If you’re not quite ready to pack away your flip-flops and beach chair for the winter, consider a fall trip to Myrtle Beach, where warm, sunny days last long into the fall months. Here are a few of the best ways to stretch your summer.
Enjoy the Beach
Come September, when the temperatures are still in the 80’s and the water is perfect for swimming, there’s only one thing missing from the Grand Strand’s 60 miles of shoreline — and that’s the crowds. Enjoy these blissfully empty beaches alone or with your dog: starting September 15, leashed pups are allowed on the beach all day long. And, don’t forget your bike. After Labor Day, you can cycle to your heart’s content on the Grand Strand’s hard-packed sand.
Groove to Live Music
Main Street in North Myrtle Beach comes alive every Thursday through September with a series of live outdoor concerts from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. that will have you dancing in the streets. In Myrtle Beach, food, music, and ocean views come together at Tin Roof, an oceanfront music and dining venue. During the week, dinner is accompanied by low-key acoustic tunes, while dance bands kick off later and rock into the evening.
Dine with a View
Laze away the afternoon under a canopy of twisty live oaks while watching boats cruise along the water at Patio’s Tiki Bar & Grill in Little River. In addition to great burgers, you’ll also find fresh fish, big salads, sushi, and homemade desserts. Overlooking the Myrtle Beach boardwalk, RipTydz is a lively beach bar and fine dining restaurant all rolled into one. Located about 10 miles south of Myrtle Beach, Murrells Inlet started as a sleepy fishing village; today, a boardwalk runs along the marsh, and offers glorious views and an easy way to stroll between the restaurants that line the water. For more than 20 years, Drunken Jack’s has been serving up fresh fish, shrimp, crab, and oysters on an expansive deck that overlooks a marsh island populated by goats. Newer to Murrells is the Wicked Tuna, which has its own fleet of fishing boats. The concept has been so successful that the owners have opened a second location oceanfront on the 2nd Avenue Pier in Myrtle Beach, which offers some of the best views in the region.
Explore Nature
The Atlantic Ocean isn’t the only body of water in Myrtle Beach. Within a vast network of rivers, creeks, marshes, and inlets you’ll find a huge variety of animals, reptiles, plants, and sea creatures as well as historic structures and ruins. In Cherry Grove, J & L Kayaks can take you to an uninhabited isle where you’ll find conch shells, sand dollars, and maybe a black bear or two. Other explorations include the tupelo and cypress forests that surround the Waccamaw River and the grassy marshes around Hog Inlet.
When early 20th-century sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington and her husband, industrialist Archer Huntington, opened their 9,000-acre winter estate near Myrtle Beach to the public as Brookgreen Gardens in 1931, it was the country’s first-ever outdoor sculpture garden. Today, it remains the largest, and holds more than 1,200 works within its lush outdoor galleries; it's also a National Historic Landmark. While you’re there, take a pontoon boat tour of the river, along with a guided walk through plantation ruins. Before you leave, take a leisurely stroll through a history and wildlife preserve that’s filled with trails that lead past archeological sites and 19th-century rice fields. The Huntington’s Moorish oceanfront property, Atalaya, is located across Highway 17 within Huntington Beach State Park. The home is open to the public—you can reach it from the beach or the road—and, from September 27 through 29, will be the site of the 44th annual Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival.
Take in The History
South Carolina’s fascinating past is on full display in the Grand Strand. Start in Georgetown, which, by the mid 1800s, grew nearly half the rice produced in America. Learn how the tiny white grain made South Carolina the second richest state in the country at the Rice Museum, which tells the story through a surprisingly large collection of artifacts. Don’t miss the museum shop, where you can purchase traditional seagrass baskets, rice, and works by local artisans. Afterwards, stroll past Georgetown’s shaded antebellum homes and have lunch at Hopsewee Plantation, a restored 18th-century home located just outside of town.
Plan your Myrtle Beach fall getaway today and save with fall deals starting from $69 per night along with additional perks at select resorts.