This Popular East Coast City Is A Beachy South Carolina Escape That Wasn't Always In 'Best Of' Lists

The East Coast is peppered with beach destinations suitable for every traveler, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is an approachable one-stop shop to please droves. It's popular with all kinds of visitors — from families seeking a budget trip to nightlife enthusiasts, golf enthusiasts, and beach-lovers. Although this vacation mecca seemingly has it all, the city has undergone immense reinvention to reach its current tourist powerhouse status, and shake off its shady side.

Myrtle Beach has never been glamorous, but with 60-miles of wide sand beach known as the Grand Strand, it's certainly well loved. Its first tourists arrived at the start of the 20th century, when highways and rail lines made travel to the coast easier. The first accommodation — the Seaside Inn — was built in 1901, back when a plot of land cost only $25. Today, Myrtle Beach is home to over 42,000 people, and tourism bolsters these numbers with nearly 17 million annual visitors.

Before there was the towering SkyWheel, Ripley's Aquarium, and world-class golf, there was just a coast that had sometimes been shrouded by darkness. The city is no stranger to organized gang violence, high-profile criminal cases, and excessive criminal activity that branded Myrtle Beach with the dark title of 'murder beach.' However, for over a decade the city has undergone immense reinvention to keep the unfortunate nickname a moniker of the past — violent crime rates have dropped by nearly 50%, and officials report the town is safe.

From the turn of the century through the 1950s, tourism slowly increased in Myrtle Beach. Disaster struck in 1954, however, when the Category 4 Hurricane Hazel tore through the region, leaving Myrtle Beach in ruins. From the wreckage, modern development blossomed, but violent crime also became more common in the beach town.

Multiple high-profile cases were reported in the early 2010s, including murders, drownings, and a bank robbery. One case that reached the entire nation was the 2009 murder of Brittanee Drexel, who was last seen alive on surveillance cameras leaving the Blue Water Resort on Ocean Boulevard. Her case went so far as the be covered on a 2020 episode of "Real Life Nightmares" and made headline news on CNN. Gang violence was also reportedly responsible for 75% of crime in Horry County where Myrtle Beach is located. All of this and more led to Myrtle Beach being nicknamed 'Murder Beach,' with the catalyst in 2015 when the city reported a grand total of 5,009 crimes committed, including 8 murders and over 3,500 counts of larceny.

According to ABC 15 News, part one crimes (including homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and arson) are down by 48% in Myrtle Beach since 2016. A prime reason for this dramatic decline in crime is the revitalization of downtown. In 2023, the city even hit a remarkable milestone of zero violent crimes downtown, with two reported each year for 2024 and 2025. Crime isn't the only danger to Myrtle Beach tourism, and in 2025 and 2026 the city invested $72 million to add over 2 million cubic yards of sand to the beach after erosion.

Myrtle Beach has golf, beaches, world-class dining, hiking, and attractions varying from a wax museum to the famous oceanfront SkyWheel. It's also easy to reach — I-95 runs parallel to it — and the city is serviced by Myrtle Beach International Airport, (MYR), which was awarded Best Small Airport by USA Today's Readers' Choice Awards in 2024. Myrtle Beach even snagged a spot on the list of America's top summer destinations in 2025, and the No. 1 summer destination for U.S. travelers in 2026.

From sandy shores to sand traps on a golf course, Myrtle Beach is no stranger to fame. An official stop on the PGA Tour and host of the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic golf tournament each May, the beach destination is widely recognized as the 'golf capital of the world.' It once had more golf courses per square mile than anywhere else on earth. The golf boom coincided with the tourism boom in the latter part of the 20th century, and remnants of this fabled past live on. The 1.2-mile historic boardwalk and promenade was rebuilt starting in 2009 as a hub of shopping, dining, and attractions along one stretch, with sprawling ocean vistas on peaceful beaches along the other. The energy of the now-closed Pavilion lives on at Pavilion Park, with its classic carnival rides and games. Live entertainment in Myrtle Beach dates back to the opening of the Carolina Opry in 1986, and today, visitors can find shows featuring magic, luaus, acrobatics, live music, and everything in between across the city.

The original appeal of Myrtle Beach — unpretentious laidback fun — hasn't gone anywhere: The city remains a humble, affordable East Coast vacation destination. So lay out on a beach blanket from Eagles Beachwear or head over to Myrtle Beach State Park for serenity and hiking away from the hustle of it all. A vacation here is, and always has been, what you make it.