HomeArea guide
Explore Myrtle Beach
Your guide to the Grand Strand
Sixty miles of beach, the biggest entertainment district in the Carolinas, two state parks, a sculpture garden and more golf than you could play in a season, all within a short drive of your villa.
The Grand Strand
Myrtle Beach sits at the center of the Grand Strand, a continuous arc of beach that runs more than 60 miles from Little River at the North Carolina line to Winyah Bay at Georgetown. More than 20 million people visit each year for the sand, the warm subtropical climate, the restaurants and the golf.
Myrtlewood Villas sits off 48th Avenue North, on the Myrtlewood Golf Club between US 17 Bypass and the Intracoastal Waterway. That puts the beach, Broadway at the Beach and the boardwalk a few minutes away by car, with the quieter parks and villages of the south strand and the waterway side of North Myrtle Beach each within half an hour.
This guide is ordered by distance from your door. Check the official sites linked at the end for hours and tickets before you set out.
Discover the Best of Myrtle Beach
From attractions and family fun to dining, shopping and the outdoors, Myrtle Beach has something for everyone. These are the top things to do during your stay.
-
Broadway at the Beach
The biggest entertainment district on the Grand Strand, with more than 100 shops, 20 plus restaurants, three theaters and Ripley’s Aquarium around a 23 acre lake.
Explore -
SkyWheel Myrtle Beach
Climate controlled gondolas take four slow turns over the beach and the Atlantic from the boardwalk.
Explore -
Brookgreen Gardens
A 9,100 acre sculpture garden and wildlife preserve under the live oaks of four former rice plantations.
Explore -
Ripley’s Aquarium
Sharks, rays and sawfish overhead in the walk through tunnel inside Broadway at the Beach.
Explore -
Pelicans Ballpark
Single A baseball beside Broadway at the Beach, with home games from spring into early September.
Explore -
Myrtle Beach State Park
A mile of undeveloped beach, a maritime forest trail and a fishing pier, about 8 miles south of the villas.
Explore
Nothing in that group yet. Pick another.
Minutes from the villas
Broadway, the Boardwalk and the Ballpark
The attractions most guests visit first all sit between 2nd Avenue North and the Bypass, a short drive south of the villas.
-
Broadway at the Beach
The biggest entertainment district on the Grand Strand sits on 350 acres around the 23 acre Lake Broadway, with more than 100 specialty shops, more than 20 restaurants and three theaters. It is the most visited shopping center in South Carolina.
Ripley’s Aquarium, with its walk through shark tunnel, and WonderWorks, an upside down building holding more than 100 hands on exhibits across 41,000 square feet, both sit inside the complex.
-
Myrtle Beach Boardwalk
The oceanfront boardwalk and promenade runs 1.2 miles between Pier 14 and the 2nd Avenue Pier. It opened in May 2010 and has been ranked among the best boardwalks in the country by National Geographic and Travel and Leisure.
Arcades, ice cream stands, souvenir shops and oceanfront bars line the walk, and the beach is a few steps down from it the whole way.
-
SkyWheel Myrtle Beach
The observation wheel on the boardwalk carries riders in private, climate controlled gondolas for four slow turns over the beach and the Atlantic. After dark the whole wheel lights up.
LandShark Bar and Grill sits at its base, and a combined wheel and dinner ticket is sold at the wheel.
-
Pelicans Ballpark
Home of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Single A Carolina League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The park opened in 1999 and seats up to 6,599, and it is the finish line of the Myrtle Beach Marathon each March.
The Carolina League season runs from spring into early September, so a home game is an easy evening out for most of the summer.
The beach
Sixty Miles of Sand
The public beach runs the whole length of the city, with access points at the end of most numbered avenues and public parking along Ocean Boulevard. The stretch nearest the villas, around 48th Avenue North, is residential and quieter than the boardwalk blocks downtown.
Lifeguards and chair and umbrella rentals work the busier beaches from spring through early fall. The ocean is warmest from July into September, when water temperatures sit in the low 80s.
After a day on the sand, the indoor pool complex and the outdoor pool in your community are waiting back at the villas. See the amenities page for what is included with every stay.
Parks and gardens
Wild Beach, Maritime Forest and Sculpture
South of the city the high rises stop and the coast turns to dunes, live oaks and salt marsh. These three are worth a full day between them.
-
Myrtle Beach State Park
Opened in 1936, the first park in the South Carolina state park system and one of 16 built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Its 312 acres hold a mile of undeveloped beach, a maritime forest with a nature trail, a nature center and a fishing pier.
