Are you planning a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina? This guide to best 6 night Myrtle Beach itinerary will give you advice on how to plan your beach vacation.
Myrtle Beach is a perfect place for a family vacation. With its beautiful beaches and family fun attractions, you will not run out of things to do in Myrtle Beach.
We have visited numerous times as a family and each year we plan our itinerary to Myrtle Beach a little different. I love this itinerary because it is easy to customize.
That is what I love about visiting, each trip has fun traditions mixed with new experiences.
Whether you are looking for a relaxing beach vacation or activities for the whole family, or a mix of both, Myrtle Beach is a great family destination.
Guide to Planning a Myrtle Beach Itinerary
How to Get to Myrtle Beach
The first thing you need to decide is how will you get to Myrtle Beach. We always drive. You can read our road trip here: Driving to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina from Rochester, NY
If you plan on flying the airport is very conveniently located but you will need to rent a car. Having a car allows you to check out all the different areas of Myrtle Beach.
What Area to Stay in When Visiting Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach consists of the intracoastal waterway that spans 60 miles of the Grand Strand.
There are a few different places to stay in the Myrtle Beach area. The main three are: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and South Myrtle Beach.
All are good places to stay and offer easy access to the most popular attractions.
North Myrtle Beach is family friendly and close to many attractions. Popular attractions in North Myrtle Beach are Barefoot Landing, Alligator Adventure, and Pirate Voyage Dinner Show.
Myrtle Beach is the downtown area. There is a boardwalk and shops. This is the busiest area to stay in and you will find a wide range of solo, group, and family travel.
You will also find Broadway at the Beach in this area. One of our favorite attractions is the Ripley’s Aquarium at Myrtle Beach. This is located at Broadway at the Beach.
South Myrtle Beach is a quieter area consisting mostly of beach house rentals. There are a few hotels and condos. It is very family friendly.
We always stay in South Myrtle Beach in Surfside or Garden City. These areas are a short drive to all the best Myrtle Beach activities but quiet too.
It is a great mix of both busy and relaxing. I highly recommend staying there when visiting with a family.
Read my article about our visit: Best Things to Do in Surfside Beach, SC with Kids
Accommodations in Myrtle Beach
There are two main options for accommodations in Myrtle Beach. They are hotel or vacation rental.
Myrtle Beach hotels range in price and amenities. You will find luxury resort type hotels as well as motel budget style hotels.
Be sure to research your hotel choice because you will get what you pay for and it is not always exactly what it looks like in the picture.
The option that we prefer is renting a beach house or condo. This typically costs more than a hotel but is great when traveling with a large group.
As a family of five, standard hotels don’t typically work well for us. Renting a house has always been the best option.
We have traveled with family to share the cost and it is a great multi-generational trip.
What do you Want to do When Visiting Myrtle Beach
I always tell people they should do what they want to do on a family vacation. It is important to talk to everyone you are traveling with and decide what everyone wants to do.
Do you want to spend your days at the beach and go out for dinner each night? Do you want to plan day trips and see new things?
Is a seafood buffet top of your list? Do you prefer spending time at the pool?
All of these activities can be part of a Myrtle Beach itinerary but it is important to decide what is best for your group.
I prefer a mix of the beach, dining, and activities. Some evenings we spend enjoying ice cream at the beach house walking along the Atlantic Ocean.
Other nights we go out and explore Broadway at the Beach or watch a Myrtle Beach Pelicans game.
If this is your first time to Myrtle Beach you may want to pick a few of the top attractions and balance it with beach and pool time.
You will not be able to do everything there is to do in Myrtle Beach so pick your favorites and plan around them.
How Much will it Cost to Spend a Week in Myrtle Beach?
Vacation costs vary depending on so many things. How many people you are traveling with and what activities you will want to do will impact the cost.
If you are renting a house, picking up groceries, and spending your days at the beach, you will spend less than a trip filled with activities.
Determine your budget and plan around it. We typically plan between $3,000-$4,000 for our family of 5.
This includes beach rental, driving costs, dining, and activities.
When to Visit Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach peak season is in the summer months and during spring break. If you are looking for hot weather the summer months will be better than the spring months.
6 Night Myrtle Beach Itinerary
This was our most recent trip to Myrtle Beach. We had such a good time and I loved staying in Surfside Beach.
It takes us around 13-15 hours to drive to Myrtle Beach. We usually stay somewhere on the way down and drive straight home on the way back.
We did a lot of beach days and relaxing at the house. Like I mentioned earlier each trip to Myrtle Beach is a little different. This trip we wanted to spend more time doing nothing!
- Day 1: Arrival, Broadway at the Beach
- Day 2: Beach Day
- Day 3: Beach Day
- Day 4: Beach Day and Tanger Outlets
- Day 4: Mini-Golf and Beach
- Day 5: Duck Donuts and Wax Museum
- Day 6: Depart for Home
We couldn’t check into our rental on our first day in Myrtle Beach until 4:00pm. So we decided to have lunch and explore Broadway at the Beach.
This was a great time! There are a lot of different things to do here like a ropes course, WonderWorks, and many shops.
Broadway at the Beach is a popular spot and has a lot of attractions. We decided to look around and browse the shops.
Then we headed back to Surfside Beach, picked up groceries, and got settled in our beach house.
I started every morning with coffee and a walk on the beach. It was the best way to start the day. Our typical day would start with the beach, lunch, activity, and then dinner and another walk on the beach.
We had rented skim boards and the kids wanted to use them every day. I am so happy that we decided to include them with our rental.
Our beach house was within walking distance to a bunch of restaurants and we alternated them for dinners.
We ate at River City Cafe, Nacho Hippo (not walking distance but one of my favorites), Bubba’s Fish Shack, Surfside Beach Pizza, Gracious Pig Smokehouse.
If you are looking to go out for dinner Neil and Pam’s Bar & Grill has nightly live music.
We also ordered Duck Donuts for breakfast one day. They are delicious!!
There is so much to do on a Myrtle Beach vacation and we have included different attractions on different trips. The above itinerary was our most recent one.
Places you May Want to Include in Your Myrtle Beach Itinerary:
We are in the middle of planning our next trip to Myrtle Beach and here are some of the best places we are considering visiting.
- Murrells Inlet
- Brookgreen Gardens
- Myrtle Beach Boardwalk
- Myrtle Beach State Park
- Myrtle Beach Waves Water Park
- Family Kingdom Amusement Park
- Carolina Opry
- Myrtle Beach Skywheel
- Myrtle Beach Pelicans Game (Check Baseball Season)
- Golf Courses
- Medieval Times Dinner Show
- Myrtle Beach Grand Strand
- Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
- Huntington Beach State Park (Nature Trails)
- Hollywood Wax Museum
There are also a few dining options that are on my list for next visit:
- Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville
- House of Blues
- Johnny D’s Waffles and Benedicts
Myrtle Beach is such a great place to visit. There are amazing dining options and attractions for the whole family. It is an ideal destination for a family vacation.
Read Next: Best Spring Break Destinations for Families
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