Myrtle Beach

Shopping

About Myrtle Beach Shopping

For several generations of Myrtle Beach vacationers, shopping meant hitting the souvenir shops packed into the narrow Ocean Drive storefronts. Historically, places like Wings, Eagles and The Gay Dolphin made fortunes off hermit crabs, boogie boards and humorous (sometimes off-color) tees every summer. Like the dining scene, though, the shopping landscape has evolved. While hitting the stores will never supplant golf and the beach as the area's most popular playthings, all you have to do is drive out to multi-use developments like Barefoot Landing or Broadway at the Beach and take a look at the enormous crowds to understand how most people have embraced the Strand's ever-expanding selection of shops and department stores. If you're looking for good buys, the beach area supports two Tanger Outlets, and if the weather doesn't gel with open-air shopping plans, there are also three enclosed malls featuring several brand-name retailers. Be sure, too, that you check out a few "off the tourist-ed path" destinations, namely Hudson's Flea Market, where you can find anything under the sun, and the Hammock Shops at Pawleys Island, a good place to pick up local art, jewelry and, yes, handmade hammocks. A good day's escape from the bustle of the Strand is the Town of Calabash, if for no other reason than to use the veil of a shopping excursion as your excuse to eat lunch at the Seafood Hut! -- Kelly Sigmon, Senior Editor