It seems like there’s always something new going on around the Grand Strand year after year, and this year a big change is taking place in downtown Myrtle Beach. A brand new world-class boardwalk is set to be completed in Myrtle Beach this June! Visitors will be able to enjoy a 1.2-mile beachfront stroll between the 2nd Avenue Pier and 14th Avenue Pier.

Three sections will make up the new boardwalk. The northern section will be a calming walkway on a raised wooden deck, surrounded by peaceful views of dunes, palm trees, and the ocean. The central section will adjoin plenty of beachfront stores, sidewalk cafes, and shops for a fun atmosphere. The south section will be a wide park promenade winding between the beach and natural landscaping. Beach access points will be located all along the boardwalk and promenade.

Want to keep an eye on the progress? View the Boardwalk and Promenade construction cameras here!

Even so, it’s not just one article, but a few good ones about the different aspects of Myrtle Beach, from golf to business to a “best of Myrtle Beach section”.  Let’s start with the fun stuff, shall we?

The named the Best Golf Hole as “The Gambler”. It’s at MBN’s Kings North course. Par 5, designed by Arnold Palmer. They say the best route is just a roll of the dice.  Best Ice Cream? Despite a mixture of good and bad reviews on the Myrtle Beach Restaurants website, Painters Homemade Ice Cream in North Myrtle holds the title for excellent ice cream.  Best Souvenirs? The Gay Dolphin on the ocean drive section of Myrtle Beach. And Collector’s Cafe brought the title for fine dining.

Now I have to throw facts out at you about Myrtle Beach. Some of these are pretty staggering.  The Grand Strand area has more than 47,000 hotel ROOMS, 1,700 restaurants, 1,800 golf holes, 15 million annual visitors and 60 miles of beaches.  Pretty nifty huh? There were also 3,387 marriage licenses issued in 2008 from Horry County, according to the article.

New Boardwalk

One of the articles even touched on the new Boardwalk that should open next summer. It will be 1.2 miles and connect the two piers in the downtown Myrtle Beach area.  The boardwalk will be broken down into three sections, a) a nature trail, b), a “nostalgic reverie with mom-and-pop shops and restaurants”, and c) the promenade, which will have larger areas for special events and concerts. This new boardwalk should add another who dynamic to the Myrtle Beach vacation. And since it is close to many Myrtle Beach hotels and condos, access to it will be quite easy for the tourists.

Some Pavilion History

Ready for a Myrtle Beach history lesson? Did you know the Myrtle Beach Pavilion was lost in a fire, not once, but twice? The first in 1920 (rebuilt in 1925) and then again in 1944.  Then in 1948, Burroughs and Chapin rebuilt it for the third time, but used reinforced concrete walls. The park was host to 40 seaside rides, including a carousel that was 1 of 15 in the United States. It also included South Carolina’s tallest, fastest, and longest wooden roller coaster.

Like I said, these articles covered quite a bit in the Myrtle Beach area and were well written. It’s good to see Myrtle Beach noted and on the map.  We don’t  just have Myrtle Beach condos and hotel rooms, but a history of golf, games, amusement and much more.

Oktoberfest
Germany’s Oktoberfest, started in 1810, is known as the largest public fair and has become so popular that Oktoberfest celebrations are held around the world. There are many different places around Myrtle Beach hotels to enjoy the festivities. Market Common will be holding its festival on October 3rd with German food, beer and wine, and children’s activities. The City of Myrtle Beach will also be celebrating Oktoberfest on October 3rd along downtown Ocean Boulevard, with food vendors, a biergarten, a bratwurst eating contest, an alcohol-free kids zone with inflatables, and live music featuring Edwin McCain. The town of Surfside Beach will also be holding a Family Festival on the same day with food booths, live entertainment, and children’s events. Broadway at the Beach celebrates Oktoberfest and its Fall Festival October 9th-11th with a German-inspired menu at Liberty Steakhouse, musical and dance performances, and pumpkin painting and fireworks on Saturday.

Taste of the Town
Taste of the Town is the talk of the town! This event, now in its 25th year, is the Grand Strand’s biggest culinary and social event. Over fifty of the finest restaurants in Myrtle Beach will offer samples of their delicious dishes and desserts. Don’t miss out on this chance to mingle and try some of the best food around. Taste of the Town 2009 takes place October 27th from 4PM to 10PM at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Halloween
There are Halloween events for both kids and adults in Myrtle Beach this year. Head over to Broadway at the Beach for trick-or-treating, Booville at Pavilion Nostalgia Park, and a Halloween costume party and contest for adults. There will also be Halloween trick-or-treating at the shops at Market Common.

