The Grand Strand is comprised of a sixty-mile stretch of beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. It ranges from Little River down to Georgetown, South Carolina and encompasses all the towns in between including Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet, Surfside Beach, Garden City, North Myrtle Beach, and Myrtle Beach. It is said nearly 14 million visitors a year visit the Grand Strand Of SC.
Little River – on the NC & SC line
** Remember in NC everyone is required to wear a helmet.
The town of Little River is generally regarded as the northern limit of “The Grand Strand”. The town’s protected location on the mainland gave it status as a fishing village when Myrtle Beach was nothing but sand and bushes. George Washington stayed the night here in 1792 but rode right past what is now Myrtle Beach. Little River hosts a smaller portion of overnight Grand Strand visitors nowadays, but it still manages to attract attention with its good restaurants, sport fishing, fresh seafood, and golf.
North Myrtle Beach, SC
North Myrtle Beach has great beaches, great lodging, and many excellent restaurants. The ocean front in North Myrtle Beach is lined with cottages and condominiums rather than high-rise hotels. Alabama Theater is located at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. Although about 15 miles separate North Myrtle Beach from Myrtle Beach, you would never know from the street names. Restaurants, miniature golf beachwear and fireworks shops are on Business-17, which is the main highway from North Myrtle Beach to Myrtle Beach.
Atlantic Beach, SC
Atlantic Beach is a small strip of beach that separates North Myrtle Beach and Myrtle Beach. Atlantic Beach is the host for the Memorial Day Bike Rally (Atlantic Beach Bikefest) (Black Bike Week) every year. Yes, that’s right there are two (2) Bike Week Rallies on the Grand Strand in May.
Myrtle Beach, SC
Many of you may believe the city of Myrtle Beach is the Grand Strand, it is NOT. The city of Myrtle Beach is only a small part of what makes up the 60 mile stretch of sand known as “The Grand Strand”. If you are on Hwy 501, when you cross the waterway, you are in the city of Myrtle Beach. If you are on Hwy 501 and take Hwy 31 North to North Myrtle Beach or South to Hwy 544 and Surfside you will totally miss the city of Myrtle Beach. The city of Myrtle Beach offers dining, shopping entertainment, and numerous lodging locations on the ocean and inland.
Surfside Beac, SC
Surfside is the first city south of Myrtle Beach. Along the beach are beach houses, condominiums, and hotels, and many other businesses on Highway-17 in Surfside Beach.
Garden City, SC
The Northern portion of the community is host to plenty of vacation houses, but the beachfront is dominated by large high-rise condominiums. Garden City is a beautiful place to stay, and a lot of private homes are weekly and monthly rental properties. Garden city offers easy access to the beach and the many seafood restaurants in Murrells Inlet. The views across the inlet marshes are gorgeous.
Murrells Inlet, SC
“The Seafood Capital of SC” Murrells Inlet is a fishing village that has become world famous for its great seafood restaurants and magnificent views of its salt marshes. There are several Bike Week attractions in the Murrells Inlet area.
Litchfield Beach, SC
Litchfield Beach is an upscale community that sprang from the mind of a real estate developer. The one-time collection of plantations is now a resort, designed to appeal to vacationers and retirees through a blend of history, golf and beaches. The resort offers a variety of vacation options, from high-rise condominiums to family beach houses, plus all the amenities you would expect.
Pawleys Island, SC
Pawleys Island claims to be the oldest resort area in America. This area was home to some of the most affluent planters on the continent. They did not grow tobacco, or even cotton. Rice and indigo (used for a blue dye) were the crops of choice. To escape the heat and malaria of their mainland plantations, many moved their families to cottages on Pawleys Island for the summer. Remarkably, some of the cottages are still standing and still in use. Nine of them comprise the Pawleys Island “Historic District.” The rest of the narrow island barely keeps some 600 houses out of the water.
Georgetown, SC
The beautiful oak canopied streets of Georgetown are among the most peaceful places in the Grand Strand area. Many of these old oaks have what is called “Tree Moss” growing and hanging from them. Georgetown was established in 1729. For over a hundred years after its founding the port was busy shipping the rice and indigo grown on the nearby plantations. Georgetown has experienced something of a renaissance in recent years. Front Street was revitalized, bringing in restaurants, galleries, antique, and specialty shops. There is also a walking tour taking visitors down shaded streets past scores of antebellum buildings. When the sun on the beach becomes too much, this is a good place to recover.
