Grand Strand facts for kids

Myrtle Beach, a popular spot on the Grand Strand

The Grand Strand is a long, curved stretch of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States. It's more than 60 miles (97 km) long, reaching from Little River all the way to Winyah Bay. You can find it along the northeastern coast of South Carolina, mainly in Horry and Georgetown Counties.

The name "Grand Strand" first appeared in local newspapers in late 1949. It quickly became a popular way to describe this beautiful coastal area.

Today, the Grand Strand is a huge magnet for tourists along the Southeastern coast. In 2019, over 20 million people visited! The main city here is Myrtle Beach. The area is packed with hotels, golf resorts, and fun places to visit. This makes it a favorite spot for families and college students, especially during the summer and winter breaks.

Weather in the Grand Strand

The Myrtle Beach area has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has cool winters and hot, humid summers. The nearby Atlantic Ocean also makes the weather feel a bit more like an oceanic one.

It rains quite a bit throughout the year, but especially in the summer. During summer, it's common for there to be a good chance of rain almost every day. Strong thunderstorms can happen, especially in summer. These usually don't last long, but sometimes they can bring heavy hail. Tornadoes are very rare here.

Snowfall is super rare in this part of South Carolina. However, it does happen sometimes, like in January 2000 when Myrtle Beach got five inches of snow. Another big ice and snow storm hit on January 28, 2014.

History of the Grand Strand

The F.G. Burroughs steamship

Long ago, before Europeans arrived, the Waccamaw Tribe lived in the Long Bay area. They used the river for travel and fished along the coast near Little River. On Waties Island, which is a main island along Long Bay, there are signs of their visits, like burial sites and shell mounds.

The first European settlers came to Long Bay in the late 1700s. They tried to grow crops like indigo and tobacco. However, the sandy soil near the coast wasn't very good for farming, so they didn't have much success.

Before the American Revolution, the area that would become the Grand Strand was mostly empty. A few families, like the Withers, received land grants along the coast. One part they owned was near what is now called Wither's Swash. Another island, Minor Island (now Waties Island), was granted to James Minor.

Mary Wither's gravestone shows how remote the area was. It says she "gave up the pleasures of Society and retired to Long Bay." This means she chose to live far away from other people.

After the American colonies became independent, the coast stayed mostly undeveloped. George Washington even visited the area during his time as president. He stayed a night at Windy Hill Beach (now part of North Myrtle Beach) and traveled to Georgetown.

The Withers family was one of the few families living near Myrtle Beach for about 50 years. In 1822, a powerful hurricane swept their house into the ocean, and 18 people drowned. After this tragedy, the Withers family left their land along the coast. The area then started to grow back into a forest.

Original Myrtle Beach Air Force Base during World War II

In 1899, a company called Burroughs and Collins got permission to build the Conway & Seashore Railroad. This railroad was built to carry timber from the coast to customers inland. The train started running daily on May 1, 1900. One of its engines was nicknamed The Black Maria. A post office was set up at the old Swash site and named "Withers."

Once the railroad was built, the workers from the lumber and railroad company would ride the train to the beach on their days off. They were some of the first tourists to the Grand Strand! The end of the railroad line was called "New Town," to tell it apart from "Old Town," which was Conway.

Around the year 1900, Franklin Burroughs had a dream. He wanted to turn New Town into a tourist spot that could compete with the beaches in Florida and the Northeast. Burroughs passed away in 1897, but his sons finished extending the railroad to the beach and opened the Seaside Inn in 1901.

New Town kept growing. In 1957, it officially became a town. A contest was held to name it. Burroughs' wife suggested honoring a local shrub, the Southern Wax Myrtle. So, the town was named Myrtle Beach.

In 1937, the Myrtle Beach Municipal Airport was built. However, the United States Army Air Corps quickly took it over in 1940 and turned it into a military base. Regular flights for people started in 1976. The airport shared its runway with the military base for over 15 years until the base closed in 1993. Since then, it has been known as Myrtle Beach International Airport. In 2010, plans were approved to build a new airport terminal. Also, in 1940, Kings Highway was paved, giving Myrtle Beach its first main road.

Grand Strand's Economy

The Grand Strand's economy mostly relies on tourism. Millions of dollars come into the area each year because of visitors. There are many hotels, motels, resorts, restaurants, attractions, and shops to serve all the tourists.

The area is also famous for golf, with over 100 golf courses in and around Myrtle Beach. The golf industry is a big part of the local economy.

Some smaller factories in the area make plastic, rubber, cardboard, foam, and ceramic products.

