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Destination Southeast, Northstar's conference for meeting and incentive planners who are interested in the region.
New & Coming Soon to Myrtle Beach
• A $30 million renovation at the Embassy Suites Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Resort will be completed this summer. The 255-room hotel is getting a new pool deck, a brewhouse and an event lawn with fire pits. The property has more than 61,000 square feet of meeting space.
• A dual-branded Marriott will open this summer. The new Springhill Suites and Courtyard by Marriott will replace the Breakers Resort's Pirates Cove and Palmetto buildings. The Grand Strand property will have an oceanfront pool deck, a lounge area with fire pits and a lazy river.
• Holiday Inn Club Vacations also is building a new resort on the Grand Strand. Scheduled to open in 2024, the hotel will have 152 villas, private cabanas and an activity lawn.
• Myrtle Beach has long been a rewarding place for golfers and recent renovations at Pine Lakes Country Club have underscored the destination’s appeal to groups looking to spend time on the links. New features include Sunday Bermuda grass greens, part of a refurbishment that’s restoring the greens to their original size and expanding the total putting surface area from 103,000 square feet to 124,000 square feet. The club is home to a restaurant, the Robert White Pub, as well as the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame.
• “You Belong at
the Beach,” the destination’s campaign that showcases Myrtle Beach’s
positioning as “the beach,” may seem focused on leisure travelers, but
the sun-soaked message aplies to the meetings segment,
too, according to Bob Harris, executive
vice president of group sales at the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce &
Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our recent brand refresh is meant to
drive responsible travel and repeat visitation to one of America’s most beloved
beach destinations, and that includes meeting planners and those traveling for
conferences and business meetings,” he said. “From the destination’s expanded
non-stop flight options and the abundance of lodging and meetings facilities to
suit any group, to the variety of excursion activities and exciting outdoor
dining spaces, we aim to show meeting planners why their next event belongs at the
beach.” The new campaign, which includes a vibrant and inclusive “brand anthem”
video,
aims to highlight the many reasons that visitors and meeting planners choose
Myrtle Beach.
• Attendees will find even more Instagram-worthy moments in Myrtle Beach with
the opening of new gallery space at Ripley’s Believe it or Not, the
famed chain of eye-catching exhibits. The new rotunda gallery, which is
dedicated to Hollywood memorabilia, includes a number of decidedly different
items, including the engineering console used in multiple Star Trek movies, a
portrait of actor Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson made from cigar ashes and a
life-sized statue of Marilyn Monroe made from more than $1 million worth of
shredded U.S. bills.
• The
Huntington Beach State Nature Park has opened a new, $1.2-million nature center. The facility features a
classroom, exhibit space with live animals and a birding area where visitors can view the region’s more than 300 bird species.
The 2,500-acre park also has a sandy beach, picnic shelters, campgrounds and
extensive trails for hiking and bicycling.
• The Homewood Suites by Hilton Myrtle Beach Coastal
Grand Mall has debuted. The 105-room property has a
600-square-foot meeting room, business center, fitness center and outdoor
swimming pool. Accommodation options include suites with kitchenettes, and
breakfast is complementary.
• Kingston Resorts is
investing in upgrades to two of its Myrtle Beach hotels. A $20 million
renovation is already complete at the 387-room Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort,
with a new open-air event space among the new additions. The company is pumping
$30 million into upgrades at the Embassy Suites Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Resort,
with a completion date in 2022. New features will include a new pool
deck, bar with garden terrace, children’s water park and lawn area that can be
used for games and other events.
• The Polynesian Oceanfront Hotel
has debuted near the city’s top group‐friendly attractions and meeting spaces. The
property has two pools (one outdoor and one indoor), a pet‐friendly
policy and accommodation options including efficiency units with full kitchens,
making it an attractive choice for budget‐conscious attendees traveling with
family members.
• There are
plenty of ways for groups to enjoy Myrtle Beach while maintaining social
distancing. Among them are Broadway at the Beach, a
350-acre site with dining and attractions, the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, which is
lined with shops and restaurants along its 1.2-mile span, and Brookgreen
Gardens, a picturesque
site where attendees can tour botanical gardens and learn about Lowcountry
history.
• Among the city’s newer venues to offer active excitement for
groups is Big Air Trampoline Park. The 40,000‐square‐foot venue offers trampolines,
indoor zip lines, ninja training course and a “shark cage” that challenges delegates to ride a mechanical shark.
Groups of up to 300 attendees are accommodated.
• Planners can infuse their events with local flavor at Tidal Creek
Brewhouse that has a craft kitchen with full
menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Groups can make use of on‐site
audiovisual equipment for presentations, as well as indoor and outdoor space for private events.
• Downtown Myrtle Beach is gearing up for growth, and meeting planners may find some interesting new options as a result. The latest example of the neighborhood's ongoing revitalization is the new Arts & Innovation District, an ambitious development slated
to debut in 2022. Among the additions will be a new cultural arts center and theater in
2022. The venue, a partnership between the city and
Coastal Carolina University, will offer an art gallery and a 300‐seat
theater.
• The former Long Bay Resort has reopened as the
Grande Cayman Resort,
following a multimillion-dollar renovation that includes new façade, updated
lobby and guest rooms and new carpeting, flooring and lighting. The property
offers indoor and outdoor swimming pools and 1,710 square feet of meeting and
event space.
More Event Venues
• Groups can mix with "celebrities" — or at least some very lifelike representations of them — at the Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center, located at Broadway at the Beach. NASCAR champions, movie stars and musicians are just a few of the figures here.