Have fun on your Myrtle Beach vacation with these great events! You can view the entire calendar of events on our Myrtle Beach Condos website.

July 4th is a favorite time for people to book their Myrtle Beach vacations. It’s a great way to enjoy the summer at the beach, and with all the local holiday events, it’s no wonder tourists from all around choose to make the Grand Strand their Fourth of July destination.

There will be July 4th celebrations all up and down the coast this year. Broadway at the Beach will have face painting, patriotic music and fireworks from July 2 to July 4. Market Common will have music, children’s activities, and fireworks from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm on July 4. Surfside Beach will be having live music, moon bounce, concessions, and a fireworks display at Surfside Pier from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Head to the Murrell’s Inlet Marshwalk area at 5:00 pm for the 26th Annual July 4th Boat Parade.

There’s been a lot of new attractions added since last summer! Now is the perfect time to try out the brand new waterslide on second avenue in North Myrtle Beach, or head down to Myrtle Beach to see the new Market Common shopping complex. Freestyle Music Park, at the site of the old Hard Rock Amusement Park, is also open for business with a rollercoaster and lots of amusement rides.

There are several area movie theaters for those who like to enjoy a movie during the holiday. Myrtle Beach Mall (aka Colonial Mall) in North Myrtle Beach, Coastal Grande Mall, Broadway at the Beach, and the new Market Common all have great theaters. Right now, there’s a movie out for everyone. This summer’s Star Trek movie is still in theaters and has been getting rave reviews. There’s also Disney/Pixar’s Up for the kids, Terminator and Transformers for action fans, the comedies Hangover and Away We Go, the tearjerker My Sister’s Keeper, and the horror thriller Drag Me To Hell.

Finish it all off with a live show at the Palace Theatre, go shopping at Tanger Outlets, or finish off a round of golf at one of our championship courses. Enjoy your holiday at Myrtle Beach!

Known as “The Hippo” by the manufacturing company FreeStyle Slides, this slide is 36 feet tall and 180 feet long.  The charge is $3 per ride or riders can purchase an all-day wristband for $20. Tickets are located at Ocean Park, which is located at 2nd Avenue South street end.

The Hippo is located close to a some of CondoLux’s North Myrtle Beach vacation rentals such as The Ashworth, The Verandas, and Ocean Bay Club.

Ocean Creek Resort
http://www.oceancreek.com/webcam.cfm

This webcam gives three different views to choose from–the resort pool, a distant shot of the beach, and the walkway across the marsh to the beach. However, the “camera” aspect of this one leaves much to be desired, since the images are still and don’t refresh unless the visitor refreshes their browser. These three views might be good for checking the weather or how crowded the resort pool is, but it quickly loses its interest value.

Crown Reef Resort
http://www.crownreef.com/ (Click on WEBCAM on the left)

Crown Reef’s beach webcam gives a more interesting angle, from high above the beach angled down the shoreline. A few miles’ worth of beach is visible in the viewing window, along with the ocean, some of Crown Reef’s outdoor amenities, and a more distant view of Springmaid Pier. The image is still but automatically refreshes about every twenty seconds. This webcam would be great to use for a quick overview of how crowded the beach is and the tide level.

Grande Shores
http://www.grandeshores.com/grandeshoreswebcam.cfm

The Grande Shores webcam is sophisticated and interactive with a live streaming image. When the viewer chooses one of the camera presets, the camera rotates and zooms to a certain area, giving multiple views of the beach and the resort property. Options include a northward view along the beach, a southern view, two different close looks at the beach itself, a few different views of the pool and lounge area, and a view for watching the sun rise over the ocean. The image is very crisp and clear.

Beach Cove Beach Cam
http://www.beachcove.com/webcam.cfm

This beach webcam gives a good view of the resort’s pool, beach, ocean and sky all in one frame. It’s a still image which automatically refreshes every eight seconds. Since it does show a good portion of the sky, this webcam would be good for checking the weather in Myrtle Beach and watching the run rise.

