The Myrtle Beach area is one of the fastest growing regions in the country.

Up And Coming - On The Horizon

 Airport Improvements. Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) is in the midst of a $200-million expansion that will include a new commercial airline terminal complex. The 390,000-square-foot, three-level complex is being built on the western side of the airfield (the existing terminal is on the eastern side). The terminal will have 14 gates and will accommodate aircraft ranging from commuter jets to wide-body aircraft such as a B747. Other additions and enhancements include new parking lots and rental-car facilities, and improvements to fueling facilities and infrastructure. The project is scheduled for completion in 2008. In 2005, a food court and deli opened at the airport, with tenants including Pizza Hut, Subway, Java Coast, Samuel Adams Bar and JJ Sports Grill. The airport also has a high-speed wireless network available to passengers waiting on flights.

Airlines: Airlines now serving the Myrtle Beach area are

AirTran, ASA/Delta/ComAir, Continental, Hooters Air, Northwest, Spirit, United and USAirways.

Hard Rock Park. The Myrtle Beach area was chosen as the site for the world’s first Hard Rock Park, a 142-acre, music-themed amusement park affiliated with Hard Rock Cafe. The proposed $200-million project will have an outdoor amphitheater for up to 15,000 people, a high-speed, steel roller coaster and other rides and amusements. The park, to be located off U.S. 501 in Fantasy Harbour, will be developed by Fantasy Harbour Theme Park LLC in conjunction with Hard Rock Cafe International Inc., a subsidiary of the London-based Rank Group. Construction dates have not been announced.

 The Market Common. Developer McCaffery Interests will break ground this fall on The Market Common, the Grand Strand’s largest urban village. Located on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, this mixed-use residential and retail development will boast five to six restaurants and approximately 50 retail stores. Apartments and condos will be built above these in a pedestrian-friendly design modeled after an old city. Among the first commercial tenants: P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (South Carolina’s first), Claddagh Irish Pub, a 16-screen movie theater and an upscale grocery store. The first phase of The Market Common is scheduled for completion in late spring 2007. Communities of town homes and single-family homes will be developed near the village.

 “The Radio City Christmas Spectacular” starring the Rockettes. The Rockettes will return to the Myrtle Beach area as part of The Palace Theatre’s continuing commitment to bring the highest level of live entertainment to the Grand Strand. The show will open Nov. 10 and run until Dec. 11.

The Ripken Experience. The summer of 2006 will open a window on the world of baseball when this 50-acre baseball complex opens. It will have four regulation baseball fields and eight junior fields, plus batting cages, pitching mounds and lodging. (The first phase will feature three regulation fields, six junior fields and two practice fields.) The Ripken Experience is modeled after the Aberdeen Project and Ripken Youth Baseball Academy in Aberdeen, Md., home to baseball all-star Cal Ripken Jr. and his family. The $24 million facility will be home to several tournaments, coaching clinics and youth camps for ages 7-18. The Ripken Company Inc. is in partnership with the Burroughs & Chapin Co.

What’s New

Adventure IN Science, History & Nature building featuring “The H.L. Hunley Experience.” An “interactive, historically accurate exhibit” devoted to the Civil War-era submarine the H.L. Hunley opened in 2004 at Broadway at the Beach. The exhibit is housed in the new 4,200-square-foot Adventure IN Science, History & Nature building. The H.L. Hunley was the world's first submarine to sink an enemy vessel, the Housatonic. After completing its mission, the Hunley sank, and all eight crewmen died. The sub was raised 133 years later and is now being preserved in Charleston.

Barefoot Landing additions. Barefoot Landing, one of the Myrtle Beach area’s most popular shopping, dining and entertainment sites, recently opened 16 new stores, including Chico’s, White House/Black Market, Birkenstock, Vanity, Crazy Shirts, Somewhere in Time Studio & Gallery and Carolina Vineyards Winery. A new restaurant, Fire Island Grille, opened in summer 2005. Barefoot Landing now boasts more than 100 shops, 13 outlet stores, restaurants, theaters and other attractions.

Barefoot Resort & Golf. This 2,300-acre development is unfolding beautifully along the Intracoastal Waterway adjacent to Barefoot Landing. Connected by a restored swing bridge crossing the waterway, the resort features a 40,000-square-foot Resort Clubhouse and four 18-hole championship courses designed by Pete Dye, Greg Norman, Tom Fazio and Davis Love III. Barefoot Resort offers a diverse mix of neighborhood settings, including single-family homes, golf and resort villas, waterfront properties and a 431-unit luxury condominium tower, The North Tower. Construction is under way on a 142-slip marina, conference center and 350 condominium units.

Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World. At Colonial Mall, a 97,707-square-foot Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World opened in 2004. The store carries boats, campers, outdoor clothing, fishing gear and other outdoor-related merchandise. The design features a wraparound lake and bridge, a 19,000-gallon saltwater aquarium and an 11,000-square-foot Islamorada Fish Company restaurant. The store’s opening coincided with that of Books-A-Million and major renovations throughout the mall.

Coastal Grand. The Myrtle Beach area’s newest mall – and South Carolina’s largest – opened in March 2004. The 1.5-million-square-foot, fully enclosed complex is on U.S. 17 Bypass near Myrtle Beach International Airport. The mall now features three anchor stores (Belk, Dillard’s and Sears), restaurants, a 14-screen cinema with stadium seating and more than 100 other shops. Numerous restaurants, retails stores and other establishments have opened on mall outparcels.

