Most recently updated August 12th, 2023
Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is a favorite Summer family vacation spot!
Located in the center of the 60-mile long stretch of beach known as “The Grand Strand”, it’s one of the major tourist destinations in the entire country, attracting over 20M visitors each year.
Myrtle Beach Spring Break
Myrtle Beach is also a notorious Spring Break destination, but it’s not what you think!
The Spring Break crowd in Myrtle typically has adult supervision and isn’t the crazy College break scene like you get in Fort Lauderdale.
So Myrtle Beach is a good choice for both adult travelers and families with school-aged children on Easter break.
Winter at the Beach
I usually go to Myrtle in the off-season, because it’s both less crowded and less expensive then.
And I like the beach in the Winter, because you can walk by the water for miles without suffering heat stroke 😉
That said, more things are open in the Summer season, when more people are around.
Read on to learn about fun activities I’ve found in every season – including the beach – that work for adult travelers and families, too.
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Getting There
Myrtle Beach, SC is only 430 miles from Washington, D.C., 325 miles from Richmond VA, and 180 miles from Raleigh NC, and easily accessible by multiple routes driving South along the Coast.
(I used the SkyWheel near the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk as the end-point to get these distances.)
That’s close enough for a great long weekend or longer family vacation, without getting on an airplane!
That said, the Myrtle Beach Airport is only a 30 minute drive from North Myrtle, and 20 minutes from Murrell’s Inlet.
No matter where you start your journey, when you get to Myrtle, you’ll want a car to get between the different attractions, because they’re spread out all along the Coast.
5-DAY VISIT ITINERARY
Some people go to the beach to lay around all day in the sun, drinking fruity drinks until they feel like their bones have melted.
I’m not one of them. It only takes about an hour before I’m done with the whole lounging thing.
Luckily for me, peaceful morning beach hikes, shady forest trails, and interesting historic stuff are all available in and around Myrtle Beach.
Followed by shopping, dinner, cocktails, and rides and shows – if you’re into that sort of thing 😉
DAY ONE – Kindred Spirit Mailbox, Broadway at the Beach
This requires some planning, but turns what could otherwise be dreary travel time into a fun part of your trip!
On the way down the coast, stop at Sunset Beach, home of the famous Kindred Spirit Mailbox, for a quick beach hike.
The hike starts from the public beach access at 40th Street. At about 2.25 miles down the beach from the public access, you’ll find the mailbox.
You’ll also find a Memorial to one of the mailbox founders, and a couple of benches.
After only another .25 miles more you’ll reach the end of the beach.
Turn around here and make your way back for a total of ~5 miles of beach hiking.
What’s the Kindred Spirit Mailbox?
For over 35 years, a small black mailbox printed with the words “Kindred Spirit” has stood in the dunes on the shore of Bird Island, an uninhabited island at the west end of Sunset Beach, NC.
The Mailbox first appeared in 1981 on a small sandspit near Tubbs Inlet between Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle.
For a many years, visitors had to wade across Mad Inlet to Bird Island at low tide to reach the mailbox, but since then several large hurricanes changed the location of the box and the island’s surrounding waterways.
Most stories say the mailbox was first put up after the Kindred Spirit saw a mirage of a mailbox on the shore during low tide.
This vision inspired them to plant a mailbox, with a communal notebook inside, so visitors could leave a message.
The mailbox caught on quickly, and many visitors used the mailbox to express their hopes and thoughts.
The original placement of the mailbox was done by Claudia Sailor -the Kindred Spirit – a woman from Hope Mills, NC.
She maintained the mailbox in secret along with Frank Nesmith (the mailbox co-founder) since its inception.
Sailor passed away in 2013, so Nesmith preserved Claudia’s life work by having the notebooks (over 30 years worth) accepted into UNCW’s William Madison Randall Library.
The collection now numbers over 500 journals, and is still growing!
Many of the personal thoughts and hopes left in the mailbox are now published on the Kindred Spirit’s website.
Kindred Spirit Mailbox
- Distance: 2.5mi one way
- Difficulty: easy, but walking in sand
- Trailhead: 40th Street Public Beach access
- Details: Kindred Spirit Mailbox hike
After your hike, drive the final miles to your lodgings in Myrtle and settle in.
Then, if you’ve still got time (and energy!) head out for food and entertainment!
