MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. —  This year marks the 15th birthday of one of South Carolina's top attractions - Broadway at the Beach. For more than a decade, locals and visitors  have enjoyed the ever-changing, always-exciting atmosphere of this award-winning festival entertainment complex.

The actual site selected for what would become Myrtle Beach's new "Center of Fun"  started off as an old pine tree farm, but has grown to more than 100 specialty shops, 19 restaurants and nearly a dozen other family-friendly attractions.

From the moment it opened, celebrities like Kenny Rogers, Mickey Gilley, Charles Barkley, Keanu Reeves and Joan Jett stopped by to see its wide variety of restaurants and shops. Its reputation as a  "must see" attraction grew, and it has since received the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce's Business Innovation Award, the S.C. Department of Parks Recreation & Tourism's "Most Outstanding Attraction" award, and the South Carolina Governor's Cup as the state's best travel destination.

Broadway at the Beach also has two movie theater complexes, a nightclub district and a theater that features live shows and other major venues. It is just five minutes from 60 miles of pristine beaches. Families can spend a few hours at the beach and minutes later, enjoy a wide variety of restaurants, shops and entertainment at Broadway at the Beach.

As part of the 15th birthday celebration, the venue has been hosting two concert series, The 2010 Concert Series and the Sprite® Under The Stars Concert Series, which have featured popular performers like Everclear, Pat Benatar, Cowboy Mouth, Little River Band, Jah Creation and The Paul Grimshaw Band.

And while the celebrations continue, the complex continues to grow and change as more than
a dozen new shops and attractions will enter its ranks in 2010.

Soar & Explore, a family-friendly attraction that features two outdoor adventures, officially opened earlier this month. It includes the Ropes Challenge Course and the Zipline Adventure, and is operated by WonderWorks Management. 

The Zipline Adventure is the first and only zip line in the Myrtle Beach area, and the only zip line over water along the East Coast. Safely within a harness, each adrenaline seeker can experience the exhilaration of soaring at a height of 50 feet above the 23 acres that make up Lake Broadway.

The pirate-themed Ropes Challenge Course extends 40 feet into the air, stretching over three levels, and extending over Lake Broadway.  Constructed of more than 3,000 ropes and cables, it features 33 different challenge elements that require balance, dexterity and focus to conquer. Obstacles like swinging steps, tremor bridge, tightrope walk, and vertical angle stairs are among the challenges. The multiple levels of this exciting and versatile course ensure that all age groups can experience it and be challenged by its various degrees of difficulty.

In addition, construction has begun on WonderWorks, a 35,000-square-foot upside down interactive science attraction that is scheduled to open at Broadway at the Beach in the spring of 2011. The museum will feature dozens of hands-on activities for people of all ages.

Myrtle Beach, S.C., was recently named the number one United States destination for a beach and sun vacation in the TripAdvisor®  2010 Traveler's Choice Awards and Broadway at the Beach was listed most popular site for visitors who visit the resort town.

Reviewers who visited the destination from around the country raved about Broadway at the Beach, calling it "amazing" and "awesome," while recommending that other visitors "definitely take the time to check this out."

One of the top attractions at Broadway at the Beach is the 85,000-square-foot Ripley's® Aquarium, which features hundreds of sea creatures from around the world, including fish from the Amazon River, the Pacific Giant Octopus, sea anemones, living corals, jellies, and fish from the Indo-Pacific Coral Reef.

The attraction also has a medieval-themed 18-hole miniature golf course, a 2,500-square-foot arcade, a wide variety of classic rides in its Pavilion Nostalgia Park and MagiQuest, a Medieval live action role-playing game for children.

Among Broadway at the Beach's restaurants are Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood and Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. The complex also boasts three hotels, the Hampton Inn, the Fairfield Inn and the Holiday Inn Express. The complex's Celebrity Square includes a New Orleans-inspired nightclub district.

Broadway at the Beach will host the "Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge World Challenge XIX". It will take place November 9 through November 13, 2010 on the northwest corner of Broadway at the Beach, near Hard Rock Cafe and Celebrity Square and will mark the first time the challenge will be held in the state of South Carolina. The event, which has competitors race through an intense obstacle course, has been held in Las Vegas for 10 of the competition's 19 years.

The event is expected to attract about 1,500 firefighters and more than 4,000 of their family and friends from about 25 municipalities of all sizes throughout the United States, Canada and other countries like New Zealand, Germany, Argentina, Chile and South Africa.

For more information about Broadway at the Beach, visit www.BroadwayattheBeach.com, call 1-800-386-4662, follow Broadway at the Beach on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.