In August, 2016 our family traveled to Myrtle Beach South Carolina for vacation, staying at the Sheraton Broadway Plantation . This was our first trip to the Myrtle Beach area and the kids were looking forward to some fun and relaxation. We knew from looking at the map that our resort was not located on the beach or within walking distance of the beach, so I inquired at the concierge desk about a good place to park to access the beach without paying a super high parking fee. The concierge suggested that, since we have to drive anyway, we drive a little further south of Myrtle to Surfside Beach. She said it was less busy there and more family-oriented.
We took her advice -- and were so glad that we did. We LOVED Surfside! Calling itself the “Family Beach,” it is such an adorable beach town lined with beach houses and residents driving golf carts around. We had no trouble finding parking. We drove straight down Surfside Drive and parked at the metered lot at the end. There were some rustic restrooms adjacent to the parking lot as well as a cafe (River City Cafe). In a few steps we were on the beach, right by the Surfside Pier. Typically, we would walk onto the beach, under the pier and set-up our chairs and towels in front of the Surfside Beach resort. (There was a row of rental chairs and umbrellas which anyone could rent -- and they had the primo spot, but we would set-up either in front of or behind this row.) While there was plenty of people on the beach, it never felt crowded. The kids played in the water, rode their boogie boards, threw a football or played volleyball (there was a net set-up in front of the resort). When we were done on the beach, we used the foot washing stations and showers close to the Surfside Beach resort to rinse off.
The area was very family-friendly. The only “hotel,” we saw was the Surfside Beach resort. The rest of the vacationers likely own or rent the houses we saw lining the beach and streets (or drove there like we did). It appeared many houses had their own private small pools. We saw one bar close to the beach with karaoke that looked cute. One day, after spending a late afternoon at the beach, we ventured to Bubba’s Fish Shack for dinner Again, we LOVED it! Super cute, excellent service with southern charm, and good, reasonably priced food. We highly recommend it.
We did venture to Myrtle Beach a couple days, but our kids preferred the relaxed atmosphere of Surfside Beach -- and we parents concurred! Although Surfside was a further drive for us (probably 20 minutes from the Sheraton), we would definitely recommend trying it at least a time or two. It is a nice change of pace from busy Myrtle Beach. And you may find yourself spending most of your days there -- like we did!
