North Myrtle Beach is quieter and more residential than Myrtle Beach proper, which is why people keep coming back to it. Here is what to do when you want a break from the sand.
Barefoot Landing
The main draw off the beach: over a hundred shops and more than fifteen restaurants along the Intracoastal Waterway, plus live entertainment, a reptile park and a winery tasting room. There are free fireworks through the summer. It is dog friendly — a lot of the shops keep water bowls outside — and it absorbs an entire evening without planning.
Main Street and the shag
Ocean Drive is the home of the shag, South Carolina's state dance, and Main Street still has the clubs where people dance it. Even if you have no intention of learning, it is worth walking down on a warm evening for the atmosphere.
Cherry Grove Pier
At the north end, good for fishing, better for walking out over the water at either end of the day. The marsh behind Cherry Grove is worth an hour in a kayak if the tide suits.
On the water
- The Intracoastal Waterway runs the length of the town — boat tours, dolphin cruises and rentals all leave from it
- Fishing charters run inshore and offshore, half day and full
- Kayaks and paddleboards on the marsh side, calmer than the ocean
When it rains
Barefoot Landing covers a wet afternoon. Otherwise Myrtle Beach proper is twenty minutes south and has the aquarium, the boardwalk and considerably more indoor entertainment than the north end.
Par for Shore is a short walk from the beach with a heated pool and a golf cart included, which makes getting to most of this straightforward.