Ran into some good fortune and was given a condo for a week at no cost! woo-hoo! I have never been to MB--what should I see/do...any suggestions would be great...thanks!

I'm sure it depends on your age what would be good for you to do. I was given a week stay at the Plantation Resort in one of the Presidential Villas. One thing I found is Broadway at the Beach, broadwayatthebeach.com, with several amusement parks. It'll be my first time there too, celebrating my 1 yr wedding anniversary. Would love to see some responses.

I like the beach, and love to do everything...water sports, dancing, etc...unfortunately, I don't know exactly where it is. I heard Barefoot Landing was a good place to go...

I am going there for my first time the end of July. I am wondering why it seems so reasonable there. I am from the Jersey coast line and places here are so much higher in price. Any thoughts? Just because it is further south would be my best guess.(??)

I'm 25, were going to MB next week, There's tons of thing to do there, I've been every year for probably 10 years or more. It's really centered toward the younger crowd,Extremely crowded!! Almost impossible to get around by car on the strip after 4:00. Needless to say were not taking our small children. There's alot of craziness, But tons of fun if you like that the crowds, and can deal with the teenager's. If your staying near the strip, all you have to do is walk out of the hotel and there you are,in the middle of EVERYTHING!!!

Skimmie,

My husband and I went to Myrtle Beach a few years ago in mid-July. We BOTH enjoyed this vacation. It's a great place to RELAX.

My husband golfed every morning (there seems to be hundreds of golf courses there) and I walked the beach or enjoyed the pool while he was gone. Each day we met up for lunch and then we'd swim, take the trolley or bus (which picked us up in front of the hotel and runs all the time) to Broadway, or drove to the nearby outlet malls or Barefoot Landing. It does get very busy after dinner. The traffic is crazy on Ocean Boulevard, especially around the amusement park. Kids cruise in their cars. Parking is a bit difficult too. We did venture out a couple evenings...but found we really enjoyed the beach after dinner. It's very peaceful then.

There were also country music shows around Myrtle Beach – if that’s your thing (it’s not ours). Alabama, the group, has a museum and theatre at Barefoot Landing if my memory recalls correctly. There are water parks too - but we opted for the hotel pool and ocean instead. Charleston, SC, is not too far - maybe a two hour drive. And, Brookgreen Garden is about 30 minutes south of Myrtle Beach -- it's a garden highlighting art and landscape. It is supposed to be nice. We didn’t go to Charleston or the Garden – we’ll save that for next time because THERE WILL BE A NEXT TIME for us. We really loved it there.

Skimmie,

I'll give my 2 cents worth. My wife & I vacationed here at least annually for about 20 years, and we have lived here (North Myrtle Beach) since last August. That doesn't make me an expert, but I have seen quite a bit.

As to watersports, there are several locations on the beach that offer parasailing, hobie cat rentals, kayaks, jet-skis, etc. There are also a few tour boat services (both in Little River, to the north, and Murrels Inlet, to the south).

Attractions:
1. Barefoot Landing--shops, a few restaurants (T-Bonz is good), House of Blues, Alligator Adventure (don't laugh, it's actually cool); in NMB.
2. Broadway at the Beach--like Barefoot, only newer, bigger. Ripley's Aquarium, IMAX, more restaurants & shops, for dancing there are several clubs there.
3. Brookgreen Gardens, as Ann mentioned above, is lovely (according to my wife, I haven't been yet).
4. Georgetown--about 1 hour south of MB (in between MB and Charleston) has a great little waterfront; good restaurants, antique shops, art galleries--a nice diversion and a fairly pleasant drive, at least for the Strand in the summer.
5. Classic Air Ventures--if you like planes, this really cool. Ride in a vintage 1940's bi-plane. Takes off from NMB and flies over the beach and then buzzes Bird Island (it was about $110 for 2 people last Fall).

My overall advice about restaurants here is this. With a few exceptions, the more casual ones (such as Buffets, *Calabash-Style*) are going to be just about as expensive as the the more formal (and usually better quality) ones. For a typical seafood dinner, expect to pay between $15 to $25 per entre--everywhere. So my recommendations below are based on how good I think the food is.

