Myrtle Beach Boardwalk facts for kids
The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade is a super cool walkway right by the ocean in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It officially opened in May 2010. This awesome boardwalk stretches for about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) along the beach. It goes from Pier 14 at 14th Avenue North all the way to the 2nd Avenue Pier. National Geographic magazine even said the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk is one of the top three boardwalks in the whole United States! And Travel and Leisure magazine ranked it number two.
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What's on the Boardwalk?
The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk is split into three fun sections, each with its own special vibe!
The Northern Fun Zone
This part of the boardwalk is about 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide and has a cool raised wooden deck. It runs from Pier 14 to Plyler Park. This is where lots of exciting things happen, especially during the summer! You can enjoy "Hot Summer Nights" with live music twice a week. There are also weekly attractions like a "Kids Carnival", awesome bagpipes, and a lively Dixieland band.
The Middle Excitement Area
From Plyler Park to where the old Myrtle Beach Pavilion used to be, this section feels like a big carnival! It's packed with fun restaurants, cool shops, and places to hang out. There's always something exciting happening here.
The Southern Chill-Out Promenade
City officials describe this part, from the old Pavilion site to the 2nd Avenue Pier, as a "meandering oceanfront park." It's a more relaxed area with comfy benches and pretty plants. The 2nd Avenue Pier is also where you can often see amazing fireworks shows!
Building the boardwalk took a lot of materials! Workers used almost 770,000 board-feet of lumber, 555,000 screws, and 300,000 nails. The city also added 600 palmetto trees and 50,000 beach grass seedlings to make it look beautiful.
A Look Back: The Boardwalk's Story
Myrtle Beach actually had a wooden boardwalk way back in the 1930s. It was updated with concrete in 1940. But then, a really strong storm called Hurricane Hazel destroyed it in 1954. All that was left was a small concrete path.
The Idea for a New Boardwalk
Years later, in 1999, people started talking about building a new boardwalk. When the famous Myrtle Beach Pavilion amusement park closed in 2006, local businesses really wanted a new attraction to bring people to the area. A mile-long boardwalk seemed like a great idea, but it was going to be very expensive. People also worried that another big storm could damage it. Still, many felt that tourists expected a boardwalk in Myrtle Beach.
Making it Happen
The city started planning the new boardwalk. They hired a company to create sketches that included benches and planters. The estimated cost was high, and the city looked at different ways to pay for it. Some thought businesses nearby should pay more because they would benefit most. Others believed everyone in the city should help pay since the boardwalk would be good for everyone.
A design with a traditional wooden walkway and a winding concrete path was shown to the city council in 2007. A company called Burroughs & Chapin, which owned the land where the Pavilion used to be, agreed to pay for the section of the boardwalk that crossed their property.
Construction officially began in September 2009. The cost of the project was cut in half, partly because of a big economic slowdown at the time. This made companies more eager to get work. A special sales tax for tourism also helped pay for the project without raising property taxes for local residents.
The boardwalk was mostly finished by April 2010. It officially opened in May 2010 with a big ribbon-cutting event during the Beach Music Festival. It brought many people back to downtown Myrtle Beach who hadn't visited in years! The very last section was completed in June.
Future Plans and Extensions
In 2011, there were plans to extend the boardwalk even further north. A new Mexican restaurant helped pay for a 425-foot (130-meter) extension, which was finished in 2013.
In 2012, the mayor of Myrtle Beach shared a big goal: to spend $20 million to make the boardwalk much longer, about 4.6 miles (7.4 kilometers) in total! This would make it even longer than the famous boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The city hoped companies and organizations would help pay for this big extension. If approved, the boardwalk would start two miles further south and end one mile farther north. There was also talk about making the boardwalk wider.
In 2014, discussions continued about how to fund future improvements. A new hotel planned for 2015 also included a $500,000 extension of the boardwalk to 18th Avenue North.
The Boardwalk Gets Famous!
Even while the boardwalk was being built, people across the country were interested! CBS' The Early Show broadcast live from the boardwalk in May 2010, right when it officially opened. A team even made a cool sand sculpture of their meteorologist, Dave Price!
Also, Buddy Valastro from Cake Boss on TLC helped create a giant 10-foot, 1200-pound cake shaped like a flip-flop for the opening ceremony. It was made in New Jersey and brought all the way to Myrtle Beach! The episode about it aired in October 2010.
Travel and Leisure magazine named Myrtle Beach Boardwalk the number two boardwalk, especially because of all the fun entertainers there. The Today Show even featured this report. In July 2010, National Geographic ranked the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk as a top spot, calling it "the town's hub of activity." All this national attention was like getting over $1 million worth of free advertising for Myrtle Beach!
Fun Festivals on the Boardwalk
The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk is a great place for festivals!
- Boardwalk Fright Nights - A spooky Halloween-themed festival.
- Carolina Country Music Festival - A huge country music festival with famous artists.
- Sun Fun Festival - A festival to kick off the summer season, full of music, entertainment, and delicious food.
