Moon Coastal Carolinas Page 17
WACCATEE ZOOLOGICAL FARM
The closest thing to a bona fide zoo in Myrtle is Waccatee Zoological Farm (8500 Enterprise Rd., 843/650-8500, www.waccateezoo.com, daily 10am-5pm, $10 adults, $4 ages 1-12). A humble affair by comparison to the state’s premier zoo in Columbia, Waccatee is a totally private venture on 500 acres of land about a 15 minutes’ drive out of town. There are buffalo, zebras, kangaroos, and emus, many of which the kids will enjoy feeding for a few bucks per bag.
Animal activists be forewarned: Many of the animals are kept in enclosed spaces, and there is a noticeable lack of professionally trained staff.
S OCEAN DRIVE BEACH
Less an actual place than a state of mind, the “OD” up in North Myrtle Beach is notable for its role in spawning one of America’s great musical genres, beach music. Don’t confuse beach music with the Beach Boys or Dick Dale—that’s surf music. Beach music, simply put, is music to dance the shag to. Think the Drifters, the Platters, and the Swingin’ Medallions.
To experience the OD, go to the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Main Street and take in the vibe. There’s still major shag action going on up here, specifically at several clubs specializing in the genre. If you don’t want to shag, don’t worry—this is still a charming, laid-back area that’s a lot of fun simply to stroll around and enjoy a hot dog or ice cream cone.
CHERRY GROVE PIER
One of the few grand old pavilions left on the southeast coast, North Myrtle’s Cherry Grove Pier (3500 N. Ocean Blvd., 843/249-1625, www.cherrygrovepier.com, Sun.-Thurs. 6am-midnight, Fri.-Sat. 6am-2am, free) was built in the 1950s. Despite remodeling in the late 1990s, it still retains that nostalgic feel, with anglers casting into the waters and kids eating ice cream cones. There’s a neat two-story observation deck, and on a clear day you can see North Carolina.
Unusually, this is a privately owned pier. It’s particularly popular with anglers, who have their state licensing needs covered by the pier. Get bait or rent a fishing rod ($20/day plus refundable $50 deposit) at the Tackle and Gift Shop (843/249-1625). They’ll also sell you a crab net to cast off the pier ($6, licenses and permits included).
LA BELLE AMIE VINEYARD
The only vineyard on the Strand, the peaceful and scenic La Belle Amie Vineyard (1120 St. Joseph Rd., 843/399-9463, www.labelleamie.com, Mon.-Sat. 10am-6pm) in Little River is owned by two sisters, Vicki Weigle and June Bayman, who are descended from this old tobacco plantation’s owners (in French the vineyard’s name means “beautiful friend,” but it’s also a play on the family name, Bellamy). You can purchase wine for your own enjoyment or for gifts, or you can just visit the tasting room (Mon.-Sat. 10am-5:30pm), where a mere $5 per person gets you a sampling of any five wines. Coupons for discounted purchase are available at the tasting room.
TOURS
The number of tours offered in Myrtle Beach is nothing compared to Charleston, this being much more of a “doing” place than a “seeing” place. The most fun and comprehensive tour in the area is Coastal Safari Jeep Tours (843/497-5330, www.carolinasafari.com, $38 adults, $20 children), which takes you on a guided tour in a super-size jeep (holding 12-14 people). You’ll go well off the commercial path to see such sights on the Waccamaw Neck as old plantations, Civil War sites, and slave cabins, as well as hear lots of ghost stories. They’ll pick you up at most area hotels.
Entertainment and Events
NIGHTLIFE
Any discussion of Myrtle Beach nightlife must begin with a nod to The Bowery (110 9th Ave. N., 843/626-3445, www.thebowerybar.com, daily 11am-2am), a country-and-western and Southern-rock spot right off the beach, which has survived several hurricanes since opening in 1944. Its roadhouse-style decor hasn’t changed a whole lot since then, other than some cheesy marketing to play up its role in history as the place where the country band Alabama got its start playing for tips in 1973 under the name Wildcountry. They were still playing gigs here when their first hit, “Tennessee River,” hit the charts in 1980.
The Bowery
Bands usually crank up here around 9pm, and there is a nominal cover charge. There’s only one type of draft beer served at The Bowery, at $2.50 per mug, and there is no real dance floor to speak of. If the proud display of Confederate flags doesn’t bother you, it’s usually a lot of fun. Next door is The Bowery’s “sister bar,” Duffy’s (110 9th Ave. N., 843/626-3445, daily 11am-2am), owned by the same folks and with a similarly down-home vibe, except without the live music.
