One of Our Finest Chefs Reveals Her Favorite Grand Strand Restaurants Heidi Vukov is chef and owner of Hook & Barrel Restaurant, located at 8014 N Kings Highway in Myrtle Beach. Hook & Barrel opened in early 2017, the first “sustainable” restaurant in South Carolina. Heidi explains that wood from the trees that were cleared to make room for the building were cut and dried and used to decorate the interior of the restaurant. They also use unbreakable plateware, and their wine-by-the-glass is served from barrels, which not only eliminates bottle…

Great music, dancing and fun were once a regular occurrence at Charlie’s Place in Myrtle Beach. Even in the puzzling days of Jim Crow-era segregation, both whites and blacks enjoyed each other’s company and reveled in the unifying sounds of jazz, Motown and beach music while they danced away. Today, an annual event is held to celebrate the music and the culture that thrived in the area in bygone days. The fifth annual Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival returns October 15-17, 2021 on historic Carver Street in Myrtle Beach! Charlie’s Place was an iconic…

What was that? No, I don’t mean “shag” the way the popular Austin Powers movies defined it, and I’m not talking about carpet. The shag is the official dance of South Carolina, and the Myrtle Beach area is the best place to learn the dance or at least watch skilled shaggers while you listen to beach music, some of the happiest music ever recorded (and not to be confused with Beach Boys-style “surf music”). The shag is a smooth, laid-back dance that has been called the “swing dance of the South,” and it is often described as “a slow jitterbug.”…

Visit Myrtle Beach is excited to announce its support for National Plan for Vacation Day (NPVD), the annual day for Americans to plan their vacation for the entire year at the start of the year--on January 26. Studies show that people who take vacations are healthier and happier in both their professional and personal lives compared to non-travelers! Though many Americans are not ready or able to take a trip just yet, there is a wealth of information that says simply planning a vacation can increase happiness. In fact, 97% of survey respondents…

The gift of travel is a hot item this holiday season Most Americans had to cancel their 2020 travel plans due to Covid-19, and no one is very happy about that. Beside the fact that the pandemic has crushed the hospitality industry, there’s a human aspect to this crisis that isn’t being addressed. People need people, and they need to unwind and escape the rigors of everyday life—especially life in 2020. According to the US Travel Association, taking time off greatly benefits Americans: it is essential to a person’s overall wellbeing, and it…

While Halloween is bound to look a little different this year, there are still ways to celebrate our favorite spooky holiday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Area businesses and attractions have been creative in thinking of safe ways for visitors and locals to dress up and trick or treat, and we’ve compiled a list for those headed our way Halloween weekend: Fridays October 30, 2020 The Market Common will be hosting complimentary Halloween Movies Under the Stars beginning at 7 p.m. most Fridays in October. Bring a lawn chair and the entire…

If you’re one of the millions of people who are now telecommuting for work due to the Covid-19 pandemic, you’re in the perfect position to take a much-needed break and head to the beach. Work in the morning, beach in the afternoon, or vise-versa! That’s the beauty of it. You get to choose! Let’s face it. 2020 has been stressful! And with most vacations, concerts, and other gatherings canceled, you’re probably long overdue for a break! Why not take advantage of your telecommuting situation and head to the beach? Here, you can unwind and relax…

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has pretty darn nice weather all year-round, but if you ask locals and thousands of regular visitors when their favorite time of year is along the Grand Strand, a very large number of them will answer, “fall.” Fall brings cooler temperatures and lower humidity after a very hot summer, but those temps still feel like a northern summer, comparatively speaking! You’ll also find the crowds along the beach have thinned considerably, so there’s plenty of room to spread out and stay socially distanced. Covid numbers are…

The current pandemic has certainly caused many changes in the way hospitality businesses operate. Hotels, resorts, RV parks, and other Myrtle Beach area lodging providers have worked diligently to come up with new sanitation policies to help reduce transmission of the virus to protect their employees and visitors. When you make plans to visit, be sure to check out the healthy travel efforts your lodging provider has made. You’ll notice that many are offering touch-free pre-check-in procedures. You’ll also find plexiglass dividers, mask…

Traveling safely is not only possible during a pandemic, it’s important—especially when travel takes you to sunny beaches to breathe fresh salt air, feel the sand between your toes, and make connections with family and friends. The Myrtle Beach area offers 60 miles of beautiful beaches (so there’s plenty of room to spread out), and it also offers more than 10,000 camping sites at nine campgrounds and two state parks. When I say “campground” you may picture a few tents pitched near a small grove of trees, but I’m here to tell you—some of the…