Myrtle Beach Travel Guide 2026: What to Know
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Myrtle Beach anchors the Grand Strand, about 60 miles of continuous beach running from the North Carolina line south to Georgetown, a string of separate beach towns rather than one walkable downtown. It genuinely fills anywhere from a long weekend to a full week, but the honest way to plan it is as a beach vacation, not a sightseeing march: beach and pool time as the daily spine, with one outing or attraction layered on top per day at most. A car is essential here, since the Strand is too spread out to walk between towns.
Myrtle Beach at a glance
| Days needed | 2 for the beach and Boardwalk core, up to 7 with day trips and golf |
| Best months | March-May and September-October; October is often called the single best month |
| Restaurant tax | ~11.5% inside Myrtle Beach city limits, ~10.5% in the surrounding county |
| One thing to know | A car is essential; the Grand Strand runs 60 miles end to end |
The Boardwalk, the beach flags, and the SkyWheel
The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade runs 1.2 miles along the oceanfront and is free to walk, but it’s not as old as it looks: the current Boardwalk opened in 2010, a rebuild after Hurricane Hazel destroyed the original in 1954. The SkyWheel, a roughly 187-200-foot observation wheel with climate-controlled gondolas, sits right on the Boardwalk (about $21 for an adult ticket; check the current price before you go). For fishing rather than sightseeing, Apache Pier is the longest wooden fishing pier on the East Coast, with the 2nd Ave Pier and Cherry Grove Pier further options.
Swim near a lifeguard and learn the flag system before you go in the water: green is fine, yellow is medium risk, a single red flag means don’t swim, double red closes the water entirely, and blue warns of marine life. Rip currents are the real hazard on this coast. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, only circular umbrellas up to 7.5 feet are allowed and tents or canopies are banned to keep lifeguard sightlines clear; alcohol and glass are banned on the beach everywhere on the Strand, year-round. Also don’t leave valuables visible in beach-lot parking, since car break-ins do happen.
Broadway at the Beach, Family Kingdom, and mini golf
Broadway at the Beach is a separate 350-acre entertainment district about two blocks off the Boardwalk, not part of it, a mix-up worth clearing up before you plan your day. It holds Ripley’s Aquarium (about $43 adult/$27 child), WonderWorks, and the Hollywood Wax Museum. Family Kingdom Amusement Park is oceanfront and free to enter, with pay-per-ride or a roughly $45 wristband; its Swamp Fox wooden coaster has run since 1966, and 2026 is the park’s 60th anniversary, with a new coaster opening that summer. The old Pavilion amusement park closed in 2006 and no longer operates. What Myrtle Beach does still have in force is mini golf: it bills itself as the Mini Golf Capital of the World, with 50+ courses, Hawaiian Rumble and its 40-foot volcano among the best known.
Brookgreen Gardens and the two state parks
Brookgreen Gardens, about 18 miles south near Murrells Inlet, pairs a major sculpture garden with the Lowcountry Zoo, included in the same roughly $25 admission, good for 7 consecutive days. Across the highway is Huntington Beach State Park, home to Atalaya Castle, the Huntingtons’ 1930s Moorish-style winter home, plus some of the best birding in the state; entry runs about $8. That’s a different park from Myrtle Beach State Park, which sits inside city limits with its own pier and campground for about $5; the two have separate fees and shouldn’t be confused. Murrells Inlet’s MarshWalk, a half-mile boardwalk over the marsh lined with seafood restaurants, pairs well with either park on a southbound half-day. If you’d rather not drive it yourself, browse Brookgreen Gardens tour options that bundle transport with a guide.
Golf, live shows, and the districts
Roughly 80-90 golf courses line the Grand Strand, earning it the nickname “the Golf Coast” rather than an official “Golf Capital,” which is the mini golf title above. Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, The Dunes Club (host of the PGA TOUR’s Myrtle Beach Classic), and TPC Myrtle Beach are the standout names, and most visitors book a stay-and-play package rather than one-off tee times. For evening entertainment, Carolina Opry and Alabama Theatre, the latter at Barefoot Landing, cover country and variety acts, and Pirates Voyage puts on a dinner show, though it’s a Dolly Parton production also running in Tennessee and Florida, not exclusive to Myrtle Beach. North Myrtle Beach’s Ocean Drive neighborhood is the birthplace of the Shag, South Carolina’s official state dance since 1984; the Shag is the dance itself, and “beach music” is the genre it’s danced to.