There is a small per person admission fee at the gate and a separate charge to fish from the pier.
-
Huntington Beach State Park
A 2,500 acre coastal preserve with three miles of beach, some of the best surf fishing in the state and some of the top birdwatching on the East Coast. The freshwater lake beside the causeway is a reliable place to spot alligators.
Atalaya, the Moorish style winter home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington, is a National Historic Landmark inside the park and hosts the Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival each September.
-
Brookgreen Gardens
A 9,100 acre sculpture garden and wildlife preserve on the land of four former rice plantations. The Huntingtons opened it in 1932 to show American figurative sculpture, including Anna Hyatt Huntington’s own work, in a garden setting.
The Lowcountry Zoo and the trails through the preserve are part of the visit, and the gardens stay open through the winter with a changing calendar of events.
Up and down the strand
Day Trips in Every Direction
-
Murrells Inlet MarshWalkSouth
A half mile wooden boardwalk along the saltwater estuary in the old fishing village of Murrells Inlet, about 13 miles south of Myrtle Beach. Seven waterfront restaurants open onto it, most with live music, and the view and the music are free.
-
Pawleys IslandSouth
A quiet barrier island reached by two causeways, and one of the oldest resort areas on the East Coast. Come for the beach, the hammock shops and the slower pace rather than for attractions.
-
Barefoot LandingNorth
More than 100 stores and restaurants built around Louis Lake beside the waterway, with the Alabama Theatre, House of Blues and the Alligator Adventure reptile park on the same property.
-
Conway RiverwalkInland
The county seat is one of the oldest towns in the state. Its revitalized Main Street and the Riverwalk along the Waccamaw River make an easy half day away from the beach, with a City Hall designed by Robert Mills, the architect of the Washington Monument.
Evenings
Shows and Dinner
The theaters along the strand run year round, most with a separate Christmas production from November. Book ahead in summer and over the holidays.
For dinner without a show, the MarshWalk in Murrells Inlet is the place for fresh seafood on the water, Broadway at the Beach has the widest choice within a few minutes of the villas, and every villa has a full kitchen for the nights you would rather stay in.
On stage along the strand
- Pirates Voyage Dinner and ShowTwo pirate crews, acrobatics, diving and live animals around an indoor lagoon, served with a four course feast. A Christmas show runs through the holidays.
- The Carolina OpryA long running musical variety show in Myrtle Beach, with a separate Christmas production each season.
- Alabama Theatre and House of BluesBoth sit at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach: a resident variety show at the Alabama Theatre, and touring acts at House of Blues.
Golf, Beaches and So Much More
Championship golf, wide beaches, nature parks and endless entertainment along the whole Grand Strand.
Plan Your Perfect Day
Make the most of your Myrtle Beach getaway with a little inspiration.
-
Family Fun Itinerary
Morning on the beach, the aquarium and WonderWorks at Broadway at the Beach after lunch, then the SkyWheel lit up after dark.
See the attractions -
Couples Getaway
Sunrise on the quiet sand near 48th Avenue North, a slow afternoon at Brookgreen Gardens and dinner on the water at the MarshWalk.
See the day trips -
Golf Getaway
Eighteen on PineHills or Palmetto at the edge of the villas, then a second course from the dozens along the strand.
Stay and play
Golf
Two Courses at the Door, Dozens More Nearby
Myrtle Beach calls itself the golf capital of the world for a reason: the Grand Strand holds dozens of public courses between Little River and Pawleys Island. Two of them, the PineHills and Palmetto courses of Myrtlewood Golf Club, start at the edge of the villas.
Stay and play packages pair your villa with tee times here and across the area. See the golf page for the courses and packages.
Before you go
Check Hours and Tickets
Opening hours, seasons and ticket prices change through the year. These are the official sites for everything on this page.
Your base for all of it
Stay at Myrtlewood Villas
The perfect home base for your Myrtle Beach adventure
One, two and three bedroom villas with full kitchens, the indoor pool complex, and the beach and Broadway at the Beach minutes away. Pick your dates to see what is available.
Area photos: Tom Long (CC BY-SA 2.0), Isipeoria (CC BY-SA 3.0), Claire P. (CC BY 2.0), anoldent (CC BY-SA 2.0), MusikAnimal (CC BY-SA 4.0), BullDawg2021 (CC BY-SA 4.0), formulanone (CC BY-SA 2.0), Steve Walker (CC BY-SA 2.0), Moofpocket (CC BY 2.5), U.S. Air Force, Tech. Sgt. Louis L. Rivers (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons. Villa and course photos are our own.