’Tis the season for holidays in Myrtle Beach, where locals and visitors alike celebrate as the Grand Strand decks the halls, or piers, with Yuletide cheer. In fact, Myrtle Beach is an excellent destination for families and couples to visit for the holidays, as there is no shortage of inspired theater shows and unique shops for buying gifts.

Myrtle Beach during the holiday season is merry and bright with spectacular Christmas light displays and tree-lighting events around the Grand Strand. Whether you’re walking along the beach or you’re visiting popular shopping centers, you’ll find dazzling holiday displays everywhere. The Boardwalk is open all year long, including in December, and offers mesmerizing views of the Myrtle Beach New Year’s celebrations and fireworks along the Grand Strand. 

Beyond the bright lights and fireworks, Myrtle Beach offers visitors a jolly holiday season packed with festivities. Myrtle Beach in December is worth a trip for its holiday events, seasonal shows, mild winter weather, and prime hotel deals. From annual concerts and tree lighting ceremonies to gift shopping and dining out, you’ll find plenty to do in Myrtle Beach at Christmas time. Even if you’re away from home, you can still enjoy a traditional holiday feast at one of the many Myrtle Beach restaurants serving Christmas dinner.

Here’s our list of the top five reasons to celebrate the holidays in Myrtle Beach this year:

Going wine tasting in Myrtle Beach will be an afternoon well spent, because each local vineyard’s tasty varietals are a joy to sip and savor. Whether you want to try a few of the region’s signature muscadine wines or you’d like to purchase a bottle to enjoy on your hotel’s oceanfront balcony, the local vineyards have you covered. Sampling rooms and wine bars in Myrtle Beach serve all kinds of sweet and dry vinos made with local grapes and West Coast varietals so anyone can find something to sip on.

You won’t need to travel far to explore this coastal wine country’s offerings. Myrtle Beach is home to about a dozen wineries and tasting rooms worth adding to any itinerary. The closest wine-making facility to the Myrtle Beach city center is Boardwalk Winery, situated 12 miles away at Barefoot Landing, and the nearest vineyard and winery is La Belle Amie, a 20-mile drive from hotels on the downtown strip. Since hot, humid weather is problematic for French grapes, the variety of grapes grown for wine-making in Myrtle Beach is muscadine, which is characterized by a sweet, fruit-forward taste and bright aromatics. Though some dry expressions are available, dessert-style wines make a refreshing choice in warm weather.

Visiting sampling rooms is one of the best things for adults to do in Myrtle Beach, so add a stop or two to your itinerary. For winery tours in Myrtle Beach, visit Carolina Winery’s wine-making facility for a behind-the-scenes look or go to Duplin Winery in North Myrtle Beach to watch a virtual tour of its Rose Hill operations; if you’re seeking a bar hopping-style wine tour, there are enough wineries and wine bars around the Grand Strand to make building your own trail a cinch. 

There’s no better pairing than an ocean-view hotel room in Myrtle Beach and a smooth glass of wine. Satisfy your thirst while staying in the Grand Strand during a relaxing afternoon of sampling or at a lively wine festival. Use this list of wine-tasting locations to jump-start your Myrtle Beach vacation planning:

The best golf hotels in Myrtle Beach provide above-par experiences with pre-booked tee times and top-notch accommodations for any size group. Imagine arriving at a beautiful resort in the golf capital of the world with all the details handled, from where you’ll tee off in the morning to your downtime entertainment. That’s what you can expect when you plan a golf trip to the Grand Strand. 

While a hotel in Myrtle Beach with golf packages makes days on the links affordable, the resort’s accommodations, amenities, and location go above and beyond a stay-and-play discount. The hotels that cater to golfers best include Avista Resort, The Breakers, Caribbean Resort, Monterey Bay, Sands Ocean Club, and North Beach Resort, because these properties’ spacious accommodations and amenities make the time between rounds worthwhile and relaxing, and the golf departments make course arrangements a cinch. Some area resorts even offer unique golf experiences right on-site, like Ocean Creek Resort’s putting green, the blacklight mini golf at North Shore Oceanfront Hotel, and the rooftop putt-putt course at Grande Cayman Resort. But if you’re looking for a hotel with a full golf course in Myrtle Beach, you’ll need to seek out a golf resort, like Marina Inn at Grande Dunes or Barefoot Resort & Golf, which offers lodging and all the usual club amenities. If you plan to play in a variety of places, though, a secluded golf resort is less convenient than an oceanfront hotel in Myrtle Beach. Though there isn’t one single hotel that bogarts the area golf courses, a bounty of courses lie within 30 minutes of resorts on the Myrtle Beach strip, and the on-site golf departments recommend and book tee times at award-winning clubs in any proximity or budget you choose.

Whether you’re arriving as a twosome or with all your buddies, Myrtle Beach hotels with golf departments can cater to any size group. And the pools, bars, and restaurants right on site mean you won’t need to leave the resort until it’s time to tee off. Use this list of the best golf hotels in Myrtle Beach to start planning the perfect getaway today:

The Myrtle Beach hotels near Broadway at the Beach offer excellent accommodations and convenience, plus all the perks of the best Grand Strand resorts. The Broadway at the Beach entertainment district has it all, from dining to attractions and loads of boutiques. Add this one-stop shop to your list of things to do in Myrtle Beach and stay nearby to make entertaining any crew a piece of cake. 

