15 Best Things To Do In Surfside Beach, South Carolina

The Grand Strand of South Carolina has long been a place where history meets the sea. Long before surfboards and neon lights, Native tribes fished these waters, and colonial settlers carved rice plantations from the surrounding marshlands. By the early 20th century, the coast was changing once more—wooden piers began stretching over the Atlantic, small seafood shacks appeared along sandy roads, and families from inland towns traveled here in search of salt air and leisure.

In the decades after World War II, Surfside Beach emerged as the “Family Beach,” a quieter retreat compared to its bustling neighbor, Myrtle Beach. Wooden boardwalks echoed with the sound of fishermen at dawn, while flea markets, bowling alleys, and diners sprang up to serve the growing wave of visitors. By the 1970s and 80s, golf centers and entertainment halls joined the scene, followed in the 1990s by sprawling shopping complexes and aquariums that marked the Grand Strand’s evolution into a year-round destination.

In this guide, we’ll walk through 15 things to do in Surfside Beach.

1. Surfside Beach Fishing Pier

The Surfside Beach Fishing Pier has been a fixture of South Carolina’s coastline since the mid-20th century, a place where ocean breezes and local history meet. Originally built in the 1950s, the pier has weathered hurricanes, storms, and countless summers, yet it continues to stand as a proud symbol of Surfside’s resilience. Every reconstruction has brought it back stronger, carrying the stories of the community that refused to let it fade.

Walking along the pier, you can almost hear echoes of past decades—children clutching their first fishing poles, grandparents passing down angling tips, and couples stopping to watch the sun dip into the Atlantic. Beyond being a fishing spot, it became a stage for family memories and seaside traditions. Locals know it as a landmark of continuity, where each board underfoot represents years of salt, sun, and shared moments.

2. Hudson’s Surfside Flea Market

Opening in 1975, Hudson’s Surfside Flea Market quickly became a fixture of coastal South Carolina life. What started as a modest cluster of stalls grew into one of the region’s largest open-air markets, drawing generations of families to browse its aisles. Locals recall the early days when farmers, artisans, and collectors gathered under simple roofs to trade goods, creating a marketplace that was as much about conversation as commerce.

The market developed a rhythm of its own. Longtime vendors became part of the scenery, their tables piled with antiques, records, and hand-crafted trinkets that carried pieces of local history. Shoppers wandered slowly, stopping for homemade snacks or pausing at stands filled with nautical relics and Southern curiosities. Each corner offered something different—rare finds for collectors, practical goods for households, and the kind of unexpected treasures that kept visitors returning year after year.

Over nearly five decades, Hudson’s has grown into more than just a shopping destination. It reflects the entrepreneurial spirit of Surfside Beach, where small businesses and family traditions endure.

3. Surfside Bowling Entertainment Center

For decades, the Surfside Bowling Entertainment Center has offered a glimpse into the social life of a seaside town. Built during the era when bowling alleys flourished across America, it became a hub where neighbors gathered after work, leagues filled the scoreboards, and children celebrated birthdays under the glow of neon lights.

The lanes carried more than just the sound of falling pins. They echoed with the energy of friendly rivalries, laughter from arcade corners, and the hum of jukeboxes that spun classics through the 1970s and 80s. Families made it part of their weekend routines, and leagues provided camaraderie that stretched across generations. Even on rainy beach days, the center welcomed visitors looking for a sense of community indoors.

The entertainment center grew over the years, adapting while keeping its core charm intact. Arcade games and casual dining added variety, but the tradition of league nights and family outings has remained constant.

4. Dagwood’s Deli & Sports Bar

Opened in the late 1980s, Dagwood’s Deli & Sports Bar quickly became a Surfside Beach favorite, blending hearty sandwiches with the lively spirit of a coastal pub. Locals first came for the stacked deli classics, but the bar soon turned into a gathering spot where friends caught games, travelers swapped stories, and families enjoyed casual meals after long days on the shore.

