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SUMMER DESTINATIONS
Allegiant Air helps travelers get to Myrtle Beach faster, cheaper
The Grand Strand has 60 miles of beautiful, easily accessible beaches.
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MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- There's an old joke somewhere that when summer rolls around, there are more cars with West Virginia plates on them at Myrtle Beach than cars with South Carolina plates on them.
Convenience, cost-effectiveness and family-friendly attractions make the Grand Strand an ideal retreat for families from West Virginia and the rest of the United States, with more than 14 million visitors hitting the beaches, eateries and shops annually. Over the past decade, the South Carolina attraction has grown more than 35 percent.
"Myrtle Beach is such a fantastic destination because families can have it all at a great price point. Encompassing 60 miles of coastline, the Myrtle Beach area offers something to do for every interest, from outdoor recreation to amusement parks, shopping to entertainment," said Kimberly Miles, public relations manager for the Myrtle Beach Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
A scenic nine-hour drive by car, visitors who arrive in Myrtle Beach are greeted by 2,000 restaurants and nearly 90,000 lodging possibilities -- from penthouse suites and rental homes with prices from $39 to $400 a night. Recreational vehicle owners will find adequate camp space for bringing their lodging with them.
Eight live entertainment theaters, with a total of more than 11,000 seats, offer concerts this summer including Pat Benatar, Counting Crows and Sum 41. Once you're sufficiently water-logged, you can spend your evenings on one of 50 miniature golf courses or in one of 300 outlet mall stores.
Part of the growth the Myrtle Beach area has experienced is in its attractions. If you're looking for a vacation filled with the latest and greatest attractions, look no further than the Grand Strand.
Visitors can still check out one of the newest theme parks around, Freestyle Music Park (formerly known as Hard Rock Amusement Park). The Freestyle Music Park has more than 50 attractions for music fans of country, reggae, pop, alternative, Christian and more. Plans currently call for Freestyle Music Park to be the launching point for the Freestyle Park brand throughout the world.
Construction is planned this year for the mile-long oceanfront Boardwalk and Promenade (between the 14th Avenue North Pier and the 2nd Avenue North Pier, extending all the way to 1st Avenue) to the tune of $12 million, though no construction is planned during peak tourist season. There are also plans in the works for an extension of the Myrtle Beach International Airport, which now accommodates direct-from-Huntington flights.
"With direct service from Huntington on Allegiant Air, West Virginia travelers both young and old have an affordable vacation at their fingertips, chockfull of fun and just over an hour's flight away," Miles said.
Construction will also begin this year on a hands-on science attraction, Wonderworks. To be housed at Broadway at the Beach, it will include whimsical sights such as an upside-down building, volcano, lighthouse and Egyptian pyramid.
For fitness buffs who can't break from the gym during vacation, a $6.3 million expansion of the Crabtree Memorial Gymnasium will leave them salivating (and sweating).
Tons of hotels, resorts and spas have undergone transformations lately, including the self-contained luxury residential resort North Beach Plantation Resort and Spa; the 17,000-square-foot Cinzia Spa, a comprehensive destination for health, fitness and well-being; a new water park at Coral Beach Resort and Suites; and South Carolina's first swim-up pool bar at Hotel Blue Beachfront Resort.
Ripley's Aquarium at Broadway at the Beach will feature a year-long exhibit devoted to nature's incubators -- featuring baby sharks, seahorses, frogs, jellyfish and dinosaur eggs.
A new restaurant tour package designed for groups of 20 to 50 people is being offered, titled Grand Strand Culinary Tours. Tour guides educate visitors about how different ethnic groups contributed to the cuisine of the area and vary from a simple traditional lunch to a walking culinary adventure.
Golfers can enjoy the newly renovated Pine Lakes Country Club. The venue, added to the National Register of Historic Places, features improvements to enhance playability and enjoyment for golfers of all skill levels.
For families looking to trim costs, Miles offered a few tips.
"Vacations can cut costs by packing a picnic lunch each day. The majority of hotels in Myrtle Beach offer in-room kitchen efficiencies, making it easy to stock up on breakfast, lunch and snack items from a local grocery store to keep in the room," she explained. "And, always check with the local CVB for events schedules, as visitors may be in luck for a free beach firework show or concert from time to time in the evening."
