South Carolina Tourist Hot Spot Named One Of 7 Best Beach Cities In America
People are very and I mean VERY passionate about their chosen beaches. We all know those families that have rented the same house at the same beach usually the same week year after year after year. Or have purchased their own homes on the beach. I’m of the opinion that there are so many cute beach towns (especially within a reasonable drive of Charlotte) that I’d rather try new ones that continuously return to the same spot year after year. So I’m always interested in these lists of “the best beach towns”. This one I stumbled across had a South Carolina tourist hot spot named one of the 7 best beach cities in America.
And that’s a choice. One I personally would not agree with. This list comes from ExtraSpace Storage and is updated as of January 30th of this year. The methodology is not outright stated so this is most likely opinion-based rather than data-based. And that’s fine, everyone’s entitled to their opinion. Mine would just be that this South Carolina tourist hot spot is not one of the 7 best beach cities in America.
Can you guess which one? It’s Myrtle Beach.
Listen I have no issue with Myrtle Beach, I’ve spent many years staying within a short drive of Myrtle, and I have friends and family members with homes within the vicinity of Myrtle Beach. (I’ll never turn down a free place to stay at the beach). I spent every summer growing up at dance competitions there as well. So I’m entirely familiar with it. And if you are spending a week at the beach with kids, and aren’t the type of people to sit on the beach day in and day out, there are endless options.
Any tourist-type attraction, activity, or restaurant you can imagine- you’ll find it in Myrtle Beach. From mini golf to themed restaurants, outlet malls, go-carts, and adventure parks, it’s all there. So if by “best beach town” you mean the highest number of activities then you can your case. I’m not a huge “tacky tourist” fan. Downtown Myrtle Beach is home to places like Ripley’s Believe It or Not and those types of attractions. Stands that will write your name on a grain of rice. And stores filled with shot glasses, t-shirts you’ll never wear again, and cheap souvenirs. Listen these places stay in business so there is a market for them. It’s just not my preference.
And when you are saying one of the 7 best beach towns in America- I just can’t put Myrtle on the list. The six other cities were
- Wrightsville Beach, NC
- Laguna Beach, CA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Cape May, NJ
- Clearwater, FL
- Cannon Beach, OR
The others on this list I have personally visited (Laguna Beach, Clearwater (area), and Wrightsville Beach give more of a unique experience in my opinion. Though I understand Virginia Beach to be similar to Myrtle. Again I’m not anti- Myrtle Beach. I couldn’t even count the number of times I’ve visited if I wanted to. I just think when comparing it to beaches around the country there are better options. New England was completely left off this list, and that’s one I consider a snub! And what about that island state of Hawaii? No way Myrtle is better than that!
If you’re planning an SC beach vacationI’d personally recommend staying a little north of Myrtle either in North Myrtle or the Cherry Grove area, or further south somewhere like Pawley’s Island. You’ll get a quieter more scenic experience at the beach, but be within an easy drive to take advantage of the numerous amenities Myrtle Beach has to offer. What’s your favorite South Carolina beach? Let us know on social media! Read the full article from ExtraSpace Storage here.
This South Carolina Beach Is One Of The "Greatest Beach Towns In America"
