8 Things to Do in Myrtle Beach for a First Visit

Start with the oceanfront at Plyler Park, where the Boardwalk and SkyWheel make an easy pairing. Beyond the sand, Myrtle Beach offers seaside rides, marine life, hands-on science, coastal woodland and two smaller museums. Choose by what you want to do, rather than trying to fit all eight into one day.

Choose your first-visit stops

Choice	Advertised adult admission	Usual visit	From Plyler Park
Beach and Boardwalk	Free	Flexible	about 0.9 miles walking to Second Avenue Pier
SkyWheel	$19.99 before 5pm / $20.99 after 5pm, plus tax	15–30 minutes	about 300 feet walking
Family Kingdom	$45 wristband, tax included (2027)	2–4 hours	about 1.1 miles driving
Ripley’s Aquarium	$42.99 (ages 12+)	1½–2 hours	about 2.2 miles driving
WonderWorks	$34.99 plus sales tax (ages 13+)	3–4 hours	about 2.2 miles driving
Myrtle Beach State Park	$8	2–3 hours	about 4.9 miles driving to entrance
Pinball Museum	$12 per person per hour	1 hour	about 1.6 miles driving
Art Museum	$8	1–2 hours	about 3.9 miles driving

Five starting choices are the Boardwalk, SkyWheel, Ripley’s Aquarium, Myrtle Beach State Park and Family Kingdom. Together they offer beach time, coastal views, marine life, woodland and rides. Plyler Park is the central beachfront reference point for the distances above.

Pair the Boardwalk with the SkyWheel. At Broadway at the Beach, choose the aquarium for watching marine life or WonderWorks for hands-on play, then leave room for a meal. The Pinball Museum and Art Museum offer smaller indoor alternatives in rain or peak heat. Couples looking for shared seaside activities can explore romantic things to do in Myrtle Beach.

The beach and Boardwalk

The beach and Boardwalk put the Atlantic at the centre of your first visit. Start at Plyler Park for an oceanfront stroll, with the SkyWheel beside it, and use Second Avenue Pier as a recognisable southern point to pause. Walk for the view, then spend time on the sand rather than treating the promenade as a route to finish.

Public promenade access is separate from the rides and attractions beside it. You can enjoy the shoreline without buying an attraction ticket, and choose a paid stop only when it adds something you want to do.

Walk early in the morning or late in the afternoon in hot weather. The beachfront is exposed to the sun, so bring water and sun protection. Wear footwear comfortable on the promenade and easy to remove at the sand. Keep beach time flexible if wind, heat or water conditions make a long stay less appealing.

SkyWheel

The SkyWheel gives you an elevated view of the Atlantic and city from a climate-controlled gondola. From the Boardwalk around Plyler Park, it is a short addition rather than a separate major outing. Choose daylight for the coastline or evening for the illuminated beachfront.

Standard tickets are available at the booth or online without advance booking. Online adult wheel tickets are advertised at $20.99 plus tax, so the purchase method matters if you are choosing a daytime ride. Busy summer periods can mean a longer queue, so leave some space around a meal or another activity rather than timing your next stop tightly.

Family Kingdom Amusement Park

Family Kingdom Amusement Park is the southern beachfront choice for classic seaside rides. Choose it for a ride-focused outing, especially the Swamp Fox roller coaster, rather than another stretch of promenade. Its compact, carnival-style setting suits a few favourite rides or a longer session of repeat turns.

Entering the grounds costs nothing, so companions who are not riding can come along without buying ride admission. The unlimited-ride wristband covers the park’s rides except the Slingshot. You can buy wristbands or individual ride credits at the park without advance booking, which lets you decide between repeated rides and a smaller selection.

For the 2026 season, opening is at 5pm Monday–Friday and 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Aim for the cooler part of an operating evening for this outdoor visit. Leave room for queues and breaks, especially if your group wants to try different rides, rather than treating the wristband as a reason to rush from one to the next.

Ripley’s Aquarium

Ripley’s Aquarium at Broadway at the Beach is the choice for watching marine life. The Dangerous Reef shark tunnel and its moving glide path are the centrepiece, letting you look into the ocean habitat as you pass through. Standard admission includes the tunnel, so it belongs in your exhibit visit rather than as an extra purchase.

