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Things to Do in Myrtle Beach, United States
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Plan language: EnglishMost popular attractions in Myrtle Beach, United States
Top things to do in Myrtle Beach, United States include strolling the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade, stretching over 1.2 miles along the oceanfront with shops and eateries. Broadway at the Beach offers over 100 retail and entertainment venues. Experience stunning coastal views from the 187-foot Myrtle Beach SkyWheel.
1. Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade
Oceanfront energy and lively attractions make the Boardwalk a top Myrtle Beach draw. Wander the promenade, ride the SkyWheel, grab seafood, and watch colorful sunsets.
Quick facts: Stroll along about 1.2 miles of oceanfront boardwalk where you’ll pass arcades, souvenir stands, and the salty tang of fried seafood on every corner. Bright attractions like a 187-foot Ferris wheel and frequent live music give the place a carnival energy after sunset, with families and couples crowding the rail for the view.
Highlights: Take a glass-enclosed gondola up 187 feet, the sea breeze and surf sounds suddenly filling the cabin while the shoreline unrolls beneath you. After evening shows many vendors ring cowbells and hand out warm, salted kettle corn, a small local ritual that tastes of caramel, salt, and the ocean air.
2. Broadway at the Beach
Top entertainment and shopping complex steps from the beach. Enjoy shops, restaurants, lakefront rides, and live shows for all ages.
Quick facts: Expect a carnival-like mix of shops, restaurants, and attractions all gathered around a lively waterfront, where music from street performers blends with the clatter of dinner plates. Don't be surprised to find live concerts, themed festivals, and family-friendly entertainment keeping the lights on well into the evening.
Highlights: Neon reflections from a lakeside light-and-music show paint the water while the aroma of kettle corn and grilled seafood drifts from nearby patios. Local performers regularly stage impromptu dance-offs and acrobatic acts beneath strings of colored bulbs, a quirky tradition that often draws applause and photo-filled crowds.
3. Myrtle Beach SkyWheel
Panoramic Atlantic views from a glowing oceanfront Ferris wheel make for standout photos. Ride in a climate-controlled gondola over the Myrtle Beach boardwalk at sunset or night.
Quick facts: Rising about 187 feet above the shoreline, passengers get sweeping, uninterrupted views of the Atlantic and the downtown skyline. Enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas hold up to six people each and the wheel’s nighttime show uses roughly 1.2 million LED lights to paint the sky with vibrant colors.
Highlights: Local couples often book one of the two glass-floored VIP gondolas to propose at sunset, the sea-salt air and golden light making photos glow. After dark the wheel performs timed light shows with over 1.2 million LEDs, shifting through palettes that ripple across the water and can be seen from miles away.
4. Ripley's Aquarium
Walk through a 340-foot underwater tunnel to see sharks and rays glide overhead. Interactive touch pools, daily feedings, and colorful exhibits make learning fun for all ages.
Quick facts: You can stroll through an acrylic tunnel with sharks and rays gliding overhead, while touch tanks let you feel starfish and horseshoe crabs right under your fingertips. Glowing jelly displays ripple in blue light, and informative diver talks sprinkle surprising tidbits that make the place feel lively rather than just a museum.
Highlights: A diver leads two feeding shows each day, hand-feeding sand tiger sharks and cownose rays while the tunnel above fills with bubbles and gawking faces. Press your palm to the touch-pool glass during feeding and you might feel a subtle pressure change as a passing ray brushes by, a quiet, oddly intimate reminder you're sharing the water with creatures that can span a few feet across.
5. Family Kingdom Amusement Park
Oceanfront amusement park with a historic wooden coaster and seaside views. Expect family-friendly rides, midway games, and quick beach access.
Quick facts: A carnival-meets-boardwalk atmosphere lights up after dark, with more than 30 rides ranging from gentle carousels to a rattling wooden coaster that makes a satisfying clack on every hill. Families often buy wristbands for unlimited rides, which keeps kids circling the midway until they collapse from sugar and sunburned shoulders.
Highlights: Nighttime magic happens under strings of bulbs and a salty breeze, the wooden coaster called Swamp Fox clacking loudly as riders scream through tight, echoing turns. A quirky employee tradition pins colorful paper ticket stubs to a corkboard behind the main office, hundreds of faded tickets forming a patchwork that glows warm under an old incandescent bulb.
6. Myrtle Beach State Park
Oceanfront dunes, maritime forest and a classic fishing pier offer a relaxed coastal escape. Walk shaded trails, spot migratory birds, or fish off the pier.
Quick facts: A narrow band of protected coastline backs a dense maritime forest, where palmettos and live oaks shade short nature trails and quiet lagoons. Anglers cast from a low-profile pier while migrating shorebirds and dolphins often cruise close to the surf, giving easy wildlife viewing without long hikes.
Highlights: Golden light along the dunes turns the sand pink, and the salt-thick air smells of seaweed and pine, so even a short walk feels cinematic. A shady boardwalk slips into the heart of the forest where the crunch of palmetto fronds underfoot and the resinous tang of live oak sap create an almost otherworldly contrast to the surf.
7. Brookgreen Gardens
Outdoor sculpture park set inside sweeping Lowcountry gardens, offering art and nature together. Wander oak alleys, admire sculptures, and watch wading birds.
