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Special Advertising Section: Myrtle Beach New Magic No one is ever at a loss for things to do in Myrtle Beach. Even non-golfers can immerse themselves in enough activities and events to wile away the better part of a summer.
While every season brings something new to the Grand Strand, it seems that the past 12 months have ushered in a new era in the Strand’s colorful history. Myrtle Beach regulars as well as rookies will discover an array of new and exciting additions this year. The following are some of the more noteworthy newcomers to the Myrtle Beach menu, as well as a few long-standing favorites—classic reminders of what brings us back again and again. >>Playing Myrtle Beach What’s New Two exciting new developments are found at the farthest extremes of the Grand Strand’s 60-odd miles. At its southern edge, the old Sea Gull golf course in Pawleys Island has been dramatically transformed into The Founders Club (800-TEE-OFFS, PlayAClassic.com). Designed by former Gary Player associate Thomas Walker, the course rolls through an oak-strewn landscape and also features a new antebellum-style clubhouse with a wraparound porch overlooking the 18th green. To the far north of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, is Leopard’s Chase (910-287-1717, OceanRidge.com), the fourth and newest addition to the "big cat" lineup at Ocean Ridge Plantation. Designer Tim Cate adds a little more bite to each course at Ocean Isle; the unusually rolling terrain at Leopard’s Chase is fraught with forced carries over stunning water features. Several of Myrtle Beach’s most noteworthy tracks are being enhanced, but none more significant than the restoration of Pine Lakes Country Club (866-772-4671, MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com). Originally opened in 1927 as Ocean Forest, the area’s first golf course, the "Granddaddy" has undergone a major renovation intended to restore many of the classic elements from the original Robert White design. And two of the more popular courses along the South Strand’s Waccamaw Golf Trail, TPC of Myrtle Beach (888-742-8721, tpcmyrtlebeach.com) and The Heritage Club (800-299-6187, LegendsGolf.com), have newly resurfaced greens; the TPC with MiniVerde Ultradwarf Bermuda and The Heritage Club with Champions Bermuda. Don't Forget ... The Founders Club, Heritage Club and TPC of Myrtle Beach are all a part of the outstanding offerings available through the Waccamaw Golf Trail (888-293-7385; WaccamawGolfTrail.com), a one-stop resource offering packages in the South Strand areas of Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach and Murrell’s Inlet. And no trip to Myrtle Beach is complete without a round at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club (843-449-5236; TheDunesClub.net), the venerable 60-year-old Robert Trent Jones course that has aged impeccably. >>Staying at Myrtle Beach What’s New The lodging options have grown dramatically all along the Grand Strand, but few are as impressive as the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes (866-437-4113; MarinaInnatGrandeDunes.com), a luxurious European-flavored retreat within the expansive Grande Dunes development. Overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and a 130-slip marina, the Inn features 230 spacious rooms and suites with distinctive furnishings and water and golf course views. In addition to its own dining and recreational facilities, the Inn is easily accessible to the impressive amenities within Grande Dunes including its award-winning, Roger Rulewich-designed golf course. For beach lovers, SeaSide (800-433-5710; SeasideMB.com) is a new North Myrtle Beach oceanfront resort that feels more like an upscale boutique hotel. Its one- to three-bedroom condominiums are comfortably furnished and thoughtfully accessorized and offer panoramic views of the Atlantic or the Intracoastal. Don't Forget... On the South Strand, there are still few places more comfortable to rest your head than the Guest Cottages at Wachesaw Plantation (800-422-4777; Wachesaw.com). There is a limited number of cottages available for outside rental, and these quaint town homes are beautifully decorated, fully equipped and nestled within groves of towering oaks. >>Dining & Entertainment What’s New The newest restaurants in Myrtle Beach reflect a growing trend toward upscale, international fare. RIOZ Brazilian Steakhouse (29th Avenue North, next to Broadway at the Beach; 843-839-0777) is as renowned for its exemplary personal service as it is for a tantalizing array of beef, pork, lamb, poultry and fish. The expansive salad bar features hot and cold items including seafood and sushi. For Pacific Rim cuisine, the hands-down choice is UMI Pacific Grille (U.S. 17 at Lake Arrowhead Road in the Galleria Shopping Center; 843-497-6016), the newest and perhaps best restaurant from the Divine Dining Group. From cocktails through dessert, UMI offers a seemingly endless adventure of fresh, innovative dishes in a contemporary setting. In North Myrtle Beach, the latest buzz concerns SeaBlue (U.S. 17 N.; 843-249-8800, SeaBlueOnline.com), a romantic little room with a tapas menu of dishes from around the world and an extensive wine list. Don't Forget... SunCruz Myrtle Beach (800-474-DICE; SunCruzCasino.com) is the Carolinas’ biggest and best casino cruise, with five hours of live entertainment, great food and non-stop casino action. Vegas-style slot machines pay out $100 million fleet-wide through a wide variety of progressive slots, video poker and Pot O’ Gold machines. There is also live blackjack, roulette, 5x-odds craps, Let It Ride, mini baccarat, Caribbean stud poker and three-card poker. Guests can also bet on their favorite sporting events. The ship departs twice daily from Little River. Call toll-free or visit online for cruise and shuttle bus schedules, directions or more information. >>Myrtle Beach Attractions What’s New You don’t have to be a music aficionado to have already heard the buzz about the Hard Rock Park (George Bishop Parkway, off S.C. 501 or Hwy. 31; 843-236-ROCK, HardRockPark.com), but this extraordinary $400 million complex will undoubtedly appeal to rockers young and old. Five distinct areas with rides, exhibits, attractions, shops and restaurants as well as an outdoor concert facility, where the Moody Blues and the Eagles officially opened the park in June. For those who like their roller coaster rides unaccompanied by "Whole Lotta Love," there’s the Pavilion Nostalgia Park (Broadway at the Beach; 843-913-9400, PavilionNostalgiaPark.com), a family-friendly tribute to the oceanfront park that entertained Myrtle Beach visitors for nearly 60 years. The old Pavilion was demolished in 2006, but several of its classic rides are on display at the Nostalgia Park including its 1912 Herschell-Spillman Carousel. And it wouldn’t be the Pavilion without corn dogs and funnel cakes. Don't Forget... If it’s summer at the Beach, don’t miss the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (21st Avenue N. & Robert Grissom Parkway; 843-918-6000, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com). The Class A Carolina League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, the Pelicans do battle at BB&T Coastal Field, one of the best minor league ballparks in the country. Affordable, fan-friendly and high-quality baseball, the Pelicans have produced such major league stalwarts as Rafael Furcal, Jeff Francoeur, Marcus Giles, Adam LaRoche and Brian McCann.

