Places to Eat

Sea Captain's House Restaurant- oceanfront fine dining. Delicious food, beautiful atmosphere. 3002 N. Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach. (843) 448-8082. Reservations are not accepted so arrive early enough to avoid a long wait. www.seacaptains.com.
Nascar Cafe- American classics in a raceway atmosphere. Generous portions, reasonably priced. Hwy 17 at 21st Ave. N., Myrtle Beach. (843) 946-7223. www.nascarcafe.com.
Horst Gasthaus- German Restaurant. Live entertainment. Closed Sundays. Kids under 4 eat free. Reservations accepted. Hwy 17 at 37th Ave. S., Windy Hill, North Myrtle Beach. (843) 272-3351.
House of Blues- spicy cajun cookin'. Occassional concerts. Lunch and dinner. Reservations accepted for parties of eight or more. Located at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. (843) 272-3000. www.hob.com.
Carrabbas Italian Grill- delicious Italian food. Huge portions. Gently priced. Two locations, one in North Myrtle and the other in Myrtle.
Liberty Steakhouse- good steaks, great Happy Hour specials. We love the beer sampler brought out on a wooden paddle.
Angelo's- very tasty marinated steaks arrive at the table on sizzling skillets. There is a pizza and pasta buffet but the steaks blow that all away. Reservations are not accepted so arrive early as it gets crowded. 2011 South Kings Hwy, Myrtle Beach. (843) 626-2800.
Atlantic Grille and Seafood Bar- unbelievably tasty seafood (7 varieties of baked clams alone). We were very pleased with the service as well. 6507 North Kings Hwy, North Myrtle Beach. (843) 449-9596.

Places to Play

Alligator Adventure- turtles, snakes, and of course, alligators. Live feedings daily. 2nd Day free. Not an all day affair. Located at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. (843) 361-0789. www.alligatoradventure.com
Barefoot Landing- over 100 unique boutiques, including factory shops, 15 waterfront restaurants, and House of Blues, Alabama Theater, Alligator Adventure, and Barefoot Princess Riverboat. Located on Hwy 17 in North Myrtle Beach. (800) 272-2320. www.bflanding.com.
Family Kingdom- large, clean amusement park featuring over 20 rides for our 3 year old. Bigger rides too for the older ones. Great view of the beach and surrounding area from atop the ferris wheel- not for the faint at heart. Can buy passes that allow admission to Family Kingdom and the Water Park across the street. Free admission for non-riders. 3rd Ave South and Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach. (843) 626-3447. www.family-kingdom.com. Look for coupons in various coupon books.
Broadway at the Beach- over 100 shops, 20 restaurants, and 14 attractions including Ripley's Aquarium. Also has movie theaters and 10 nighclubs. Located on Hwy 17 at 21st Ave North in Myrtle Beach. (800-FUN-IN-MB. broadwayatthebeach.com.
Myrtle Waves- the ultimate water park. Kids under 3 are free. Wave pool, lazy river, super slides, etc. Hwy 17 Bypass and 10th Ave North. www.myrtlewaves.com.
Ripley's Aquarium- the shark exhibit here is worth the trip. But there's not enough to see to make it more than a couple of hour walk through. Located at Broadway at the Beach. (800) 734-8888. www.ripleysaquarium.com.
Brookgreen Gardens- beautiful botanical garden and a vast array of sculptures. Don't miss the walking tour to see some area wildlife. We enjoyed a tasty lunch in the cafe. Hwy 17, south of Murrell's Inlet. (800) 849-1931. www.brookgreen.org
Waccatee Zoo- we have to go here every time we visit Myrtle Beach. This family owned zoo provides several hours of peaceful walking, feeding and gaping at the animals. Bring your lunch as there is a small picnic area available. 8500 Enterprise Rd., Socastee. (843) 650-8500.

Places to See

Carolina Opry- we went for the first time in May of 2002 and loved it! Nightly variety show with something for everyone- dancing, singing, comedy. Advance tickets highly suggested as sells out quick. (843) 913-4000. TheCarolinaOpry.com.
Dixie Stampede- a favorite with our youngster. Don't miss the pre-show and get a seat on the end of a table downstairs for a close to action experience. Once inside the actual show, there is no silverware- be prepared to get your hands sticky on chicken and ribs which are actually quite tasty. The show is fun and involves audience participation. Call ahead for tickets.
IMAX Discovery Theater- we last saw Beauty and the Beast here in a full 90 minute film. It was absolutely awesome. Very comfortable stadium seating allows no obstructions for little kids. Buy your tickets ahead of time to ensure a seat and shop around at Broadway at the Beach while you're waiting. 843-448-IMAX. www.myrtlebeachimax.com.
Legends in Concert- it's hard to believe they are not the real thing! Very entertaining. A must see if you have never see one of these shows before. (800) 960-7469. Located in Surfside Beach (not far).
Barefoot Princess- we enjoyed a lovely lunch aboard this paddleboat cruise, with live entertainment while cruising along the Intracoastal Waterway. It can get quite sunny with very few shade spots outside so bring the sunscreen and sunglasses. 1-800-685-6601.
Pelican's Baseball Game- for a great night out this is alot of fun for little money.

Beaches- over 60 miles of beach called the "Grand Strand"
Pools- indoor, outdoor, lazy rivers
Golf- over 115 golf courses
Amusement Parks
Water Parks
Brookgreen Gardens
Restaurants- 1,700 full-service restaurants
Shopping- boutiques, malls, outlets and mega complexes
Miniature Golf Courses- over 50 courses
Night Clubs
Comedy Clubs
Live Theaters- live performances, concerts and ice shows
Dinner Theaters- Dixie Stampede, Medieval Times
Zoo
Aquarium
Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum
Butterfly Pavilion
Children's Museum
Alligator Adventure
Movie Theaters, IMAX Theaters and 3D Moving Theaters
Go Cart and Grand Prix Racing
Racetrack
Arcades
Haunted Houses
Fishing- gulf stream, coastal, pier
Scuba Diving
Water Sports- parasailing, banana boats, boat rentals, jet skis
Cruises- sightseeing, lunch or dinner, casino, dancing
Parks- beaches, bicycling, nature trails, bird watching

Posted on Tue, Jul. 08, 2003

TRAVEL LIST
Poll puts MB 2nd amid top beaches
Finding latest in spate of attention
By Dawn Bryant
The Sun News

The Grand Strand has landed on another list of America's Best Beaches, the latest in a wave of national attention for the destination in the past few months.

Myrtle Beach beat out hot spots such as Panama City, Fla., and Waikiki, Hawaii, to take the No. 2 spot in the list by Yahoo! Travel and National Geographic Traveler. Miami topped the rankings, based on an online survey of 2,208 computer users.

Myrtle Beach was the only beach not in Florida, Hawaii or the U.S. Virgin Islands to make the top 10 rankings. Others included in the list are the Florida beaches at Tampa Bay, Key West and Naples and the U.S. Virgin Island destinations of St. Thomas and St. John.

RENTALS ARE FROM SUNDAY TO SUNDAY