Myrtle Beach attractions

Myrtle Beach’s attractions are almost all on or beside a single coastal highway, and the beach itself is the main one.

Free: the beach, with public access points and parking at intervals; the boardwalk; and the Murrells Inlet marsh walk.

Ticketed on the strip: the SkyWheel, an aquarium, several mini golf complexes, variety theatres with dinner shows, and two large amusement parks — one on the oceanfront and one inland.

Golf is booked as packages through the courses or an agency, and tee times in spring and autumn go early.

Worth leaving the strip for: Brookgreen Gardens, Huntington Beach State Park opposite it with its Moorish-style castle and its birdlife, and the colonial waterfront at Georgetown further south.

A car is needed; the strip is long and public transport is limited.