Myrtle Beach is sixty miles of coast marketed as one place, and the difference between a good trip and a tiring one is deciding which stretch of it to sleep on. The built attractions cluster inland around Broadway at the Beach and along the oceanfront strip, while the things most visitors remember sit twenty minutes south on the Waccamaw Neck. Plan the days by cluster and the Grand Strand stops feeling like a traffic problem.
The top 15, ranked
Ranked by how consistently each pick appears across official Myrtle Beach sources, the local destination marketing organization, and recent independent roundups.
- Top pick
1Best for Art · #1 of 15
Brookgreen Gardens
GardenWaccamaw NeckOpen daily through the year with a mid afternoon last entry. Evening opening runs during the winter light display season.$10 to $25Nine thousand acres of former rice plantation now hold the largest collection of American figurative sculpture in the country, set in formal garden rooms under live oaks. A separate zoo section keeps native Lowcountry animals, and boat and buggy excursions run out into the old rice fields. Nothing else on the Grand Strand rewards a slow morning this well.
Local tipBuy the ticket at the gate and keep it, because admission covers several consecutive days and the sculpture gardens and the zoo are genuinely too much for one visit.
- Top pick
2Best for Outdoors · #2 of 15
Huntington Beach State Park
ParkWaccamaw NeckOpen daily with longer evening hours in the warm months. Atalaya keeps shorter afternoon hours than the park gate.Under $10The strongest birding on the South Carolina coast sits directly across the highway from Brookgreen, with a causeway over salt marsh, a freshwater lagoon, three miles of undeveloped beach and a boardwalk into the maritime forest. Atalaya, the Moorish style winter home the Huntingtons built here, stands open on the dunes.
Local tipStop on the entrance causeway before the fee booth, since the alligators and wading birds concentrate there and there is pull off parking on both sides.
- Top pick
3Best for Family · #3 of 15
Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
Family AttractionBroadway corridorOpen daily year round with extended evening hours through the summer season.$25 to $50The anchor indoor attraction at Broadway at the Beach runs a long moving walkway through an acrylic tunnel with sharks and rays overhead, plus rainforest, jellyfish and touch tank galleries. It is the one Grand Strand attraction that reliably absorbs a rained out afternoon without feeling like a consolation prize.
Local tipGo late rather than at opening, because the tunnel walkway is far quieter in the last hours and the ticket is valid all day for re entry.
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4Best for Outdoors · #4 of 15
Myrtle Beach State Park
ParkSouth endOpen daily year round with longer evening hours in the warmer months. The pier and the nature center keep their own shorter hours.Under $10A mile of undeveloped shoreline survives inside the built up county here, backed by one of the last stands of maritime forest on the Grand Strand and reached by a fishing pier that runs well out over the surf. Nature center programming, shaded trails and a quiet beach make it the antidote to Ocean Boulevard.
Local tipArrive before mid morning on summer weekends, because the lot fills and the park closes its gate to new vehicles until spaces open up.
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5Best for Views · #5 of 15
SkyWheel Myrtle Beach
Family AttractionOceanfrontRuns daily into the late evening, weather permitting. High wind and lightning pause the wheel without notice.$10 to $25A two hundred foot observation wheel stands directly on the Boardwalk with enclosed climate controlled gondolas, each ticket buying several revolutions. It is the clearest way to read the geography of the Grand Strand in one go, and after dark it doubles as the light show the oceanfront is built around.
Local tipRide at dusk rather than midday, because the low sun puts the beach and the pier in relief and the gondola glass throws far less glare.
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6Best for Family · #6 of 15
Broadway at the Beach
Neighborhood LandmarkBroadway corridorGrounds are open daily and free to walk. Individual shops, rides and restaurants keep their own hours and several close in the low season.FreeA large lakeside complex a mile inland gathers the aquarium, a wax museum, mini golf, theaters, bars and a long run of restaurants around a central water feature. Walking it costs nothing, and it is the one place in Myrtle Beach where an unplanned evening reliably finds something to do.
Local tipPark on the far side near the aquarium rather than the main entrance, since that lot empties fastest when the evening crowd leaves.
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7Best for Free landmarks · #7 of 15
Murrells Inlet MarshWalk
Neighborhood LandmarkWaccamaw NeckThe boardwalk is open and free at all hours. Restaurant and live music schedules vary by venue and thin out in winter.FreeA half mile of wooden boardwalk runs along a working saltwater estuary in the old fishing village south of the city, with eight restaurants and live music decks backing onto it. The walk itself is free and public, and the view over the marsh to the inlet is the best sunset on this stretch of coast.
