Beautiful beach located about 30 minutes from Myrtle Beach with fewer people and more of a family vibe. Public access entryways are located about every half mile or so and can be found all the way down until the inlet ends. Only the main pier access has parking and a shower head and spicket to rinse the sand away. The rest are just entryways. Parking can be quite difficult at times so be patient. The public access stair rails are well taken care of and help protect the dunes. The sand from the dunes is further back and has overtaken some of the walkways so be careful when you are trying to access the beach. The further south you go from the pier, the more beach space you will have for your group or to engage in an activity like spikeball, baseball, frisbee, etc. The sand is very nice and makes for great sand castles. We've spotted dolphins and fish from time to time. There are no lifeguards but the local law enforment does patrol to ensure attendees are behaving. read more

Garden City Beach - Ocean - Beaches Near Me

Get rid of the beach service and chair/umbrella rentals. They set up so close together that those that don't rent have trouble getting access to the beach. We tried setting up at 6 am to get a spot and the jerk actually went out of line in front of us and put to sets of umbrellas with 4 chairs each up so we couldn't walk to the beach without walking at least 30 yard out of our way on either side. Best part - nobody had reservations on them; they were for rent. And we're not rented all day. read more

Absolutely gorgeous beach, with no BS beach tag fees, a pool (if you're a member - we had an in!) and ample room to stake your claim! Omg the ocean temp was walk right in! I don't go in at home (NJ) until August! I loved seeing blueish water versus crummy brownish green! Day #2 - we're right back at it! B L I S S !!! read more

I was here for the sunrise this morning and while it was too cloudy for the sun to break through, it was still very nice. Here in the offseason it is pleasant though cold. Strong onshore winds keeps the sand and salt blowing! There is a free beach access to the right of the Pier though it's not handicapped accessible. It leads to a firm, flat and pretty beach though the amount of pizza and ice cream and beachwear spots around suggest that it's going to be a bit more Atlantic City than I would care for. Thankfully, all of that is closed for the season in mid-March. But it does mean the parking is free! [Review 19397 overall - 971 in South Carolina - 367 of 2023.] read more

Garden City Beach - Lookin south at Garden City Beach - Beaches Near Me

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This is our destination for our annual family beach trip as we have a beach house down here. This beach is about 11 miles from Myrtle Beach. I appreciate how less popular it is compared to Myrtle during this pandemic as everyone is easily spread out and social distancing. There are push showers near the beach entrance to rinse off. The only thing that would make the experience better was if there was a boardwalk, but the beach is small so it's not really suitable. There are some shops nearby though. read more

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Garden City is an excellent beach, not too crowded this time of year. The only exception is all the umbrella and chair rental people taking up all the prime spots. For people like me who take my own stuff, unless you get down here real early, you're forced to look at all the blue umbrellas. read more

Garden City Beach - Beaches Near Me

It's been two years since I wrote a review of Garden City Beach and nothing has changed. It is still one of the best beach areas around. It's winter here and the beach is almost empty. There are power walkers, dog walkers and people just strolling along the edge of the surf. In the summer you can look out over a sea of beach umbrellas. Grab an ice cream from the popsicle pusher. Do the shag (the state dance of South Carolina) to beach music. Remember dogs are only allowed during certain summer times. There are fireworks galore during the Fourth of July. The best time to come - in September. Most children are back in school, rental rates drop and the ocean water is still warm enough for you to take a dip. Would I come back here? You know I will. I'll catch you on the flip side. read more

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Don't go here unless you own or rent a house here. There is "public" beach access but NO parking anywhere! Homeowners (non-renters) are not friendly either. read more

Below one star is available. We checked into this hotel with our pet. I had been told on June the 4th that we were on a second floor level. When we checked in we were on a fourth level with stairs only. No elevator. Check your listings for no elevators people. It was all we could do to get to the fourth floor with our pet in our luggage. We try to cancel our booking. They would not let us get a refunded the whole amount they charged us for one night. Stay $242 plus the pet fee and a percentage of the resort fee. We were there for 1 hour. We did not enjoy any resort amenities and our pet. They should have been refunded completely. Terrible. Terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible. Terrible customer service. Beware. Stay away from this hotel. 100 degree temps those steps we thought we were going to have a heart attack. read more

