Yes, it’s a dreary July 4 weekend in Myrtle Beach, but the coast is still packed with people
Nothing, it seems, will stop people from enjoying the Fourth of July in Myrtle Beach — not high gas prices and not bad weather.
Hotel occupancy this weekend is expected to top 90%, the highest its been all year, according to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. This comes despite more than a week of consistently rainy weather and chances of storms for the entire Independence Day long weekend, including the night of the Fourth.
Myrtle Beach might even some new visitors, as Airbnb recently said the region was one of the top 10 trending destinations for Fourth of July travel in 2022.
Myrtle Beach is obviously known for, well, the beach, but Chamber CEO Karen Riordan expects the weekend to be a great one for the region’s indoor attractions, like Pirate’s Voyage, Ripley’s, the Myrtle Beach Art Museum and concerts.
“People will be on and off the beach depending on how much rain we get,”she said. So, the indoor events and attractions “won’t be too sad if we get the sprinkles all weekend.”
The weather — and biggest crowds of the year — will surely complicate travel plans for many of the Grand Strand’s thousands of visitors who have already begun descending on the coastline. Here are some tips for how to survive the traffic, stay dry and make the best of a dreary weekend.
Lots of traffic in Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach will have tens of thousands of visitors staying in the area for the long weekend, and into much of next week. Everyone is trying to get to and from the airport, hotels, restaurants, the beach and everything else.
The vast majority of traffic will be arriving and leaving between Friday and Sunday, but Riordan said it’s important to keep in mind that plenty of people are staying through Monday, Tuesday and even next Saturday. Every morning, really, will be packed with people out on the road and at the airport.
Here is some advice from Riordan and the Myrtle Beach International Airport.
Drivers
Keep in mind that with Myrtle Beach’s limited public transit, you are by far not the only people on the road.
Make sure to plan plenty of extra time to get anywhere you need to go.
Rain will also complicate things, causing accidents and slowing drivers.
Got a reservation somewhere? Leave 15 minutes earlier than you think necessary.
Flyers
There are more than 50,000 scheduled departing seats from Friday July 1 through Tuesday July 5. The airport will be packed. This weekend last year, wait times at TSA exceed more than an hour in the morning.
Departing Friday, Saturday or Sunday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.? Arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to departure time.
Allow for extra time to drive to the airport for accommodate for early morning holiday traffic and parking. Remember, everyone is also leaving their hotels to head to the airport at the same time.
There might be overflow parking. Keep an eye out for when lots filled up because drivers might need to be directed to a different lot.
Flights very likely could be delayed. Check the flight status before leaving for the airport. Has it been delayed by four hours? Go have a nice lunch somewhere rather than sitting around bored at the airport.
Bought some souvenirs? Make sure to check whether than can go in a carry-on. Those Pelican’s mini baseball bats, for one, are considered “bludgeons” and are not allowed on the plane. Put it in a checked bag.
Planning to use a ride-hailing app to get around town like Uber or Lyft?
“Be prepared to wait ... for Ubers and taxis,” Riordan said. “It’s just about being prepared, so you are not stressed out and irritated because everything is not going to be like clockwork.”
Patience, with everything, is really key to having a nice weekend.
“If people go into that mindset, they are going to have a much more fun weekend,” Riordan said.
One definite bright side, gas prices are little bit cheaper right now! Rather than inching closer and closer to $5 a gallon, the cost is hovering near $4.20 cents, Riordan even said she found a station charging $4.09 Friday morning. While it might be depressing to think about how $4.09 is, err, a steal, travelers can instead use some of that money budgeted for expensive gas on taking the kids to mini golf courses or a local show.
Worried about a repeat of last year?
Anyone who visited last Fourth of July likely remembers the pure chaos that was, well, everything.
Restaurants had hours long waits, even at 8 and 9 p.m. Attractions were booked up well in advance. Even finding parking was a nightmare.
Riordan said this year is likely to be better. The region is much more prepared, has a lot more workers than last time, so restaurants, for example, won’t have to leave table empty due to a lack of staff. Nevertheless, Riordan still recommends making reservations as much as possible.
“There will be a lot of people on the road. Don’t cut things too close,” she said. “Arrive early, be prepared, know where you’re going. We are strongly encouraging guests in town this weekend to make reservations at restaurants that accept them so they are not disappointed. There is going to be a wait and be prepared for that.”
Dodging the weather
The persistent threat of rain forebodes the possibility of canceled fireworks shows. For those determined to see some fireworks while in town, it’s best to try to go to shows earlier.
There are multiple shows every single day through Monday, such as Pelican’s Minor League Baseball team, which has fireworks shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as Broadway at the Beach, which has shows Friday and Monday.
“Go every chance you can get,” Riordan said.
And keep in mind, for those wanting to launch their own fireworks, that in the city of Myrtle Beach, “shooting them off the beach is illegal. We want to encourage people to watch the professional shows.”
“Go to your favorite beach and look up to the sky and leave it at that,” Riordan added.