Local tipWalk the boardwalk end to end before choosing where to eat, because the decks nearest the water fill first and the quieter ends have the same view.
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8Best for Family · #8 of 15
Family Kingdom Amusement Park
Family AttractionOceanfrontOperates seasonally, generally from spring through the autumn, with hours that shift week to week around school calendars.$25 to $50The last seaside amusement park on the Grand Strand has run since the sixties and still keeps the Swamp Fox wooden coaster, a Ferris wheel over the sand and more than thirty rides on a compact oceanfront block. Admission by ride ticket keeps a short visit cheap in a way wristband parks do not.
Local tipBuy individual ride tickets rather than a wristband unless the group intends to stay several hours, because the park is small enough to exhaust quickly.
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9Best for Shopping · #9 of 15
Barefoot Landing
MarketNorth Myrtle BeachOpen daily and free to walk. Shop and restaurant hours vary and shorten outside the summer season.FreeBuilt out over a tidal lake in North Myrtle Beach, this waterfront run of shops, restaurants and theaters is the northern counterpart to Broadway at the Beach and considerably calmer. Boardwalks link the buildings, boats tie up alongside, and the alligator park and the Alabama Theater sit at either end.
Local tipCome at the end of the afternoon, when the light on the lake is best and the day trip traffic on Highway 17 has already thinned.
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10Best for Shows · #10 of 15
The Carolina Opry
Music VenueBroadway corridorPerformance schedule runs through the year with more shows in summer and a Christmas production in the winter season.$25 to $50The longest running theater on the Grand Strand has been staging its variety revue for well over three decades in a purpose built house at the north end of the city. The bill mixes country, gospel, comedy and dance, and touring concerts fill the calendar around it.
Local tipCheck the calendar before booking a hotel evening, because the touring concert nights are a different show from the resident revue and sell separately.
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11Best for Neighborhoods · #11 of 15
The Market Common
Neighborhood LandmarkSouth endStreets and parkland are open and free at all hours. Individual shops, restaurants and the cinema keep their own hours.FreeThe former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base was rebuilt as a walkable district of brick streets, independent shops, restaurants, a cinema and a large lake park with trails. It is where the city feels least like a resort strip, and the surrounding parkland absorbs an easy hour on foot or by bike.
Local tipWalk out to the lake behind the shops rather than staying on the main street, since the trail loop and the old base memorials are the part most visitors miss.
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12Best for Family · #12 of 15
Myrtle Waves Water Park
Family AttractionBroadway corridorOperates seasonally in the warm months, with hours that vary day to day. Closed through the cool season.$25 to $50The largest water park in South Carolina sits opposite Broadway at the Beach with more than thirty slides, a wave pool and a lazy river across a compact site. For families staying inland it removes the parking and heat problems that come with a full day on the public beach.
Local tipBring the towels and a soft cooler from the hotel, because the rental and food costs inside add up faster than the admission does.
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13Best for Shows · #13 of 15
Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show
Family AttractionNorth endShow times run most evenings through the year, with extra performances in summer and a Christmas version in the winter season.$50 plusThe Dolly Parton company runs its pirate themed dinner show around an indoor lagoon, with rigging stunts, acrobatics and live animals staged above the water while a four course meal is served in tiers around it. It is the most committed of the Grand Strand dinner theaters.
Local tipState any dietary requirement when booking rather than on arrival, because the meal is plated to a fixed service and substitutions are handled in the kitchen beforehand.
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14Best for Family · #14 of 15
Alligator Adventure
Family AttractionNorth Myrtle BeachOpen daily year round, with a schedule of keeper talks and feedings that shifts by season.$25 to $50Next to Barefoot Landing, this reptile park keeps one of the larger collections of crocodilians anywhere, on raised boardwalks over swamp enclosures, alongside snakes, tortoises, birds and small mammals. Keeper talks and feeding demonstrations run through the day and give the visit its structure.
Local tipTime the visit around a scheduled feeding demonstration, because the animals are close to invisible between them in cool weather.
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15Best for Family · #15 of 15
WonderWorks Myrtle Beach
Family AttractionBroadway corridorOpen daily year round with longer hours through the summer season.$25 to $50The upside down building at Broadway at the Beach holds around a hundred hands on science exhibits across six themed zones, plus a ropes course, laser tag and a motion ride. It is aimed squarely at school age children and works best as a wet weather substitute for the beach.
