little over $100 for five laps on the short track, it’s a relative bargain. Perhaps you’d also like to try it.
• Make a day of it at the NASCAR SpeedPark. It has six short tracks that vary from offering side-by-side racing in NASCAR replica cars to a Qualifier starter track that accepts kids 40” and taller. The park also has bumper cars, electric boats and an arcade.
• Find out what happens at the IMAX 3D Theatre; it will surprise you if you haven’t seen one before. Visual effects bring you into the action in a way you probably haven’t experienced before.
• Cast a line in the ocean off any of eight Myrtle Beach piers available for the sport. Each pier offers different scenic views and local “experts” who understand how to catch different kinds of fish.
• Play at one of the newest attractions, the 140-acre Hard Rock Park, a creation of Hard Rock Cafe. It re-creates the sounds and spirit of classic rock music in 40 attractions, roller coasters and six customized zones.
• Take a break from the frenzy by preparing a picnic lunch for the whole family to enjoy at one of the attractive local parks. Bring Frisbees and other safe activity games for the kids.
• Choices for dinner entertainment or at live theaters, seem almost endless. Venues to consider include Carolina Opry, Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede, High Steppin’ Country, House of Blues, Medieval Times and Swamp Fox Players.
• Immerse yourself and the kids in Ripley’s fun. Choices are Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, Ripley’s Aquarium, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure and Ripley’s Moving Theater. Also try Ghosts and Legends, and MagiQuest.
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For more information, consult the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.mbchamber.com.
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