For a more upscale if definitely less personal and unique experience, Broadway at the Beach hosts the high-profile (some say overrated) national clubs Planet Hollywood (2915 Hollywood Dr., 843/448-7827, www.planethollywood.com, hours vary by season) and the Hard Rock Café (1322 Celebrity Circle, 843/946-0007, www.hardrock.com, Mon.-Sun. 11am-midnight).
You don’t have to be a Parrothead to enjoy Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville (1114 Celebrity Circle, 843/448-5455, www.margaritavillemyrtlebeach.com, daily 11am-midnight) at Broadway at the Beach, actually a pretty enjoyable experience considering it’s a national chain. The eponymous margaritas are, of course, the beverage highlight, but they also serve Jimmy’s signature LandShark Lager on tap for beer lovers.
In addition to its attached live performance space, the House of Blues (4640 U.S. 17 S., 843/272-3000, www.hob.com) at Barefoot Landing features a hopping bar in its dining area, situated amid a plethora of folk art reminiscent of the Mississippi Delta. Most nights feature live entertainment starting at about 10pm, with one of the best-mixed sound systems you’re likely to hear.
SHAG DANCING
North Myrtle Beach is the nexus of that Carolina-based dance known as the shag. There are several clubs in town that have made a name for themselves as the unofficial “shag clubs” of South Carolina. The two main ones are Duck’s (229 Main St., 843/249-3858, www.ducksatoceandrive.com) and Fat Harold’s (210 Main St., 843/249-5779, www.fatharolds.com). There’s also The Pirate’s Cove (205 Main St., 843/249-8942).
Duck’s is one of the traditional shag clubs in North Myrtle Beach.
Another fondly regarded spot is the OD Pavilion (91 S. Ocean Blvd., 843/280-0715), a.k.a. the Sunset Grill or “Pam’s Palace,” on the same site as the old Roberts Pavilion that was destroyed by 1954’s Hurricane Hazel. Legend has it this was where the shag was born. Also in North Myrtle, the Ocean Drive Beach Club (100 S. Ocean Blvd., 843/249-6460), a.k.a. “the OD Lounge,” inside the Ocean Drive Beach and Golf Resort, specializes in shag dancing most days after 4pm. The resort is a focal point of local shag conventions and is even home to the Shaggers Hall of Fame. Also inside the Ocean Drive Resort is another popular shag club, The Spanish Galleon (100 N. Ocean Blvd., 843/249-1047), a.k.a. “The Galleon.”
Key local shag events, which are quite well attended, include the National Shag Dance Championships (www.shagnationals.com, Jan.-Mar.), the Spring Safari (www.shagdance.com, Apr.), and the Fall Migration (www.shagdance.com, mid-Sept.).
SHOWS
S Carolina Opry
Nothing can duplicate the experience of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, but don’t snicker at Myrtle’s Carolina Opry (8901-A Business U.S. 17, 800/843-6779, www.thecarolinaopry.com, showtimes and ticket prices vary). Since 1986 this well-respected stage show, begun by legendary promoter Calvin Gilmore, has packed ’em in at the Grand Strand. It is a hoot for country music fans and city slickers alike.
Carolina Opry
The main focus is the regular Opry show, done in the classic, free-wheeling, fast-moving variety format known to generations of old-school country fans from the original Opry. Some of the humor is corny, and the brief but open displays of patriotic and faith-based music aren’t necessarily for everyone and might be slightly confusing given the emphasis on sexy and accomplished female dancers. But there’s no arguing the high energy and vocal and instrumental abilities of these very professional singers, instrumentalists, and dancers, who gamely take on hits through the generations ranging from bluegrass to Motown, pop, and modern country.
The Story of the Shag
In South Carolina, the shag is neither a type of rug nor what Austin Powers does in his spare time. It’s a dance—a smooth, laid-back, happy dance done to that equally smooth, laid-back, happy kind of rhythm-and-blues called beach music (not to be confused with surf music such as the Beach Boys). The boys twirl the girls while their feet kick and slide around with a minimum of upper-body movement—the better to stay cool in the Carolina heat.