Local tipTreat the ropes course as a separate decision from the exhibits, since it needs closed shoes and adds meaningfully to the time in the building.
Where things cluster
The Grand Strand runs a long way north to south. These five clusters keep a day inside one stretch of it instead of driving Highway 17 twice.
- Oceanfront and the BoardwalkOcean Boulevard and the promenade between the two piers, holding the SkyWheel, the amusement park and most of the older hotels.
- Broadway corridorThe lakeside complex a mile back from the sand, with the aquarium, the water park, the theaters and the largest concentration of restaurants in the city.
- The Market Common and the state parkThe rebuilt air base district and the forested state park beside it, the quietest part of the city proper and the easiest place to walk.
- North Myrtle BeachBarefoot Landing, the reptile park and the theater houses along Highway 17 north, roughly twenty minutes above the main strip.
- Waccamaw NeckMurrells Inlet, the MarshWalk, Huntington Beach State Park and Brookgreen Gardens, the stretch south of the city where the Lowcountry begins.
Make it a day
South for the morning, strip for the night
Drive to Brookgreen Gardens early and cross the highway to Huntington Beach State Park for the causeway and the beach. Come back north in the late afternoon and finish on the Boardwalk with the SkyWheel at dusk.
City first, Lowcountry second
Give the first day to the oceanfront and the Broadway corridor, mixing the beach, the aquarium and an evening show. Spend the second entirely on the Waccamaw Neck between Brookgreen, the state park and the MarshWalk at sunset.
Aquarium, then water
Open at Ripley's Aquarium while Broadway at the Beach is still quiet, then cross to Myrtle Waves for the afternoon in summer or WonderWorks if the weather turns. Keep the evening for the Boardwalk and the amusement park rides.
Map
Best time to visit
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Late spring and September are the strongest windows here, with warm water, open seasonal attractions and none of the July parking pressure on Ocean Boulevard. Midsummer is hot, humid and crowded, and afternoon thunderstorms are routine. Winter is mild and very cheap, but the water park, the amusement rides and several theaters are closed, so the coast, the gardens and the indoor attractions have to carry the trip.
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Myrtle Beach things to do FAQ
Parking, timing, cost, and weather answers for a smoother visit.
How many days do you need in Myrtle Beach?
Three days covers it comfortably. One handles the oceanfront and the Boardwalk, one handles the Broadway corridor and an evening show, and one goes south to Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park. Two days works if the Waccamaw Neck is treated as the priority and the inland attractions are dropped.
What is the difference between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach?
They are separate cities about twenty minutes apart on Highway 17. Myrtle Beach holds the Boardwalk, the amusement park and the Broadway corridor and is busier and denser. North Myrtle Beach is quieter, more oriented to rental houses and golf, and centers on Barefoot Landing and the Main Street beach at Ocean Drive.
Is Myrtle Beach expensive?
It is one of the cheaper major beach destinations on the east coast, particularly outside July and August. The beach, the Boardwalk, the MarshWalk, Broadway at the Beach and The Market Common all cost nothing to walk. The cost comes from the ticketed attractions and dinner shows, which add up quickly if a family books several in one trip.
Where should you stay in Myrtle Beach?
Stay on the oceanfront strip if the trip is about the beach and the Boardwalk and nobody wants to drive. Stay near The Market Common or the south end for a quieter base with easy access to the state park. Stay on the Waccamaw Neck around Murrells Inlet if the priority is Brookgreen, the marsh and the seafood rather than the amusements.
Can you swim at Myrtle Beach in the winter?
The ocean is too cold for most swimmers from late autumn through early spring, though the beach itself stays open and walkable all year. Winter visitors generally use the coast for walking, shelling and birding, and rely on hotel indoor pools for swimming. Water temperatures are usually comfortable from late May through October.
What is there to do in Myrtle Beach when it rains?
Ripley's Aquarium and WonderWorks at Broadway at the Beach are the two largest indoor options and both absorb several hours. The dinner theaters and The Carolina Opry run regardless of weather, and Brookgreen Gardens keeps indoor galleries alongside its sculpture grounds. Rain is usually short and heavy here rather than all day.
Keep planning
Use these nearby guides to extend your Myrtle Beach trip with a different pace and a clear next stop.
Hero image: The Myrtle Beach SkyWheel and oceanfront, photograph by DiscoA340, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.