Things to Do in Myrtle Beach

The things to do in Myrtle Beach that we could check are the free Boardwalk, the SkyWheel, Ripley's Aquarium, Broadway at the Beach, Barefoot Landing, the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk, Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park. The beach is free, and the city has strict rules on alcohol, glass and dogs. We read each page on 15 October 2026.

The sights, with address, hours and price

Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade

Address: Runs from the 14th Avenue Pier to the Second Avenue Pier. Plyler Park is at 1100 North Ocean Boulevard (Visit Myrtle Beach, Boardwalk list page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Price: Free. Visit Myrtle Beach says "there is no admission to walk on the Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Boardwalk and Promenade" (Visit Myrtle Beach, free and affordable things to do, read 15 Oct 2026)

Note: The Visit Myrtle Beach Boardwalk page puts the length at a little over a mile. Its free-things article says 1.2 miles. We did not measure it

Rules differ by season. From 1 May through Labor Day, bikes and dogs are allowed on the Boardwalk only between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. After Labor Day through 30 April they are allowed at any time. The city also says personal electronic devices are not allowed on city property, including the Boardwalk (City of Myrtle Beach, beach conditions page, read 15 Oct 2026).

Myrtle Beach SkyWheel

Address: 1110 N Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 (SkyWheel website, home page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: "11AM - 9PM" (same page; the page shows no date or season)

Price: Wheel ticket $20.99 per adult online. VIP package $109.00 for one group of up to 4. The page says a standard ticket gives 4 revolutions in a private gondola. It lists no child price (same page)

Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Address: 1110 Celebrity Circle, Myrtle Beach (Ripley's, aquarium page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: The page shows "Today's Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m." with no date, so we cannot say which day it covers (same page)

Price: Not confirmed. The page shows no ticket prices and sends you to its ticket cart

Broadway at the Beach

Address: 1325 Celebrity Cir, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577. Guest Services (843) 444-3200 (Broadway at the Beach website, read 15 Oct 2026)

Price: Free to walk around. Visit Myrtle Beach says "it's free to roam around Broadway and take in all the sights and senses." Shops and restaurants cost money. Parking cost is not confirmed (Visit Myrtle Beach, free and affordable things to do, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: Not confirmed. The site gives shop hours only as an image we could not read

The site lists a Ferris wheel, mini golf, Dave & Buster's, WonderWorks and theater shows. Visit Myrtle Beach says free fireworks run "on most Tuesdays and Fridays at 10 p.m." The Ripley's aquarium is on the same street.

Barefoot Landing

Address: 4898 Highway 17 South, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582 (Barefoot Landing, FAQ page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: Center hours from 7 Sep to 31 Oct: Sunday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. From 1 to 25 Nov: Sunday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Shops and restaurants may differ and hours can change (Barefoot Landing, visit hours page, read 15 Oct 2026; the page shows no year)

Price: Free to walk. Visit Myrtle Beach lists free walking paths between a lake and the Intracoastal Waterway, plus a playground. Parking cost is not confirmed

Murrells Inlet MarshWalk

Price: Free to walk. Visit Myrtle Beach calls it "a free and fabulous slice of the inlet life" (Visit Myrtle Beach, free and affordable things to do, read 15 Oct 2026)

Note: Address, hours and parking are not confirmed. We found no official MarshWalk page we could read

Visit Myrtle Beach says the area has waterfront restaurants. Each restaurant sets its own hours and prices.

Huntington Beach State Park

Address: 16148 Ocean Hwy, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576. Phone 843-237-4440 (South Carolina State Parks, park page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: Park 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and to 9 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time. Atalaya 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and to 5 p.m. during Daylight Saving Time. Atalaya may close for large events (same page)

Price: $8 an adult, $5 for a South Carolina senior, $4 for ages 6 to 15, free for ages 5 and younger. Atalaya is $2 a person for ages 6 and up (same page)

The page says the park may close for a while on weekends and holidays when parking fills, and asks visitors to arrive outside 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The park has 3 miles of beach. The page calls it dog friendly all year. Dogs must be on a leash of six feet or less and are allowed on the south end only. They are not allowed inside Atalaya, which the page calls a National Historic Landmark. The page says the freshwater lake is "a sure-fire place to see alligators."

Brookgreen Gardens

Address: 1931 Brookgreen Drive, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576, off US Highway 17 Bypass between Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island (Brookgreen Gardens, home page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Hours: Daily 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Gates close at 4:30 p.m. for daytime admission (same page)

Price: Adults 13 to 64 $25, seniors 65 and over $23, children 4 to 12 $14 (same page). Visit Myrtle Beach says admission is "good for 7 days" (Visit Myrtle Beach, Brookgreen coupon page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Pets are not allowed, and you cannot leave them in your car inside Brookgreen. Trained service animals are welcome. The page does not list a price for children under 4.

Garden City Pier and Family Kingdom

Visit Myrtle Beach says the Garden City Pier is "free to walk" and that Family Kingdom Amusement Park is "completely free to walk around," with rides at extra cost. We did not check the rides or their prices.

