While many flock to Myrtle Beach for the sun and the sea, this South Carolina destination has a storied past that it is eager to share through local experiences.
“Meeting planners also have a wealth of unique activities and adventures to incorporate into their agendas, including Broadway-quality theater, renowned farm- and ocean-to-table restaurants, historical tours, world-renowned golf, a bevy of water sports and hundreds of attractions of all varieties,” said Diane Charno, director of marketing, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. “All this combined with a mild year-round climate and nonstop air service from a number of cities.”
Art & Nature
Myrtle Beach’s climate allows visitors to be outdoors year-round. Resorts line the coast and the mile-long Oceanfront Boardwalk and Promenade-which is currently undergoing an expansion-offers attractions, restaurants, rides, retail and entertainment.
“We have all of the water sports guests would expect along the ocean as well as yoga on the beach, ziplines, fishing from the Myrtle Beach State Park pier, as well as dolphin-viewing cruises,” Charno explained. “We also have unique opportunities to enjoy the outdoors within attractions like Brookgreen Gardens and Huntington Beach State Park.”
Just south of Myrtle Beach sits Brookgreen Gardens, a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve created in the 1930s by Archer Milton Huntington, stepson of railroad tycoon Collis Potter Huntington and his wife Anna Hyatt Huntington. Set on a former rice plantation, the site is also home to a zoo, trails through the Lowcountry History and Wildlife Preserve as well as 900 works of art from American sculptors that make up the Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington Sculpture Garden.
In addition to hosting a private event on-site, private guided tours of the garden, offering insight into the property’s art, horticulture and history, are available to groups. Programs and exhibits at the E. Craig Wall Jr. Lowcountry Center include hands-on meet-and-greets with the animals at the zoo, and from mid-March through November, boat rides on the 48-foot pontoon boat The Springfield.
Between Brookgreen Gardens and the Atlantic Ocean lies Huntington Beach State Park, also named for Archer and Anna Huntington. Known for its pristine and picturesque strand of beach, the park is home to Atalaya. Once the winter estate of the Huntingtons and now a National Historic Landmark, the house includes over 30 rooms and a courtyard, and the back opens to the beach. There are both self-guided and docent-led tours of the grounds and property.
Another historically significant attraction is the Hopsewee Plantation. Built in the mid-1700s, it was one of the South’s largest rice plantations as well as the birthplace of Thomas Lynch Jr., one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The property is located on the Santee River and features landscaped grounds, nature trails and the plantation house. Tours of the home, including two original slave cabins on the property, give visitors a feel of what life was like when it was a working plantation.
The River Oak Cottage at Hopsewee can host private events in the cottage lounge and dining room as well as outdoor events with a Spanish moss-draped oak tree as a backdrop for a true Southern setting.
Adventure Outings
Carolina Safari Jeep Tours blends history, nature, ecology, wildlife and even ghostlore in one ecotourism adventure. The excursions, customizable for groups and usually set for three-and-a-half hours, can include tours through rice fields, former plantations, slave cabins and historic chapels while learning about the region's history and culture.
Wildlife tours of the area’s salt marsh ecosystem and maritime forest are also available to groups hoping to catch a glimpse of an alligator or rare bird species. And for those who want a little fright, a visit to a moss-filled graveyard to hear legends of the local ghosts and spirits is also available to groups.
Business at the Beach
“Myrtle Beach is home to a wide variety of first-class meeting spaces along its 60 miles of coastline, from small and intimate boardrooms looking out onto ocean water to large venues, like the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, that can accommodate groups in the thousands,” Charno said.
Not just a leisure destination, the region has a wide range of offerings for groups. And the development is continuing.
“In 2017, a number of new developments have taken shape,” Charno noted. “Construction has already begun on a 50,000-square-foot development along the iconic Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, which will house restaurants, shops and a live-music venue. As a part of this project, we are expanding the Boardwalk to the north, connecting it to a new Hilton hotel.”
The Myrtle Beach Convention Center, boasting more than 250,000 square feet of meeting space, is located just blocks from the beach. The center offers a 100,800-square-foot exhibition hall, 17 meeting rooms, a 30,000-square-foot Events Plaza for outdoor functions, and the 400-room Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel is directly connected.
Kingston Resorts, made up of the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, the Embassy Suites by Hilton Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Resort as well as the Royale Palms Condominiums and the Kingston Condos, Villas and Lodges, offers a variety of venues and options-many along the oceanfront-for functions of 2,000 guests.
Another resort area between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach is Grande Dunes. The Mediterranean-inspired Marina Inn at Grande Dunes is surrounded by undeveloped land and has its own private beach a five-minute shuttle ride away. The property has 15,000 square feet of meeting facilities, but also teambuilding both on and off-site, including fly fishing, kayak tours, a ropes course and wine tasting at local wineries. According to Charno, groups can rent pontoon boats and sign up for an adventure tour.
Not far is the recently renovated Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes. The oceanfront property completed a refresh of all 405 guest rooms and offers 35,600 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space.
