Myrtle Beach in the Rain: 6 Indoor Things to Do

Rain can turn a Myrtle Beach beach day into a choice between watching sharks, experimenting with science or solving clues together. Ripley’s Aquarium is the broadest choice for mixed-age company, while the other options suit more specific interests, from celebrity photographs to quieter art galleries.

Choose an indoor activity

Venue	Adult ticket	Sales tax	Suggested visit	Road distance from Plyler Park
Ripley’s Aquarium	$42.99 per person, 12+	—	About 1½–2 hours	about 2.2 miles
WonderWorks	$34.99 All Access per person, 13+	Additional	About 2–3 hours	about 2.2 miles
The Escape Game	—	—	—	about 2 miles
Hollywood Wax Museum	$32.99 museum only per person, 12+	—	About 1–1½ hours	about 2.3 miles
810 Entertainment, Market Common	—	—	—	about 5.3 miles
Myrtle Beach Art Museum	$8 per person	—	About 1–2 hours	about 3.9 miles

Choose by interest, not as a six-stop outing. Pick marine life for mixed-age company, science for hands-on families, puzzles for friends who enjoy a shared challenge, photos for a lighter visit, bowling for sociable play or art for quieter looking. Use the suggested visit lengths to choose what fits your available time.

Ripley’s Aquarium, WonderWorks and The Escape Game are at Broadway at the Beach, with separate entrances and outdoor spaces between them. Carry rain protection for transfers. During dangerous weather, stay indoors rather than travelling.

1. Ripley’s Aquarium

Ripley’s Aquarium puts sharks, penguins and jellyfish into an enclosed visit that lets different ages find something to watch. The underwater tunnel is the centrepiece, bringing you beneath the shark displays rather than simply past tanks. Penguins provide a contrasting stop, while the jellyfish reward a slower look.

The general-admission exhibits make a complete rainy-day choice on their own. Optional encounters are separate experiences, so choose them for a particular interest rather than assuming you need them to enjoy the aquarium. Shows and lingering at favourite exhibits can extend your visit beyond a straightforward walk-through.

Arrive early when a wet forecast is likely to bring families indoors. You can buy general-admission tickets on arrival, although peak-period queues can form. That flexibility is useful if you are deciding around the weather rather than committing to a fixed entry slot.

The aquarium opens Sunday–Thursday, 9am–9pm, and Friday–Saturday, 9am–10pm. An evening visit is therefore an alternative if your daytime plans have already changed.

2. WonderWorks

WonderWorks makes hands-on science the main event inside its upside-down building. Choose it for a family that wants to try things, not just look. Start early and leave room to explore the indoor exhibits before deciding whether to add more active play.

The All Access ticket includes the indoor ropes course and laser tag. These are indoor extensions to the exhibit visit, unlike the outdoor ropes course and Soar + Explore zipline, which are not enclosed.

• Indoor ropes course: at least 4 feet tall to climb alone.
• At least 3 feet 6 inches tall to climb with an adult.
• Maximum height: 6 feet 8 inches.

Choose the ropes course only if the climbers meet its height rules. Otherwise, focus on the exhibits and other indoor activities.

WonderWorks opens Sunday–Thursday, 10:30am–9pm, and Friday–Saturday, 10:30am–10pm. Online tickets expedite check-in, but you still visit the admissions counter for verification, so do not expect to go straight into the exhibits.

3. The Escape Game

The Escape Game offers a focused indoor challenge in themed rooms, with art-heist and space-mission scenarios giving your group a shared objective. Choose it if your friends enjoy solving clues together. Unlike the self-paced aquarium and science exhibits, the activity centres on collaborating on one puzzle-filled experience.

Its Broadway at the Beach venue opens daily, 8am–midnight, giving it an operating window that reaches beyond the usual museum day. The enclosed rooms make the game itself a sheltered choice, while the approach to its entrance remains an outdoor transfer.

4. Hollywood Wax Museum

Hollywood Wax Museum turns celebrity and pop-culture figures into an indoor photo activity. Choose it for posing and playful pictures rather than hands-on experiments. You set the pace, moving on from figures that do not interest you and spending longer on photographs with favourites.

Reading the displays as well as taking pictures lengthens the visit. There is no need to make every figure a photo stop, particularly if some of your group prefer a quicker look.

The ticket compared above is for the wax museum alone, not the entertainment centre’s other attractions or combined purchase choices. Keep that distinction in mind when choosing your admission. Online ticket purchases are available.

The wax museum opens daily, 9am–9pm, year-round. That makes it an option for an evening indoors as well as a daytime change of plan.

5. 810 Entertainment at The Market Common

810 Entertainment at The Market Common, also known as 810 Billiards & Bowling, gives your group indoor bowling lanes rather than an exhibition to move through. Choose bowling when taking turns and chatting is the point of the outing. Billiards and other games offer a change of activity within the venue.

Walk-ins are accepted for bowling, so a reservation is not required. Individual attractions can carry age, height, weight or safety restrictions, and valid ID may be required for age-restricted activities or alcohol purchases. Treat those as activity-specific conditions, not a blanket rule for entering the venue.

6. Myrtle Beach Art Museum

Myrtle Beach Art Museum offers rotating indoor exhibitions in a relocated oceanfront villa. Choose it for a quieter visit focused on looking at art, rather than games or group challenges. The changing exhibitions give the galleries their variety, and you can spend longer with the works that catch your attention.

Focus on the galleries for a straightforward rainy-day visit, rather than building your plans around scheduled classes. A leisurely pace suits readers who enjoy looking closely, while a more selective visit can leave room for another daytime activity.

The galleries open Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–5pm, and Sunday, 1pm–5pm. Sunday therefore suits an afternoon visit rather than a morning arrival. For groups of 10 or more, arrange a reservation.

Sources & fact-checking

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

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | 810 Entertainment
• 810 Entertainment Terms & Conditions
• Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — fares and charges
• Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — opening hours
• Ripley Entertainment — closures
• Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — service
• Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center — fares and charges
• Hollywood Wax Museum — opening hours
• Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum — fares and charges
• Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum — opening hours
• Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum — closures
• Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum — service
• The Escape Game — fares and charges
• The Escape Game — opening hours
• The Escape Game — closures
• WonderWorks Myrtle Beach — fares and charges
• WonderWorks Myrtle Beach — opening hours
• WonderWorks Myrtle Beach Ticket Prices
• Myrtle Beach Ropes Course — WonderWorks Myrtle Beach