Myrtle Beach Family Vacation: 21 Things to Do in Myrtle Beach for Families

There are so many things to do on a Myrtle Beach family vacation. It is a great place for families because there are a lot of family activities, restaurants, and the beautful beaches. This is our list for our favorite things to do on a Myrtle Beach family vacation.

Myrtle Beach has been a family favorite for us for the last 10 years. The year my daughter was born was our first visit and we have continued to visit almost yearly. We have loved our visits because year after year it has offered something new and exciting for our growing family.

When the kids were babies we would enjoy the rental house and the convenience of a house for naps and food. As the kids have gotten older we have enjoyed the food and entertainment that a family vacation in Myrtle Beach has to offer. The beaches are family friendly and we have loved making Myrtle Beach a part of our kids childhood.

Now that the kids are a little older they are helping plan our visits and adding on to the list of things to do in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We put together a list of some of our favorites and hope it helps you plan your next family beach vacation.

Myrtle Beach Family Vacation Overview

How to Get to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 

We are about 13 hours from Myrtle Beach and we always plan an amazing road trip for our trip. I’m a road trip girl and I look forward to planning fun stops along the way. I planned our Road Trip: Rochester to Myrtle Beach trip and we had a blast stopping at fun attractions along the way. Myrtle Beach also has an airport that serves most major airlines.

Where to Stay in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

My first visit to Myrtle Beach was at a beach house and I have to admit-I loved it! It is great for large families or groups of friends that want to travel together. I know there are amazing hotels, but we always end up traveling with a large group and a house is the best choice for us. Check out ways we save to afford a beach house vacation.

view from beach house mytle beach south carolina
My morning coffee from our Myrtle Beach house.

Family Fun Things to Do in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach is located at Broadway at the Beach and is a great attraction for all ages. It is perfect for a rainy day or a really hot afternoon. Remember crowds will be very busy at these times because everyone is doing the same thing!! If you don’t want to deal with crowds arrive early and you can have this aquarium done in about 2-3 hours.

We have touched Jelly Fish and Sting Rays. Met a mermaid and watched sharks swim above our heads. Every year we visit we find ourselves at this aquarium. It is a must do especially if you are a first time visitor.

Read More About our Visit:  5 Can’t Miss Experiences at Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

Family Guide to Myrtle Beach
Touching jelly fish at the Myrtle Beach Aquarium.

Savannah Playground

I don’t know how I discovered this playground but I am so happy I did. Located in the newer shopping district, Market Common, Savannah Playground does not disappoint. It is an enabled playground which means it is accessible to all children of all abilities.

I love this parks mission and I love the amazing things there are to do. They have zip-lines, rope course, and music area. They are also working on a water park/splash area. I can’t wait. On vacation it’s nice to slow down and enjoy the vacation pace. We will definitely be back on our next visit.

myrtle beach family vacation playground
Playground at Myrtle Beach.

Family Fun Dinner Shows in Myrtle Beach

Who knew a beach city would have so many entertainment options?

From Pirates to Knights, and clogging groups to variety shows. There is something for everyone! Dinner shows are so fun because it is food and entertainment all in one. The kids always have a blast! We have visited Pirate’s Voyage and Medieval Times and will hopefully have the opportunity to see a new one during our next visit.

things to do in myrtle beach south carolina dinner shows

Myrtle Beach Dinner Shows:

Broadway at the Beach

Broadway at the Beach is an entertainment and shopping complex that has so many attractions that I couldn’t possibly list them all. We often visit for the Aquarium and to enjoy some fun dining. They also have mini-golf, a movie theater, and fun entertainment for everyone.

Our Family Favorites:

  • WonderWorks
  • Dragon’s Lair Fantasy Golf
  • Dinosaur the Exhibition
  • Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
  • Hard Rock Cafe
  • Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville
  • Senor Frogs
  • Starbucks

*The above and many more can be found at Broadway at the Beach.

