6 Days in Myrtle Beach: First-Timer Plan

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Six days keeps the same 5-day spine of beach, the Boardwalk, Broadway at the Beach, Brookgreen Gardens, and golf, then adds a water-park day and an on-water excursion, still one outing per day. Add a full day trip to Charleston or Wilmington by moving up to the 7-day plan .

Book these before you go

Day 1: Arrival and the Boardwalk

Morning

Check in and get straight to the beach. Swim near a lifeguard and check the flag: green is fine, yellow is medium risk, a single red flag means stay out, double red closes the water, and blue warns of marine life.

Afternoon

More beach time. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, only circular umbrellas up to 7.5 feet are allowed and tents or canopies are banned; alcohol and glass are banned on the beach year-round regardless of season.

Evening

Walk the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade, 1.2 miles of oceanfront and free, and ride the SkyWheel (about $21 adult, check the current price). Dinner nearby, Calabash-style seafood is the easiest find close to the Boardwalk; expect the roughly 11.5% restaurant tax inside city limits on top of the check.

Day 2: Broadway at the Beach and a show

Morning

Spend the morning and early afternoon at Broadway at the Beach, a separate district about two blocks off the Boardwalk. Ripley’s Aquarium (about $43 adult/$27 child) or WonderWorks is the one outing for the day.

Afternoon

Beach or pool time back at the hotel.

Evening

Catch a Carolina Opry show, the country-and-variety venue that’s been a Myrtle Beach staple for years.

Day 3: Brookgreen Gardens and Murrells Inlet

Morning

Drive about 18 miles south to Brookgreen Gardens, a major sculpture garden with the Lowcountry Zoo included in the same roughly $25 admission, good for 7 consecutive days. Across the highway, Huntington Beach State Park holds Atalaya Castle plus premier birding, about $8 entry; it’s a separate park with a separate fee from Myrtle Beach State Park back in the city.

Afternoon

Walk the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk, a half-mile boardwalk over the marsh.

Evening

Dinner on the MarshWalk: Dead Dog Saloon, Drunken Jack’s, Wahoo’s, Bovine’s, The Wicked Tuna, and The Claw House all sit along it, in the town that calls itself the Seafood Capital of South Carolina.

Day 4: Golf or mini golf, then North Myrtle Beach

Morning

Tee off at one of the roughly 80-90 courses along “the Golf Coast,” Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, The Dunes Club (host of the PGA TOUR’s Myrtle Beach Classic), and TPC Myrtle Beach among the standout names. Swap in mini golf instead if that’s more your speed; Myrtle Beach bills itself as the Mini Golf Capital of the World, with Hawaiian Rumble’s 40-foot volcano the best-known course.

Afternoon

Drive up to North Myrtle Beach and browse Barefoot Landing.

Evening

Stick around Ocean Drive, the birthplace of the Shag, South Carolina’s official state dance since 1984 (the dance itself; “beach music” is the genre it’s danced to). Alabama Theatre, right at Barefoot Landing, is worth a stop if you want a second show this trip.

Day 5: Water park day

Morning

Head to Myrtle Waves, the area’s water park, for slides, a wave pool, and a lazy river. Give it the full morning and early afternoon rather than trying to squeeze in anything else; it’s a real full-day attraction, especially with kids.

Afternoon

Stay at the water park or wind down back at the hotel pool.

Evening

A relaxed dinner, Calabash-style seafood or whatever’s closest to your hotel, with the roughly 11.5% restaurant tax on top of the check.

Day 6: A boat trip and a last beach day

Morning

Book a dolphin-watching or other on-water excursion out of one of the local marinas; it’s the easiest way to see the coastline and the Intracoastal Waterway from a different angle before you leave.

Afternoon

Unstructured beach time, since this is the last real beach afternoon of the trip.

Evening

A farewell dinner and pack for departure. If you’re flying out of Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR), remember Spirit exited in May 2026, so confirm which airline is actually flying your route.

Getting around and where to stay

A car is essential for this itinerary; Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, North Myrtle Beach, and the marinas for a boat excursion are all a real drive from each other, and Coast RTA transit won’t cover all of them. The core Boardwalk area works as a single base for the whole trip. If you’re traveling June through November, keep an eye on the tropical forecast; Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, peaking mid-August to mid-October.

One concrete tip: book the water park visit and the boat excursion before you leave home if you’re traveling in summer. Both fill up on short notice in July, and a fixed reservation beats showing up and hoping for a spot.