Give the other tanks some attention too. A slower visit lets you watch the animals rather than treating the tunnel as the whole attraction. This is a different kind of indoor stop from WonderWorks, where the emphasis is on interacting with exhibits.

The aquarium operates daily year-round, making it a useful non-beach choice in rain or peak heat. Private events can shorten an operating day. At Broadway at the Beach, leave time afterwards for a meal or lakeside stroll instead of immediately committing to another large attraction. That gives the visit a natural break and keeps the rest of your day flexible.

WonderWorks

WonderWorks, in the upside-down building at Broadway at the Beach, is the active indoor alternative to the aquarium. Choose it for hands-on science and amusement exhibits, particularly if children would rather interact than watch marine life.

The All Access ticket includes the exhibits, indoor ropes course and laser tag. Some exhibits have height and weight restrictions, so admission does not mean every member of your group can take part in every activity. Leave room to spend longer with the exhibits that suit you instead of trying to complete everything.

WonderWorks opens daily year-round. Tickets can be bought online or at the admissions counter without compulsory advance booking. An online ticket still means joining the queue and visiting the counter for verification, so it is not a way to bypass the arrival process. Allow space afterwards for a meal at Broadway at the Beach rather than assuming you will want a second major attraction.

The state park

Myrtle Beach State Park pairs beach time with coastal woodland, away from the central amusement strip. Choose it for sand, wooded trails and a pier walk in one outing. The nature centre adds another focus to the visit, while the fishing pier gives you a place to look back towards the shore.

Park admission includes walking on the pier. Fishing requires a separate daily pass, so choose a walk if you simply want the coastal view. Ordinary day-use visits do not require an advance reservation. Treat arrival at the park entrance as a separate outing from the central Boardwalk rather than an extension of that stroll.

Day-use hours are 6am–10pm from March through November and 6am–8pm from December through February. Start early for the outdoor parts, bringing sun protection, water and footwear suited to both sand and paths. You can make the beach the main event or divide your attention between the shore and woodland.

Pinball Museum

Myrtle Beach Pinball Museum makes playing the collection the activity, rather than simply looking at it. Machines spanning different decades give you a chance to try historic pinball at a smaller indoor venue near the Convention Center. Choose it when you want games without a large entertainment complex.

Games are set to free play, so there is no separate charge each time you start another. The admission rate applies equally to adults, children, players and non-players, which matters if someone only wants to watch. Opening days and session windows change weekly and seasonally, so organise the visit around your reserved slot rather than treating it as a drop-in stop.

Art Museum

The Franklin G. Burroughs–Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum on South Ocean Boulevard welcomes visitors to rotating art exhibitions. Choose the Art Museum for a quieter cultural stop, taking time to look closely at the changing displays rather than adding more rides or shopping.

The Art Museum and Pinball Museum are two less obvious non-beach choices, with very different activities. Here you can linger over the work that interests you, and ordinary admission does not require advance booking. Sunday visits begin later than visits on the other open days, making this an afternoon choice.

Admission is free for children aged 18 and under, full-time students with valid ID and museum members. Eligible participants in the museum’s free-admission programmes can also enter without the general adult charge.

Sources & fact-checking

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

• Myrtle Beach Pinball Museum — fares and charges
• Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — fares and charges
• Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach — opening hours
• Ripley’s Aquariums — closures
• SkyWheel Myrtle Beach — fares and charges
• Visit Myrtle Beach — service
• Myrtle Beach Art Museum — service
• Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum — fares and charges
• Franklin G. Burroughs–Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum — key figures
• South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism — fares and charges
• South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism — fares and charges
• South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism — opening hours
• South Carolina State Parks — service
• WonderWorks Myrtle Beach — fares and charges
• WonderWorks Myrtle Beach — opening hours
• WonderWorks Myrtle Beach — service
• Family Kingdom Amusement Park — service
• Family Kingdom Amusement Park — fares and charges
• Family Kingdom Amusement Park — opening hours