Food along the Grand Strand
Calabash-style seafood, lightly battered and flash-fried, takes its name from Calabash, North Carolina, just over the state line, not from any town in South Carolina. She-crab soup is named for the roe of female crabs. Murrells Inlet calls itself the Seafood Capital of South Carolina, and its MarshWalk is the one spot on the Strand where naming specific restaurants is safe: Dead Dog Saloon, Drunken Jack’s, Wahoo’s, Bovine’s, The Wicked Tuna, and The Claw House all sit along it. Shrimp and grits and Gullah-Geechee Lowcountry cooking round out the local menu.
Where to stay
The core Boardwalk area is the most walkable base, good for first-timers without a rental car close by. North Myrtle Beach is quieter and family-oriented with shag nightlife at Barefoot Landing; Market Common is the upscale, walkable option built on a former Air Force base; Murrells Inlet suits a foodie, quieter stay near the MarshWalk; Pawleys Island and Litchfield are the quietest and most historic, away from the Boardwalk scene; Surfside Beach, known locally as the Family Beach, and Garden City offer lower-rise, family-value options. Verified names to check include Marriott’s OceanWatch at Grande Dunes and the Kingston Resorts cluster (Hilton plus Embassy Suites). Camping is genuinely mainstream here, not a niche choice: Ocean Lakes is the largest campground on the entire US East Coast, with PirateLand and Myrtle Beach State Park as other established options. Check current rates on Booking.com before June-August travel, when Boardwalk-area rooms book out first.
Getting there and getting around
Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) sits about 3 miles southwest of downtown, served by Allegiant, Breeze, Southwest, Delta from Atlanta, and American from Dallas-Fort Worth; Spirit exited the airport in May 2026, so don’t expect to find it there. Even so, Myrtle Beach is overwhelmingly a drive-to market: Charlotte is about 3.5 hours away, Atlanta 6-7.5 hours, Washington DC around 7 hours, mostly via I-95, US-17, and the SC-31 Carolina Bays Parkway, a relief route worth using in summer traffic. A car is essential once you’re here. Two parallel roads run the length of the Strand, US-17 Business (Kings Highway, closer to the ocean, stoplight-heavy) and the US-17 Bypass, also congested; the Coast RTA bus system covers the core but won’t get you to day trips.
When to go
Spring and fall, March-May and September-October, are the sweet spot: warm enough for the beach, golf-friendly, and thinner crowds than summer, with October frequently named the single best month since the ocean is still warm and the crowds are gone. Summer (June-August) is hot, humid, and the busiest family season, July especially. Winter is mild, quiet, and the cheapest time to visit. Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, peaking mid-August to mid-October, worth keeping an eye on if you’re booking during those months. For 2026, the Carolina Country Music Festival runs June 4-7, the SOS Spring Safari (shag) runs April 17-26, the Blue Crab Festival in Little River runs May 16-17, and the Myrtle Beach World Amateur golf tournament begins August 31.
Is Myrtle Beach a good family vacation?
Yes, and that’s really its whole identity: a relaxed, beach-anchored trip built around the daily rhythm of beach and pool time, with family attractions like Ripley’s Aquarium, Family Kingdom, and the SkyWheel layered on one at a time rather than crammed into a checklist. It rewards a slower pace than a typical city trip.
Plan the rest of your trip
For the full day-by-day spine, see the 2-day , 4-day , 5-day , or 7-day itineraries for a family week that mixes beach, golf, and a day trip.
One concrete tip: book Pirates Voyage or Carolina Opry seats before you leave home if you’re traveling in summer. Both shows sell out evening slots weeks ahead in July, and there’s no walk-up guarantee once you’re already on the Strand.