Hotel at a Glance: Springmaid Beach Resort
The Springmaid Pier is one of South Carolina’s longest. Stretching more than 1,000 feet into the Atlantic, it has a tackle shop that rents out fishing gear and a nearby café that grills up handcrafted burgers. You’ll have full access to the pier and a secluded stretch of beach at Springmaid Beach Resort. There’s plenty to do at this recently renovated, family-friendly property: play a round of mini golf, kick back by one of the pools, or dig a beach chair into the sand and laze the day away.
- Admire the ocean from the balcony of your guest room.
- Enjoy a Lowcountry breakfast at the onsite Martin’s Buffet, which serves hotcakes, biscuits and gravy, and award-winning omelets.
- Dinner with a view: BARnacle’s Bar & Grill offers daily food specials and tables that look out on the ocean and the pier.
- Take a dip in one of six swimming pools (both indoor and outdoor) or float down one of two lazy rivers.
- Notable neighbor: Myrtle Beach State Park is just a 10-minute walk away.
- Recent accolades: The resort won TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence in 2013 and 2014.
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Sandy Beaches, Seaside Golf Courses, and Classic Amusement-Park Rides
Myrtle Beach is the crown jewel of South Carolina’s Grand Strand, a 60-mile stretch of white, sandy beaches along the Atlantic seaboard that draws surfers, fishers, and kayakers. The city was named one of the best vacation spots in the United States for a family by USA Today, in part because of its wooden boardwalk, which stretches for more than a mile and buzzes with carnival games and amusement-park rides. Hop into the SkyWheel Ferris wheel’s glass-floored gondolas, surrounded by more than a million LED lights, for a panoramic view of the city below.
Less than 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach, the tiny fishing village of Murrells Inlet provides a tranquil contrast to the boardwalk’s hustle and bustle. At Brookgreen Gardens, more than 1,400 original sculptures stand amid sprawling floral gardens and massive, moss-covered oak trees that have been around for centuries. Murrells Inlet is also home to the Tom Fazio–designed TPC Myrtle Beach golf course, 1 of more than 100 courses in the area that helped Myrtle Beach earn its title as the seaside golf capital of the world.
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