Myrtle Beach is a major tourist destination along the South Atlantic seaboard of the United States, widely known for its wide beaches, large selection of challenging golf links, excellent seafood restaurants and outlet-style shopping activities. It is set at the center of a 60-mile long chain of tranquil, sandy beaches known as the “Grand Strand,” and is only a couple hours’ drive from such historical day-trip destinations as Charleston, S.C. and Wilmington, N.C. Here are a few fun facts you may not know about this popular spot:
- Myrtle Beach received its name after the Sweet Myrtle Tree native to the area.
- The first inhabitants of the Myrtle Beach area were the Waccamaw Native Americas. They called the region Chicora which means “the land” in English.
- The name “Grand Strand” was coined by Claude Dunnagan in his newspaper column on December 3, 1949. The term has come to include an entire string of communities from the fishing village of Little River to historic Georgetown.
- Myrtle Beach is known as the “Seaside Golf Capital of the World,” “Branson by the Sea” and “The Campground Capital of the World,” and also claims to be the “Miniature Golf Capital of the World.”
- Huntington Beach State Park, just south of Murrells Inlet on Highway 17, is considered to be one of the best birding spots on the East Coast. Over 276 species of birds have been seen and recorded in the 2,500 acre park.
- The Ocean Drive section of North Myrtle Beach is the home of the Shag, the South Carolina state dance.
- The City of Myrtle Beach is in the center of the Grand Strand, a 60-mile crescent of beach on the South Carolina coast.
- Waccatee Zoological Farm in Myrtle Beach began as a family’s private collection of exotic and domestic animals. The farm has more than 100 animal species living on 500 acres.
- In 1936, the 312-acre oceanfront Myrtle Beach State Park became the first state park open to the public.
To learn more about Myrtle Beach, visit our website at www.takethreenights.com. For help planning a trip to the Grand Strand to observe all these fascinating facts for yourself, drop us a line at info@takethreenights.com.
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