Roofing company in North Myrtle Beach, SC

Customers in Horry County wishing to receive their Amazon packages sooner are in luck.

A $14 million Amazon same-day delivery facility is coming to North Myrtle Beach, bringing 100 jobs to the area, the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation announced Tuesday.

Officials said during a county administration committee meeting Tuesday the facility is the first same-day facility in South Carolina.

Construction started earlier this month on the facility, which will be approximately 165,000 square feet within the Palmetto Coast Industrial Park on Water Tower Road.

"On behalf of the City of North Myrtle Beach Council and Staff, we welcome Amazon to our wonderful city,” said City of North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marilyn Hatley. “With the growth in our area, Amazon will be a tremendous asset. The economic impact of their business in our area will allow our workforce to diversify and create more job opportunities. Thank you for believing in our area and welcome to North Myrtle Beach.”

Same-day delivery facilities allow Amazon to fulfill, sort and deliver orders all from one site—making the entire process of delivering customer packages even faster, according to a release.

“South Carolina is a great place to live and work, and we’re excited to be growing our operations footprint in Myrtle Beach,” said Amazon Manager of Economic Development Sam Blatt. “Same-Day Delivery facilities are finely curated to the areas and customers they serve, so product selection varies by city. It’s also one of our fastest ways to serve our customers, which improves the overall shopping experience. We appreciate the support of our great partners, including the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation, Horry County, and the City of North Myrtle Beach, and we look forward to sharing more details about this facility in the future.”

Since 2010, Amazon has created more than 6,500 full- and part-time jobs in South Carolina and invested $6.3 billion across the state, including infrastructure and compensation to Amazon employees.

“Horry County is committed to creating a better place to live, work and play,” said Horry County Council Chairman Johnny Gardner. “Amazon is a perfect addition to our community. The creation of jobs, diversification of opportunities, the need to provide more services to our residents and visitors, and their commitment to create a facility in our county is exciting. We appreciate their investment in Horry County and welcome them to Team Horry.”

The announcement states that the investments have contributed an additional $6 billion to the South Carolina economy and have helped create 7,000 indirect jobs on top of Amazon’s direct hires in the state. Most hourly employees in customer fulfillment and transportation earn between $17 and $28 per hour, a release states.

“It is an exciting and great day for an announcement,” said Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation President Sandy Davis. “Amazon has been amazing to work with over the past year, and we look forward to watching them continue to grow. Thank you to our partners at Edgewater Ventures, Horry County and the City of North Myrtle Beach for making it happen. Welcome to Horry County!”

Reporter Tom O'Dare contributed to this report.

Hannah Strong Oskin is the executive editor of MyHorryNews. Reach her at 843-488-7242 or hannah.oskin@myhorrynews.com. Follow her on X @HannahSOskin.

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - A quiet Saturday night along the ocean in North Myrtle Beach turned scary as flames scorched dunes outside of Mar Vista Grande Resort.

North Myrtle Beach resident Diane Schroeder told WMBF News she is used to watching people set off fireworks outside of her building, and Saturday night was no different.

“I stood in the window to watch and they were pretty and they were up high and I was enjoying them, and it was just a bunch of kids and I really didn’t think anything about it,” said Schroeder.

But then, she said she saw a spark go into one of the dunes.

“It jumped and it jumped and it jumped and we had four fires and I could hardly believe my eyes,” said Schroeder.

Schroeder called the North Myrtle Beach Fire Department, and crews quickly extinguished the fire.

Luckily, no one was hurt and there wasn’t a lot of damage but, North Myrtle Beach Fire Chief Billy Floyd said setting off fireworks on the beaches is illegal. The rule protects the dunes and the sea oats growing in them.

“You think of the dunes, you see the big piles of sand and people see the sea oats on top and they don’t understand really what those sea oats are,” said Floyd. “The sea oats are a very vital part of that ecosystem, they allow those dunes to stay in place.”

Floyd said dune fires happen a few times a year. He added that even though fireworks aren’t allowed, his department receives calls about them being set off anyway, especially during the summer.

“It’s not necessarily from a firework shooting into the dunes, it’s improper discarding of things when they’re done,” said Floyd. “They take and throw them into a trashcan by the dunes or into the dunes themselves and a lot of those fireworks still have hot embers in them.”

Floyd said the same thing can happen with cigarettes that aren’t completely put out.

For Schroeder, this was a learning experience

“It never occurred to me that there was such a risk of fire with fireworks,” she said. “Now I understand why we can’t have fireworks on the beach.”

Chief Floyd said he could not connect the fireworks incident with the fire, and it is often difficult to find the people who set off fireworks.

Right now, his department is not investigating this fire any further.

Copyright 2024 WMBF. All rights reserved.

City Council on March 4 approved increasing the fees at city-owned parking lots and public rights of way from $3 to $4 per hour, the highest rate of any Grand Strand beach.

The lone exception in the city is the Seaview Lot, which remains $2 per hour.

City Councilman Hank Thomas said he received complaints about the increase but he still supports the plan, calling it vital for the city’s growth.

