Surfside Beach, S.C.

Quaint and quiet with plenty of family-friendly fun

Just to the south of Myrtle Beach in the area known as “the south strand” are several laid-back beach communities, notable for their family-friendly attractions such as Wild Water and Wheels and attractive beach houses.

Here in the Surfside Beach and Garden City Beach areas, vacation homes and rentals feature prominently along with a few smaller hotels.

The Town of Surfside Beach is small beach community that features two miles of oceanfront and extends inland to Highway 17 Bypass.

Located just south of the Myrtle Beach city limits and extending beyond Highway 544 to the south, this area was relatively undeveloped until the mid-1900s.

Two events — Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and the expansion of the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base — provided the 1-2 punch the town needed.

More modern homes built to hurricane codes and a growing population led to incorporation in 1964.

Oceanfront homes and hotels sprang up around the coast, along with residential neighborhoods, restaurants and businesses followed a little further inland to make Surfside Beach the tourism draw it is today.

Operated by a seven-member town council, Surfside Beach has its own police and fire departments, as well as sanitation, public works, parks and recreation and other services.

The city also owns and operates the Surfside Beach Pier, the centerpiece of the downtown district.

Fishing, golf, and water sports are popular pastimes, and a variety of seafood restaurants and souvenir shops make up the downtown district.

Wild Water & Wheels water park, dining, shopping, and nightlife make this a vibrant community that is one of the fastest growing on the Grand Strand.

Inland areas feature single-family neighborhoods and multi-family developments, and children attend local schools until attending Socastee High, which is inland across the Highway 17 Bypass.