Welcome to MYRTLE BEACH

Myrtle Beach is a coastal resort city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It is the de facto hub of both the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area and the Grand Strand, a complex of beach towns and barrier islands stretching from Little River to Georgetown, South Carolina.

Arising from a getaway for lumber workers from Conway, Myrtle Beach has rapidly developed into a major tourist destination in the Southeastern United States in the latter 20th century and 2000s. As of 2006, the metro area had an estimated population of 299,353. According to the 2000 census, the area was the 13th fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States.

Aside from its many beaches, Myrtle Beach has become a major coastal resort, shopping destination, and convention and conference center. The area features amusement parks as well, such as the Freestyle Music Park, formerly Hard Rock Park. The area also features many malls and the sprawling Broadway at the Beach festival center. The area hosts approximately 14.6 million visitors annually. Coastal Carolina University, located in nearby Conway, serves as the main higher education institute for the area.

Tourism

Hosting over 14.6 million visitors annually, The Grand Strand is home to an array of tourist attractions, and the area receives a large influx of visitors during the spring, summer and fall months, and "snowbirds" in the winter. Over ten million tourists visit Myrtle Beach and the surrounding areas every year. The area's attractions include its beaches and many golf courses, as well as a number of amusement parks, an aquarium, over 1,900 restaurants including seafood restaurants, and a number of shopping complexes. Myrtle Beach has an estimated 460 hotels, with many on the beachfront, and approximately 89,000 accommodation units in total. The area also has an IMAX theater, dinner theater, nightclubs, and many tourist shops. Other attractions include the Myrtle Beach State Park and fishing. The area is also popular for business meetings and conventions. The area recently welcomed Hard Rock Park, a park themed after the popular Hard Rock Cafe chain. The park featured attractions themed after different genres of music, such as the British Invasion. Hard Rock Park was only open for the summer of 2008, afterwords filling for bankruptcy protection. The park was sold, the buyer only acquiring the physical property, not the intellectual property, and was thus re-named Freestyle Music Park and re-opened on Memorial Day 2009. All of the rides remained, however the new owners were forced to re-name them. Also in the city is Myrtle Waves, one of the largest water parks on the eastern seaboard. Broadway at the Beach is a popular shopping and entertainment destination.

Visitors should note that the city council has passed a number of ordinances affecting the city limits of Myrtle Beach, that may not be the same as the rest of the state.

It is notable that although gambling is not legal in the state of South Carolina, the city has access to several gambling boats, which "legally transports passengers into international waters beyond the reach of federal and state gambling laws."

Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions

Myrtle Beach is home to many tourist attractions, notably Family Kingdom Amusement Park, a sea-side amusement park, Freestyle Music Park (formerly Hard Rock Park), and the diverse Broadway at the Beach, which features many shopping, tourism, and dining attractions. Myrtle Waves is one of the largest water parks on the eastern seaboard. Myrtle Beach also has over 40 varied miniature golf courses along the strand.

From 1948 until 2006, a popular staple of Myrtle Beach tourism was the Myrtle Beach Pavilion. This historic landmark and the large amusement park across the street were demolished after the 2006 season; this area has been a large empty, unused lot for 3 seasons.

Myrtle Beach State Park

Myrtle Beach State Park is a small state park located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It consists of several miles of forest and stretches along the Atlantic Ocean.

The Myrtle Beach State Park Nature Center features interactive natural history displays, saltwater aquariums and live reptiles. Park naturalists offer nature education programs about the coastal habitat and wildlife.

Freestyle Music Park

Freestyle Music Park is a music theme park located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina that opened on April 15, 2008 as Hard Rock Park, temporarily closed on September 24, 2008 due to financial issues, and reopened May 23, 2009. The park has been purchased by new owners, with the new name officially announced in a press release on April 9, 2009. It was built on 55 acres (220,000 m2) on a 140-acre (0.57-km²) property [4] between Highway 501 and the Intracoastal Waterway on the site of the former Waccamaw Factory Shoppes (the Waccamaw facility's few remaining buildings are used seasonally as a rehearsal location for the Radio City Rockettes) in Fantasy Harbour.