“Our taxpayers and what revenue we can generate from the fees is what allows us to acquire these properties for public parking,” Thomas said. “We don’t really want to raise the fees, but it’s necessary ... with the growth of the city and the county.”

City Councilwoman Nikki Fontana agreed, arguing the fee increase will help pay for renovations to public accommodations by those city-owned lots.

Mayor Marilyn Hatley has said the increase is meant to offset operational costs and still keep North Myrtle competitive with other local municipalities. She said the city spends millions on property for parking spaces.

“It’s something that we desperately need and we have to do it,” she said Feb. 19, before the council took its first vote on the hike. “But we have to plan for the future.”

Though city leaders approved the increase, they did not discuss or approve a maximum daily rate for parking in city-owned lots. In February, the council discussed a maximum daily parking rate, or a kind of parking pass, for visitors. Hatley even recommended a possible $25-35 maximum.

But that proposal didn’t gain traction, and City Manager Mike Mahaney said city leaders don’t have any immediate plans for a daily parking maximum.

“I can’t tell you what’s going to happen in the future, but it’s not going to happen this year,” Mahaney said.

Though the parking fees have increased to $4 per hour, city residents can still park for free in city lots, and Horry County residents can purchase a $200 annual parking pass to park in city lots.

Other area beaches have also raised parking rates in recent years.

In 2022, Myrtle Beach increased parking fees to $3 per hour along the Oceanfront Beach Access (or $15 maximum daily); $2 per hour from 6th Avenue North to 16th Avenue North with no maximum daily rate; and $2 per hour from 29th Avenue South to 31st Avenue North (or $10 maximum daily), according to city documents.

Myrtle Beach residents can park for free in city lots by using resident parking decals, and the city sells nonresident annual parking passes for $100. Weekly on-street parking passes in Myrtle Beach cost $50.

Meanwhile, Horry County charges $1.25 an hour for parking in most of its lots during the summer season, though the county’s Garden City and Nash Street beach accesses provide free, year-round parking.

Surfside Beach charges $3 per hour or $15 per day for 10 of its lots and $2 per hour or $10 per day for all others except the pier lot, which is $4 per hour with no maximum daily rate.

Sign up for weekly roundups of our top stories, news and culture from the Myrtle Beach area. This newsletter is hand-curated by a member of our Myrtle Beach news staff.

Barefoot Landing’s newest restaurant looks like a trading post mariners would have stopped at on their journey along the Intracoastal Waterway during centuries past.

The theme of the stately two-story building with a small greenhouse in front is meant to evoke the styling of the Caribbean islands. It offers sunset celebrations where patrons hear people blowing into a conch shell and receive specialty sunglasses.

The atmosphere is all part of making visitor’s dining experience relaxing and chill.

The Big Chill Island House, located at 4736 Highway 17 S, opens in North Myrtle Beach at Barefoot Landing May 1, 2024. La Vida Hospitality Managing Partner for Marketing and Development Josh Grapski said the restaurant is supposed to simultaneously evoke the spirit of the Grand Strand and the Caribbean.

“It’s really about kind of that sense of adventure and being able to tell a story from a different world,” he said.

Grapski said it’s the third Big Chill restaurant — the other two are in Delaware. Work began on the Big Chill Island House in 2022, and the restaurant cost $6 million to complete, he added.

The company also owns the Crooked Hammock Brewery at Barefoot Landing.

Once you step inside the Big Chill Island House, you immediately notice the interior design. It is maximalist, with different nuances and details throughout the eatery. A mural of birds is on the wall, and the walls have unique wood designs. Tables on one of the second-floor patios are made from tree roots.

Rebecca Fluharty helped design the restaurant and said she wanted a more eclectic aesthetic, with the restaurant featuring “hundreds” of individual pieces.

“Things are tending to gear more towards the eclectic sort of like layered on (look) and less simplicity,” Fluharty said. “Every time you look around, you can see something different.”

This approach applies to nearly every inch of the restaurant. The foyer, which serves double duty as the gift shop, resembles a general store where mariners would stock up on supplies before continuing their travels up and down the Intracoastal Waterway.

On the second floor, live plants and flowers are installed onto the walls, and an irrigation system keeps the flora fresh.

In the entrance and gift shop, a chandelier, one of many different styles in the restaurant, is made out of a ship’s steering wheel, blue beads, dock rope, gold chains and driftwood. Where the phrase “less is more” is widespread, Big Chill House’s aesthetic is firmly planted in the “more is more” category.

Big Chill also has three bars, and patrons will see something different depending on which section they dine. Each setting has a different vibe. The restaurant has a capacity of 370 people.

The main dining area looks like a beachside restaurant; Grapski added that the restaurant is adding live plants to the dining area.

Patrons can sit outside underneath a large oak tree and comfortably listen to live music or watch the boats go by on the Intracoastal Waterway. Couples on a romantic date can visit the Carolina Lounge at the back of the first floor, which offers a more upscale date-night experience.

Patrons exhausted from a day of boating can go to the dockside bar and enjoy a drink next to the boat slips, and Grapski said that more docks will be added. The upstairs bar is more for nightlife and fun with friends, as the doors allow summer air to flow in. Conversely, a secluded dining room is also upstairs for a more intimate dining experience.