Descended from the Charleston, another indigenous Palmetto State dance, the shag originated on the Strand sometime in the 1930s, when the popular Collegiate Shag was slowed down to the subgenre now called the Carolina Shag. While shag scholars differ as to the exact spawning ground, there’s a consensus that North Myrtle Beach’s Ocean Drive, or “OD” in local patois, became the home of the modern shag sometime in the mid-1940s.
Legend has it that the real shag was born when white teenagers, “jumping the Jim Crow rope” by watching dancers at black nightclubs in the segregated South, brought those moves back to the beach and added their own twists. Indeed, while the shag has always been primarily practiced by white people, many of the leading beach music bands were (and still are) African American.
By the mid-late 1950s, the shag, often called simply “the basic” or “the fas’ dance,” was all the rage with the Strand’s young people, who gathered at beachfront pavilions and in local juke joints called beach clubs, courting each other to the sounds of early beach music greats like the Drifters, the Clovers, and Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. This is the time period most fondly remembered by today’s shaggers, a time of penny loafers (no socks!), poodle skirts, and 45-rpm records, when the sea breeze was the only air-conditioning.
The shag is practiced today by a graying but devoted cadre of older fans, with a vanguard of younger practitioners keeping the art form alive. A coterie of North Myrtle clubs specializes in the dance, while the area hosts several large-scale gatherings of shag aficionados each year.
To immerse yourself in shag culture, head on up to Ocean Drive Beach in North Myrtle at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Main Street and look down at the platters in the sidewalk marking the Shaggers Walk of Fame. Walk a couple of blocks up to the corner of Main Street and Hillside Drive and visit the mecca of beach music stores, Judy’s House of Oldies (300 Main St., 843/249-8649, www.judyshouseofoldies.com, Mon.-Sat. 9am-6pm). They also sell instructional DVDs.
To get a taste of the dance itself, stop by the OD Pavilion (91 S. Ocean Blvd., 843/280-0715), Duck’s (229 Main St., 843/249-3858, www.ducksatoceandrive.com), or Fat Harold’s (210 Main St., 843/249-5779, www.fatharolds.com), or visit The Spanish Galleon (100 N. Ocean Blvd., 843/249-1047) inside the Ocean Drive Beach Resort. If you’re interested, don’t be shy; shaggers are notoriously gregarious and eager to show off their stock-in-trade. It’s easy to learn, it’s family-friendly, and there will be no shortage of pleasant young-at-heart shaggers around who will be happy to teach you the steps.
The Carolina Opry augments its regular music, comedy, and dance show with a seasonal Christmas special, which is extremely popular and sells out even faster than the regular shows, often six or more months in advance. There is generally one other bit of specialty programming each year, such as the long-running Good Vibrations pop hits revue.
The 2,200-seat Carolina Opry theater, while no match for Nashville’s classic Ryman Auditorium, is pretty classy for a venue only built in 1992.
Legends in Concert
Way down in Surfside Beach, where the big buildup on the Strand begins, you’ll find Legends in Concert (301 Business U.S. 17, 843/238-7827, www.legendsinconcert.com, ticket prices vary), a popular rotating show of celebrity impersonators from Elvis to Barbra Streisand. As cheesy as that sounds, the resemblances can be quite uncanny, and the shows are really entertaining.
House of Blues
Besides being a great place for dinner, on the other side of the restaurant is the stage for the House of Blues (4640 U.S. 17 S., 843/272-3000, www.hob.com, ticket prices vary) at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. They bring some pretty happening names in R&B, straight blues, and rock-and-roll to this fun venue dedicated to preserving old-school music and live performance, with a professional sound mix.
House of Blues at Barefoot Landing
Medieval Times
Oh, come on—what’s not to like about bountiful feasts, juggling jesters, skillful falconers, fetching maidens, and brave jousting knights? At Medieval Times (2904 Fantasy Way, 843/236-4635, www.medievaltimes.com, $51 adults, $31 under age 13) you’ll get all that and more. The kitsch quotient is high at this Renaissance Faire on steroids, a live-action story line featuring plenty of stage combat, music, and a steady stream of culinary items for your enjoyment (and yes, there’s a full bar for those of drinking age). But there’s an honest-to-goodness educational element as well: You’ll be eating everything with your hands—no utensils in the 11th century—and most of the action and history is roughly authentic. The price may seem high at first glance, but keep in mind you’re getting a hearty full dinner plus a two-hour stage and equestrian show.
