Myrtle Beach and The Grand Strand

Myrtle Beach and The Grand Strand covers the 60-mile stretch of South Carolina coast along the northeastern edge of the state, the broad sandy beach country running from the North Carolina line south to the historic port of Georgetown. The Grand Strand is a continuous run of beach, with shallow ocean shelf and warm Gulf Stream water keeping the swimming season long. The terrain inland turns to flat pine flatwoods and the cypress swamps of the Waccamaw River. Horry and Georgetown counties cover the region. Horry holds Myrtle Beach (the largest city), North Myrtle Beach, Conway (the historic county seat on the Waccamaw River), and Surfside Beach; Georgetown holds Georgetown (one of the oldest cities in South Carolina, founded 1729), Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet, and Litchfield Beach. The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and SkyWheel, Brookgreen Gardens (the country’s largest sculpture garden), Hopsewee Plantation, and Huntington Beach State Park concentrate the major attractions; over 90 golf courses cluster across the Strand. Most trips here run beach-and-golf focused. Myrtle Beach handles the carnival-and-family-vacation itinerary — Broadway at the Beach, the Boardwalk, mini-golf strips, and the live entertainment theaters; the Strand’s golf draws serious players; Georgetown’s working harbor and Brookgreen’s sculpture and zoo gardens fill quieter days; Murrells Inlet runs the seafood-marina dining itinerary.