One of the most visited destinations in the country, know for its warm subtropical climate, miles of beaches, 86 golf courses, and 1,800 restaurants
General Information
How to Get There
From Charleston (94 miles): Take Meeting St to E Bay St. Follow US-17 N to US-17 BUS N in Myrtle Beach.
Overview
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the East Coast of South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous 60-mile (97 km) stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in northeastern South Carolina.
Myrtle Beach is one of the major centers of tourism in South Carolina. The city's warm subtropical climate, miles of beaches, 86 golf courses, and 1,800 restaurants attract over 20 million visitors each year, making Myrtle Beach one of the most visited destinations in the country.
Myrtle Beach hosts a variety of special conventions, events, and musical concerts. The area's attractions include its beaches, golf courses, amusement parks, an aquarium, Legends in Concert, retail developments, shopping complexes and over 1,900 restaurants including seafood restaurants. The area also has dinner theaters, nightclubs, and many tourist shops. Myrtle Beach has approximately 425 hotels. The area is also home to over 80 golf courses and over 30 miniature golf courses.
Live shows are offered year round at theaters including the Alabama Theatre, Carolina Opry, Asher Theater, Calvin Gilmore Theater, Legends in Concert, and Medieval Times Family Dinner Theater. Several shows offer special holiday themed shows. The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk opened in 2010 and has been recognized as the nation's #3 boardwalk by National Geographic and one of the best US boardwalks by Travel + Leisure magazine. The Myrtle Beach Skywheel opened at the boardwalk in May 2011, and is a 200-foot (61 m) observation wheel, similar to a ferris wheel, with glass gondolas that look over the Atlantic Ocean. Myrtle Beach State Park, established in 1935, has just under a mile of Grand Strand beach and is a prime location for camping, swimming, hiking, biking, and fishing.
The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade, runs 1.2 miles (1.9 km) along the oceanfront from the Pier 14 at 14th Avenue North to the 2nd Avenue Pier at 2nd Avenue North. The promenade officially opened in May 2010. National Geographic has ranked Myrtle Beach Boardwalk number three in the United States, while Travel and Leisure ranked the boardwalk number two.
The northern section, 8 feet (2.4 m) wide with a raised wooden deck design, runs from Pier 14 to Plyler Park, the location of "Hot Summer Nights", with live music twice a week during the summer, and weekly attractions that include a "Kids Carnival", bagpipes, and a Dixieland band. The middle section, from Plyler Park to the former site of Myrtle Beach Pavilion, has "a carnival atmosphere accompanied by restaurants, bars and gift shops". The Southern Promenade, from the former Pavilion to 2nd Avenue Pier, city officials describe as a "meandering oceanfront park" with benches and landscaping. The 2nd Avenue Pier is the location of weekly fireworks.
The Myrtle Beach Skywheel is a 187-foot tall (57.0 m) observation wheel located that opened May 20, 2011. At the time of its opening was the second-tallest extant Ferris wheel in North America, after the 212-foot (64.6 m) Texas Star in Dallas, and the tallest wheel in the United States east of the Mississippi River. It is now the sixth-tallest Ferris wheel in the United States.
The SkyWheel is similar in design to the Niagara SkyWheel on Canada's side of Niagara Falls, and the Seattle Great Wheel, both of which are 175 feet (53.3 m) tall. Skywheel has "42 glass-enclosed, temperature controlled gondolas" described as "ballooned-out square", each with seating for six passengers. City manager Tom Leath said, "It's big enough to be an iconic feature for the city."
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Myrtle Beach, South Carolina", "Myrtle Beach Boardwalk", and "Myrtle Beach SkyWheel", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
Myrtle Beach Pics
