Since I was kid, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was the choice destination for a vacation either with family or friends. Now that I am old enough to truly enjoy all that Myrtle Beach has to offer, I would like to share with you the gems that I have found at the beach. There is much more down there, these are just some of my favorites.
Restaurants
Chalupa’s Mexican Restaurant, 2801 North Kings Highway-Chalupa’s features great Mexican cuisine at very affordable prices. On Sundays there is a buffet with a wonderful selection available. Their specialty is Margaritas.
Hard Rock Cafe-1322 Celebrity Circle-Broadway at the Beach-Hard Rock is a good restaurant if you want some good souvenirs, good food, good service, and you have some money to spend. My personal favorite here is the veggie burger which has brussel sprouts on it (this is the only restaurant that I have ever seen put brussel sprouts on a veggie burger). The atmosphere is very loud and somewhat smoky so you may want to avoid taking your children here. (1)
River City Cafe-404 21st Avenue North-You can get great American food here for under $10 per meal. The atmosphere at River City Cafe is very laid back, so dress accordingly.
Rossi’s Italian-9600 North Kings Highway-Great Italian food, but they are closed on Sundays and they are somewhat hard to find.
Jasmine Supper Club-2504 S. Kings Highway-Fine dining, great atmosphere and live jazz music every afternoon.
Papa John’s and Dominos-Various LocationsIf you are eating in, I suggest you order from somewhere else. I have ordered from many of the Papa John’s and Dominos in Myrtle Beach and have yet to be satisfied with the food and/or the service. When delivery drivers come to the door complaining about the mere block they had to drive to deliver the pizza, it really does not make me want to give them a nice tip.
Adult Entertainment and Nightlife
Pure Gold-Crazy Horse-3102 Highway 17 S, North Myrtle Beach-This was crap, and expensive crap. I have never had a worse time at a strip club. We paid around $40 each (because we were all under age) and since we were underage, we were also forced to sit in the front row right up next to the stage. If you frequent strip clubs, you know that if you sit in front and do not tip, the girls get very angry at you. We left within half an hour, what a waste of money. (2)
Derriere-804 Seaboard Street-All I can say is, it is amazing what you can get for a dollar these days. Ladies get in free, yay me. Moving on… (3)
Liquid Pearl-212 N. Kings Highway-Hooray for a strip club with men that us unfortunate people under 21 can actually get into. (4)
Beachwagon-906 S. Kings Highway-Billiards, no cover (if you are 21 ), mechanical bull (I need to go back and try this, they do not run it on karaoke nights), and karaoke.
Freaky Tiki Club-708 N Ocean Boulevard-This club is pretty popular, but I was definitely not impressed. I went to meet CT from MTV’s the Real World, accomplished my goal, and hauled out. The decor is very nice (beds, canopies), but the music and atmosphere plus a lot of very young teeny boppers in mini skirts was enough to make me hurl. (5)
For more information about nightlife and adult entertainment in Myrtle Beach, please see links 6 and 7 below.
Family Fun and Entertainment
Air Boingo-311 8th Avenue N-This is the only bungee jumping facility in Myrtle Beach. If my memory serves me correctly, it is around $50 per jump. You can buy a video of your jump or a bumper sticker that says you bungee jumped at Air Boingo. I have went there twice, the first time it was fine, the second, they had to push me off the edge, something about looking straight into the face of a little boy in the next door hotel looking at me like “Haha, you are going to die,” made me feel like I was going to die.
The Pavilion-between N 8th Ave and N 9th Avenue off Ocean Boulevard-This amusement park is a personal favorite of mine. One of the best rides there is the Hydro Surge which is like white water rafting (be prepared to get drenched to the bone). This is the ride that is visible from Kings Highway when going south down the strip. (8)
Family Kingdom-300 South Ocean Boulevard-This amusement park is home of South Carolina’s largest Ferris wheel and a great wooden rollercoaster. (9)
Accommodations
Ocean Reef Resort is very nice, a great price for what you get. See link 10 for my review of Ocean Reef Resort.
Jonathan Harbor is a good choice if you are trying to take this trip on a budget.
Shopping
Blondie’s-708 North Ocean Boulevard-There are some shisty characters who work in this place, but they are always willing to make a deal. Worst of all is the small child who was working in there last time I visited running around insisting on carrying my items (does Myrtle Beach not have child labor laws?) and trying to steal sales away from other workers. This Blondie’s is located next to the Freaky Tiki Club; they have another location in Broadway at the Beach. They feature clothes for clubbing, shoes for stripping, and loads of fake Von Dutch hats.
Broadway at the Beach-Celebrity Circle-Broadway features many restaurants and shops that deserve to be checked out. Watch out for the paddle boats because I almost sank one a few years ago. Some of the restaurants include: Jimmy Buffet’s Margarita Ville, Hard Rock Cafe, Nascar Cafe, and Planet Hollywood. Some of the more popular shops include: The Gap, Harley Davidson, Victoria’s Secret, Yankee Candle, Claire’s, Build a Bear Workshop, and Rack Room Shoes If you have time be sure to your Old Time Portrait done. (11)
WARNING-Watch out for the street vendors. You can purchase most of the same stuff in regular shops. I have had street vendors in Myrtle Beach tell me one price and charge me $20 more and I did not notice till I was balancing my check book (I use my Visa check card religiously). Plus most of their stuff is non-returnable.
1. Hard Rock Cafe – http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes/Cafes.aspx?Lc=MYRT
2. Crazy Horse – http://www.puregoldclubs.com/Crazy_Horse_Myrtle_Beach/main.htm
3. Derriere – http://www.derrieresclub.com
4. Liquid Pearl – http://www.liquid-pearl.com/pages/1/
5. Freaky Tiki Club – http://www.freakytiki.com
6. More Adult Entertainment – http://www.williambaylor.com/plus200/adult.html
7. More Nightlife – http://www.discovermyrtlebeach.com/nightlife.htm
8. The Pavilion – http://www.mbpavilion.com/
9. Family Kingdom – http://www.family-kingdom.com
10. Ocean Reef Resort Review – http://www.oceanreefresort.com
11. Broadway at the Beach – http://www.broadwayatthebeach.com/