The atmosphere carried a sense of continuity. For decades, regulars have claimed their tables during football season, while summertime crowds filled the space with beachside energy. Walls lined with sports memorabilia tell their own story, each photo and jersey reminding visitors of seasons past. Beyond being a place to eat, Dagwood’s became part of the rhythm of town life—where milestones were celebrated, rivalries debated, and cold drinks poured late into the evening.

5. Brookgreen Gardens

Established in 1931 on the site of former rice plantations, Brookgreen Gardens is one of South Carolina’s most treasured cultural landscapes. Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington envisioned it as a sanctuary where art, history, and nature could coexist, and over the decades their vision has matured into a landmark that draws visitors from across the country.

The gardens carry layers of history. The land itself once echoed with the toil of enslaved laborers who built South Carolina’s rice empire in the 18th and 19th centuries. When the Huntingtons transformed the property, they preserved traces of that past while creating something entirely new. Today, centuries-old live oaks still stand, draped in Spanish moss, forming a living canopy over pathways lined with sculptures from some of America’s most celebrated artists.

Beyond its artistic legacy, Brookgreen has become a living museum of the Lowcountry. Its botanical collections showcase native flora, while its Lowcountry Trail and zoo tell the stories of the region’s people, wildlife, and environment.

6. Broadway at the Beach

Launched during the Grand Strand’s 1990s reinvention, Broadway at the Beach helped shift Myrtle Beach from a simple seaside escape to a full-scale entertainment district. Built around a man-made lake with footbridges and promenades, it brought together shopping, dining, theaters, and attractions in one walkable loop—an idea that echoed the era’s “festival marketplace” movement. Families made traditions here: summer nights with street performers, seasonal fireworks over the water, and long strolls between candy shops and souvenir stands.

Over time, Broadway became a snapshot of beach town culture meeting modern leisure. National brands share space with local eateries; classic amusements sit steps from galleries and small boutiques. For travelers, it offers a single stop to sample the wider Myrtle Beach story—coastal foodways, casual nightlife, and big-tent entertainment—without leaving the boardwalks that frame the lake. The setting rewards unhurried wandering: bridges for photos, patios for people-watching, and a steady rhythm of events that mark school breaks and holiday weekends.

7. Benjamin’s Bakery & Cafe

Benjamin’s Bakery & Cafe reflects the everyday rituals that give Surfside Beach its character. Long before the lunch rush, bakers shape dough, ovens warm the room, and the day starts with the smell of fresh bread. Over the decades, the shop has become a waypoint for early anglers, beach workers, and families beginning a slow morning—coffee in hand, bagels and pastries boxed for the sand.

What endures is the sense of continuity. Regulars know the counter by heart; newcomers find a neighborhood pace that contrasts with the bustle up the coast. Sandwiches and simple café fare keep the midday steady, but the story is the morning cadence: trays slipping from ovens, chalkboard menus smudged by the hour, conversations about tides, schools, and weekend plans. In a region known for grand attractions, Benjamin’s reminds visitors that local life is built on small, dependable places.

It has fed birthday picnics, beach coolers, and long drives home, linking countless vacations and school years into a quiet thread. The café’s legacy isn’t a single event; it’s the daily craft of good bread and the comfort of a spot that feels familiar on a first visit and even more so the next.

8. Fun Warehouse

Opened in the late 1990s, Fun Warehouse quickly carved its place as one of the Grand Strand’s go-to family entertainment centers. Built during an era when arcades, roller rinks, and indoor laser tag arenas were at their height, it carried forward a tradition of coastal amusement that has always been central to the Myrtle Beach area. While the shoreline drew sun-seekers by day, centers like Fun Warehouse provided the nightlife for families, youth groups, and vacationers seeking indoor thrills after dark.

