Myrtle Beach: Events along the Grand Strand
Want golf?
Famous golf course designers such as Robert Trent Jones, Arnold Palmer, Pete Dye and Tom Fazio have left their mark here. The area has hundreds of championship and executive courses, golf clinics, clubs and practice ranges. Kingston Plantation and Kingston Shores are sister beachfront resort complexes with convention center hotels, such as the 255-room Embassy Suites, condo rooms and elegant meeting facilities. Amenities include a golf academy and Arcadian Shores, a par-72 championship golf course that’s gotten raves from Golf Digest. MyrtleBeachGolf.com offers group packages and planning assistance.
Want venues with views?
The Cypress Room is an award-winning, oceanfront restaurant and banquet venue at Island Vista that has floor to ceiling windows. The resort also has an outdoor event lawn, party deck and tiki bar. Indoor meeting space is available in a 2,300-sq. ft. ballroom. Accommodations are available in one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom suites, all of which have ocean views.
Want group activities?
BB&T Coastal Field, where the Atlanta Braves-affiliated Myrtle Beach Pelicans play, has a picnic area, a “beach” and luxury suites. More than 700 alligators and crocodiles, exotic snakes, lizards and other creepy-crawlies thrive at Alligator Adventure, where groups can walk through animal habitats and see live shows.
Want educational programs?
Grand Strand Culinary Tours, for groups of 20-50, show how Spanish and Hugenot settlers, early Americans, slaves and plantation owners all contributed to the development of Myrtle Beach’s cuisine. Capt. Dick’s interactive boat tour, led by a marine naturalist, teaches attendees about the creatures that live in Myrtle Beach’s saltwater marshes. Ghosts & Legends has daily, interactive ghost story shows; 1800s-style Lowcountry séances also are available. The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.) Preservation Station has educational programs, live shows and photo-ops with rare animals.
Want creative venues?
Brookgreen Gardens is a 9,000-acre National Historic Landmark with an incredible collection of figurative sculpture and the only American Zoo and Aquarium Association-accredited zoo in Coastal Carolina. The Franklin G. Burroughs and Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum is home to the Waccamaw Arts and Crafts Guild Collection and the Bishop Collection of Antique Maps and Prints. Ripley’s Aquarium at Broadway at the Beach offers dynamic space in its galleries and private rooms for events ranging from 40-person meetings to 1,000-person receptions.
Want evening entertainment?
Myrtle Beach is home to several theaters that offer tribute shows, musical revues and Cirque-style entertainment. The big three are the The Carolina Opry, the Alabama Theatre and the Palace Theatre. “Dinnertainment” venues are also popular: Attendees can enjoy a hearty meal while watching knights jousting at Medieval Times or enjoy a rousing North vs. South horse show at Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede. Myrtle Beach also has themed restaurants with live music venues. Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville has a casual beach bum vibe and regular visits from a descending “hurricane.” House of Blues has meeting space and is known for its Gospel Brunch. In addition to a stage, Hard Rock Café also offers patio dining and private meeting space.
Want to team-build?
Attendees can get in touch with their inner Harry Potter at MagiQuest, which outfits each person with a personal wand they use to complete magical quests. The NASCAR Speedpark has space for meetings and banquets, and can put together team-building races. Active options include kayaking, deep-sea fishing, water skiing and parasailing. Groups also can rent scooters or Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Want to meet in a place with history?
Ocean Drive, near Cherry Grove in North Myrtle Beach, is the birthplace of the shag dance. Schedule dance workshops for attendees in one of the nightclubs, or book an event to coincide with the mighty migrations of shaggers that come every year. The Pavilion Nostalgia Park at Broadway at the Beach celebrates the legacy of the legendary, now closed, family amusement park with exhibits and artifacts, like its carousel and German Band organ.
Want spousal activities?
Downtown Conway hosts First Saturday Art Walks spotlighting the local artists living and working in the historic district galleries and studios. In Little River, the Brentwood Restaurant and Wine Bar offers cooking classes for private groups of 10 or more.
