Make summer last longer in Myrtle Beach
As kids go back to school, pumpkin spice invades menus and holiday decorations start to fill store shelves, there’s one place that refuses to let summer slip away. In Myrtle Beach, you can still find outdoor events, warm temperatures and soothing seaside sounds well into October.
Thanks to its 60 miles of coastline, this South Carolina destination has plenty of hotel rooms, thousands of restaurants to choose from and attractions that are open year-round. Ocean temperatures still hover in the high 70s, or you can cool off in the lazy rivers that abound at various hotels. Whether it’s dining on the fresh catch of the day, sinking a putt in the Mini Golf Capital of the World or checking out a local distillery, Myrtle Beach will have you so relaxed, you’ll lose track of what month it is.
Read on for our guide on how to extend your summer here.
Festivals
There are plenty of reasons to visit Myrtle Beach, but it’s always fun to time it with an outdoor celebration. While a fresh catch is invariably on the menu here, you can really dive in at the I love Seafood Fest (Sept. 4–6). Expect an array of lobster tails, crab legs, crab cakes, oysters, shrimp and more as chefs from different parts of the country prepare food, all to the sounds of live music at the Burroughs & Chapin Pavilion Place.
For more local flavor, attend the Loris Bog-Off Festival (Oct. 17), where you can dig into chicken bog, a pilaf dish loaded with chicken and sausage. Amateur chefs compete cooking this classic South Carolina staple while local bands play and 200-plus vendors sell ready-made chicken bog and other things.
Raise a stein and prepare to polka during Myrtle Beach Oktoberfest, when festivities typically span a few weeks starting in mid-September. Crooked Hammock Brewery hosts a monthlong event in North Myrtle Beach, called Crooktoberfest, offering seasonal craft beers and schnitzel on pretzel buns. Along with German food and beer, Springmaid Oktoberfest will have games and local crafts outside the oceanfront DoubleTree Resort by Hilton on Oct. 17.
Sports fans, take note. Myrtle Beach's 30-plus miniature-golf courses make it the perfect spot for the US ProMiniGolf Association Masters Tournament, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year (Oct. 6–10), hosted at the Hawaiian Rumble course. Also on Oct. 10 is the 13.1-mile Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon as well as the 3.1-mile Coastal 5K. Registration is still available for both races, or you can cheer folks on as a bystander.
It’s free to attend (and park at) NMB Live! Music Festival on Sept. 26. North Myrtle Beach's Main Street will offer three stages of live entertainment as well as more than 150 food and drink vendors, plus rides for kids. Another free gathering, the Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival (Oct. 16–18), celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. The event is for all ages and lawn chairs are encouraged to make it an all-day outing to hear multiple musicians.
Attractions
As the Atlantic Ocean temps stay mild here through October, it’s easy to line up a few relaxing beach days. But if you're ready to hit the water, you can also go big. Bounce around on a banana boat or take to the skies parasailing in North Myrtle Beach with New Wave Watersports. Be sure to use the coupon on their site to save per person. Alternatively, you can go on a dolphin watch tour with Blue Wave Adventures, which operates out of Murrells Inlet.
Mini golf makes the perfect outing for family or a group of friends, which is where the family package from Myrtle Beach Family Golf comes in handy. The deal includes a round at four courses (Jurassic Golf, Shipwreck Island, Captain Hook's Adventure Golf and Jungle Safari) along with a small basket of balls for Cane Patch, the city’s only lighted driving range. Should that be too much mini golf, you can also find coupons for individual rounds on their website.
If your idea of a perfect summer day includes margaritas and buffalo wings in a beer garden, Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Co. is ready for you. Newly opened, this joint distillery and brewery at Broadway at the Beach includes multiple bars, the aforementioned indoor-outdoor beer garden, tastings and guided tours.
Should you wish to avoid the hottest part of the day (or a passing shower), head indoors and “meet” your favorite celebrity (like Clint Eastwood or Leonardo DiCaprio) at the Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center. (You’ll know the building from the massive 40,000-pound King Kong perched on top and the Oscar-statue fountain out front.) Brave souls can venture downstairs to the “OutBreak—Dread the Undead” zombie attraction or try not to get lost in Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors.
Another indoor experience revolves around wellness. Check out The Landing – Spa33 and 78Fitness at Kingston Resorts (open to nonguests). Here, you can practice tennis, pickleball, boxing, tai chi and a number of other invigorating classes and then relax at the day spa.
Dining
Whether you're looking for casual or formal, you can find all kinds of eateries in Myrtle Beach. Early risers can appreciate the 7 a.m. opening of Honey Bees, which serves freshly made breakfast and lunch daily until 3 p.m. Choices range from omelettes and benedicts to seafood baskets and burgers. Coffee, fresh-pressed juices and brunch cocktails are also available to order.
Part bowling alley, part arcade, part Tiki bar, part restaurant, Downtown Flavortown is a burst of creative energy at Myrtle Beach Mall. This 50,000-square-foot dining and entertainment complex, the brainchild of Guy Fieri, opened this past June. Menu items include pizza, Fieri's award-winning bacon mac-n-cheese burger, chicken wings and "trash can" nachos.
For another laid-back spot, head to The Grumpy Monk in North Myrtle Beach for happy hour food (think chicken fingers, burgers and mozzarella sticks). Its sister restaurant/brewery, the newly opened South Coast Beer Project in the Carolina Forest area, offers freshly brewed beer and specializes in pizza and wings (as the owner is originally from Buffalo, New York).
Not a spelling mistake, UPTWN Prime offers an upscale evening of "prime steak, proper pours and Carolina hospitality." Start with a colossal shrimp cocktail, followed by a tomahawk steak paired with one of the many wines or cocktails on the menu. (Meat coma may be forthcoming.) Don't let a life-sized stuffed grizzly bear, 64-ounce beers or cocktails served in cowboy boots distract you from the fact that Angus Steakhouse and Seafood serves up some serious eats, including hand-cut USDA-choice steaks, some of which are flamed on a lava stone tableside.
Accommodations
With thousands of hotels along Myrtle Beach's 60 miles of sand, there are plenty of places to unpack, particularly once the peak summer crowds go back to their schools and pumpkin spice. Just steps from the Boardwalk, SkyWheel and Broadway at the Beach, visitors can spend some time floating down the lazy river at voco The Shelby–Myrtle Beach, sip a poolside cocktail at the Tiki Bar or gain direct access to the beach.
Whether it's a family affair or a gathering of friends, Together Resorts & Vacation Rentals can accommodate with its spacious beachfront homes. Browse the rentals and you'll find private pools, full kitchens and game rooms inside.
Located on Ocean Boulevard, Ocean Escape Condos' units have two or three bedrooms, large living and dining areas, fully equipped kitchens and private balconies.
North Myrtle Beach tends to be on the quieter side no matter the time of year. Myrtle Beach Seaside Resorts has a few options here. Stay in a 1-, 2- or 3-bedroom oceanfront or ocean-view condo at Avista Resort, which has outdoor and indoor pools, hot tubs and a lazy river, plus a sports bar that offers specialty cocktails and karaoke. There’s a weekly hula fire show and luau dinner here and at Grande Shores Resort. The latter is in a residential area and offers multiple outdoor lazy rivers, oceanfront and indoor pools, plus discounts on area attractions as well (deals on specific attractions depend on when you stay).
SeaSide Resort also offers discounts to area attractions. Its 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom condominiums are each furnished with a fully equipped kitchen, dining room area, washer/dryer and a jetted tub, plus they have private balconies with views of the Atlantic Ocean, Carolina Coast or South Ocean Boulevard.