A walk beside Second Avenue Pier asks little of you beyond time together, while the SkyWheel gives you a different view of the same coast. Choose the date by what you want to share, whether that is sunrise on the sand, woodland walking, marine life or an evening at The Market Common. These five options stay within Myrtle Beach and leave you free to enjoy one without turning the day into a checklist.
Beach walks, coastal views or an evening out
| Criterion | Sunrise beach walk | SkyWheel | Myrtle Beach State Park | Ripley’s Aquarium | The Market Common |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard adult admission | — | $19.99 plus tax before 5pm / $20.99 plus tax after 5pm | $8Best | $42.99 ticket price (ages 12+) | — |
Pick the beach for unstructured time together, the SkyWheel for coastal views, Myrtle Beach State Park for beach and woodland, Ripley’s Aquarium for marine life indoors, or The Market Common for an evening walk, dinner or film. Rain or peak heat makes the aquarium the more comfortable choice.
The beach and SkyWheel can share a downtown outing around the Boardwalk. The park, aquarium and The Market Common call for separate arrivals beyond it. The order below starts with the simplest seaside date, then branches by interest rather than setting a schedule.
1. The beach at sunrise
The sand beside Second Avenue Pier gives you a straightforward sunrise date: walk the shoreline together, look for shells and stop whenever something catches your attention. Myrtle Beach faces the Atlantic, so sunrise is the natural choice for watching daylight arrive over the ocean rather than expecting an ocean sunset.
The beachfront at Plyler Park is another downtown starting point, particularly if you want to pair beach time with the nearby SkyWheel. Walk on the sand for beachcombing, or use the paved Boardwalk when you prefer a firmer surface and an oceanfront stroll without sandy shoes.
Wear footwear you can manage on sand, and bring sun protection even if you start early. A shoreline date need not include swimming. If the weather turns, shorten the walk rather than treating time in the water as part of the plan.
Tichnor Brothers, Boston · Public domain · Edited
2. The SkyWheel and Boardwalk
The SkyWheel Myrtle Beach lifts your date above the shoreline for a coastal view you can enjoy together. Choose late afternoon for the coast or evening for the town’s lights, then spend time on the oceanfront Boardwalk rather than making the ride your whole outing.
Claire P. from Northern Virginia, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Edited
The SkyWheel opens daily year-round, with hours of 11am–9pm. Advance booking is not required for a standard ride, and you can buy tickets online or at the booth. That makes it easy to decide on the ride during a downtown beach outing.
- Name
- SkyWheel Myrtle Beach
- Location
- 1110 N Ocean Blvd, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 Maps
- Price
- USD 19.99 adults, before 5pm
- USD 20.99 adults, after 5pm
Most gondolas accommodate wheelchairs and scooters, with accessible loading options and staff assistance for boarding and exiting. Choose a standard gondola if you need wheelchair access, because VIP gondolas are not wheelchair-accessible.
3. The state park’s beach, pier and woodland
- Adult day admission
- $8
- March–November
- Daily, 6am–10pm
- December–February
- Daily, 6am–8pm
Myrtle Beach State Park combines a beach visit with a fishing-pier walk and woodland paths, giving you more to explore together than the downtown shoreline alone. Day admission includes walking on the pier without fishing. Make this a separate arrival from downtown rather than an extension of a Boardwalk stroll.
Jacklyn Viazanica · CC BY 2.0 · Edited
Sculptured Oak Trail is 0.5 miles long and Yaupon Trail is 0.4 miles. Both are classified as easy hiking trails and connect to the beach by boardwalks. Choose woodland walking for a different setting from the exposed sand and pier. In hot weather, start early, carry water and sun protection, and wear shoes suited to both sand and paths.
Ordinary day entry needs no reservation, and you pay admission at the park. A separate parking reservation option guarantees parking on summer weekends and holidays, which is useful if your visit depends on arriving on a busy day.
4. Ripley’s Aquarium
Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach gives you an indoor date centred on watching marine life together. Dangerous Reef’s shark tunnel and moving glide path are the main draw: let the view surround you, then take time at the exhibits that interest you both. This is a public attraction shared with other visitors, not a private couples experience.
MusikAnimal · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
Allow about two hours for a standard visit, with room to linger at shared favourites rather than rushing from tank to tank. Rain or peak heat is a good reason to choose the aquarium. Arriving early is sensible when a wet forecast is likely to bring more people indoors.
- Name
- Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
- Location
- 1110 Celebrity Cir, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 Maps
- Price
- USD 42.99 · Adults (12+)
Standard admission includes the Dangerous Reef tunnel, while the Glass Bottom Boat Adventure is a separate add-on. Online ticketing is available, and ordinary admission has no stated requirement for an advance reservation or assigned entry slot.
If watching marine life is not your idea of a date, other indoor things to do in Myrtle Beach give you alternatives for wet weather. Choose by your shared interests rather than treating the aquarium as the automatic answer to rain.
5. The Market Common in the evening
The Market Common suits an evening when you want to spend time together without centring everything on one attraction. Valor Memorial Garden gives you a place for a walk, while the surrounding district lets you combine that outdoor time with dinner according to your tastes.
Aim for late afternoon into evening for the outdoor portion. You can keep the date to a stroll and a meal, or make Grand 14 Cinema the indoor extension. The garden walk and the film are distinct experiences, so choose whichever appeals rather than feeling you need to do both.
The Market Common is away from the downtown Boardwalk, so plan a separate arrival for this district. It is a different sort of date from the beach or SkyWheel: the focus is a walk, conversation over dinner and perhaps a film, rather than an ocean view. Leave the order flexible so the evening follows what you both feel like doing.
DiscoA340 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, services, and opening hours.
- Myrtle Beach FAQs | South Carolina Parks Official Site
- Myrtle Beach Things To Do | South Carolina Parks Official Site
- South Carolina State Parks — service
- South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism — service
- Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — fares and charges
- Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — opening hours
- Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — service
- SkyWheel Myrtle Beach — fares and charges
- SkyWheel Myrtle Beach — opening hours
