The 5 Hands-Down Best Night Clubs In Downtown Myrtle Beach, According To Reviews

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Myrtle Beach doesn't have the best nightlife scene. The popular South Carolina beach vacation destination promotes its family-friendly and water-based experiences far more than its bars and clubs. While you can enjoy live music along the oceanfront, tuck into fresh seafood, and work your swing on championship golf courses, finding places for a proper night out on the town isn't always so straightforward. There's a reason why places like Broadway Grand Prix, Myrtle Beach's premier family-friendly destination, get more hype than any of its nightclubs.

But that doesn't mean this coastal Southern city can't show you a good time after sunset. All you need is to know where to find the right vibe. When it comes to the best night clubbing in Myrtle Beach, focusing on the downtown area near the beachfront is the right approach. This is where you'll have the best choice of venues offering a respectable variety of scenes. Some of these may not be as clubby as you'd find in bigger cities, but they still provide great music, drinks, and a place to dance — albeit with that Myrtle Beach style.

Looking at official Myrtle Beach nightlife guides, plus reviews on Google, Tripadvisor, and Yelp, we've found the five best nightclubs on offer downtown. You can also find nightlife at Broadway at the Beach, a lake lined with vibrant, connected villages and Coney Island vibes, but for this article, we've focused purely on the downtown area around the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade. Because a night out is more enjoyable when all your spots are within walking distance. Here they are for you to check out before your next Myrtle Beach vacation.

The Bowery tops the list of Myrtle Beach clubs and bars on Tripadvisor, while on Google, it has a 4.5-star rating from over 4,000 reviews. Needless to say, this is one of the more consistently great places for a night out. The Bowery has been providing good times for Myrtle Beach locals and visitors for over 80 years. Open from 11 a.m. until 2 a.m. most days, it's a legendary venue on the Boardwalk and Promenade strip with a penchant for fun and entertaining live music.

Back in the day, The Bowery was the home of Country Music Hall of Fame inductees, Alabama. These days, it's still setting the stage for lively performances, mostly by country music bands like The Bounty Hunters. While this might not be your typical nightclub music or setting, it's ideal for anyone who prefers dancing to live musicians instead of DJs.

"We absolutely love it here, what a great atmosphere, and we love the Bounty Hunter Band," one patron wrote on Google. You can also get food here, which is handy if you want to party until 2 a.m. Various burgers and sandwiches, plus seafood baskets, go well with a decent cocktail menu and numerous beers. Unfortunately, most of the beer is bottled or in cans. Keep in mind you're probably paying more for drinks here than in some other places. They also allow smoking inside, which could be a dealbreaker for some and a bonus for others.

About three minutes' walk down the beach is a very different venue offering a more traditional scene for nights out in a coastal city. 8th Ave Tiki Bar & Grill is all about those lively beach bar vibes with margaritas, happy hour specials, live music, and karaoke. It's a popular nightlife spot, with over 3,600 Google reviews that have given it a respectable 4.2-star rating.

The drinks here are what you'd expect from a club with tiki in its name. You can order fruity rum- and tequila-based cocktails and knock back shots with names like Jolly Pirate and Bikini Bottoms Up. They also serve various types of margaritas and mojitos, as well as tiki cocktails in souvenir cups offering cheaper refills. Anyone with a sweet tooth should try one of the Tiki Freezies, often made with fruit puree or ice cream.

Open until 1 or 1:30 a.m. most nights, 8th Ave Tiki Bar & Grill could be a good spot to start, but not necessarily finish your night out in Myrtle Beach. People don't often mention dancing or DJs here either, so you might want to head somewhere else for a boogie after you've tucked into some cocktails and belted out a few bangers during Saturday night karaoke. They also regularly host special events each month, such as Mardi Gras, National Margarita Day, and St. Patrick's Day, which might provide more of a clubbing atmosphere.

All the way just past the southern end of the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk is GiGi's Bar & Hip Hop Lounge. This nightclub is a haven for Myrtle Beach's lovers of hip hop music and culture. It provides a more refined lounge setting for a night out compared to the bars and clubs further up the beach. A place where you can mingle, dance, and listen to live DJs and hip hop artists.

GiGi's is also a hookah lounge, so it's common to see hookah pipes set up on tables or at the bar for people to pull on between sips. Doors open at 6 p.m. most nights and don't lock until 2 a.m., giving you a decent chunk of time to drink, chat, and groove. Depending on the night and who's playing, you may have to pay a cover charge. They also enforce a strict dress code that you won't find at most other Myrtle Beach venues. Don't try getting in here wearing flip flops, ripped clothes, baggy pants, or athletic wear. The bouncers are known to turn people away for a variety of reasons, which has soured some people's experience with GiGi's.

Head to GiGi's Bar & Hip Hop Lounge on Friday or Saturday night for a guaranteed DJ playing hip hop from around 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. They also sometimes host late-night sessions and can provide a VIP experience with premium seating and service for patrons willing to pay extra. "Cool bar with great music. The vibe is chill, friendly, and impeccable service," one person wrote on Google.

St George is one of Myrtle Beach's main LGBTQ+ nightclubs and provides an inclusive experience for anyone wanting to party. It's located on 8th Avenue North, about 10 minutes' walk from the clubs, bars, and restaurants along the beachfront. You'll find a king's ransom of entertainment here, from live bands and sassy drag queens to late-night raves featuring DJs, lasers, and light shows. Honestly, they can find any excuse for a rave, whether it's Friday the 13th or Valentine's Day.

The club is also known for its happy hour specials, cool bartenders, and DJ karaoke nights. "Me and my bestie came here during our trip... literally almost came back to this club every single night," one utterly obsessed patron wrote on Google. People who come here often praise the bartenders and the friendly and welcoming atmosphere. They're big reasons why St George has a 4.2-star Google rating.

One thing to keep in mind is that they allow smoking inside at the bar, which might not be everyone's cup of tea. The food here also doesn't have the best reputation, but it's not really the reason people frequent this bar. If you're looking for somewhere to eat before you party, try The Library or Hook & Barrel, two of the five Michelin-worthy Myrtle Beach restaurants.

It's hard to nail down The Chemist as any one thing when it promotes its creative local dish interpretations and science-inspired cocktails as much as its parties. This is the kind of place you go to party during the day or late at night. Their weekend R&B brunches are great for a daytime session, with classic brunch eats, DJs, and flowing drinks. But if you're more of a night owl, you can also drink and dance here until 2 a.m.

As much as people rave about the DJs and music here, they also speak highly of the food. "The DJ was on point with all the music. The vibe was so good, we went back the next day. The chef is A1 when it comes to the food... This will be our go-to spot when we come to visit from now on," one person wrote on Google. Others haven't been so impressed with the food, claiming it was lacking compared to the music and atmosphere.

While The Chemist is open late and even hosts special late-night events, such as Halloween costume parties, the vibe here might be better during the daytime. The brunches are far more celebrated and shared online than anything going on after sunset. If you notice the atmosphere dipping at night, you're only a two-minute walk from The Bowery or five minutes from 8th Ave Tiki Bar & Grill.

To put this list together, we thoroughly researched the recommended nightclubs and nightlife venues on official tourism sites, such as MyrtleBeach.com and Visit Myrtle Beach. We cross-referenced these recommendations with the clubs listed on review sites, such as Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Google Maps. We referred to both overall ratings and individual reviews to determine the best spots for a fun night out. For this list, we also focused only on nightclubs in the downtown area and prioritized venues that stay open until at least 1 a.m. most nights. We also only chose nightclubs that had a 4-star rating or higher on either Google or Tripadvisor (didn't need to be both) from at least 100 reviews.