Free things to do

Visit Myrtle Beach lists these as free (Visit Myrtle Beach, free and affordable things to do, read 15 Oct 2026):

• The beach

• The Boardwalk

• Walking around Broadway at the Beach

• The walking paths at Barefoot Landing

• The Murrells Inlet MarshWalk

• The Garden City Pier, to walk

• Plyler Park concerts on the Boardwalk in summer

Things to do with kids

Visit Myrtle Beach names these as popular family stops (Visit Myrtle Beach, family fun page, read 15 Oct 2026):

• Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

• Broadway at the Beach

• Myrtle Waves Water Park

• EdVenture, a children's museum

• Sky Zone, a trampoline park

The same page says kids under 16 can play free at many Grand Strand golf courses. It also says the state parks offer free children's programs through the year. We did not check ages, heights or prices for any of these.

Beach rules from the city

Read on 15 October 2026 from the City of Myrtle Beach beach conditions page:

• Alcohol and glass containers are not allowed on the beach.

• Items may not be set up before 8:00 a.m. and must be removed by 7:00 p.m. daily.

• Memorial Day through Labor Day: only round umbrellas up to seven and a half feet across.

• The day after Labor Day until the day before Memorial Day: tents and shading devices up to 12 by 12 feet.

• Violations are misdemeanors with a fine of up to $500 and/or 30 days in jail.

The city's home page also carried a notice on 15 October 2026 that the 12th Avenue North emergency beach access ramp is closed for construction.

Where to stay in Myrtle Beach

We did not check any hotel's rate or room list, so we give no prices. Rates change by season, so look up your own dates.

Pick the area that matches your main plan. The Boardwalk area suits a trip built around the beach and walking. The Murrells Inlet area suits a trip built around the state park, Brookgreen and the MarshWalk. We have not walked these areas, so check a map for distances.

Getting around

Coast RTA buses

Getting there: Coast RTA says its fixed routes run seven days a week, 362 days a year, and cover Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet, Surfside Beach, Garden City and other towns. It observes New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Phone 843-488-0865 (Coast RTA, routes page and home page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Note: The Coast RTA site points to a timetable PDF dated 05/11/2026 and a riders guide dated 7 June 2026. We did not read them, and we did not confirm the fare

Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR)

Getting there: Taxis wait outside Door 6 at Baggage Claim, first come, first served. Uber and Lyft pick up in a commercial lane across from Door 5, and drivers may not park and wait at the terminal. Coast RTA route 15S picks up on Jetport Road, daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The car rental facility is open until midnight each day and has eight national brands. Some hotels offer a shuttle (Myrtle Beach International Airport, ground transportation page, read 15 Oct 2026)

Price: Airport parking per day: short term $32, long term $12, economy $10 (Myrtle Beach International Airport, home page, read 15 Oct 2026; the page shows no date)

The airport site lists airlines including Allegiant, American, Avelo, Breeze, Contour, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Sun Country, United and Porter. Its count of airlines differs in places on the page, so check your airline.

Do you need a car in Myrtle Beach?

Not for the Boardwalk area, but it helps for the rest. The Boardwalk, the SkyWheel and the beach are close together. The state park, Brookgreen and the MarshWalk are in Murrells Inlet, and Barefoot Landing is in North Myrtle Beach, so those are separate trips. Coast RTA runs every day and route 15S serves the airport. We did not test bus times or fares, and no source gives a driving time between towns, so this is our judgment.

Best time to visit Myrtle Beach

Note: Temperature and rain are NOAA NCEI 1991 to 2020 monthly normals for the Myrtle Beach station (USC00386153), pulled from the NCEI Data Service on 15 Oct 2026

These are 30-year averages. A given week can be much hotter, colder or wetter. We left out the other months, and we did not check ocean water temperatures.

The National Hurricane Center says the Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November. It says the peak is 10 September, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October (NHC, climatology page, read 15 Oct 2026). Its home page showed no active cyclones in the Atlantic on 15 October 2026. Book rooms with a clear cancellation rule if you travel in those months.

What we checked and what can change

Read on 15 October 2026: the City of Myrtle Beach beach conditions page and home page, Visit Myrtle Beach (Boardwalk list, free and affordable things to do, family fun and Brookgreen coupon pages), the Brookgreen Gardens home page, the SkyWheel home page, Ripley's aquarium page, the Broadway at the Beach home and visit pages, the Barefoot Landing FAQ and visit hours pages, South Carolina State Parks' Huntington Beach page, Coast RTA's home and routes pages, the Myrtle Beach International Airport home and ground transportation pages, NOAA NCEI 1991 to 2020 monthly normals, and the NHC climatology and home pages.

Not confirmed: Brookgreen's price for children under 4, Ripley's ticket prices, Broadway at the Beach hours and parking cost, Barefoot Landing parking, the MarshWalk's address, hours and parking, Coast RTA fares and timetables, driving times between towns, and any hotel rate. Prices and hours change, so check the operator's page for your date. We did not visit Myrtle Beach for this page.