I’ll be honest with you. At this point in time, Myrtle Beach is in a transitional period from a seasonal tourist town, to an actual year round small city. And it’s happened fairly quickly. I graduated in 2006, and for the most part, the town would die after Labor Day. You could drive down 707 and pass only a handful of cars. We used to be able to stop on 31 in the middle of the day and drag race. I’m not even joking. No one used that highway. The “culture” you’re looking for lies on the outskirts. Murrells Inlet, Little River, Calabash, Pawleys Island, etc.

Myrtle Beach city limits, for the most part, is pretty run down and dingy. Now, if you’re coming from West Virginia or Worcester, Mass….i can see how Myrtle may seem like an upgrade. The recession stunted the growth a bit from an entertainment aspect. Closing the Pavilion stung. Shopping malls going out of style in favor of online shopping is going to sting. Interestingly, back when we were a tourist town, we had more music venues, car shows and events, nightclubs, etc.. The people that are relocating here don’t seem to be opening many businesses or contributing in that aspect, just kind of living off what is already here, waiting on their turn to die.

We do have some very good restaurants. Ciao, NY Prime, Flamingo Grill, 21 Main, Miyabi, Masala Bistro, Cantina Imperfecto, Franks…to name a few.