Well-known for its lovely wide beaches and challenging golf courses, Myrtle Beach is a major destination for more than 14 million visitors to South Carolina’s Atlantic coast each year. Tourists enjoy the area’s many excellent seafood restaurants and outlet-style shopping options. It’s not unusual for frequent visitors to eventually buy a condominium or timeshare along the coast.
The Grand Strand is a 60 mile stretch of pristine white sand beginning at Little River and continuing on to Georgetown, on South Carolina's southern coastline. Along this stretch of sandy beach are a number of beach resorts and seaside communities, with Myrtle Beach being the centre of activity. Although many attractions are found in and around Myrtle Beach, visitors enjoy seaside activities, delicious seafood, shopping, museums, amusement parks, shipwreck diving and golfing.
Myrtle Beach, situated at the centre of the Grand Strand, is a rather showy concentration of commercial development that has developed into a large-scale centre for entertainment and family fun. In the summer, the sandy beach is so popular with vacationers that it seems to be completely coloured by their beach wear, towels and mats. The Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park, with its arcades, shops, waterslides and other activities for children is equally popular and busy. If you’re seeking a respite from the non-stop entertainment, the nearby Myrtle Beach State Park boasts nature trails, fishing and swimming – as well as a little peace and quiet.
A wide range of accommodation options can be found dotted across the city with clusters of luxury hotels next to pockets of mid-range hotels. The standards are excellent and you will find that by travelling out of season, many of the top-class hotels lower their prices significantly.
Prior to 1900, Myrtle Beach was uninhabited, as the coastal railway ended a few miles away at Pine Island. When the railroad was extended the additional four miles into Myrtle Beach, the first real growth spurt began. The Pavilion and the Seaside Inn, found in the centre of Myrtle Beach today, were part of that early development.
In the 1930s, the city had expanded northwards to include the area known today as Ocean Forest. Not long afterwards, the construction of the intra-coastal waterway added to the influx of visitors. In 1938, Myrtle Beach was designated a town, reaching city status in 1957. Its name is derived from the wax myrtle shrub, which is found growing abundantly along the coast.
Development to the north continued in the 1960s, with the formation of new the communities of Briarcliffe Acres and North Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach itself continued to expand and by the early 1970s, it had started to become a favourite with US tourists from other southern states. Development along the Grand Strand mushroomed in the late 1970s, when the suburban community of Surfside Beach was built and North Myrtle Beach was further expanded.
Myrtle Beach experienced huge population growth from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, which was one of the largest population gains in the US. The population of one new community alone, Caroline Forest, grew to 56,000. Due to the region’s relatively low cost of living, pleasant climate and its range of amenities, many retirees have chosen to spend their leisure years here, having become well-acquainted with the area during earlier visits.
Myrtle Beach enjoys pleasant weather year-round. Even in the middle of the winter, from December to February, temperatures rarely stay below 15°C for very long and rainfall is quite moderate. By March, temperatures are approaching 20°C and then climb to a peak of around 32°C in July and August. September sees the start of autumn, when temperatures are still hovering around 30°C.
If you’re drawn to the sea and enjoy lounging at the beach, July and August will most likely be your preferred months. During the summer, it is not uncommon for the ocean water temperature here to be as much as 10°C warmer than in the New York area. Hurricanes, however, are a reality with the hurricane season lasting from June through November. Notifications regarding tropical storm and hurricane activity are issued well in advance so you won’t be caught unaware. It’s unlikely that a hurricane will hit Myrtle Beach during your holiday, but there is a Disaster Operations Centre active during storm threats and a number you can call for information and advice (+1 843 918 1400).
If you’re headed to Myrtle Beach for the golf, you’ll probably want to schedule this for the spring or autumn months. The summer months can be a bit hot to be out on a golf course and is a time more suited for the beach.