Fun for Visitors: Tourism

The Grand Strand welcomed 20.6 million visitors in 2019! It has tons of tourist attractions, and many people visit during the spring and summer.

The Grand Strand hosts many special events, conventions, and music concerts. Besides its beautiful beaches and golf courses, you can find amusement parks, an aquarium, an IMAX theater, and lots of shops. There are over 1,900 restaurants, including many seafood places. You can also find dinner theaters, nightclubs, and souvenir shops. Myrtle Beach has about 460 hotels, with many right on the beach, offering around 89,000 places to stay. Myrtle Waves is also in the city, and it's one of the biggest water parks on the East Coast!

The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk opened in 2010. It has been called one of the best boardwalks in the country by National Geographic and Travel + Leisure magazine. The Myrtle Beach Skywheel opened in May 2011. It has glass cabins that give you amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean. Myrtle Beach State Park, created in 1935, has almost a mile of Grand Strand beach. It's a great place for swimming, hiking, biking, and fishing.

Hotels in Myrtle Beach

The Myrtle Beach Convention Center is a large building that hosts many meetings, conferences, and special events every year. It opened in 2003 and also has a Sheraton hotel.

In 2008, Hard Rock Park opened in Myrtle Beach. It was a theme park based on the popular Hard Rock Cafe chain. After some money problems, the park changed its name to Freestyle Music Park in 2009. This park had rides and attractions based on different types of music. However, it didn't open in 2010 and is currently closed.

Every March since 1951, during Ontario's spring break, Myrtle Beach hosts Canadian-American Days, also known as Can-Am Days. Tens of thousands of tourists come for a week of special events. Myrtle Beach also has Coastal Uncorked, a food and wine festival held every late spring. In June, high school seniors who have just graduated come to Myrtle Beach for Senior Week.

Myrtle Beach is a top spot for Fourth of July travel, with many professional fireworks shows along the oceanfront. Priceline.com ranked Myrtle Beach among its top 20 Fourth of July destinations in 2010.

Gambling is not allowed in South Carolina. However, people in Myrtle Beach can easily go on special boats that take them into international waters. Once there, they are outside the reach of state gambling laws.

Motorcycle Rallies

Myrtle Beach Bike Week, also called "Harley Bike Week," is a week-long motorcycle rally. It started in 1940 and has attracted as many as 200,000 visitors in May. Black Bike Week, which began in 1980, happens around Memorial Day Weekend. It's the largest African American motorcycle rally in the US, drawing up to 400,000 visitors. This event was created because of past unfair treatment towards African-American visitors and riders in Myrtle Beach.

The Myrtle Beach government created some new rules to manage large motorcycle events. There were discussions about how these rules affected different groups of riders. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) filed lawsuits against some Myrtle Beach businesses. These lawsuits led to agreements that aimed to stop unfair treatment and provide training for employees. A lawsuit against the City of Myrtle Beach was settled in 2006. The city agreed that police would use the same traffic rules for both the Black Bike Week and the Harley Bike Week events.

In June 2010, the South Carolina Supreme Court overturned one of the new rules. This rule had said all motorcyclists must wear helmets. The court said that state law only requires helmets for riders under 21, and a city rule can't change that.

Shopping Fun

Heroes Harbor at Broadway at the Beach

The Grand Strand area has many different stores and malls. It's one of the biggest shopping areas in the Southeastern United States and the largest shopping spot in South Carolina.

• Barefoot Landing opened in 1988. It has 100 stores, restaurants, and attractions. It's also home to the Alabama Theatre, which hosts concerts by traditional country music singers.
• Coastal Grand Mall opened in 2004 and is the largest indoor mall in the state. It has both indoor and outdoor shopping areas. This mall has five main department stores (like Belk, JCPenney, and Dillard's), a 14-screen movie theater, a food court, and about 170 other stores.
• Myrtle Beach Mall has three main stores: Bass Pro Shops, Belk, and JCPenney. It also has a 12-screen movie theater, a food court, and many other specialty shops. It used to be called Colonial Mall.
• Tanger Outlets at Myrtle Beach has over 100 famous brand outlet stores, like Nautica and Sony. You can find it on U.S. Route 501 as you enter the city.
• Broadway at the Beach is a huge shopping and entertainment complex. It covers 350 acres (1.4 km²) and is located along the Highway 17 Bypass. It has three theaters, 17 restaurants, over 100 specialty shops, attractions, nightclubs, and three hotels. All of this surrounds the 23-acre (0.093 km²) Lake Broadway. It's the largest entertainment complex of its kind in South Carolina! Here you'll find an IMAX theater, Ripley's Aquarium, Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, and The Pavilion Nostalgia Park.
• The Market Common is a shopping area with several stores and a movie theater. It's built on the land where the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base used to be.