Avista
http://mail.seasideproperties.com/avwebcam2.shtml

The Avista webcam works in much the same way as the Grande Shores webcam, since they seem to be run on the same type of software. Visitors are able to choose from several different views and the camera will rotate and zoom accordingly. Multiple views of the swimming pools, lazy rivers, and resort property are available, but there are only two views of the beach and ocean. There is an option to control the camera movement without presets, but the controls can be hard to use. Despite its drawbacks, it’s a fun camera to use for a while.

Pier 14
http://www.pier14.com/earthcam.html

The Pier 14 Restaurant webcam gives a view down the beach and of the nearby 14th Avenue Pier. The image refreshes about every two or three seconds. This section of beach looks like a busy one, so it would be fun especially during the summer months to watch all the people enjoying the beach and ocean. The only problem with this webcam is that it has very poor quality. A sunny day looks grey and overcast on this one, so use another if you want to see a good view of the weather.

Ocean Lakes Web Cam
http://64.70.203.29/Web_Cam/webcam_SH.html

Unlike the previous webcams, this one does not show a view of the beach or ocean, but instead shows the pool and lounge area at Ocean Lakes Family Campground. It has a still image which refreshes every few seconds. Aside from the drawback of not showing the ocean, this webcam may be useful for parents staying at the campground to keep watch on their kids swimming in the pool.

Blackmoor Webcam
http://www.blackmoor.com/webcam/

Like the Ocean Lakes webcam, this one is not a view of the beach or ocean, but instead shows the course at Blackmoor Golf Club. It has a still image which refreshes about every twenty seconds so it doesn’t stream live, but it can be useful for golfers who want to check out the condition of the area golf courses in Myrtle Beach.

SCDOT Traffic Cams
http://www.dot.state.sc.us/getting/cams/MyrtleBeachCam.asp

The Department of Transportation hosts multiple traffic cams through the Grand Strand area on most major transportation routes. Cameras show a view of major intersections from slightly above. It can sometimes be hard to judge the level of traffic from this angle, but it can be very useful for both locals and visitors to check the traffic levels along different streets to see which routes to avoid. The cameras do not automatically refresh.

Alligator Adventure is located beside Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach and is one of the largest reptile facilities in the world. You’ll walk through natural swamp and marsh areas and get up close and personal with an incredible variety of lizards, large reptiles, giant frogs, turtles and exotic birds from around the world.

Be sure to visit the parks two river otters, Boo and Sam. They learned to swim in a bathtub at just 11 weeks old and now spend their time horsing around, teasing each other, and entertaining guests for hours on end. The staff feeds Boo and Sam commercially prepared food, but they also get treats like shrimp, hotdogs and sardines. These two otters have it made.

The park also has several live shows that are amazing! From mid-April through mid-October you can watch 13ft alligators jet straight out of the water in an attempt to secure their favorite meal: raw chicken! During the show you’ll learn about their eating habits, life span, average weight, length, and more. Staff veterinarian Dr. Sam Seashole will be on hand several times a week and will answer your questions if you happen to run into him. They call him the Croc Doc, and he has a documentary video available in the gift shop with all sorts of informative information about these fascinating creatures.

During the colder months, alligators don’t eat. This means they probably won’t be leaping out of the water to grab a raw chicken, but the feeding show will be substituted with a fascinating live alligator lecture and exhibit. You and your family can even get your picture taken with a live alligator! It’s a great memento to take home after your vacation here in the Grand Strand.

If you are ready for more action after the alligator shows, be sure to stop by the snake handing presentation. The staff at Alligator Adventure will teach you all out misunderstood creatures and clear up a lot of misconceptions. Do you think they are slimy? Maybe you will get to touch the 7 ft Albino Burmese Python and find out! One lucky young audience member may even get to wear a snake as a hat! That’s the kind of fun you’ll only find at Alligator Adventure. Don’t worry though, you can always return to your Myrtle Beach condo safe and sound.

There is so much more to see and do at the park! Alligator Adventure is a great way to spend the day with your family while you are here in the Myrtle Beach area. In fact, it’s so much fun that everyone has an open invitation to come back the next day free. Admission for Adults is only $16.95, Seniors are $14.95, Children ages 4-12 are $10.95, 3 and under are free. Discounts are available. You can get more information on Alligator Adventure by calling 843-361-0789.