I recommend spending some time at Broadway at the Beach .
It’s full of restaurants, shopping, live entertainment, attractions, and nightlife.
My favorite is the upside-down house.
One night, babysitting my granddaughter after a visit to Myrtle, I found she’d turned her dollhouse upside down.
I guess it made an impression 🙂
DAY TWO – N Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Boardwalk
If you don’t want to waste time stuck in your car, you can hit the beach near you and get in some miles early before the crowds show up.
I usually stay in North Myrtle, and only have to walk a block or even just cross the street to get to the ocean.
I was able to hike 10+ miles on the beach right outside my door!
- Distance: up to 6 miles one way
- Difficulty: moderate
- Trailhead: Any public beach access in N Myrtle Beach
After your walk, get in some well-deserved pool lounging before heading out for more adventures.
For a great afternoon and evening in Myrtle Beach, definitely check out downtown Myrtle Beach.
You’ll find restaurants like:
and many others.
Also, the 1.2-mile oceanfront boardwalk is a great place for a pre-dinner stroll. After dinner, take a ride on the SkyWheel!
DAY THREE – Brookgreen Gardens
By Day 3, if you’re ready for a little break from beach-centric activities, take a 30 minute drive South past downtown Myrtle to Brookgreen Gardens.
Brookgreen is home to the largest outdoor collection of American figurative sculpture in the world, and – as you would expect – has them displayed along paved pathways in beautiful gardens!
They also have some short hiking trails, a Lowcountry Zoo area that is a favorite with kids, and several restaurants on site, so you don’t have to leave for a meal.
Tickets for Brookgreen are good for 7 days, so hang on to them if you want to go back.
You might need more than one visit to Brookgreen, there’s just so much to see and do.
For my February visit this year, I invited my girls along, and they had a great time – but didn’t have time to do a tour that looked interesting.
I came back and took the tour another day on my own.
The tours change seasonally – mostly because some of the places are inaccessible during wet weather.
Some of the tours take you to places you don’t get to see with your general admission ticket, including the “Silent Cities Tour” that I took.
The Brookgreen Silent Cities Tour
We started the tour by boarding an open-sided short bus (stop it!) and took off away from the paved garden area.
Our guide narrated local and Brookgreen history and wildlife as we went.
Fox Squirrels
I was surprised by a fox squirrel – a creature I’d never seen before – staring at me from a tree limb as we drove along.
It was huge, and seemed a lot more intelligent than a regular squirrel….
Described by our guide as a cross between a squirrel, a fox, and a raccoon, the Fox Squirrel is a relative of the common gray squirrel, but about twice the size.
Aside from Rodents of Unusual Size, this tour focused on the two cemeteries dating back to the 1700’s encompassed by Brookgreen lands.
Our first stop was at a walled, English-style cemetery that had been restored by the Huntington’s when they purchased the land.
The original Alston family (previous landowners) were the primary inhabitants.
Alston family descendants still have a right to be buried there, and we did see a headstone from as recently as 2013.
There were three kinds of graves in this cemetery: the kind of headstones we see mostly these days, “table” memorials, and raised vaults.
Our second stop was a slave cemetery, unwalled. We followed a short trail through the woods to where some of the grave markers had been uncovered.
The earliest of them were unmarked save for a metal plaque or even just a sack of tabby (old time cement made with oyster shells) without a name – and some with the words “Go Back” inscribed.
According to Gullah tradition , once buried, deceased loved ones would “go back” to where they were originally taken in Africa.
The mourners would never again return to the grave after the initial burial.
Since there would be no spirit there to visit, they felt there was no need for a long-lasting memorial.
That said, there were some hand-made headstones there, and some more modern memorials where descendants of these slaves also had a right to be buried.
No longer following Gullah tradition, these headstones are like you would see in any modern cemetery.
We returned the way we came, back to the Brookgreen Welcome Center.
DAY FOUR – Huntington Beach State Park, Atalaya Castle Tour
On Day Four, get in the car and head South of Myrtle Beach again, to right across Hwy 17 from Brookgreen, where you’ll find the entrance to Huntington Beach State Park.
Just like Brookgreen, Huntington Beach could keep you busy all day long!
The park features a beautiful Grand Strand beach, camping, surf fishing and some of the top bird-watching on the East Coast.
In fact, my favorite hike at Huntington – the Jetty – is also a favorite of area birdwatchers.
