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…

One of Our Finest Chefs Reveals His Favorite Restaurants There are more than 1800 restaurants in the Grand Strand area! Where do you start when looking for a great place to eat? From fast food to Calabash buffets to fine dining, the Myrtle Beach area truly has it all. We interviewed Chef Geoff Blount of the International Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach at HGTC to learn about the school’s restaurant and to see where he likes to eat when he gets some time off. First, he discussed the wonderful Fowler Dining Room which is located in the…

The long Thanksgiving holiday weekend is the perfect time of year for a family reunion or getaway. The Myrtle Beach area takes entertaining our holiday visitors seriously, and there is plenty going on around turkey day this year. Below we’ve included a round-up of events happening Thanksgiving week in Myrtle Beach, along with a list of just some (because there are countless!) restaurants offering special Thanksgiving menus and buffets. There is no shame in skipping the kitchen this Thanksgiving—especially when so many fantastic Myrtle Beach…

Myrtle Beach, SC - On Saturday, October 26, Visit Myrtle Beach, in partnership with Tin Roof Myrtle Beach and Cocktail Artist®, a line of premium mixes and bar ingredients, will host an exciting night of bartending challenges. Myrtle Beach bartenders will compete in a bartending challenge where each contestant will be paired up with one of Cocktail Artists’ award-winning mixologists as they compete for a grand prize. Also, that night, Cocktail Artist will crown their National Champion in the brand’s 1st Annual Mix Off Competition. Finalists for…

For those who haven’t heard: Cocktail Artist, a line of premium mixes and bar ingredients, is in search of America’s Best Home Bartender in a Cocktail Mix-Off competition taking place in sunny Myrtle Beach this fall. We couldn’t think of a more fitting partnership--especially considering how much better a cocktail tastes when looking at the ocean--and we’re excited to see which finalist is picked for the month of August! While we wait, we thought we’d make a list of some of our favorite spots to enjoy a waterfront cocktail. There is certainly…

May is one of my favorite times of year here along the Grand Strand. Not just because it’s around the time I’ll start swimming in the ocean, but because it marks the official start of some of our larger area farmers markets. Before tourism was the number one industry in Horry County (where Myrtle Beach is located), farming and agriculture drove our local economy. While the area has evolved as tourism has thrived, it is still home to a number of outstanding farming operations that provide us with fantastic seasonal produce, meat products, eggs,…

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. While I’ve always enjoyed this weekend in the Myrtle Beach area (our mid-May weather is some of my favorite), it’s obviously sweeter now that I have children of my own. And even more fun because there are so many ways to celebrate here along the Grand Strand! Below is a round-up of just some of the spots worth checking out for brunch or lunch this Mother’s Day: House of Blues Gospel Brunch Kirk Franklin’s Gospel Brunch will feature a Mother’s Day brunch and live entertainment by Glory from 9 a.m. to 2…

This Cinco de Mayo enjoy a great meal at one of our Myrtle Beach Mexican restaurants or special events! Banditos Cantina is a wonderful oceanfront venue with a fantastic outdoor seating area. All weekend long they will have drink specials and games. Friday-Sunday from 9 p.m. - 2 a.m. there will be a DJ, and every day starting at 4 p.m. there will be $5 Altos Blanco Margarita. Banditos has an inventive Southwestern and Mexican menu and an unrivaled tequila list. Just upstairs from Banditos is Tin Roof. For Cinco de Mayo they will have a special…

I’ve participated in two cooking classes at Horry-Georgetown Technical College’s beautiful International Culinary Institute over the past couple months and had so much fun learning new dishes-or new takes on old dishes to try at home. The fairly new International Culinary Institute (ICI) is striking in appearance but somewhat tucked away near The Market Common in Myrtle Beach, and I’m going to go ahead and call it a hidden gem for visitors to the Myrtle Beach area. Their continuing education culinary courses are open to the public, usually take…

New South Brewing is the 2nd oldest brewery and the oldest brewer-owned brewery in South Carolina. Their flagship White Ale has been brewed for 20 years—long before Blue Moon and Shock Top. Their Drink a Peach beer is new and it features peaches from South Carolina. Though Georgia is known as the “Peach State,” did you know that South Carolina actually produces more peaches? If you’re a Star Wars fan you’ll enjoy the Java the Nut and Dark Star Porter, and the Star Wars décor throughout. The Force is strong in this brewery. New South Brewing…