1. Vintage House Cafe (dinner, in a restored old house, miraculously in the heart of MB).
2. Collector's Cafe (dinner, a little north of the center of MB, awesome food).
3. Sea Merchant's House (dinner, North Myrtle Beach, looks much better on the inside than the outside, we had really good seafood there).
4. Frank's--(dinner, pretty far south in Pawley's Island, we haven't been yet, but I include it because of the unanimous praise from people I trust).
5. Flamingo's (dinner, again a little north of the center of MB, flashy seafood restaurant).
6. Duffy Street Seafood Shack (lunch or dinner, NMB, looks awful, service is slow, but we keep going back because the well-prepared, simple seafood is so damn good).
7. Bummz (lunch & drinks, rare ocean-front location in heart of MB--about 17th Avenue North--great place for relaxing over burgers/sandwiches/salads or just drinks; large deck w/outside tables; great view of the beach).
8. Marker 350 (dinner, on the intracoastal waterway in NMB, very nice casual place, consistently decent seafood).
9. Calabash or Murrels Inlet? If you like fried seafood, Calabash has raised it to an art-form; at least that's the marketing pitch (we've had it many times, and as our dining experiences included more complicated foods, it's lost some lustre with us). Murrels Inlet on the other hand, offers a lot of restaurants with much more variety--personally I'd opt for Murrels Inlet, south of MB.

There's so much info, so little space. If you have specific questions, I'll be glad to field them. Feel free to email me too--I check it semi-regularly.

Have a great time!

My daughter's family is going on 6/29 for a week - 2 daughter's ages 12 & 9-1/2. It's been about 4 years since they went last. They wondered what were prices to play miniature golf--when it's cool out?

Also, is there still a restaurant in Murrel's Inlet (I think) -- the Gulf Stream Cafe???

They like nice quality food (husband is semi-gourmet cook). What prices can they expect to pay at some of the nicer places and which would you suggest? Also, should they make reservations for dinner as soon as they arrive at some places to be sure they can get in?

Do you know the cost for IMAX or any special things either at Broadway at the Beach or Barefoot Landing?

Are there airboat rides still available in the area & where would they go to take one -- also prices??

Thanks for the advice. They want to know how to plan for expenses.

Lois,

Wow, nice specific questions. I'll do my best.

Mini-golf: I just called Dragon's Lair (at Broadway at the Beach), and their rates (which I would think are representative) are $6.50 per game for 11 and up; $5.50 per game under 11; and $8.00 per person all day rate (must start playing by 6:00 PM for the all day rate).

Gulf Stream Cafe--I believe it is still open, and it may be in Garden City (just north of Murrels Inlet); phone # 843-651-8808.

Nice Restaurants--expect to pay about $15 to $25 per entree (usually includes side dish and/or salad); wine prices probably same as other places--$15 per bottle & up.

For a gourmet cook, I'd suggest:
1. Collector's Cafe
2. Nick's (just won a Taste of the Tidelands cooking award)
3. Vintage House Cafe
4. Thoroughbred's (never been, but everyone here seems to like it)
5. Sea Merchant's House (NMB, prices at the lower end of the scale, but we had a great meal there a month or so ago)
6. Flamigo's--a tentative recommendation; we used to like it a lot, but we just gravitated to other restaurants
7. Parson's Table in Little River is pretty good
8. Rossi's (Italian and seafood) between MB and NMB in the Galleria shopping center, very good!
9. Charleston Cafe--in Surfside Beach I think, a friend highly recommended this one, but we haven't been yet.
10. Frank's--in Pawley's Island; we haven't been yet, but per a trusted opinion, this is the best food in the area.
11. Greg Norman's Australian Grille (Barefoot Landing)--my brother-in-law said it was very, very good and very, very expensive.

In the summer, I would definitely call for reservations (although not all retaurants may take them).

Barefoot Landing--it's mostly free (shops, etc.); Alligator Adventure is great, and I believe it is around $15 per person.

Broadway at the Beach--IMAX is either $10.50 or $7.50 per person, sorry I can't remember. Ripley's Aquarium is probably around $30 per person.

Airboat Rides? Never heard of any here. There are various boat rides though, either out of Little River or Murrels Inlet (and a shelling cruise that is only okay out of Georgetown--the pirate cruise right next door might be better for kids). Prices are going to vary quite a bit, but as an example, Sea Thunder (a large powerboat out of Little River is $15 per adult, $10 for 12 & under (w/Sunset cruises at $10/$5).

Hope this helps!

Chuck, check your e-mails. I had asked about different towns in and around Myrtle beach as far as condo's were concerned. Thanks Lori

Lori,

I think I inadvertently deleted your email before I read it. Sorry!

Not having your specific question before me, I'll take a shot in the dark.