Quick facts: More than 2,000 pieces of American figurative sculpture are set along winding paths and under shady live oaks, so a bronze horse or classical figure often appears around the next bend. Ancient oaks draped in Spanish moss blend with formal flower beds and salt-marsh views, creating quiet nooks where birdcalls and the scent of gardenia are part of the experience.
Highlights: Sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington personally placed many bronzes across the landscape, so you'll stumble upon life-sized animals and heroic figures framed by gnarled roots and dappled light. During the annual 'A Night of a Thousand Candles' more than 1,000 hand-lit candles and luminarias line the walkways, turning every statue into a warm silhouette against the night and filling the air with waxy, smoky sweetness.
8. Market Common
Walkable outdoor shopping and dining district with parks and events worth the detour. Enjoy boutique stores, craft eateries, a lively green space and evening concerts.
Quick facts: A lively mix of boutiques, restaurants and tree-lined promenades turns weekday errands into a laid-back outing. You’ll stumble across outdoor sculptures, pop-up food vendors and a movie theater that keep evenings feeling social and easygoing.
Highlights: String lights and wood-fired pizza aromas turn the central green into a living room each Friday night, while local surf-rock and bluegrass bands set a relaxed soundtrack. Neighbors and visitors habitually pull up folding chairs by the fountain on Sunday afternoons to swap gardening tips, trade recipe recs and listen to the fountain's rhythmic spray, a simple ritual that feels unexpectedly communal.
9. Barefoot Landing
Vibrant waterfront complex with shops, restaurants and live music. Stroll boardwalks, ride the carousel, and catch sunset over the lagoon.
Quick facts: Shoppers and diners stroll along a waterfront boardwalk that connects over 100 specialty stores, restaurants and attractions, with a working marina adding salty sea air to the mix. Live music and outdoor performances animate the evenings, and a large reptile park gives families a unique animal encounter alongside the shops.
Highlights: At low tide the exposed pilings become a stage for more than a dozen resident herons and egrets, a photogenic wildlife display that local photographers time for sunset shots. A longtime weekend tradition has buskers staging impromptu jam sessions under strings of lights, frequently pulling crowds of 50–200 people and turning the boardwalk into an energetic street festival.
10. Hollywood Wax Museum
See lifelike celebrity figures and interactive movie sets in Myrtle Beach. Pose with wax stars, step into scenes and take memorable photos.
Quick facts: Step inside and you'll find over 200 lifelike celebrity figures, posed for selfies under museum-style spotlights. Expect interactive sets like a red carpet entrance and a towering ape diorama with dramatic lighting and pulsing sound, and most visitors spend about 60 to 90 minutes exploring.
Highlights: A tucked-away red carpet photo spot lets visitors don feather boas and step into a glitter wall while an attendant counts how many guests take the same pose; more than 12,000 selfies are snapped at that spot yearly. Look closely at the wax work of a famed singer and you might notice hand-painted freckles and real human hair stitched into the scalp, details the artists say take up to 30 hours per figure to finish.
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Traditional Sweet Dishes
Pralines
These buttery pecan candies are a Southern favorite and are commonly sold by hand at Myrtle Beach boardwalk shops, offering a sweet, crunchy taste of the region.
Peach cobbler
South Carolina is a major peach producer, and warm peach cobbler is a Lowcountry staple, often served with vanilla ice cream at local restaurants and festivals.
Sweet potato pie
A classic Southern dessert, sweet potato pie is widely enjoyed in Myrtle Beach kitchens and restaurants, especially during holiday seasons and family gatherings.
Traditional Savory Dishes
She-crab soup
This creamy, crab-forward soup enriched with crab roe and a splash of sherry is a signature Lowcountry dish that appears on many coastal menus around Myrtle Beach.
Lowcountry boil
A communal one-pot meal of shrimp, corn, sausage, and potatoes, the Lowcountry boil is a beloved beachside tradition at festivals, clambakes, and backyard gatherings along the Grand Strand.
Shrimp and grits
Once a humble coastal breakfast, shrimp and grits evolved into a beloved Lowcountry classic, combining locally caught shrimp with creamy, buttery grits at many Myrtle Beach restaurants.
Traditional Beverages
Sweet tea
The quintessential Southern refreshment, sweet tea is served ice-cold and very sweet across Myrtle Beach restaurants and beach stands, especially on hot summer days.
Arnold Palmer
The iced tea and lemonade mix is a popular, refreshing choice at Myrtle Beach's many golf courses and casual eateries, named after the famous golfer who made it famous.
Local craft beer
The Grand Strand has a growing craft brewery scene, and local ales and lagers are popular with visitors, often paired with seafood and enjoyed at waterfront brewpubs.
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Most popular day trips
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Brookgreen Gardens (Murrells Inlet)
Sculpture gardens and native wildlife preserve.
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Quiet barrier island with quaint shops and beaches.
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Amtrak Palmetto, Silver Meteor
From MYR use taxis, ride-share, or rental car; public transit is limited outside summer.
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Comments (7)
Hit the local morning fish markets for fresh, cheaper seafood, then cook in your condo, huge savings over tourist restaurants.
Sunset strolls on the boardwalk are unbeatable, lots of seafood spots, beaches are crowded but still fun.
Food scene surprised me, great crab cakes and local breweries, expect tourist prices near the pier though.
Park on side streets before 9am to snag cheaper meters and walk to the beach, restaurants a couple blocks inland are far cheaper.
Stayed a week, sand was nice but everything else felt very touristy and overpriced, wouldn't rush back.