Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, packs in college students during spring break, families during the summer and tourists from all over the country throughout the year. Its combination of sandy white beaches, Southern hospitality and amusement parks keep the city's tourism industry very busy. Myrtle Beach offers a range of accommodations and entertainment for everyone, from the luxury-seeking and the budget-conscious.
Take a trip to the Family Kingdom Amusement and Water Park. Pick up a combo day pass for $32.35 plus tax. This gives guests access to the museum and water park all day. With unlimited access to amusement park rides like the Hurricane and wooden Swamp Fox Roller Coaster and the water park's speed slides, this is a bargain ticket to a day of fun. Don't miss the Slingshot Drop Zone inside the amusement park, where guests freefall 110 feet.
Race the tracks at Myrtle Beach. Pick up a day pass for $32 and treat yourself to unlimited rides. Take your pick of the race tracks, miniature golf, bumper boats or the arcade. Or, buy a bargain pack of ride tickets. It can get humid in Myrtle Beach during the summer months, so after you work up a sweat racing your friends around the various tracks, fire up the water guns on the bumper boats and cool each other off.
Hit the beach. This free attraction is what brings tourists to the area. Build sand castles with friends, hunt for shells, or if you have a couple extra bucks, take a ride on a banana boat and ride along the waves out into the ocean.
Stay at the Atlantic Paradise Inn or Ocean Plaza Hotel for about 60 bucks a night. While the perks are limited in each, the Ocean Plaza Hotel has an indoor and outdoor pool, as well as two indoor hot tubs, and its rooms include color cable televisions and private balconies. The Atlantic Paradise Inn, or Econolodge, sits walking distance from the ocean and features free continental breakfast, free coffee, a pool and an indoor hot tub.
Grab a bite to eat at Captain Juel's Hurricane Seafood Restaurant. This mom-and-pop seafood restaurant has been a staple in the city for more than 60 years, serving up conch fritters, oyster rockefeller, fried oysters, fried shrimp, fried calamari and fried green tomatoes for less than $10. Entrees like coconut shrimp, bacon-wrapped scallops and crab cakes cost a bit more at $20, but still cost less than entrees at the average seafood restaurant. Eat at Big D's Bar-B-Que Barn. This restaurant packs in locals with its fall-off-the-bone barbecue. Stop by the restaurant at 350 George Bishop Parkway for barbecue ribs that keep locals coming back for more.
