Close your eyes and picture a postcard-perfect moment during your summer vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For some, it’s a fun and relaxing day on the beach, while others prefer testing their skills on the Grand Strand’s world-class golf courses. But there is one image that stands out as a must-do for almost any visitor to Myrtle Beach – drinks and dinner on a pier.
There’s something special about sitting over the Atlantic Ocean while listening to the crashing waves, feeling the cool sea breeze, sipping on a frozen drink and feasting on fresh seafood that used to be swimming under your feet. The best place to enjoy this sensation is on the deck of a pier, and the Grand Strand is lined with on-pier options for dinner and drinks.
Guests at Bay View on the Boardwalk in Myrtle Beach’s downtown district are in a particularly prime position to sample some of the best pier offerings on the Strand. Not only is the most popular pier in town only a hop, skip and jump down the Boardwalk from the resort, but there are a number of piers just a short drive from Bay View for guests to enjoy. Here are our guests’ favorite places to eat, drink and be merry while sitting just feet above the Atlantic Ocean:
* Second Avenue Pier: Located only a couple blocks away from Bay View on the Boardwalk, the Second Avenue Pier offers a pair of excellent options for food and drink – both with incredible ocean views. The Pier House Restaurant is an enclosed venue that sits high above the shoreline with large, pane-glass windows surrounding the dining area and offering unobstructed vistas. Serving three meals a day, the Pier House offers a menu that ranges from the basics, like burgers and sandwiches, to some tasty seafood dishes, such as shrimp and grits and crab cakes. While the Pier House is great for family dining, the upstairs Pier View Open Air Bar literally takes the experience to the next level. This open-air bar and restaurant has amazing views of the ocean, an upscale food menu and a full bar serving frozen and mixed drinks, wine, and beer. Sip and snack on something tasty, kick back on the cozy deck furniture, and relax under the sun, moon and stars.
* Croakers at the Pier: Located in the Arcadian Shores section of Myrtle Beach, the Apache Pier is the longest wooden pier on the East Coast at more than 1,200 feet and offers a wide variety of activities, including fishing, live music and dancing, and, of course, food and drink. Croakers at the Pier provides indoor and outdoor dining, both with ocean views, and a full bar and food menu featuring three meals a day. After dinner, take a stroll down to the band shell for nightly live music.
* Murrells Inlet MarshWalk: This wooden walkway is an embarrassment of riches for dining and drinking. Featuring a dozen establishments stretched along the waterfront of Murrells Inlet, the “Seafood Capital of South Carolina,” the MarshWalk lives up to this nickname with several seafood restaurants serving fresh catches delivered directly to the nearby docks. Among the many popular hot spots are Captain Dave’s Dockside, Creek Ratz, Drunken Jack’s and the Dead Dog Saloon.
* Pier 14 Restaurant & Bar: Guests at Bay View on the Boardwalk who want to explore the 1.2-mile Myrtle Beach Boardwalk from end to end can treat themselves by visiting this pier on the northernmost end of the oceanfront walkway. Offering both indoor and outdoor seating, Pier 14 serves a menu filled with seafood favorites, as well as a full bar pouring your favorites to enjoy with the beautiful views.
After a delicious dinner out on the piers of Myrtle Beach, head back to Bay View on the Boardwalk for a relaxing stroll down the Boardwalk and a good night’s rest. After all, breakfast will be served on another pier in only a few hours.