5 Things to Do in Myrtle Beach at Night

Myrtle Beach evenings can mean ocean views from the Boardwalk or SkyWheel, a round of miniature golf, or indoor exhibits and arcade games at Broadway at the Beach. Start around dusk for coastal views, or choose an indoor activity when rain makes the oceanfront less appealing. These five choices suit different amounts of time and different appetites for watching, walking or playing, without making bars or clubs the main event.

Choose your evening activity

Evening choices, with approaches from Plyler Park. The Boardwalk distance uses Second Avenue Pier as its southern reference point.

Criterion	Boardwalk	SkyWheel	Mt. Atlanticus	Ripley’s Aquarium	Dave & Buster’s
Adult evening cost	—	$20.99 plus tax after 5pm	$15.02 night round	$42.99	No separate entrance charge listed; games: $22/100 chips per card, plus new-card activation fee
Allow for the visit	—	About 15–30 minutes, queues varyBest	About 45–60 minutes, one course	About 1.5–2 hours	—
Distance from Plyler Park	about 0.9 miles, walking	about 300 feet, walkingBest	about 0.6 miles, walking	about 2.2 miles, driving	about 2.5 miles, driving

For tonight, choose the Boardwalk for a stroll, the SkyWheel for a short ride, Mt. Atlanticus for outdoor play, or Ripley’s Aquarium and Dave & Buster’s for indoor exhibits and games. Start at dusk for coastal views, and choose the aquarium or arcade in rain. The wheel suits a short outing, while the aquarium rewards more time to browse. For a later night, Dave & Buster’s has the latest venue closing, subject to its entry policy. The wheel and aquarium are earlier-evening choices, and families should favour an earlier supervised arcade visit.

The Boardwalk and oceanfront

The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk lets you enjoy the oceanfront without committing to a ride or game. Use Plyler Park as a recognisable starting point, then stroll south towards Second Avenue Pier, with the ocean on one side and amusement frontage on the other. Pause where the view interests you rather than treating the promenade as a walk to finish.

Arrive around dusk if you want to see the ocean before darkness shifts your attention to the town’s lights. The promenade is exposed to the weather, so an indoor aquarium or games session is a more comfortable choice in rain.

You can visit the public beach at night, but stepping onto the sand is different from staying on the promenade. Keep beach access clear so others can reach and leave the shoreline.

The SkyWheel

Beside Plyler Park, the SkyWheel gives you a view above the Boardwalk from enclosed gondolas. Choose dusk for the coastline, or ride after dark when the illuminated attractions and town lights become the focus. It is a compact addition to an oceanfront stroll rather than a whole evening’s activity.

The wheel opens daily, with a current schedule of 11am–9pm. Applicable tax is additional to the ticket price. Arrive in the early evening to leave room for boarding rather than aiming for closing. Summer crowds can lengthen the queue, so allow some flexibility before any other evening plans.

You do not need an advance reservation for a standard ride. Buy tickets online or at the booth. Children and adults of all ages can ride, and each gondola has a combined weight capacity of 1,300 lb, with no per-person weight limit. Only service animals are allowed on board.

Mt. Atlanticus miniature golf

Away from the Boardwalk, Mt. Atlanticus Minotaur Golf turns the evening into an outdoor game across levels and towers. The themed setting gives families, couples and small groups something to do together, rather than another view to watch. On the Minotaur course, the holes rise into the higher parts of the attraction.

Choose the cooler part of the evening for outdoor play and wear comfortable shoes. A relaxed round leaves room to enjoy each hole, although busy periods can add waits between turns. It suits readers who want an active outing more than those who want to sit or browse exhibits.

Mt. Atlanticus opens daily, 9am–10pm, with weather-dependent hours. Ordinary rounds do not require an advance reservation, while reservations are offered for group events. If rain is shaping your evening, the indoor choices at Broadway at the Beach are better alternatives to outdoor play.

Ripley’s Aquarium

Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach is the slower-paced indoor choice for watching marine life rather than playing games. At Broadway at the Beach, Planet Jellies and Penguin Playhouse offer contrasting things to watch, with jellyfish displays and penguins giving you reasons to pause rather than hurry through the exhibits.

Broadway at the Beach is a separate journey from the oceanfront. Make the aquarium your evening destination instead of assuming it is another stop along the Boardwalk. Dave & Buster’s shares the Broadway setting, so you can choose between exhibits and arcade play without returning downtown.

General admission includes Planet Jellies and Penguin Playhouse alongside Rio Amazon, Ocean Wonders, Tropical Rainforest, Friendship Flats and Goldfish Realms. The adult ticket band starts at age 12. Special encounters and add-on experiences cost extra, so choose ordinary admission if you want the standard exhibit visit. The indoor route makes this a useful alternative when rain rules out a comfortable promenade walk.

Standard tickets do not require an advance timed reservation, and the aquarium opens every day of the year. If marine exhibits are not your interest, other indoor things to do in Myrtle Beach offer different ways to spend a wet evening.

Dave & Buster’s arcade games

At Broadway at the Beach, Dave & Buster’s suits an evening when you would rather play than stroll or watch exhibits. The arcade-games area is indoors, and you can decide how much to play instead of committing to a fixed-length visit. Ripley’s Aquarium nearby is the alternative if your group prefers marine-life displays.

Power Card chips are credits spent on games, so entering the venue and paying to play are different things. A new Power Card carries an activation fee in addition to the credit purchase. Choose a credit amount with your spending limit in mind, rather than treating entry as unlimited arcade play.

Walk-ins are accommodated without an advance reservation. The later venue closing times make this an adult late-night alternative, but an earlier supervised visit is the better family choice.

• Sunday venue hours: 10am–midnight.
• Monday–Thursday venue hours: 11am–midnight.
• Friday venue hours: 11am–1am.
• Saturday venue hours: 10am–1am.

Sources & fact-checking

Checks against the sources below cover: fares and charges, services, opening hours, and closures.

• Mt. Atlanticus Minotaur Golf — fares and charges
• Mt. Atlanticus Minotaur Golf — service
• Dave & Buster’s — fares and charges
• Dave & Buster’s — opening hours
• House Policies: Dave and Buster’s
• Rainy Day Indoor Activities: Restaurants with Games
• Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — fares and charges
• Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — opening hours
• Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — closures
• City of Myrtle Beach — service
• SkyWheel Myrtle Beach — fares and charges
• SkyWheel Myrtle Beach — opening hours