Grande Dunes Resort. Development continues at Grande Dunes, an exclusive mixed-use community encompassing 2,200 acres of coastal real estate from the Atlantic Ocean to the western side of the Intracoastal Waterway. The resort offers condominium villas, patio homes, golf fairway homes and oceanfront homes; swimming and tennis clubs; and leisure and bike pathways. The resort’s focal point is the 25,000-square-foot Grande Dunes Ocean Club, with multiple pools, spas, beachside cabanas and restaurant. A private bridge across the waterway leads to the Grande Dunes Golf Village and Grande Dunes Golf Course, designed by Roger Rulewich. The Members Club Golf Course, a private course designed by Nick Price and Craig Schreiner, opened in 2005. East of the waterway, the Marina at Grande Dunes also opened this year, offering 126 wet slips, 400 feet of T-dock space and 1,200 feet of lay-along dockage. Marina amenities include telephone and wireless Internet access and premium cable. A ship’s store, laundry room and private showers are available for guests. The Marina Inn and Villas, to be completed in 2006, will be on the northern edge of the marina. A planned Marina Village will offer upscale shops, restaurants and entertainment venues.

Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Restaurant. Buffet’s new 14,000-square-foot restaurant, featuring indoor and outdoor seating, opened in 2004 at Broadway at the Beach. The centerpiece of a new area called Heroes Harbor, Margaritaville is flanked by a lighthouse, merchant stands, a sailboat and pier, a sunken merchant clipper and 50,000 square feet of shops. Musicians, strolling performers and artists make frequent appearances. Another Buffet enterprise, Cheeseburger in Paradise, also opened in 2004.

MagiQuest. Broadway at the Beach unveiled an exciting, interactive family attraction in June of 2005. MagiQuest utilizes patented technology to create a magical experience for participants. After selecting a magic wand (which they may personalize, take home, and use each time they come back), participants are quickly trained as “Magi,” allowing them to set off lightning bolts, control music, open treasure chests and perform heroic deeds. MagiQuest is a joint venture of Burroughs & Chapin Company and Creative Kingdoms, who formed a new company called New Kingdoms.

Murrells Inlet Marshwalk and Veterans Pier. The first phase of the new Murrells Inlet Veterans Pier is now open to the public. The pier adjoins Murrells Inlet’s popular waterfront Marshwalk, providing locals and visitors yet another creek access. Located next to Capt. Dick’s Marina, the Veterans Pier replaces the "old Government Dock," used as a crash-boat station during World War II and destroyed in 1989 by Hurricane Hugo.

Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grande Dunes. In December 2003, a 14-story, 400-room Marriott hotel opened in the Myrtle Beach area and recently earned AAA’s Four-Diamond Rating. The oceanfront hotel is located in the upscale community of Grande Dunes and offers the Strand's only on-site oceanfront European day-spa, along with golf, tennis and 45,000 square feet of flexible meeting and banquet space. The 15,000-square-foot Grand Ballroom, which divides into eight sections, accommodates 1,600 people for receptions and 1,200 for banquets. A Junior Ballroom accommodates up to 575 for receptions and 450 for banquets.

The Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel made its debut Sept. 28 when Interstate Hotels & Resorts, the nation’s largest independent hotel management company, assumed operations at the former Radisson Plaza Hotel. The two-year-old, 402-room property, which maintained AAA’s Four-Diamond rating, features a contemporary design and relaxed setting, while offering luxury accommodations and amenities. Combined with the convention center, the new Sheraton offers more than 250,000 square feet of event space, including an outdoor Events Plaza and a Grand Ballroom for up to 1,200 guests.

Tanger Outlet Center – Phase 2B. The Myrtle Beach area’s newest outlet center moved into a new phase in 2004 when it opened 23 additional stores at its U.S. 17/S.C. 22 location in North Myrtle Beach. Among the lineup: Gail Pittman Pottery, Gap, Ben & Jerry’s,Banana Republic, Puma, Guess, Jones New York, Ultra Jewelry and Dolls & Bears. The new phase brings the center to 100-plus stores and 400,000 square feet. The Myrtle Beach area now boasts two Tanger Outlet Centers, after Myrtle Beach Factory Stores on U.S. 501 was purchased and renamed last year.

Road Improvements.  The Grand Strand’s network of roads has vastly improved. The 28-mile Veterans Highway (S.C. 22), a four-lane road that links U.S. 501 west of Conway and U.S. 17 north of Myrtle Beach, opened in 2001. The Carolina Bays Parkway (S.C. 31), which opened in December 2002, runs from S.C. 9 to U.S. 501; in December 2004, it was extended to S.C. 544, and eventually it will extend to U.S. 17 south of Myrtle Beach. Harrelson Boulevard, a new access road to Myrtle Beach International Airport from U.S. 17 Bypass, also opened in 2002. Other completed projects: Robert M. Grissom Parkway, which runs parallel to U.S. 17 Bypass and provides a passageway through central Myrtle Beach, and extensive improvements to U.S. 501 and S.C. 544, major thoroughfares to Myrtle Beach area.