You’ll also find a Nature Walk and Nature Center, offering the chance to see loggerhead turtles and other endangered plant and animal species up close.
I first visited Huntington Beach State Park on my last trip to the area about a year ago, and found the only really substantial hike in the place – the Jetty.
I suggest you do this hike early in the day when it’s cooler. Then you’ve also got the rest of the day to explore other parts of the Park.
Hike the Jetty
- Distance: 3 mi one way (6mi out and back)
- Difficulty: easy
- Trailhead: access from the last parking lot by the Nature Center
The Jetty hike starts at the far parking lot beyond the Nature Center as you enter the Park.
You’ll take the path to the beach and then turn left and walk as far as you can go, where you’ll run into the Jetty.
Then if you want you can also walk out onto the Jetty itself.
While not very challenging (it’s very flat) this hike does include some great views and isn’t usually crowded, especially early in the day.
Last but not least – Atalaya Castle!
After you’ve done your hike and messed around at the Nature Center, you might want to take the 2pm tour at Atalaya Castle.
Atalaya is the picturesque, Moorish-style winter home of Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington – philanthropist and sculptor – who left the park and adjacent Brookgreen Gardens as their legacy.
Anna and Archer Huntington played a massive role in the shaping of this area of South Carolina.
Archer was the only son of Collis Potter Huntington, who was best known for his part in building the Central Pacific Railroad.
Admission into the park and admission into the castle are separate things.
For updated admission costs, visit the Huntington Beach State Park website.
The tour takes about 2 hours. If you don’t want to take the Atalaya tour, you can still walk the grounds outside the building.
The parking lot is adjacent to the beach picnic area, so you may want to pack a cooler and eat before or after your tour.
Atalaya
Atalaya Castle was the winter home of industrialist and philanthropist Archer M. Huntington and his wife, the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington.
Atalaya, which means ‘Watchtower’ in Spanish, is built around a central, enclosed courtyard full of palm trees lined up in orderly rows.
In the center, there’s a 40ft square tower that gives the home its name. The tower was used to house a water tank.
Archer Huntington was a noted scholar of Spanish culture and art, and designed Atalaya in the Moorish Revival and Mediterranean Revival architecture styles.
Archer married his wife, the famous sculptor Anna Hyatt, on March 10, 1923. This date also happened to be both Huntington’s birthdays.
The plans for Atalaya were developed while they were living in New York City after Anna was diagnosed with tuberculosis, in hopes that the sea air would improve her health.
The home was constructed between 1931-1933 during the Great Depression.
Because of this, the Huntingtons insisted on using local labor, and they employed many additional local people to work at the house and gardens.
Completed, the home had 30 rooms, the stunning Spanish courtyard, and indoor and outdoor studios for Anna to work, along with animal enclosures like a bear pen and dog kennel for her subjects.
Anna worked in aluminum and bronze, and is perhaps most famous for her enormous equestrian statues – like the one in front of the Brookgreen entrance.
She needed a lot of space for her work 🙂
In the World War II years, the Huntingtons lent Atalaya to the US Military. The US Air Corps maintained Huntington Beach and used the castle as their base.
Shortly after Archer’s death the castle and much of the surrounding land were donated to the state of South Carolina.
To this day the Huntington’s former properties Atalaya and Brookgreen are some of the best places to visit near Myrtle Beach.
DAY FIVE – Vereen Gardens, Barefoot Landing
For Day Five, we’re going to stay in the vicinity of N Myrtle Beach, so driving won’t be as troublesome as the past couple of days.
Start the day by going slightly North of N Myrtle Beach to visit Vereen Memorial Historic Gardens.
I found this place about a year ago when I wanted to play outdoors, but was done with beach walking.
Vereen Gardens is a bit different from the beach, but will still keep everyone outdoors and entertained with Nature all morning.
Located along the Intracoastal Waterway in Little River, SC on more than 115 acres of forest and marshland, the park includes ~3 miles of nature trails and boardwalks that meander through botanical gardens and along the waterfront.
This a a great place to take kids because of the variety of short walks available on nature trails and boardwalks overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and salt marshes.
It even has a small segment of the original Kings Highway (a colonial route between Boston and Charleston) on the property, behind the CB Berry Community Center, marked with some historical placards.
And be sure not to miss the Wishing Tree, located near the gazebo.