Instead of cramming in one activity after another, choose a hotel near Broadway at the Beach and tour this district at your own pace, returning for anything you’ve missed without a second thought. The closest hotel to Broadway at the Beach is Hampton Inn on Celebrity Circle, located just beside the grounds, but many other oceanfront hotels in Myrtle Beach are within a mile or two of it. If walking to Broadway at the Beach is your preference, choosing a hotel with ‘Broadway’ in its name puts you within a 10-minute stroll, but if you don’t want to give up shoreline views or beach access, stay at Breakers Resort, Dayton House, Caribbean Resort, or The Strand, because these oceanfront hotels are a walkable mile from Broadway at the Beach. Plus, when your home base is on the oceanfront, The SkyWheel and other Myrtle Beach attractions are just a few minutes down Ocean Boulevard. 

While none of the hotels in or around Broadway at the Beach offer extra discounts for the area shops and restaurants, the proximity of these resorts is a definite benefit for anyone wishing to take advantage of Broadway’s admission-free entry, seasonal events, awesome happy hour deals, and free on-site parking. Use this list of the best hotels near Broadway at the Beach to find your ideal accommodations today:

Hotels in Myrtle Beach with lazy rivers are some of the best family-friendly accommodations, offering fantastic water amenities for playing and relaxing. When you’re researching places to stay in the Grand Strand, you’ll be happy to know the oceanfront pools and lazy rivers are as exceptional as they seem. If you’re arriving in the off-season or prefer shade to full sun, look for a Myrtle Beach hotel with an indoor pool and lazy river. But if soaking in the summer sun is your top activity, you’ll enjoy staying at any of the Myrtle Beach oceanfront hotels with a lazy river in their outdoor pool decks. 

The best part about lazy rivers is that they’re fun for adults and kids to ride. Unlike some waterslides with height and weight limits, there are fewer requirements for hopping on a tube and floating a lazy river. Most lazy rivers at Myrtle Beach hotels do not have age restrictions because of gentle currents and shallow 3-foot depths, so little ones can ride with mom or dad or float solo—with supervision, of course. Some resorts in Myrtle Beach with a lazy river allow more than one person per tube and others do not, so brush up on the posted policies before you dive in.

Water features vary from resort to resort, but the 300-foot lazy river at Landmark Resort is among the longest in Myrtle Beach, and the 350-foot lazy river at Beach Cove is North Myrtle’s longest. Other impressive lazy rivers in Myrtle Beach include Dunes Village Resort’s 250-foot indoor oasis and Sea Watch Resort’s two oceanfront lazy rivers that total 450 feet.  While most of these winding pools are three or four feet deep, The Caravelle and Landmark Resort are two hotels in Myrtle Beach with one-foot-deep lazy rivers just for kids. 

The variety of Myrtle Beach hotels with lazy rivers makes finding accommodations in your dream location simple. If you prefer to stay at a hotel on the Myrtle Beach strip, you won’t have any trouble finding lodging with a lazy river on its amenities list. If you want a quieter getaway, browse North Myrtle Beach hotels with a lazy river, including Avista, Beach Cove, or North Beach Resort.

Explore the list below to find kid-friendly hotels in Myrtle Beach with lazy rivers and all the other extras you need:

Taking a dip in beautiful, clear Myrtle Beach waters along the shore has little to do with luck and a lot to do with weather patterns. The shoreline colors can range from a striking turquoise blue to a neutral brown shade throughout the year. Atmospheric changes, wind, and storms all play roles in the water’s color and clarity in Myrtle Beach. 

Whatever shimmering hue you see, there’s no ignoring the ocean when you’re in Myrtle Beach for vacation. Everyone looks forward to kicking back on an oceanfront hotel room balcony to enjoy the view, and lounging on the sand tops nearly everyone’s to-do list. Some of the best photo spots in Myrtle Beach include the ocean, and the snapshots of this year’s brilliant water coloring inspired many to plan vacations to this beachy destination. Book your oceanfront hotel in Myrtle Beach to see how stunning the endless horizon and tranquil waves are in any hue.

The changes in the ocean’s coloring along the Grand Strand always prompt visitors to wonder what causes the water to take on a blue or brown hue. Here are answers to the most common Myrtle Beach water quality and color questions:

Frequently Asked Questions

The changes in the ocean’s coloring along the Grand Strand always prompt visitors to wonder what causes the water to take on a blue or brown hue. Here are answers to the most common Myrtle Beach water quality and color questions:

Does Myrtle Beach have clear water?

Myrtle Beach water is stunningly clear when the Atlantic Ocean remains calm long enough for sediments to settle to the ocean floor; the water appears most cloudy during and after weather events with high offshore winds.

Why doesn’t the Myrtle Beach water appear blue?

The waters along the Myrtle Beach shoreline do not always appear as blue as in other tropical destinations because the ocean here experiences more frequent atmospheric pressure changes and tropical storms than sheltered Caribbean locales; these weather events stir organisms and sand particles into the clear Myrtle Beach water, giving it a brownish hue. 

Are there bacteria in the ocean at Myrtle Beach?

Microbes are everywhere, including in the ocean at Myrtle Beach, but diligent water quality testing scrutinizes bacteria levels during the Grand Strand’s swimming season. Sampling occurs at more than 100 locations along the coast and if unsafe bacteria levels are found, an advisory is issued. Elevated results are often short-lived (and usually triggered by heavy rainfall and runoff), so your favorite beach won’t be off-limits during your entire vacation, if it is at all.