Myrtle Beach in South Carolina is the state’s prime vacation spot. This 25-mile stretch of hyper-developed beachfront draws millions of visitors every year. In the summer and spring break seasons, Myrtle Beach is packed past capacity with frat-rats, girls gone wild and other rowdy college-aged revelers. The family vacation crowd lives cheek by jowl with the bacchanals in Myrtle Beach, leading to an oddly carnival-like atmosphere. The town is loaded with nightclubs, amusement parks and a hideous multitude of souvenir shops peddling badly made beach gear, Myrtle Beach key-chains and tacky t-shirts featuring quasi-obscene cartoons and crude profanity. But regardless of all the drawbacks of the place, Myrtle Beach can be lots of fun for those who get into the spirit of the thing.

There are a good 60 miles of beach for visitors to enjoy in and around Myrtle Beach. Swimmers and sunbathers will be happy, but so will water-sports fans. Aquatic outdoors adventures are easy to find at Myrtle Beach. There are endless opportunities for diving, surfing, fishing and boating of every conceivable kind.

Sports Illustrated magazine and The National Recreation & Park Association have concluded that Myrtle Beach is Sports Town U.S.A., and who are we to argue? Certainly Myrtle Beach is the seaside Golf Mecca for the eastern United States with well over 100 excellent courses. There’s more than golf for sports fanatics to enjoy, however, and Myrtle Beach is home to every sport from baseball (courtesy of the minor league Pelicans) to NASCAR auto-racing.

Sometimes it seems like Myrtle Beach is all beer-bongs and wet t-shirt contests, but despite its reputation for being a party town, Myrtle Beach has plenty for kids and families. There are ocean themed attractions, go-karts, more than 50 miniature golf courses and 2 major theme parks. The Myrtle Beach Pavilion has an impressive selection of rides and games, but Family Kingdom is cheaper, less crowded and more kid-friendly.

Visitors who want to enjoy a little nightlife but aren’t looking for bars or dancehalls can catch a number of live shows in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner & Show has country cookin’, country music and country fun. At Legends in Concert you can see celebrity impersonators belting out their famous doppelganger’s greatest hits. If you’re craving spare-ribs and wildly inaccurate historical dinner theater then there’s just no substitute for Medieval Times.