•
The
Funplex Myrtle Beach amusement park has rides, a bar and casual restaurant. Among its fast-paced attractions
are Sky Velocity, which provides guests with an opportunity to experience
weightlessness, Up and Overboard, which sends riders through the air upside
down, and Mach Fun, billed as the tallest 360-degree flying jet ride
on the market.
• Myrtle Beach is an ideal destination for water-based activities, and one especially attractive option for groups is Barefoot Queen Riverboat Cruises. The company offers sightseeing and three-course dinner cruises along the scenic Intracoastal Waterway aboard a 70-foot, 135-passenger wooden vessel. The riverboat has heated and air-conditioned interior decks and three outdoor deck spaces.
•
Atalaya Castle is an impressive structure built by philanthropist Archer Huntington in the
1930s to serve as his winter residence. The 30-room “castle,” graced with Spanish
and Moorish architectural details, became part of Huntington Beach State Park
in 1960 and was named a national landmark in 1984. Group event spaces include
multiple courtyards and studios, and rentals include free park admission for
attendees.
• Attendees can experience history at Freewoods Farm, a “living farm” museum dedicated to the
contributions and lives of Black farmers. Located in the community of Burgess,
the 40-acre venue represents life on a small farm between 1865 and 1900. The
facility offers a variety of educational presentations, including visits to a
wetlands preserve.
• The Asher Theatre is more than an entertainment venue: the facility also hosts conferences and private events. The theater offers a 350-seat auditorium and VIP lounge, as
well as six conference rooms housed in a separate wing. The theater’s featured act is James Stephens III, who blends comedy, celebrity impressions and music in his show, “Man of a Thousand Faces.”
• The picturesque Little River area is home
to Twelve 33 Distillery, an outfit that sources ingredients from local farmers for its handcrafted spirits. Guests
are served the native potables in the distillery’s 3,000-square-foot tasting
room, which accommodates up to 200 guests. Smaller groups are accommodated in
the 550- square-foot “hidden” speakeasy.
• Groups can take part in Myrtle Beach’s vibrant pub at 44 & King,
a venue that serves southern comfort food and locally-sourced drinks
within a friendly pub ambiance. Surrounded by majestic live oak trees,
the pub is available for buyouts of up to 160 people Beer lovers can
savor locally crafted quaffs from South Carolina breweries including
Ghost Monkey, Revelry Brewing and Swamp Cabbage Brewing Company, while
those who prefer cocktails can sample drinks made with local potables
like Dixie Vodka, Six & Twenty Heirloom Rye Vodka, Striped Pig Gin
and Mountain Peak Espresso Rum. The menu features southern and
Lowcountry specialties, such as fresh okra, shrimp and sweet potato
grits and barbecue brisket.
• Kingston Resorts, a development that includes the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort and Embassy Suites by Hilton,
offers attendees superb wellness and fitness facilities. The Landing, the spa and fitness center, offers five treatment rooms and a VIP lounge for groups, as well as racquetball courts, an indoor pool, sauna and studios for yoga and Pilates. Guests
can also make use of two sand volleyball courts and four pickleball courts. The three golf simulators and putting green are also available to participants looking to perfect their swing, and the venue’s fire pit and bar area allow for end-of-day socializing.
• THEBlvd, one of the destination’s newest entertainment and retail attractions, continues to add new group-friendly venues. Among the latest to open at the 55,000-square-foot complex
is Banditos Cantina, a revamped version of a popular local Mexican restaurant. Groups of up to 300 can make use of the space for private events for a Banditos Taco
Party with “deconstructed” tacos and traditional buffets with favorites like adobo chicken, grilled sirloin and cheese quesadillas. The eatery is decidedly modern and artsy, with large, Mexican-inspired wall murals and colorful tiles, as well as
impressive ocean views.
• With roots that date back to 1944, The Bowery has a long history of entertaining visitors. Groups of up to 500 can enjoy the lively ambiance at this casual venue, where the popular country music group Alabama once served as the house band. A country music group called The Bounty currently holds that title; they perform six nights a week, with guest bands joining the stage on Sundays. An array of thick burgers (including the 8th Wonder, a one‐pound Angus beef hamburger with lots of toppings), chicken wings and hefty sandwiches are among the menu options at this jamming spot.
•
Broadway at the Beach, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, continues to add group-friendly restaurants to its vibrant roster. Among the newest this year is Bar Louie, a
self-described “gastrobar” with a menu that includes burgers, sandwiches and flatbreads, complemented by a range of craft cocktails and local beers. To satisfy their sweet tooth, visitors can pop into the Doughnuttery, a family-owned donut shop, and
Tipsy Scoop, an ice cream shop where the sweets are infused with liquor; both businesses recently opened inside the giant candy store called
It’sugar.
• The Rivertown Bistro, located in the
historic district of nearby Conway, features seasonal fare by locally-renowned
chef Darren Smith. House specialities like vegetable dashi bowls and
chargrilled parmesan shrimp scampi combine southern traditions with creative
twists and locally-sourced ingredients. The eatery offers a private dining room
that accommodates 36 guests.
• The Myrtle Beach Sports Center, adjacent to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, hosts tournaments and group sports events. The complex includes eight basketball courts, 16 volleyball courts and a large multi-screen
video wall, and can seat up to 2,000 spectators on telescopic bleachers. The facility hosts court sports including gymnastics, wrestling, pickleball, table tennis and more. The venue also can host trade shows and includes an elevated mezzanine and
an indoor/outdoor café.