27 Cheap & Free Things To Do In Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach welcomes over 10 million visitors each season, and one visit here makes it easy to see why!

You’ll find so many activities for every member of your group in the Grand Strand area.  Sixty miles of beautiful beaches, fun for the kids, museums, festivals, and outdoor activities abound in this oceanfront town — and many of them are free!

Check out some of the amazing activities you can enjoy on the the cheap, with these free things to do in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina!

Coolest Places To Stay In Myrtle Beach

• Best Family-Friendly Stay. The beachfront Crown Reef Resort and Waterpark features restaurants, pools, and a lazy river both adults and children can enjoy. When not relaxing on the beach, guests can lounge in any of the resort’s 11 hot tubs or play at the on-site water park.

• Best Indoor & Outdoor Pools. Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort & Spa at Grande Dunes is located on the white sands of Myrtle Beach. Guests can take a refreshing plunge in the beachfront outdoor pool or relax and unwind in the sauna. Private beach access is available directly from the property. An indoor pool and spa are also on property.

• Best Entertainment. The beachfront Coral Beach Resort features 10 pools, which includes a water park, lazy river, and hot tubs. The resort also offers an 8-lane bowling alley, arcade games, and table games with an ice cream parlor and snack bar in the Entertainment Zone. A fitness center and sauna are also available.

Totally Free Fun

Myrtle Beach is home to lots of free events and entertainment, so a visit here won’t break the bank!  Here’s a list of our favorite free activities that you absolutely cannot miss on your next Myrtle Beach vacation.

The Beach

Let’s face it – the reason you’re in Myrtle Beach is for the beach!  Lucky for you, it’s free!  Miles of sandy beaches invite you to relax, have fun, and take in the beauty of the Myrtle Beach area.  There are so many beaches to choose from around the area.

In addition to the beaches of Myrtle Beach, there’s also North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, and Garden City Beach!  Or if you’re looking for a quieter beach experience, Myrtle Beach State Park offers a 1-mile of undeveloped beach.  It does cost a small fee, but kids under 5 are free.  So grab your sunscreen, and get out there!

Read More: 49+ Things To Do in Myrtle Beach (It’s Not What You Are Thinking!)

Myrtle Beach Festivals

Myrtle Beach hosts amazing food and music festivals throughout the year, and you are guaranteed to have a blast!

• Food Truck Festival. Enjoy free admission to this festival that features food trucks, vendors, kid-friendly activities, live entertainment, a cornhole tournament, and two beer stations.

• Sun Fun Festival. Kick off the summer with a visit to this festival, which features a parade, live music, kid-friendly activities, face painting, and more right in the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk district.

• SeptemberFest. Start your fall off right with a visit to this festival held at Barefoot Landing! You’ll find kids’ activities, live music, food and wine vendors, and for a fee – you can even participate in a grape stomp!

• Blue Crab Festival. In Little River, the Blue Crab Festival has been going on for decades.  You’ll find fresh seafood, a kid zone, live music, and entertainment.  There is a small admission fee for adults, but kids 12 and under are free.

There are so many more!  This is a very happening town!

Broadway at the Beach

You cannot visit Myrtle Beach without a visit to Broadway at the Beach. This 350-acre entertainment complex has it all – shopping, restaurants, family-friendly events, mini golf, and in the summer – fireworks!  Most Tuesday and Friday nights in the summer, they host free fireworks shows at 10 p.m.

Also in the summer, they also host a Great American Summer Nights Entertainment series, where you can see such things as fire dancers, and stilt walkers!  This is definitely the place to be.

Murrells Inlet MarshWalk

The Murrells Inlet MarshWalk is a ½-mile long boardwalk that takes you out over a natural saltwater estuary.  Enjoy the saltwater breeze while watching the wildlife and the sunset!

You’ll also find restaurants, live music, watersports, and local events throughout the year along the MarshWalk.

The Pier at Garden City Beach

Enjoy a free stroll down the Pier at Garden City Beach and while you’re there, check out all the things there are to do!  Because this is no ordinary fishing pier.  There is fishing, yes!  Buy yourself a daily pass and fish to your heart’s content.  But there are also two stages that host free concerts and live music, and arcade for the kids (or you!), a café, and two bars.

You could easily spend a whole day here!

Franklin G. Burroughs – Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum

This beautiful art museum is free every day for everyone.  Do not miss your chance to see one of the best visual art museums in South Carolina!

The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum offers interactive exhibits, exhibitions, and programs throughout the year for all ages.  Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the museum is housed in a vintage beach cottage, and features 11 galleries.  Thanks to donations, the museum has offered free admission to everyone since 2003.  It’s a beautiful place both inside and out!

Vereen Memorial Gardens

Considered a “hidden gem,” the Vereen Memorial Gardens offers 3 miles of hiking trails over boardwalks and through the forest.  Enjoy the beautiful views from the salt marsh boardwalks, that also take you to small islands that dot the landscape. 

You’ll also find a nice spot to rest inside a gazebo overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.   It’s totally free, and totally amazing.

Barefoot Landing

Located in North Myrtle Beach, Barefoot Landing is right on the Intracoastal Waterway.  Take a walk along the waterway and enjoy the beautiful views! 

While you’re there, check out the restaurants, shops, and entertainment in the area.  And in the summer, enjoy the free Monday night fireworks shows!

Horry County Museum & LW Paul Living History Farm

The Horry County Museum & LW Paul Living History Farm focuses on the history, pre-history, and natural history of Horry County (including Myrtle Beach), so you can learn all about how this beautiful area came to be!

