Route 501 dead-ends at 17 business(Kings Highway) around 9th Ave North and is the quickest way to get to the beach. However, this is the downtown area of Myrtle. It is usually pretty crowded and isn't the easiest place to get around. If you want to go to the beach in Myrtle, we recommend the beaches above or below the downtown area. On the North side this would be anything above 30th Ave North. On the south side this would be anything below 3rd Ave south.
To get to these areas you can take route 501 toward the beach until you hit 17 business (King's Highway). If you want to head north you can stay straight on 501. It turns into 17 business. If you want to head south you will have to make a right onto 17 business (look for the 17 business road sign). There is a better option for going to south Myrtle, but it is a little harder to find. Prior to reaching 17 business you can make a right onto 3rd Ave south which hits 501 at an angle(also at a traffic light). Turning on this road will take you to Kings Highway further south and will avoid the downtown area altogether.
Parking at the beach usually isn't a problem. There is public parking areas along Ocean Blvd but there aren't always open spots. You can park on Ocean Blvd in some areas. If you can't find anything off Ocean Blvd, drive down the alleys that run between the Blvd and 17 business. You'll find some places that charge for parking, but you can often times make your own parking spot.
If you want to get away from the crowded beaches, we strongly
recommend Surfside Beach located just south
of Myrtle Beach. It is about a 15 minute drive from the condo.
This area is mostly residential and it doesn't have
the large hotels that you'll find in Myrtle Beach. To get to this beach take a
right on Burcale road when exiting Arrowhead. Go about half a mile and make another right onto
Claypond Road. Go to the next stop sign and make a right onto the George Bishop Parkway.
This will take you over a new bridge connecting to the route 17 bypass (bridge may not yet be on mapquest/google).
Take the exit to
get onto 17 heading south. Continue on 17 for about 8 miles until you see the exit for route 544.
Take the exist and head east on 544. This road dead-ends at
Kings Highway where you will see signs to Surfside Beach. Make a right
and get in the left lane. Less than a mile down the road you can
make a left onto 16th street which will take you to the beach.
If you miss this road you can make a left onto Surfside Drive which
is a mile or so further. There is public parking on 5th, 3rd and 1st. We recommend 3rd.