Kick Back and Stay Awhile in Myrtle Beach — How to Do Extended Travel Like a Local

Stretched along 60 miles of coastline, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is known as “The Grand Strand” for its long stretches of sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. There are a plethora of activities that one can take part in during an extended stay in Myrtle Beach.

Whether you like exploring culinary offerings when traveling (like seafood restaurants along the waterfront), seeing wildlife in its natural habitat, or winding down with a yoga session at the end of the day, there is something for everyone in this Southern destination.

Brookgreen Gardens

The U.S.’s largest collection of American figurative sculpture is housed at Myrtle Beach’s former-plantation-turned-Brookgreen Gardens. While viewing some of the 2,000 works by 425 artists (such as Grainger McKoy and Stanley Bleifeld), you can venture into the live oak alley, or walk along the Lowcountry Trail, which showcases the site’s rice-producing history.

The on-site Lowcountry Zoo has a “Zookeeper for the Day” program, where guests age 12 and older gain a firsthand look at working in a zoo and spend the day helping zookeepers with their daily routine of feeding, cleaning and caring for animals like deer, otters and foxes.

Admission to Brookgreen is good for seven consecutive days, making it the perfect spot to explore during an extended stay in Myrtle Beach.

Marshwalk

Not far from Brookgreen Gardens, the MarshWalk in Murrells Inlet is another place to stroll around and take in fresh air, and it’s completely free. The MarshWalk is a waterfront area connecting a lot of the restaurants, bars and live-music venues in the area and is a great option for exploring and grabbing a drink.

Try locals’ favorite Hot Fish Club for fresh seafood, as well as other seafood hot spots like Catfish Johnny’s and Wahoo’s. There are special events that take place along the waterfront, like fireworks on the Fourth of July, Halloween trick-or-treating, and a Santa Crawl during the Christmas season.

NASCAR Experience

When looking for what to do in a week in Myrtle Beach, an adrenaline rush should be on your list. You can drive or ride along in a real race car at the NASCAR Experience at the Myrtle Beach Speedway.

There are six different types of rides you can sign up for at the track. For example, The Rookie is a drive you take in a real NASCAR race car by yourself for an eight-minute timed racing session on the speedway.

The NASCAR Ride Along allows you to speed along riding shotgun in a real NASCAR race car for three laps with a professional racing instructor driving.

Classes

You can get some exercise and stretching in before a day of activities at the destination’s longest-running yoga studio. At Shanti Yoga, you can sign up for multiple yoga classes, such as hot vinyasa or the slow-paced, restorative Yin yoga, as well as beach yoga throughout the summer.

The renovated International Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach offers a number of boot-camp-style class options for those who want to learn new skills or freshen up what they already know. You can choose from several options that range from one day to three days, a week or longer. There are classes like Adult Culinary Boot Camp, Baking & Pastry Boot Camp, Ceviche Seminar, and Grilling at the Barbeque Pit.

Shopping

For an extended stay in Myrtle Beach, you can go grocery shopping at a variety of outlets, including Costco, Sam’s Club, Food Lion, Kroger, Piggy Wiggly and Walmart.