Play a Round of Mini-Golf

It is not called the Mini-Golf capital of the world for nothing!! Home to many mini-golf competition from competitors all over the world, they take it seriously!!

We are not at a competitive level but we do love to play. With over 30 mini-golf places to visit you could spend your entire visit mini-golfing. We usually let each of the kids pick a new place each visit.

things to do in myrtle beach south carolina mini golf

Our All Time favorite Mini-Golf Courses:

  • Captain Hook’s Adventure Golf
  • Cancun Lagoon
  • Mt Atlantics Mini-Golf
  • Dragon’s Lair Fantasy Golf

Myrtle Beach Boardwalk

Located in the heart of Myrtle Beach. The Boardwalk is a 1.2 mile walk way along the beach. Lined with shops and restaurants it is a great place to spend an evening. There are beach shops along the way as well as an amusement park. For the brave you can ride the Skywheel and have an amazing view of the ocean and city.

Where to Eat in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

My husband is the chef at home and he is in charge of where we go out to eat too! He loves to plan it almost as much as I love to plan everything else!!

When we rent a house we typically eat in a lot. We like to buy fresh seafood and he makes some amazing dinners. We also like to treat ourselves to a few nights out.  These are the restaurants we make sure to stop at every time we are in town.

  • Nacho Hippo (Love their Nachos)
  • Bubba’s (Best Fried Pickles!)
  • Joey Doggs (Serves you up hotdogs in a dog bowl! Favorite of the Kids!!)
  • River City Café (Best Burgers)
Family Guide to Myrtle Beach
Nacho Hippo

Myrtle Beach is the perfect place for families and I hope my ultimate list will help you plan an amazing vacation for you and your family. For money saving attractions check out Groupon. They offer great deals on family friendly attractions.

You May Like this Article: Tips for an Amazing Family Road Trip

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38 thoughts on “Myrtle Beach Family Vacation: 21 Things to Do in Myrtle Beach for Families”

  1. Thank you so much for this post! I just moved to a new D.R. Horton home in Conway SC and my kids have been complaining they are bored in this new place, so when I found your post we have done at least one thing each week and it made this such a wonderful summer! Thank you so much

    • Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for reading! I am so happy to help your move go a bit smother! Myrtle Beach has so many fun things to do and I hope your kids grow to love it.

  2. Such a fun place to live or visit! We lived in Myrtle Beach back in the day but I haven’t been back there in nearly ten years. It looks like they added some new fun stuff for families since our last visit. Our favorite stops back in the day (besides the beach itself) was Broadway at the Beach. (We lived close enough that we could walk there from our condo!) We especially loved Ripley’s Aquarium.

    • Wow! That is awesome that you lived there. We love how it is a great mix of everything beach and attractions!

  3. I’ve never been to Myrtle Beach, but oh my gosh, I want to go just for Savannah Playground and Harmony Park! They look so fun!

  4. Medieval Times! Those are still around?? I totally went to one when we took a middle school class trip to Toronto. I’ll have to keep this in mind, as we would like to get to Mytrle Beach one day,

  5. I LOVE the beachhouse idea and have heard amazing things about Myrtle Beach. I believe my hubby has gone (he used to travel a lot with his family growing up). I am adding this to my list of places to visit now!

  6. I went to myrtle beach w an old boyfriend a looonnggggg time ago!!! I really need to bring my kids given that we are a golf and beach family

  7. We have LOVED spending time in Myrtle Beach in the past. Such a great place for a family vacation. The beaches are great, and we have had fun at Broadway at the Beach and Barefoot Landing. 🙂

  8. Now this looks like my kind of vacation! I love staying in beach houses as well if we are going to be staying for a few days. Saving this for when we plan our Myrtle Beach vacation.

  9. Looks like you had a lot of fun! We touched a sting ray at the aquarium in Chattanooga, TN and it is unbelievable how soft they are! We will have to try the Ripley’s aquarium next time we are near Myrtle Beach!

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