Myrtle Beach Condos, Redevelopment

Redevelopment plans will transform faded, downtown boardwalk into fresh-faced beautyBeach area ready for facelift

Kevin Hann Sun Media
January 25, 2007
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The adage “what’s old is new again” rings as true as the ocean tide these days along the Grand Strand.

South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach has always been a centre for family fun. Canadians aren’t the only ones who think so. In 2003-2004, the Travel Channel declared the area one of America’s best beaches and earned 18 out of a possible 20 stars to be named best family beach.

There are plans underway to redevelop the faded, downtown boardwalk into a fresh-faced tourist attraction. Too much sun? There are plenty of opportunities for family fun besides the beach. NASCAR SpeedPark revs up high energy fun. Visitors glide along on a moving sidewalk as they check out the sharks at Ripley’s Aquarium.—

From the transformation of a legendary motel into a first-class resort at Sea Island on the Beach, to tantalizing redevelopment possibilities at the former Pavilion site in the city centre, Myrtle Beach is borrowing on its past to forge a fun-filled future.

As the sun set on a sizzling South Carolina summer, a cornerstone of area tourism faded into the history books, as Myrtle Beach Pavilion hosted its farewell fling. The summertime amusement park was forsaken as part of a wide-ranging plan to revitalize the city’s dingy downtown boardwalk by creating a year-round tourism draw.

Exactly what will materialize (there have been rumours of a Disney-style park and condos) has yet to be determined. All eyes are now on Burroughs & Chapin Company as it moves to redevelop the 4.5-hectare park, the area’s most popular attraction.

“The Pavilion represents a significant part of our company’s history and it played a key role in the early development of Myrtle Beach," said company spokesman Pat Dowling. “We hope to be able to preserve as many park items as feasible.”

Meanwhile, there’s no shortage of family fun to be found along the 90-km stretch of sand voted by Travel Channel as one of America's Best Beaches for 2003-2004.

Earning 18 out of a possible 20 stars, Myrtle Beach was singled out as the Best Family Beach. You’ll find boogie boards in abundance, while more adventurous types take to parasailing over the sun-soaked summer surf.

Families seeking a little more privacy and less-crowded beachfront often seek out resorts in the north end of Myrtle Beach (not to be confused with North Myrtle beach, which is several miles father north).

It’s here, at 62nd Ave. N., you’ll find the magnificent Sea Island on the Beach. Canadians by the tens of thousands have made this area their home away from home for vacations. Resorts offer them efficiency suites with all the amenities of home, on-site waterparks, children’s programs and money-saving packages.

More than four-million rounds of Myrtle Beach golf are played here annually at 111 area courses. In this, the golf capital of North America, mini-putt courses are sprouting up everywhere. Dragon's Lair, in the Broadway at the Beach entertainment complex, is a challenging track built over moats and through medieval stone castles.

BATB is also home to a Ripley’s Aquarium, a state-of-the-art, 8,082 sq.-metre masterpiece. Visitors are surrounded by menacing three-metre sharks as they travel through Dangerous Reef, a 2.84-million-litre tank, on the world’s longest (100-metre) moving glidepath.

Life in the fast lane mirrors reality at NASCAR SpeedPark, offering eight go-kart tracks. Regular visitors head to places such as Calabash or Murrell's Inlet to score the freshest catches from seaside markets.

The unofficial flag for Myrtle Beach definitely has a Maple Leaf on it. And those flags will be flying March 10-18 during the annual Can-Am Festival, when there are special events and prices for friends from the north.
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Myrtle Beach real estate is also getting back into the swing in this new spring season. The slowdown of the holidays seems to be lifting and once again the internet is burning up! Good news for all.