The roller rink became its beating heart, echoing the classic rinks of the 1970s and 80s, where music pulsed and generations of locals learned to balance on skates. Additions like laser tag, go-karts, and arcade games expanded its appeal, but the core experience of shared recreation under one roof has never wavered. For many families, birthday parties, school outings, and rainy beach days are tied to this building, each visit layered with memories of flashing lights and the clatter of skates on polished floors.

9. Myrtle Beach State Park Office

When Myrtle Beach State Park was established in 1936, it became South Carolina’s first state park, created during the Great Depression through the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The park office, still central to its operations, reflects that New Deal era investment in public lands, when young workers built cabins, trails, and picnic shelters designed to bring recreation to ordinary families.

The office stands as more than an administrative hub; it is a gateway to history. Generations of visitors have stopped here first, collecting maps, fishing licenses, and guidance from rangers who carry forward a tradition of stewardship that dates back nearly a century. Behind its counters are stories of hurricanes weathered, dune restoration projects undertaken, and countless educational programs that introduced children to the fragile ecosystems of the South Carolina coast.

Through the office, the park’s mission of conservation comes alive. Families who entered as tourists often left with a deeper understanding of maritime forests, salt marshes, and the role of preservation in a rapidly developing shoreline. I

10. Tupelo Bay Golf Center

The rise of golf along South Carolina’s Grand Strand is one of the great stories of American recreation in the late 20th century, and Tupelo Bay Golf Center is firmly part of that history. Built to serve both seasoned players and newcomers, it reflected the golf boom of the 1980s and 90s, when Myrtle Beach was cementing its reputation as the “Golf Capital of the World.” Unlike the sprawling championship courses that drew PGA tournaments, Tupelo Bay offered accessibility—a place where families could learn the game and retirees could keep their swing sharp without the formality of a country club.

The center’s lighted driving ranges, par-3 courses, and short-game areas carried forward a democratic spirit, opening the sport to a wider audience. Locals recall teaching their children to hit their first balls under the glow of evening lights, while visitors appreciated the chance to fit in a round between days on the beach.

11. Old Time Pottery

When Old Time Pottery opened its doors in Myrtle Beach in the late 20th century, it brought with it a distinctly American retail tradition: the warehouse-style home goods store. Part of a chain that began in Tennessee in 1986, the Surfside location tapped into a period when discount shopping and bulk buys were reshaping suburban consumer culture. It quickly became a stop for both locals and vacation homeowners furnishing condos, beach houses, and rental properties along the Grand Strand.

The store’s cavernous aisles told a story of changing tastes—ceramics, holiday décor, fabrics, and everyday necessities stacked high, inviting shoppers to wander and discover bargains. For many families, trips to Old Time Pottery were linked with milestones: decorating a first beach rental, outfitting a vacation home, or preparing for seasonal gatherings. It became not only a store, but a marker of Myrtle Beach’s growth as a year-round destination, where commerce and community life intertwined.

12. Bubba’s Fish Shack

Bubba’s Fish Shack sits just across from the Surfside pier, a seafood spot that embodies the casual dining culture of the South Carolina coast. It opened in the late 20th century, during the years when Myrtle Beach and its neighboring towns were booming as family vacation hubs. Simple wooden interiors, checkered tablecloths, and beach-town humor gave it a character that was both unpretentious and deeply local.

The shack’s story is tied to the tradition of fish camps and roadside seafood joints that once lined the Carolinas. These establishments served the day’s catch—fried, grilled, or steamed—to beachgoers still salty from the surf. Bubba’s carried that heritage forward, turning it into a gathering spot where generations of families filled booths with platters of shrimp, hushpuppies, and fried flounder. Its walls, often decorated with license plates and beach memorabilia, reflect the laid-back identity of Surfside itself.

13. Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

When it opened in 1997 at Broadway at the Beach, Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach marked a new chapter in the Grand Strand’s evolution from seaside resort to year-round destination. Unlike the small marine exhibits of earlier decades, this was a modern facility designed to immerse visitors in the world beneath the ocean’s surface. Its opening brought international attention and quickly established it as one of the top attractions in the Southeast.