Special Advertising Section:
Myrtle Beach New Magic
No one is ever at a loss for things to do in Myrtle Beach. Even non-golfers can immerse themselves in enough activities and events to wile away the better part of a summer.

While every season brings something new to the Grand Strand, it seems that the past 12 months have ushered in a new era in the Strand’s colorful history. Myrtle Beach regulars as well as rookies will discover an array of new and exciting additions this year. The following are some of the more noteworthy newcomers to the Myrtle Beach menu, as well as a few long-standing favorites—classic reminders of what brings us back again and again.

>>Playing Myrtle Beach

What’s New
Two exciting new developments are found at the farthest extremes of the Grand Strand’s 60-odd miles. At its southern edge, the old Sea Gull golf course in Pawleys Island has been dramatically transformed into The Founders Club (800-TEE-OFFS, PlayAClassic.com). Designed by former Gary Player associate Thomas Walker, the course rolls through an oak-strewn landscape and also features a new antebellum-style clubhouse with a wraparound porch overlooking the 18th green. To the far north of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, is Leopard’s Chase (910-287-1717, OceanRidge.com), the fourth and newest addition to the "big cat" lineup at Ocean Ridge Plantation. Designer Tim Cate adds a little more bite to each course at Ocean Isle; the unusually rolling terrain at Leopard’s Chase is fraught with forced carries over stunning water features.

Several of Myrtle Beach’s most noteworthy tracks are being enhanced, but none more significant than the restoration of Pine Lakes Country Club (866-772-4671, MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com). Originally opened in 1927 as Ocean Forest, the area’s first golf course, the "Granddaddy" has undergone a major renovation intended to restore many of the classic elements from the original Robert White design. And two of the more popular courses along the South Strand’s Waccamaw Golf Trail, TPC of Myrtle Beach (888-742-8721, tpcmyrtlebeach.com) and The Heritage Club (800-299-6187, LegendsGolf.com), have newly resurfaced greens; the TPC with MiniVerde Ultradwarf Bermuda and The Heritage Club with Champions Bermuda.

Don't Forget ...
The Founders Club, Heritage Club and TPC of Myrtle Beach are all a part of the outstanding offerings available through the Waccamaw Golf Trail (888-293-7385; WaccamawGolfTrail.com), a one-stop resource offering packages in the South Strand areas of Pawleys Island, Litchfield Beach and Murrell’s Inlet. And no trip to Myrtle Beach is complete without a round at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club (843-449-5236; TheDunesClub.net), the venerable 60-year-old Robert Trent Jones course that has aged impeccably.

