The Myrtle Beach Area
10 Myrtle Beach Tips for First-Time Visitors
If you’re a first-time visitor to Myrtle Beach, follow our 10 tips about what to do and where to stay, and find other helpful advice to plan the best trip. We gathered wisdom from frequent visitors and locals, that every Myrtle Beach rookie should know. Getting a handle on how to make the most of your stay, your budget, and your time can transform any newcomer into a repeat visitor in no time. Consult our expert advice about hotels, transportation, what to pack, and find other things to know about Myrtle Beach to get started planning.
Before going to Myrtle Beach, visitors should know the weather forecast, which activities top their list, and the stores available in the area so they can pack accordingly. While your itinerary will ultimately determine the best time to visit, before booking your hotel in Myrtle Beach, research your stay and narrow the accommodations options thoughtfully to make sure you get a comfortable, safe hotel in the best location. While the city isn’t dangerous, staying in a populated, tourist-friendly area is a way to make your Myrtle Beach trip safe and convenient.
When you’re ready to plan your getaway, explore this list of Myrtle Beach tips from long-time visitors and residents to make it a perfect vacation:
1 | Be Smart About the Sun
Packing sunscreen is one Myrtle Beach must-do we can’t recommend enough. We see tourists sporting the “lobster look” on the beach all the time, even though applying sunscreen is such a simple solution. If you forget yours, Myrtle Beach has plenty of stores to grab some, and you’ll find places to shop that sell sun hats, too. There are too many fantastic beaches and golf courses to visit to worry about getting too much sun or to spend your vacation nursing a sunburn. Lather on the sunblock, even on cloudy days, and repeat often, especially if you’re going from your resort’s pool to the beach and back again. And be sure to protect all your skin (don’t forget bald heads, ears, and the tops of your feet!).
2 | Bargain Hunt for Deals
There are plenty of ways to save while you’re at the beach. Check out your hotel lobby for coupon books and discounts, look for early-bird specials and kids-eat-free deals at restaurants, and pack lunch and snacks for the beach so you can splurge on a dinner out. We offer coupons for the best attractions, and fantastic hotel deals, too. With a bit of extra planning, you’ll find free things to do and inexpensive, kid-friendly adventures to keep the fun rolling without overspending.
3 | Check Out at Least One Sunrise
Sure, part of the allure of vacation is not waking to an alarm clock, and sleeping as long as you wish, but the sunrises in the Carolinas are worth an early start, at least on one day. Even if you stay out late enjoying the beach nightlife, you can always grab an afternoon nap to catch up on your sleep. Trust us, watching a beautiful sunrise over the ocean is worth a few minutes of lost slumber. Enjoy the view from the beach or your oceanfront hotel balcony, or if you’re really a morning go-getter, book a sunrise tour on the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel.
4 | Don’t Try To Do Too Much
When planning what to do in Myrtle Beach, be realistic about what is doable during your vacation. Myrtle Beach has tons of attractions to keep you busy, but it’s impossible to see them all on your first trip. If you’re coming to Myrtle Beach for the first time, select a handful of the must-do activities to check off your bucket list, like riding the SkyWheel, visiting Brookgreen Gardens, and exploring Broadway at the Beach, and save others for next time. Scheduling your days from sunup to sundown leaves little free time to relax on your beach vacation, so be selective about how many things you can sensibly do in a single day.
5 | Bring Inexpensive Sunglasses
Many repeat visitors who provided Myrtle Beach tips made the suggestion for bringing inexpensive sunglasses—and it’s a good one! Sunglasses are easy to leave behind at the pool or in restaurants, or they can simply vanish in the waves of the Atlantic, and you don’t want to spend hours of your trip hunting down your favorite pair. Bring one or two you won’t be heartbroken to lose. If you do misplace your shades, sandals, or who knows what else, there are plenty of beachwear stores in the area to shop for replacements
6 | Take a Family Picture
There is no backdrop more beautiful than the Myrtle Beach oceanfront, so while you and your family are all tanned, relaxed, and together, gather around to take a family picture. You can spend a few hours with a professional photographer or bring your best camera to capture the moment like a pro. You’ll want these pics to remember the great time you’ve had, and we’d love to see them, too, on our Facebook wall!
7 | Reward Good Service
We’re always happy to hear that visitors have great experiences at our local restaurants and attractions (and we hear it a lot!). Most of the advice we received included suggestions to be kind to waitstaff and tip for good service—and we couldn’t agree more! When the area is bustling with tourists, tipping on good service goes a long way to making that hard worker’s day and creating a good rapport for next time. Most of the service industry employees along the Grand Strand will bend over backwards to help you enjoy your vacation, and excellent service like that definitely deserves rewarding.
8 | Be a Savvy Traveler in Traffic
We received plenty of tips for getting around Myrtle Beach more easily, and especially getting to attractions on the fringes of city limits, or to the small fishing communities, malls, and other must-do attractions that are a bit out of walking range. The roads get crowded during summer, so always leave extra time to get to your destination, especially if you bought tickets to a show or event and you’re on a timetable. Watch for other motorists and pedestrians, as side streets can get busy and tourists can be preoccupied with sightseeing. Use alternate routes when possible. For example, S.C. 31 offers a great way to get from the Surfside Beach area to North Myrtle Beach without the congestion and stop lights along U.S. 17. Robert M. Grissom Parkway runs in between U.S. 17 Business and Bypass 17, offering less congestion getting from the airport up to 48th Avenue North. (This includes the Coastal Grande Mall and Broadway at the Beach areas so shoppers should definitely check out that route.)
Do You Need a Car in Myrtle Beach?
While a rental car isn’t a necessity in Myrtle Beach, having one does make any attraction accessible. If you plan to be a beach bum and stick around the oceanfront and Myrtle Beach Boardwalk 90% of your time, you can get by with walking or taking an occasional rideshare. When you’re in the area for a wedding party or birthday celebration, look into trolley services and group transport to get everyone to your destinations safely. And off-beat modes of transport, like Segways, golf carts, mopeds, and Slingshot rentals, do make getting from Point A to Point B way more fun.
9 | Research Hotels and Where To Stay
Whether you need suites for a large family or the perfect room for a romantic getaway, choosing a hotel without researching first can make your stay miss the mark. Use whatever ideas you have for what to do in Myrtle Beach to help narrow your location to the most convenient spot. If family-friendly beaches top your priority list, a North Myrtle Beach hotel might be right for you, but if a livelier party scene and beachfront bar hopping are on the itinerary, then a Boardwalk hotel is ideal.
There are so many great hotels in Myrtle Beach that it’ll take a little digging to find one that best fits your budget and offers everything you need for a fantastic trip. Get started with our hotel search to sort by amenities and location to find the right combo for your stay, and then compare rates at multiple properties with just a few clicks!
10 | Relax and Enjoy the Beach
The No. 1 Myrtle Beach must-do activity is to spend time at the beach, so be sure to leave room in your plans for soaking up the sun and enjoying the sand. If you don’t know what to do in Myrtle Beach during beach days, you can try out some traditional beach games, read a book, play with sand toys, and toss a ball in the waves—it’s really up to you! Familiarize yourself with the local beach laws so you know what items to leave behind and activities to leave for another time.