Learning in the Grand Strand

Public Schools

The public schools in the Grand Strand area are part of the Horry County Schools system.

Colleges and Higher Education

The Grand Strand has several colleges and schools for higher education:

Private Schools

Here is a list of private schools in the Grand Strand area:

• St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic High School
• St. Andrew's Catholic School
• Christian Academy of Myrtle Beach
• Carolina Bays Academy
• Chabad Academy
• Calvary Christian School
• Bridgewater Academy
• Cathedral Hall High School
• Christian Academy
• Life Christian Academy & Child

Towns and Cities in the Grand Strand

Listed from north to south

Horry County, South Carolina

• Little River - population 8,960 (2010)
• North Myrtle Beach - population 13,752 (2010)
  • Cherry Grove Beach (a neighborhood in North Myrtle Beach)
  • Ocean Drive Beach (a neighborhood in North Myrtle Beach)
  • Crescent Beach, South Carolina (a neighborhood in North Myrtle Beach)
  • Windy Hill Beach (a neighborhood in North Myrtle Beach)
• Atlantic Beach - population 334 (2010)
• Briarcliffe Acres - population 470 (2010)
• Myrtle Beach - population 27,109 (2010)
  • Springmaid Beach (a neighborhood in Myrtle Beach)
• Surfside Beach - population 3,837 (2010)
• Garden City - population 11,014 (2010)

Georgetown County, South Carolina

• Murrells Inlet - population 8,547 (2010)
• Litchfield Beach
• Pawleys Island - population 103 (2010)
• DeBordieu
• Georgetown - population 9,163 (2010)

Getting Around the Grand Strand

Airports

• Myrtle Beach International Airport opened in 1976 and is on the south side of town.
• The Grand Strand Airport, located in North Myrtle Beach, is a smaller airport for private planes.
• A private helicopter service also operates in the Grand Strand.

Roads

SC 31 helps drivers get around the Grand Strand

• US 17
• 
  US 17 Bus.
• US 501
• SC 9
• SC 22
• SC 31
• SC 65
• SC 179
• SC 544
• SC 707
• Farrow Parkway
• Ocean Boulevard
• Harrelson Boulevard
• Robert Edge Parkway
• Robert Grissom Parkway

In recent years, new roads have been built to help with traffic jams, especially during tourist season. These roads follow a plan from 1997 to make traffic flow better in Myrtle Beach.

There are also plans for the Grand Strand area to eventually have two interstate highways, Interstate 73 and Interstate 74. The Robert Edge Parkway will connect I-74 to downtown North Myrtle Beach.

Sports in the Grand Strand

The Grand Strand is home to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a baseball team that plays in the Carolina League. They are connected to the Chicago Cubs baseball team.

TicketReturn.com Field is where the Myrtle Beach Pelicans play. It opened in 1999 and can hold 6,500 people. It's also the finish line for the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon, a running event held every February.

TicketReturn.com Field also hosts the "Baseball At The Beach" college baseball tournament each year. Coastal Carolina University hosts this tournament, where different college baseball teams compete.

From 1998 to 2009, and again starting in 2011, the area has hosted the Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon. This event happens every February and includes a 5K race on Friday night and a Half Marathon and Full Marathon on Saturday. The marathon day attracts 6,000 runners each year.

NASCAR stock car racing takes place at Myrtle Beach Speedway. This is a 0.538-mile (0.866 km) oval track with asphalt paving. Drivers compete here in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

Golf Capital

The Grand Strand area has many golf courses and mini-golf courses. Myrtle Beach has even been called the "Golf Capital of the World"! This is because there were once 120 golf courses here, and people played a record 4.2 million rounds of golf. There are also many miniature golf courses. In 2007, 3.7 million rounds of golf were played. Since a recent economic downturn, about 30 courses have closed to make way for new buildings, bringing the total down to 90. Most of the golf courses in the area are open to the public. Some well-known golf courses and resorts include:

Media in the Grand Strand

Television

The Grand Strand and Florence, South Carolina share a television market. Most TV stations that are licensed to Florence have moved their operations to the Grand Strand because the area has grown so much.

Newspapers

The Sun News is the biggest daily newspaper published in the Grand Strand. It is read by people from Georgetown, South Carolina, to Sunset Beach, North Carolina. The paper has been around since the 1930s.

There are also several weekly newspapers, including The Weekly Surge, the Myrtle Beach Herald, and the Horry Independent.