It’s decorated with shells hung on the branches – each shell is a wish!
Bring lunch and have a nice picnic in the gazebo that overlooks the waterway, before heading off for your next adventure of the day!
Vereen Botanical Gardens
- Distance: 3 miles of trails
- Difficulty: easy
- Address: 2250 Highway 179, Little River, SC 29566
- Details: Vereen Gardens Website
Barefoot Landing
I suggest rounding out your day with an afternoon and evening at Barefoot Landing , along the Intracoastal Waterway just across city lines in North Myrtle Beach.
Barefoot Landing is a huge shopping/dining/entertainment complex that offers a lot to do for the whole family.
THE WAY BACK HOME – Lumber River State Park, Congaree State Park, Preserve in Cherry Grove
Sadly, we’re at the end of our trip and it’s time to head back home. But a travel day doesn’t have to be a boring waste of a day!
I’ve included below a couple of suggestions for places to visit on the way home if you’re travelling by car.
Depending on how far you’re willing to stray from the Coast (and how far you have to drive), one of these other Parks in South Carolina might be your perfect Travel Day break.
LUMBER RIVER STATE PARK
The Princess Ann and Chalk Banks access areas anchor the two ends of the riverine park, with picnic grounds and short hiking trails on both sides.
Lumber River State Park
- Distance: Various
- Difficulty: easy
- Address: 2819 Princess Ann Road, Orrum NC 28369
- Details: Lumber River State Park Website
CONGAREE NATIONAL PARK
Congaree National Park is located in the town of Hopkins, South Carolina, within 30 miles of Columbia, SC, so it is a significant detour off the Coast.
I visited Congaree on the way back from Charleston, SC a couple of years ago.
The Park, like the Congaree River, is named for the Congaree people who once lived in this region.
Read more here about the history of the area.
Congaree is the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States.
I only had a couple of hours to hike, and wanted to stay relatively clean.
So I stuck to some shorter trails, but I can see how you could easily spend a day or two if you wanted to try all of them.
Congaree Park trails range from a 1.8 mile easy hike to a 12 mile difficult wilderness hike.
Most park trails are subject to periodic flooding and may become impassible, so check conditions on their website before you make the drive.
Congaree National Park
- Distance: Various from 1.8 miles to 12 miles
- Difficulty: easy to difficult
- Address: Harry Hampton Visitors Center, 100 National Park Rd, Hopkins SC
- Details: Congaree National Park Website
Something I Haven’t Done Yet…
Heritage Shores Nature Preserve is situated on an island that extends into the Cherry Grove Marsh, just to the North of N Myrtle Beach.
I haven’t done this walk, but it sounds like a perfect place to bring your family to watch the birds dive for fish and the crabs scurry around for a few minutes on your way out of town.
There is a very short and easy 1.2-mile boardwalk loop trail where you can stretch your legs without getting covered in mud.
There are also placards along the way with info about the native wildlife of the Cherry Grove Marsh.
They say if you catch the tide right when comes into the marsh at high-tide, you may even see some dolphins coming to feed!
Locals Tip: Park at the boat landing at the end of 53rd Ave N. then walk down to the preserve. (There is no parking at the entrance. )
Heritage Shores Nature Preserve
- Distance: 1.2 mile boardwalk loop
- Difficulty: easy
- Address: 5611 Heritage Dr, N Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
- Details: Heritage Shores Nature Preserve
I’m very lucky to live in a part of the world where there are many beaches within driving distance – and lots of hiking and walking opportunities at each one.
I’ve written about a few of the beach hikes I found along the way:
-
- Hiking Cannon’s Point Preserve on St Simon’s Island.
- Hiking the beach at Fort Macon State Park.
- Hiking the longest trail at First Landing State Park.
Someday soon, I’ll share all of the walks and hikes I’ve found near Charleston, SC too 🙂
I hope this post has inspired you to visit Myrtle Beach and try out some new active fun!
If you have a question drop me an email and I’ll reply as soon as I can.
Thanks for stopping by – see you next time! LJ
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LJ has spent much of her free time as a single Mom – and now as an empty-nester – hiking in the US and around the world. She shares lessons learned from adventures both local and in exotic locations, and tips on how to be active with asthma, plus travel, gear, and hike planning advice for parents hiking with kids and beginners of all ages. Read more on the About page.