>>Staying at Myrtle Beach

What’s New
The lodging options have grown dramatically all along the Grand Strand, but few are as impressive as the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes (866-437-4113; MarinaInnatGrandeDunes.com), a luxurious European-flavored retreat within the expansive Grande Dunes development. Overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and a 130-slip marina, the Inn features 230 spacious rooms and suites with distinctive furnishings and water and golf course views. In addition to its own dining and recreational facilities, the Inn is easily accessible to the impressive amenities within Grande Dunes including its award-winning, Roger Rulewich-designed golf course.

For beach lovers, SeaSide (800-433-5710; SeasideMB.com) is a new North Myrtle Beach oceanfront resort that feels more like an upscale boutique hotel. Its one- to three-bedroom condominiums are comfortably furnished and thoughtfully accessorized and offer panoramic views of the Atlantic or the Intracoastal.

Don't Forget...
On the South Strand, there are still few places more comfortable to rest your head than the Guest Cottages at Wachesaw Plantation (800-422-4777; Wachesaw.com). There is a limited number of cottages available for outside rental, and these quaint town homes are beautifully decorated, fully equipped and nestled within groves of towering oaks.

>>Dining & Entertainment

What’s New
The newest restaurants in Myrtle Beach reflect a growing trend toward upscale, international fare. RIOZ Brazilian Steakhouse (29th Avenue North, next to Broadway at the Beach; 843-839-0777) is as renowned for its exemplary personal service as it is for a tantalizing array of beef, pork, lamb, poultry and fish. The expansive salad bar features hot and cold items including seafood and sushi.

For Pacific Rim cuisine, the hands-down choice is UMI Pacific Grille (U.S. 17 at Lake Arrowhead Road in the Galleria Shopping Center; 843-497-6016), the newest and perhaps best restaurant from the Divine Dining Group. From cocktails through dessert, UMI offers a seemingly endless adventure of fresh, innovative dishes in a contemporary setting. In North Myrtle Beach, the latest buzz concerns SeaBlue (U.S. 17 N.; 843-249-8800, SeaBlueOnline.com), a romantic little room with a tapas menu of dishes from around the world and an extensive wine list.

Don't Forget...
SunCruz Myrtle Beach (800-474-DICE; SunCruzCasino.com) is the Carolinas’ biggest and best casino cruise, with five hours of live entertainment, great food and non-stop casino action. Vegas-style slot machines pay out $100 million fleet-wide through a wide variety of progressive slots, video poker and Pot O’ Gold machines. There is also live blackjack, roulette, 5x-odds craps, Let It Ride, mini baccarat, Caribbean stud poker and three-card poker. Guests can also bet on their favorite sporting events. The ship departs twice daily from Little River. Call toll-free or visit online for cruise and shuttle bus schedules, directions or more information.

>>Myrtle Beach Attractions

What’s New
You don’t have to be a music aficionado to have already heard the buzz about the Hard Rock Park (George Bishop Parkway, off S.C. 501 or Hwy. 31; 843-236-ROCK, HardRockPark.com), but this extraordinary $400 million complex will undoubtedly appeal to rockers young and old. Five distinct areas with rides, exhibits, attractions, shops and restaurants as well as an outdoor concert facility, where the Moody Blues and the Eagles officially opened the park in June.

For those who like their roller coaster rides unaccompanied by "Whole Lotta Love," there’s the Pavilion Nostalgia Park (Broadway at the Beach; 843-913-9400, PavilionNostalgiaPark.com), a family-friendly tribute to the oceanfront park that entertained Myrtle Beach visitors for nearly 60 years. The old Pavilion was demolished in 2006, but several of its classic rides are on display at the Nostalgia Park including its 1912 Herschell-Spillman Carousel. And it wouldn’t be the Pavilion without corn dogs and funnel cakes.

Don't Forget...
If it’s summer at the Beach, don’t miss the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (21st Avenue N. & Robert Grissom Parkway; 843-918-6000, MyrtleBeachPelicans.com). The Class A Carolina League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, the Pelicans do battle at BB&T Coastal Field, one of the best minor league ballparks in the country. Affordable, fan-friendly and high-quality baseball, the Pelicans have produced such major league stalwarts as Rafael Furcal, Jeff Francoeur, Marcus Giles, Adam LaRoche and Brian McCann.