Although the Myrtle Beach area is enjoying a wealth of new developments, many of the old standbys that have long made the South Carolina coastal city a top group destination are still going strong.
There are more than 100 championship golf courses, as well as live-entertainment theaters, amusement parks, sculpture gardens, three malls, two factory outlet centers, boutiques and hundreds of restaurants.
The 350-acre Broadway at the Beach, the largest entertainment complex in South Carolina, has restaurants, theaters, attractions, nightclubs and more than 100 shops located in four clusters — the New England Village, the Caribbean Village, Charleston Boardwalk and Heroes’ Harbor — each with a different style of architecture, surrounding 23-acre Lake Broadway in downtown Myrtle Beach.
Barefoot Landing, located on the Intracoastal Waterway in North Myrtle Beach, has a carousel, theaters, more than 100 specialty and retail shops and 15 restaurants in a fishing village atmosphere surrounding a 27-acre lake. Riverboat dinner, sunset and sightseeing cruises depart from the Barefoot Landing marina.
Other shopping options in Myrtle Beach include the Coastal Grand Mall, the Market Common and the Tommy Hilfiger Company Store.
25 and going strong
Marking its 25th anniversary, Calvin Gilmore’s Carolina Opry is still going strong with its two-hour show featuring country, pop, gospel, Broadway and jazz music along with comedy and dance, and its “Good Vibrations” show, with music from the 1960s through the 1980s. The shows are performed in its 2,200-seat theater from January through October. The Opry’s Christmas special is presented in November and December.
The Alabama Theatre, opened by the country group Alabama in 1993 in Barefoot Landing, continues entertaining with its high-energy show “One,” its Christmas special and concerts throughout the year by top-name entertainers.
Armored knights on Andalusian stallions continue to fight for the hands of damsels at Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, a longtime fixture on the Myrtle Beach scene.
The House of Blues at Barefoot Landing attracts nationally known performers in the worlds of blues, jazz, gospel and rock; its Sunday Gospel Brunch and Murder Mystery Dinner Theater are also popular.
Ripley’s state-of-the-art aquarium at Broadway at the Beach features a 330-foot underwater moving glide path with 10-foot sharks, thousands of colorful fish from around the world and a restaurant.
For more on Myrtle Beach:
The tide is rolling for Myrtle Beach
Butterflies burst on the scene at Brookgreen Gardens
Myrtle Beach mainstays complete the visitor experience
