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Put Myrtle Beach on your list if you're traveling with young children, don't require elegant accommodations , and don't mind being in a town with miles and miles of commercial activity. Whatever you do, don't plan a visit during Bike Week, when thousands and thousands of motorcyclists descend on the place.
Still interested? Here are the facts:
Located at the hub of a 60-mile-long area -- known as the Grand Strand -- Myrtle Beach brags of wide beaches and an even wider array of attractions.
Tennis, golf, deep-sea fishing, sailing, and scuba adventures are available. Baseball fans can catch the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. History buffs can take river cruises that follow the same routes 18th-century pirates Blackbeard and Captain Kidd sailed.
Restaurant-goers can sample some 1,700 eateries serving seafood and other fare. Live theaters along the Grand Strand feature family entertainment -- country music, comedy, magic, ice skating, and more. Lodging choices run the gamut from campgrounds to mid-priced hotels. With so many choices, it's wise to plan ahead and make reservations.
FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT
At Broadway at the Beach, a $250-million entertainment complex, amusements range from an Imax Discovery Theater to Ripley's Sea Aquarium to 80 shops and 13 restaurants. And plan to stay late; one low cover charge admits revelers to several different Celebrity Square nightspots with live entertainment.
To see how the Shag is really done, choose the Beach Music Cafe.
The Shag, South Carolina's official state dance, originated in Myrtle Beach decades ago. Today it's still danced to "beach music" -- a sultry beat influenced by rhythm and blues.
Rock and roll memorabilia inside the pyramidal Hard Rock Cafe includes guitars of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and Jerry Garcia, and apparel worn by John Lennon, Annie Lennox, Elvis, and others. Souvenirs unique to the Hard Rock Cafe Myrtle Beach include beach towels and bags, sunglasses, teddy bears, and hurricane glasses.
Myrtle Beach Grand Prix is where family members can put the pedal to the metal. Children as young as 6 can participate in safe speed thrills, and Grand Prix North has a kiddie park with rides for youngsters 1 to 6.
The oldest theme park on the Grand Strand, Myrtle Beach Pavilion features the Carolinas' longest flume, an antique car collection, and a teen nightclub. Cool things down at Myrtle Waves Water Park, featuring state-of-the-art wave pools, tube rides, and more.
Roller-coaster fans will want to make the trip to Family Kingdom, home to a 30-year-old wooden model, the beach's largest... with a 62-foot freefall drop.
Mecca for miniature golfers, Myrtle Beach contains more than 30 courses, many presenting elaborate challenges. Jurassic Golf bills itself as "a prehistoric putting adventure"; Broadway at the Beach's Dragon's Lair heats up with a 30-foot-long, animatronic fire-breathing dragon; and Myrtle Beach Grand Prix's course features waterfalls, caves, sunken ships, and flames that explode out of misty fog.
For some, nightlife here means walking along the ocean piers on a moonlit night. But Myrtle Beach has more than its share of show-biz dazzle. Venues include Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede and the Fantasy Harbour-Waccamaw complex, home to Magic onIce.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Nature-lovers can breathe the fresh ocean air and revel in the spectacular coastal scenery at nearly every turn. Yet there are special places to soak up the atmosphere. Barefoot Landing, nestled between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic, presents waterfront dining, factory outlet shops, family entertainment, and more in a unique environment with miles of boardwalk and floating docks.
Ongoing attractions include country music's Alabama Theatre, riverboat rides, an old-fashioned carousel, and Alligator Adventure, where 'gators, turtles, giant reptiles, and other species invite you to take a walk on the wild side.
Oceanfront Myrtle Beach State Park invites visitors to use its campsites, picnic areas, swimming pool, nature trail, and playground equipment.
More of this article in Part II >
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