How to VIP Your Vacation in Myrtle Beach

We’re surrounded by water, with 60 miles of oceanfront to the east and the Intracoastal Waterway to the west, so renting a boat, Jet Skis, kayaks, or paddleboards to explore aboard with your family makes total sense. But for a “plus up,” consider renting any of these vessels for a guided tour on the waters with a professional, whether the tour dives deeper into learning about our area’s marine life and ecosystems, history, dolphin sightings, or offers a sunset cruise experience.

There are thousands of restaurants in the Myrtle Beach area, so finding the right spot to dine out won’t be a problem. If you want to spice things up at dinner, however, book a dinner show at Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, a treat of jousting knights and majestic horse dressage, or Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show, a swashbuckling good time packed with pirate aerialists, divers, and more. And to top it all off, the kiddos can only eat with their hands! Dinoland Café is another fun entertainment dining option, featuring life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, a lava mountain, and a flying dragon bar. If you're looking for a more romantic option, check out the link below for waterfront dining options!

Sure, swimming is a given, but if you want to upgrade the experience, Myrtle Beach makes it easy to mix adventure with relaxation. For an active “plus up,” book a private surfing lesson through one of the area’s surf shops (like Village Surf Shoppe), or take on something totally different like the floating obstacle course at Shark Wake Park. Then, balance it out with a little recovery time: unwind with a spa day at Spa 33, or keep your momentum going with a workout session at 78 Fitness before your next beach outing.

Go big to add to your mini golf experience here in the “Mini Golf Capital of the World” by making a trip to PopStroke, a high-tech outdoor mini golf course within Broadway at the Beach that allows you to keep your score, and order food and drinks from their app. Or try Ripley’s Crazy Golf, an indoor course on steroids, featuring crazy-creative holes with 360-degree loops, ziplines, and glow-in-the-dark designs.

Your hotel isn’t just where you sleep — it’s part of the experience. Myrtle Beach has everything from oceanfront resorts with big pools and lazy rivers to condos and vacation rentals that give you more space to spread out. For a true “plus up,” book a place with extra perks like on-site waterparks (like Crown Reef Beach Resort and Waterpark), family-friendly pool zones and beachfront fun (like Dunes Village Resort), or oceanfront stays with a classic resort feel (like The Breakers Resort). If you’re traveling with a group or planning a longer stay, a condo-style setup through North Beach Resort & Villas or Ocean Creek Resort can make the trip feel even more effortless. The right stay can turn your vacation from a simple getaway into a full-on upgrade.

On cold or rainy days, there are still plenty of unique things to see and do indoors at the beach. Build family teamwork at any of the escape rooms here, such as The Escape Game within Broadway at the Beach. Walk under a fish tank tunnel of sharks at Ripley’s Aquarium. Explore entertaining and educational interactive exhibits, plus a ropes course, which meet under the roof (or foundation) at WonderWorks, aka the “upside down house,” Myrtle Beach. And roll a strike or compete in laser tag or in the arcade and Stars and Strikes at Coastal Grand Mall, a sleek, modern venue.

The great outdoors awaits in Myrtle Beach, and here’s how to up your game beyond a day at the beach or poolside. Tiptoe through the tulips at Brookgreen Gardens, a historic landmark in Murrells Inlet that not only has beautiful gardens with sculptures, but also the Lowcountry Zoo. Drop a line off one of the beach’s many fishing piers, such as the newly rebuilt 814-foot Surfside Pier. Or catch a Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball game, where you can actually sink your toes in the sand of Tito’s Beach Party section, filled with sand on the third-base line.

Of course, we've already mentioned Coastal Grand Mall, but to enhance your fix of retail therapy, combine it with a multi-purpose trip to eat and play at Broadway at the Beach, Barefoot Landing, or The Market Common, where unique boutiques mingle with restaurants, theatres, outdoor games, thrill boat rides, and much more.