The aquarium tells a layered story. Its “Dangerous Reef” tunnel, carrying guests along a moving walkway under sharks and rays, became a symbol of how tourism was shifting toward interactive, educational experiences. Families recall first encounters with sea turtles and jellyfish, children pressing their hands to glass tanks as divers waved from within. At the same time, the aquarium played a role in conservation, offering programs on marine life and highlighting the fragile ecosystems tied to the Atlantic.

14. Suck Bang Blow

Among the most distinctive establishments along the Grand Strand, Suck Bang Blow has become legendary in motorcycle culture. Born during the late 20th century, it grew out of Myrtle Beach’s strong connection to the American biker movement, especially during the annual Bike Week rallies that have brought thousands of riders to the coast since the 1940s. The bar’s unusual name, drawn from the mechanics of a combustion engine, set the tone for what became a gathering place unlike any other in Surfside Beach.

Its open-air design, loud engines rolling right through the heart of the bar, and the roar of live music made it both infamous and beloved. For decades, riders from across the country have stopped here to mark their pilgrimage to the South Carolina coast, adding their own stories to its gritty, neon-lit history.

15. Cinemark Myrtle Beach

The arrival of Cinemark Myrtle Beach reflected a broader shift in coastal life during the 1990s and 2000s, when large-format multiplex theaters began anchoring entertainment districts nationwide. Built as part of the growing Carolina coast’s year-round leisure economy, it offered residents and visitors more than a rainy-day diversion—it became part of a new cultural rhythm that mixed movies, shopping, and dining into one evening out.

Generations of families and vacationers recall lining up here for blockbuster premieres, school trips, and holiday weekends. The theater’s modern screens and stadium seating marked a departure from the smaller, independent cinemas that once dotted the region, signaling how Myrtle Beach was stepping into the era of national entertainment chains. Yet, for all its scale, Cinemark wove itself into the community’s seasonal traditions, from summer crowds cooling off with matinees to locals gathering for winter releases when the beaches were quiet.

Interactive Map

Where to eat in Surfside Beach

Surfside Beach vs neighbouring cities

How to Get to Surfside, SC

By Air

• Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) – The nearest airport, located about 7 miles north of Surfside Beach (~15–20 minutes by car). Serves major airlines like Delta, American, Southwest, and United, with direct flights from many U.S. cities.
• Charleston International Airport (CHS) – Roughly 95 miles southwest (~2 hours by car). Offers more extensive flight options and international service.
• Wilmington International Airport (ILM) – About 90 miles northeast (~2 hours by car). Smaller airport with regional connections.

By Car

• From Myrtle Beach: Follow U.S. Highway 17 Business South directly into Surfside Beach (~15 minutes).
• From Charleston: Take U.S. Highway 17 North (~2 hours). The route follows the coast, passing through scenic lowcountry towns.
• From Columbia, SC: Take I-20 East to I-95 North, then U.S. 378 East to Conway and U.S. 501 South into Surfside (~3 hours).
• From Wilmington, NC: Drive U.S. 17 South (~2 hours).

By Train

• There’s no direct train station in Surfside Beach. The nearest Amtrak stops are in Florence, SC (~75 miles away) and Kingstree, SC (~90 miles).
• From there, travelers can rent a car or take a regional bus toward the Myrtle Beach area.

By Bus

• Greyhound and Megabus serve nearby Myrtle Beach. From there, you can take a Coast RTA bus or rideshare (~15–20 minutes) to Surfside Beach.
• Coast RTA Transit provides local service connecting Myrtle Beach, Surfside, Conway, and Georgetown.

By Sea

• There’s no commercial port in Surfside Beach, but private boats can dock at nearby Marlin Quay Marina in Garden City, less than 2 miles away. From there, it’s a quick drive or walk to the beach area.

