South Carolina Grand Strand
Oceanfront condos and beach houses across Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill. The quieter, family-friendlier side of the Grand Strand.
The Place
If you're picturing Myrtle Beach as one big neon strip — North Myrtle Beach will surprise you. It's the same beautiful Atlantic coastline, but the city itself is calmer, more residential, and far less commercial than Myrtle Beach proper. No SkyWheel, no boardwalk arcade. Just neighborhoods of beach houses and low-rise condos lining 9 miles of wide, family-friendly sand.
The city spans four distinct beach communities, each with its own character:
Cherry Grove at the north end is the quietest — long stretches of beach, a famous fishing pier, and a saltwater marsh inlet that locals use for kayaking and crabbing. Best for families wanting maximum tranquility.
Ocean Drive ("OD") is the historic heart. This is where shag dancing was born in the 1940s, and the OD Pavilion still hosts shag music and dancing nightly during summer. Walkable to restaurants, ice cream shops, and the original Hot Stuff Foods.
Crescent Beach sits in the middle — straight beach access, classic family beach-house architecture, and the kind of streets where you can ride bikes after dinner.
Windy Hill at the south end is closest to Myrtle Beach proper and Barefoot Landing. Good if you want a quieter base but plan to do a lot of attractions and shopping.
Nine miles of wide, gently sloped Atlantic beach. The sand is finer than at some Carolina beaches, and the water temperature is warmer too — Myrtle gets the benefit of the Gulf Stream's proximity. The Cherry Grove Pier (one of the longest piers on the East Coast) is open for fishing and walking with a small admission fee. Public beach accesses are well-marked roughly every block.
North Myrtle is the official birthplace of shag dancing — South Carolina's state dance. Even if you've never shagged in your life, watching the regulars at Fat Harold's Beach Club, Duck's, or the OD Pavilion is entertainment in itself. Free outdoor concerts run at the OD Pavilion most summer evenings.
Locally beloved: Hoskins Restaurant for old-school breakfast, Greg Norman's Australian Grille at Barefoot Landing for upscale dining with waterway views, Filet's Calabash Seafood for the regional specialty, Boulineau's the historic local grocery/deli, and Hot Stuff Foods for legendary takeout pizza and subs. For coffee, Joe's Burgers and Bull Frog Coffee are local favorites.
Barefoot Landing in the Windy Hill section is a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex along the Intracoastal Waterway. House of Blues hosts concerts year-round. The Alligator Adventure reptile park is a perennial kid favorite.
Mini-golf is taken seriously on the Grand Strand — there are literally dozens of courses. Hawaiian Rumble (with its 40-foot smoking volcano) is the most iconic.
The Grand Strand is one of the densest golf destinations in America — over 100 courses within a 30-minute drive. North Myrtle is home to highly-rated courses including Tidewater, Barefoot Resort (four courses by Norman, Fazio, Love, and Dye), and Eagle Nest. Tee times are available year-round, with the best weather October through May.
Myrtle Beach proper (15 min south): Broadway at the Beach, the SkyWheel, Ripley's Aquarium, the boardwalk, Family Kingdom amusement park. Easy to do as a day from North Myrtle.
Brookgreen Gardens (45 min south): One of the finest sculpture gardens in America, set inside a former rice plantation. Worth the half-day trip.
Calabash, NC (10 min north): The "seafood capital of the world" — a tiny fishing village with a dozen iconic Calabash-style fried seafood restaurants. Worth a dinner trip.
Wilmington, NC (90 min north): Historic downtown, the USS North Carolina battleship, beach barrier islands. Solid full-day trip.
Mid-May through August: Warmest water (mid-70s to mid-80s), full beach season, peak prices. June and August are most popular for families.
September and early October: Our favorite. Water is still warm. Days are still long. Crowds thin out after Labor Day. Rates drop 25-40% from peak. Best value of the year.
April to mid-May: Ocean is still cool but the beach is pleasant. Golf season is in full swing.
November to March: Quieter, milder than the mountains, and a real bargain on rentals. Some restaurants reduce hours. Good for golf, beachcombing, and shoulder-season festivals.
We manage oceanfront and ocean-view properties on North Myrtle Beach — including condos with sweeping Atlantic views and convenient access to all four beach sections. Each of our properties is professionally cleaned between guests, accurately listed, and supported by local response if anything comes up during your stay.
North Myrtle, Holden Beach, North Topsail, Oak Island, and more.
Browse Beach Rentals →At the northern end of South Carolina's Grand Strand, just south of the NC state line. The city spans four communities — Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill — each with its own character.
Calmer, more residential, fewer high-rises, no boardwalk strip. Known as the home of shag dancing and beach music. Most families wanting a quieter trip prefer North Myrtle; those wanting nightlife and amusement parks stay in Myrtle proper.
Myrtle Beach International (MYR) is 20 minutes south with direct flights from many east-coast and midwest cities. Wilmington (ILM) is 90 minutes north; Charlotte (CLT) is 2.5 hours.
The beach, shag dancing at the OD Pavilion, the Cherry Grove fishing pier, Barefoot Landing shopping & dining, House of Blues concerts, over 100 area golf courses, and easy trips to Myrtle Beach attractions and Calabash NC seafood.
Mid-May through August for peak beach weather. September and early October for warm water at lower rates (our favorite). April–early May and late October for shoulder season. November–March for quiet and discounts.