Pirate’s Voyage
Sharing a parking lot with the Carolina Opry is Pirate’s Voyage (8901-B N. Kings Hwy., 843/497-9700, www.piratesvoyage.com, from $44.99 adults, $26.99 ages 4-11, free under age 4), one of the newer entertainment attractions to hit Myrtle Beach. Affiliated with Dolly Parton’s entertainment empire—her “Dixie Stampede” originally occupied this building—Pirate’s Voyage takes you on a rollicking two-hour trip into the world of buccaneers, with fighting, lost treasure, dancing, acrobatics, mermaids, and assorted high-seas drama, all with photographers on hand to document your experience . . . for a price, me hearties. Like Medieval Times, this is essentially dinner theater with three shows a day in the high season of late summer, offering a variety of suitably swashbuckling menu items like chicken, pork, and fried shrimp. OK, so you don’t come here for the food.
The Alabama Theatre
The Alabama Theatre (4750 U.S. 17, 843/272-5758, www.alabama-theatre.com, ticket prices vary) at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach focuses on the long-running song-and-dance revue One: The Show as well as big-name acts who may be past their prime but are still able to fill seats, such as the Oakridge Boys, George Jones, Kenny Rogers, and, of course, the eponymous troubadours Alabama, who got their big break while playing at Myrtle Beach. It’s not all country, though—Motown and beach music acts like the Temptations and the Platters are often featured as well. As with the Carolina Opry, Barefoot Landing has its own Christmas special, and as with the Opry’s offering, this one sells out well in advance.
Palace Theatre
The Palace Theatre (1420 Celebrity Circle, 800/905-4228, www.palacetheatremyrtlebeach.com, ticket prices vary) at Broadway at the Beach offers a variety of toned-down Vegas-style entertainment. Recent shows included tributes to the Beatles and Queen.
CINEMA
At Broadway at the Beach, there’s a multiplex, Carmike’s Broadway Cinema 16 (843/445-1600, www.carmike.com). Other movie theaters include the Cinemark (2100 Coastal Grand Circle, 843/839-3221, www.cinemark.com) at the Coastal Grand Mall and the massive new Grand 14 at the Market Common (4002 Deville St., 843/282-0550) at the multiuse Market Common, actually a repurposed Air Force base.
FESTIVALS AND EVENTS
Interestingly, most events in Myrtle Beach don’t happen during the three-month high season of June-August, mostly because it’s so darn hot that all anyone wants to do is get in the water.
Winter
The Grand Strand is the birthplace of the dance called the shag, and each winter for the last 25 years the National Shag Dance Championships (2000 N. Kings Hwy., 843/497-7369, www.shagnationals.com, from $15/night) have been the pinnacle of the art form. Beginning with preliminaries in January, contestants in five age ranges compete for a variety of awards, culminating in the finals the first week in March. The level of professionalism might amaze you—for such a
lazy-looking dance, these are serious competitors.
Spring
You might not automatically associate our colder neighbor to the north with Myrtle Beach, but Canadian American Days (various venues, www.myrtlebeachinfo.com, free), or “Can Am,” brings tens of thousands of visitors of both nationalities to sites all over the Strand each March to enjoy a variety of musical and cultural events. Always on top of marketing opportunities, the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce makes sure this happens during Ontario’s spring holidays to ensure maximum north-of-the-border attendance. While most of the events have little or nothing to do with Canada itself, this is basically a great excuse for Canucks to get some Carolina sunshine.
The Spring Games and Kite Flying Contest (843/448-7881, free) brings an exciting array of airborne craft to the Strand in front of Broadway at the Beach on an April weekend as the springtime winds peak.
Also in April is the area’s second-largest shag event, the Society of Stranders Spring Safari (www.shagdance.com). Several clubs in North Myrtle Beach participate in hosting shag dancers from all over for a week of, well, shagging.
The biggest single event in Myrtle Beach happens in May with the Spring Bike Rally (various venues, www.myrtlebeachbikeweek.com, free), always known simply as “Bike Week.” In this 75-year-old event, over 250,000 Harley-Davidson riders and their entourages gather to cruise around the place, admire each other’s custom rides, and generally party their patooties off. While the typical Harley dude these days is getting on in years and is probably a mild-mannered store manager in regular life, young or old they all do their best to let their hair down at this festive event. Dozens of related events go on throughout the week at venues all over the Strand, from tough-man contests to “foxy boxing” matches to wet T-shirt contests. You get the picture—it’s not for the politically correct or for young children.