Myrtle Beach, the centerpiece of South Carolina's Grand Strand, is one of the nation's foremost vacation destinations. Known for its oceanfront hotels, golf courses, beachside boardwalk and amusement parks, Myrtle Beach easily is reachable by air or car. Getting there by train, however, is more difficult. Although the region does have two historic train depots that no longer provide passenger rail service, the closest Amtrak station is more than an hour away.
The Myrtle Beach Train Depot, a circa-1937 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was renovated in the early 2000s. Once a community hub and stop on the Atlantic Coastline Railroad, the depot was sold by the railroad company in 1967 and became a storage warehouse. The city bought the property after it was put up for sale in 1999, restoring the building to its original appearance, with plank flooring and the original trim, ceiling and beams. A new roof, heating, air conditioning and modern plumbing and electrical systems were added. The grand reopening was held in 2004, and the train depot is now available for community meetings, receptions and other private events.
The other restored train depot in Horry County is in downtown Conway, less than 15 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach. The depot, which lies just off Main Street and is owned by Carolina Southern Railroad, originally was constructed in 1886 and also has been restored. Carolina Southern Railroad ran a club car between Conway and Myrtle Beach as part of the Myrtle Beach Train Depot's grand opening in 2004, and also operated some freight cars to several South Carolina and North Carolina towns through August 2011. As of publication, however, the railroad was not operating a regular schedule because of funding issues with needed track and bridge repairs on its line.
Amtrak has 11 train stations in South Carolina, with only four of those -- Dillon, Florence, Kingstree and North Charleston -- within 100 miles of Myrtle Beach. All four stops are part of Amtrak's Palmetto line that runs through the scenic lower part of the Palmetto State beginning near the border city of Savannah, Georgia, and taking a path through the Charleston area before turning north toward Florence. The Palmetto provides business-class amenities, including complimentary nonalcoholic drinks, audio entertainment and priority boarding.
If you'd still like to travel by train for part of your trip to Myrtle Beach, ride Amtrak's Palmetto line to the Florence station -- which is slightly less than 70 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach -- or to North Charleston, which is about 100 miles southwest. A variety of rental car companies and Greyhound bus service is available near both Amtrak stops for you to make the rest of the journey. Another option for train buffs during their visits to Myrtle Beach is to make a day trip to the Wilmington Railroad Museum, less than 75 miles northeast of Myrtle Beach in Wilmington, North Carolina. The museum is set in a circa-1883 railroad freight warehouse and has a collection of vintage locomotives, cabooses and boxcars plus other railroad artifacts.