Conclusion

The story of Surfside Beach is written not only in the sand but in the places that have endured across generations. Piers rebuilt after hurricanes, flea markets that turned into community rituals, and gardens that preserve both art and memory all show how the coast has continually adapted without losing its soul. Each landmark—whether a seafood shack, a golf center, or a bustling entertainment district—adds another layer to the history of the Grand Strand.

What binds them together is resilience. Families return year after year, carrying their own stories to the same piers, restaurants, and arcades where earlier generations once stood. The traditions shift with time—jukeboxes give way to digital screens, fish camps evolve into beloved eateries, and new attractions rise alongside the old—but the essence remains. This stretch of coastline has always been a place where communities gather, celebrate, and rebuild.

Visiting these attractions in Surfside Beach is more than a checklist—it’s a way of stepping into the living history of South Carolina’s shore.

FAQ

1. What is there to do in Surfside Beach besides relaxing on the sand?

Surfside Beach offers more than just a sunny shoreline. Visitors can enjoy fishing from the long jetty, beachcombing for seashells, and spotting coastal birds along the dunes. Adventurous travelers often rent kayaks or paddleboards for calm-water exploration. The local restaurants serve up fresh seafood, and nearby trails are great for walking, biking, and photography. Families appreciate the low-key atmosphere — no crowds, just ocean breezes, sunshine, and space to unwind. Whether you’re watching the sunset or enjoying a quiet beach picnic, Surfside is all about simple, authentic coastal charm.

2. Can I drive or park on the beach?

In Surfside Beach, Texas, beach driving is allowed in certain areas east of Highway 332 with a valid beach permit. Vehicles must observe a 15 mph speed limit and stay off the dunes. Parking along designated zones is permitted with a displayed pass. In Surfside Beach, South Carolina, driving on the beach is not allowed, but there are numerous paid parking lots and access points near the sand. Always check local signage for the most current rules, especially during holidays and high-season weekends.

3. How does parking work and what are the fees?

Surfside Beach, South Carolina, offers 36 public beach access points, each with nearby paid parking. Fees typically apply between March and October from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Premium lots charge about $3 per hour or $15 per day, while non-premium spaces cost around $2 per hour or $10 per day. Parking is free in the off-season or outside of enforcement hours. Many visitors use mobile pay kiosks or parking apps, and residential permits are available for long-term stays.

4. What are the local rules for dogs, alcohol, and surfing?

Dogs are welcome at certain times of the year, typically outside the main summer season (from mid-September through mid-May). Alcoholic beverages are prohibited on the beach to keep the area family-friendly and clean. Surfing is permitted in designated zones and outside 300 feet of any pier, with specific time restrictions during summer months. Off-season rules are more flexible. Always review local ordinances before bringing pets or surf gear, as regulations can vary slightly between Surfside Beach in Texas and South Carolina.

5. How safe is Surfside Beach for swimming and outdoor activities

Surfside Beach is generally safe and well-maintained, with lifeguards on duty at popular stretches during peak months. However, swimmers should be aware of changing tides, rip currents, and strong winds, especially in open-water areas. Beach patrols post flag warnings daily to indicate surf conditions. Water quality is monitored regularly during the warmer months to ensure it meets environmental standards. As with any coastal destination, caution, hydration, and sunscreen go a long way toward a worry-free beach experience.

6. Is Surfside Beach a good spot for a quiet beach vacation?

Yes — Surfside Beach is perfect for travelers who want a peaceful, uncrowded coastal getaway. Unlike major resort towns, it retains a relaxed, small-town vibe with cozy vacation rentals, family cottages, and local eateries. Nights are calm, stars are visible, and mornings start with the sound of waves rather than traffic. It’s ideal for couples, families, and anyone looking to disconnect and enjoy a slower pace of life. Whether you’re in Texas or South Carolina, Surfside Beach delivers a laid-back seaside retreat.