The Strand is comprised of several little communities that run North to South--sometimes its hard to tell where one ends and the next one begins. Here's a primer, from North to South:

North Myrtle Beach--consistst of (again, North to South) Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill. All good areas for condo or cottage rentals (I live in Crescent Beach). NMB is really a miniature Mrytle Beach, or more accurately NMB is probably now what MB was 15 years ago. That means a LITTLE less crowded, a little more family oriented, a little more rustic (you'll still find 2-3 story mom & pop motels).

The Plantations--Ocean Creek (just across from Barefoot Landing, in NMB) and Kingston Plantation (between NMB and MB). Both are nicely landscaped, gated resorts, like lesser cousins of their Hilton Head counterparts, but probably the best the Strand has to offer on the North end.

Myrtle Beach--by far the largest area, and the center of the strand. The heart of MB is amusement parks and highrise condos (from about 25th Avenue North down to at least 17th Avenue South). The Pavillion is ground zero--at about 9th Avenue North.

Surfside Beach--just south of MB, mostly cottages, few highrises, more residential in feel and size than NMB (and of course MB). Quieter vacation, but still close enough to MB that there will be plenty of traffic.

Garden City Beach--a little further south, like Surfside.

Murrels Inlet--a nice little fishing village that is growing up rapidly; but it's an inlet--not on the beach!

Litchfield--very upscale resort far enough south of MB that it's a different world--lots of accomodation choices, including Litchfield Beach Resort.

Pawley's Island--true low country, NOT like MB at all, mostly residential. I believe there may be one or two B&B's on the island, not sure. Mostly houses/cottages. Beautiful, unspoiled, graceful.

And that's the end of our tour. If that didn't answer your questions, email me again. I probably won't check it til Monday, but I will probably look at Fodors tomorrow.

Chuck -- thanks for being so thorough and informative. This will help a lot. I really appreciate it.

Lois

Thanks Chuck, I was more specific in the e-mail that was deleted, but your info has been helpful. Actually to be more specific my husband and I were thinking of purchasing a condo, a summer place, and the question was related to specific areas. We are late 40's (very late) all adult children, and no grandchildren as of yet. So my question was related to a nice residential area not to far away from nice restaurants etc. A small newer condo, would be fine as close to the beach as possible. I will be in touch with some realtors soon as we will be there the end of July and will take a look around. I have been on various websites and they seem plentiful and overwhelming there seem to be so many. Thanks again I appreciate your thoughts. You are forgiven for deleting my email. Lori

Lori,

To elaborate a little, what you are looking for (residential, near the beach and near restaurants) is going to be a very, very small subset of available properties down here.

Restaurant proximity is not really an issue because good restaurants are spread all throughout the strand.

Truly residential neighborhoods near the ocean are few & far between--and likely to be $250K and up. However, without knowing your price range, here are a few of which I am aware that I think would meet your criteria.

1. Briarcliff--technically a separate town, but really an ocean-side neighborhood that has some spectatular houses (no condos) and a beautiful, unspoiled beach.
2. Tilghman Forest--in North Myrtle Beach, again nearly all homes, but within a quick drive or golf cart ride to the beach, very nice.
3. Ocean Drive--NMB, there is a section between Main Street and Cherry Grove that has wonderful homes, all homes--no condos--from oceanfront to several blocks back.
4. Homes on the ocean side of Business 17/Kings Highway (east side, that is) in the area of about 68th Avenue North down to about 30th Avenue North. This is in Myrtle Beach; still relatively uncommercialized despite the location.
5. Litchfield--a wonderful resort community that is largely residential, south of Myrtle Beach.
6. Grand Dunes--very expensive, new development in the works at about 82d Avenue North in MB (I believe oceanfront townhomes are $1 million.)

There's probably more, but these are areas that seem very residential to me and are still near the beach. Otherwise, the vast majority of truly residential communities are several miles inland. And on the flip side, most of the housing near the beach is rental/commercial.

Good Luck!

There's been some really great info here on restaurants in Myrtle Beach. How about night life recommendations? I'll be going late July (hopefully it won't be excrutiatingly hot!) and staying at Kingston Plantation. Also, Is Ocean Creek as nice or nicer than Kingston Plantation? Thanks so much in advance!

We live about one hour from Myrtle Beach and go clubbing there often. In the summer the clubs are the best at Broadway at the Beach. It is set up like Bourbon St. in New Orleans, but alot cleaner. One cover charge gets you into the 3 best clubs. There are others on the street. They are behind the Hard Rock Cafe. Club boca is our favorite. Broadway has sev. good restaurants, voted one of the best is House of Landry. Have Fun! We are going next week for 3 nights, staying at Beach Cove.

Topping for Kristen

See CC's comments on Myrtle Beach nightlife.