This museum is also home to a freshwater fish tank, that was featured on Animal Planet’s show, Tanked. During your visit, you can see this customized tank that shows the aquatic life from nearby rivers and lakes.

The living history farm offers insight into what farm life was like in Horry County. Events at the farm even change with the seasons.

They offer free junior programs, which are open to children between the ages of 5-10.  The museum also hosts exhibits, outreach programs, and events throughout the year.

The South Carolina Hall of Fame

The South Carolina Hall of Fame honors some of the state’s most outstanding citizens.  Here you’ll find touch-screen videos of inductees, including famous patriots, and eight signers of the Declaration of Independence! 

Open daily and admission is free!

Ocean Boulevard’s Hot Summer Nights

Located on the Oceanfront Boardwalk at Plyer Park, Hot Summer Nights (June-Sept) is full of family-friendly summertime fun!  Depending on the day, you’ll find stilt walkers, glitter tattoos, princesses and pirates, live music, bounce houses, glow parties, and events like Family Game Show night! 

There is seriously something going on every summer day, and your kids will love it!

The Market Common

The Market Common is a shopping and entertainment area, that offers fun (and free!) events throughout the year.  Enjoy window shopping at local boutiques and well-known shops like Pottery Barn.  Movies, bowling, and a day spa round out the area. 

In the fall, enjoy complimentary hayrides, or complimentary carriage rides in the summer.  You’ll also find free entertainment like movie nights under the stars!  And you absolutely must stop by their Farmer’s Market on summer Saturdays.

Myrtle Beach Boardwalk

Come out and see why this area is so popular with a visit to the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk!

The boardwalk area is home to restaurants, entertainment, shops, the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel, and so much more!  If you like people watching, a walk along this oceanfront boardwalk is the place to be! 

You’ll find this boardwalk runs from the Second Street Pier to the 14^th Street Pier.

Music on Main at North Myrtle Beach

Bring your beach chair and head on down to downtown North Myrtle Beach SC on summer Thursdays to enjoy Music on Main, an awesome live music concert series!

After a long day at the beach, grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants on Main Street and then head on over to this free concert series!  Sounds like the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Fun for $40 or Less

• Sea Thunder Dolphin Cruise.  Cruise the intracoastal waterway and enjoy watching the beautiful dolphins in their natural habitat! DISCOUNT TICKETS!

• Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach.  With 8,500 aquatic animals, amazing sharks, an underwater tunnel, and a new Pearl Harbor marine life and history exhibit, you’ll need the whole day to see everything this aquarium has to offer! Tickets Here!

• SkyWheel Myrtle Beach.  Located right on the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, the SkyWheel is a must-do!  Take a private gondola 20 stories into the air and take in the beautiful ocean views. 

• Dolphin Adventure Cruise. Get ready to see some dolphins – and maybe a shark too!  The 90-foot Hurricane II will take you on a deep see cruise alongside shrimp boats so you can catch a glimpse of the amazing sea life. DISCOUNT TICKETS!

• Sea Screamer Dolphin Cruise. Hop aboard the high-speed Sea Screamer for a chance to see dolphins!  You’ll take an educational cruise exploring the Intracoastal Waterway before heading out for your chance to see the beautiful creatures. DISCOUNT TICKETS!

• DinoPark at Broadway at the Beach. Enter a world of fun and excitement at DinoPark Myrtle Beach! Learn and explore your way through a Jurassic world of over 20 animatronic life sized dinosaurs in a unique true to life setting. There’s a ball pit, a fossil dig area, and you can even ride a T-rex! DISCOUNT TICKETS!

• Magic & Comedy Show. Prepare to be amazed at this family-friendly comedy and magic show at the GTS Theatre!  Michael Bairefoot will thrill you, amaze you, and make you laugh at this 1.5-hour event. DISCOUNT TICKETS!

• Elvis Live. Prepare to get All Shook Up!  Alex Mitchell looks and acts so much like The King, you’ll believe it’s really him!  Celebrate the life of Elvis Presley while listening to his greatest hits. DISCOUNT TICKETS!

• Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. The Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum is so good – you really won’t believe it!  Packed with weird, unusual, shocking, and wild artifacts and stories, this is one museum you really have to see to believe.

• Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze.  Get ready to be a-MAZEd!  Ripley’s Marvelous Mirror Maze challenges you and your family to make it through all the mirrors and LED lights without losing your mind! Watch your head! 

• Ripley’s Haunted Adventure. Ripley’s Haunted Adventure is a great adventure for older kids and adults, this 30-minute experience through the dark gets you up close and personal with zombies and monsters!  Must be at least 8 years old for this scary adventure.

• Hollywood Wax Museum. You’ll see all the famous Hollywood stars right at the Hollywood Wax Museum on Myrtle Beach.  Take your pictures with all of your favorite movie stars, and enjoy one-of-a-kind photo opportunities.

• The Family Kingdom. There’s just a special place in the hearts of families everywhere for that old-time warm,
  friendly amusement park and water park by the sea. Family Kingdom features more than 38 thrilling rides.

Myrtle Beach FAQ

MORE INFORMATION FOR YOUR TRIP TO SOUTH CAROLINA:

• YOUR SOUTH CAROLINA VACATION
• BOAT TOURS: 17+ Myrtle Beach Boat Tours Perfect for Soaking Up the Sun
• SC BEACHES: 17 Alluring South Carolina Beaches Begging You To Visit
• GEORGETOWN: 7 Relaxing Things To Do In Historic Georgetown, SC
• COLUMBIA: 15 Family-Friendly Things To Do In Columbia SC

Where To Stay In Myrtle Beach