“Everything is oriented towards the sunset,” Grapski said. “This is designed for viewing the Intracoastal boats going by.”

With two kitchens, one on each floor, Big Chill Island House intends to serve a menu that blends world flavors.

Island-inspired, the menu — with 12 entrees, sandwiches, and poke bowls— is seafood-heavy with items like lobster bisque, two ceviches, popcorn shrimp, and fried oysters. Grapski said the restaurant also has a flat iron steak, surf and turf po-boy, chicken sandwich, Kalua Pork, peri-peri chicken and other typical menu items for a more “approachable” offering.

One specialty that the Big Chill Island House will feature is a tequila and rum tasting program, restaurant General Manager William Morris said.

The eatery offers 20 tequilas in 1-ounce pours. Morris said he wanted to apply the bourbon-tasting trend to rums and tequilas, which matches Big Chill Island House’s vibe.

“Definitely didn’t overload too many people, but definitely wanted them to sit outside and enjoy what Myrtle Beach is about,” Morris added.

The restaurant has many different cocktails and beverages, referred to as libations at the eatery, from which to choose.

“We tried to blend things that are classic drinks, kind of new drinks,” Grapski added. “I wouldn’t say we’re mixology focus, but as a bar team, we’re focused on providing a great kind of classic cocktail.”

People can call to schedule private parties or events, and it is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to midnight on weekends.

This story was originally published April 17, 2024, 6:00 AM.

Follow more of our reporting on Inside Look

South Carolina

May 01, 2024 6:00 AM

Local

May 01, 2024 5:45 AM

See all stories

Ben Morse is the Retail and Leisure Reporter for The Sun News. Morse covers local business and Coastal Carolina University football and was awarded third place in the 2023 South Carolina Press Association News Contest for sports beat reporting and second place for sports video in the all-daily division. Morse previously worked for The Island Packet, covering local government. Morse graduated from American University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and economics and is originally from Prospect, Kentucky.

Planning a Myrtle Beach family vacation? Myrtle Beach is a clear favorite, and it is easy to see why. As one of the most popular beaches for vacationing in SC, Myrtle Beach offers top-notch hotels and resorts along with tons of family-friendly activities along the Grand Strand. So we’ve gathered up reviews and coverage from Kidding Around into one convenient guide! Our guide includes places to stay, where to dine, fun activities, and more to help you create the perfect vacation.

There are lots of other great places for family vacations! We’ve rounded up some of our favorite travel spots with all the best things to do and see while you’re there in this Ultimate Travel Guide!

Planning a Trip to the Coast of SC: Myrtle Beach

At just about four hours from the Upstate, the sun and fun of Myrtle Beach is a popular destination for residents of the Upstate and SC. Myrtle Beach was designed with vacationers in mind, with hotels, resorts, and motels to fit any budget. There are plenty of places to stay, which helps keep the rates low and affordable for families. Aside from fun on the beach, there are unique and awesome attractions to keep families entertained. Everything from dinner shows to museums, amusement parks, water sports, shopping, and even an aquarium! There are also 90 golf courses and 50 mini golf courses to play at, making Myrtle Beach a top vacation destination for golf lovers.

Let Kidding Around be your guide to planning the perfect trip to Myrtle Beach for your family! We know where to find all of the cool stuff because we’ve gone and checked it out ourselves!

Where To Stay in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

As one of the most accommodating beaches in SC, Myrtle Beach has approximately 425 hotels to choose from! You’ll never have a hard time finding an oceanfront room, or a resort with all of the amenities you desire. Finding the best of the best is what we aim to do, so below are some recommendations for spots we’ve stayed in ourselves, along with additional places to stay along the Grand Strand.

This article contains Stay22 affiliate links.

If you are looking for a less commercial beach vacation experience in SC, Myrtle Beach probably isn’t it. However, North Myrtle Beach is just a few miles north of the hustle and bustle of central Myrtle Beach. You will find less nightlife, quieter beaches, and more rental homes and condos here.

Some of the top-rated resorts in North Myrtle Beach include the expansive Club Wyndham Ocean Front Resort. This resort offers five pools, fully equipped kitchens, and is just a few miles from Barefoot Landing for exceptional shopping and dining. There is also the highly-rated Avista Resort. This family-friendly resort in North Myrtle Beach offers two outdoor pools, a lazy river, is oceanfront, and is close to golf courses.

Where To Eat in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Nothing works up an appetite quite like a day spent on the beach, and Myrtle Beach is the place to be! From seafood freshly caught off the dock and live music on the pier to romantic dinners for two, we’ve got some delicious spots to recommend that we have tried ourselves that are affordable and worth a visit.

Things To Do Indoors in Myrtle Beach, SC

What To Do Outdoors in Myrtle Beach

When you head to the beach for some fun, fitting in a few extra activities is one of the most exciting things to plan. There’s certainly no shortage of them in Myrtle Beach! Here are some of the ones Kidding Around team members have enjoyed!