I would call Garden City, SC a perfect destination for all ages. There is plenty of beach to share, it is very quiet for retirees but at the same time theres a large beach, waterparks and miniature golf for families with children as well as Myrtle Beach State Park minutes away with a nature center, multiple trails with various climates, fishing pier and store and a large beach space. It is also one of the most affordable beaches you could venture to. There is a variety of restaurants for everyone's taste but also a large Kroger if you prefer to but groceries and eat in. read more

This beach/locals is not a good beach. It's a tourist trap. They want you to come stay in their high priced homes, but they do and don't you to death. Then when you break one of their rules they say now you can go a mile up the beach and do that there. They charge $10 to walk out on their Pier. It's not handicap accessible unless you have a beach wheel chair. You can't have portable canopies. Which makes hard to keep a wheel chair person out of the sun with an unbrella. They are also working on the beach in the middle of summer, so there is heavy equipment going up and down the beach. Over all I have been on a lot of better beaches, with more nicer local then here. If you are thinking of coming here I would look elsewhere. read more

The beach is really nice. If you head north, there seems to be more shells on the beach. Heading south, the beach widens up a bit, with plenty of space and sand for the kids to go crazy and not come anywhere near disturbing anyone read more

Garden City Beach - Chill time has started.. - Beaches Near Me

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This is THE family friendly beach that has all your conveniences along with a free to walk on pier! You've got great eateries, the pier with free entry, fishing, love bands, and adult beverages, novelty shops, outdoor activity center with a pendulum and catapult, convenient atm, and ice cream by Painters. There is a pay parking lot located behind the pavilion/arcade. It is a credit/debit card pay to park only. NO CASH is accepted to park in the pay area. read more

I love this beach. The sand feels sifted below your feet. It is kept clean and lots of walk to places, to get something to eat and drink. The ocean water is beautiful and parking is available. This is a great family friendly beach. read more

Great part of the beach to go to on the Strand! Easy access to small eateries, lots of beach space, very family friendly. Lots of room to move, I don't get the over crowded feeling, long stretches of beach to walk or jog. read more

I can see where some ppl think this beach is awesome but I've spent so much time at Florida beaches that it didn't compare. The sand is a gritty grey, the water is a murky, brown color except about a foot deep offshore it was clear. There was lots of trash on the beach and so many smokers. They hadn't raked the beach the four days we went and there was lots of dried sea grasses that washed up. The surf was nice, not rough and tumble but just enough waves to make the kids happy. Lots of people on the beach but we went morning or after dinner so we were able to distance. The Magnolia Avenue access had push showers which was helpful. They allow dogs on the beach parts of the day...I like dogs but it sucks when dog owners leave their dog's poop on the beach. Cops and chair rental companies can drive on the beach, so be careful. They allow fireworks at night so expect extremely loud bangs if you're a few blocks away as we were. The main drag has "in your face" signage over their stores which was a big turn off. Saw two fights from the bar across from our condo and a large crowd with 5 cop cars the last night there. There's tons of golf carts everywhere. The sidewalks aren't built up so they're the same level as streets, expect standing water after it rains. If only they put their occupancy tax revenue into things like storm water and street improvements and added personality into their main drag, as well as beach maintenance. Sorry for the honest review, trust me, I was really going to fall in love with this beach but I don't see us returning anytime in the near future. read more

Garden City rocks! My family and I have been coming to this area for years, and we love it. We're already looking forward to next year.

Garden City Beach is a Beautiful Place where everyone is very very friendly and will go out of their way to say hi or lend a helping hand. If you are looking for a place to take your family that is Beautiful, laid back, and you can really relax then Garden City Beach is the place for you. No board walks or amusement parks just some great places to enjoy fresh seafood and spend quality time with your loved ones! read more

Although the beach was pretty, you are required to purchase chair/ umbrella rentals or face a $250 fine. We tried to sit near the waters edge and were threatened by both the selling company and the police. They stated it was so the lifeguard had a full view of the water. I could except that if he ever looked at the ocean. He sold chair rentals, talked with friends, collected shells and closed for lunch. No one replaced him so how concerned for your safety were they? read more

Beautiful beach with lots of sea shells. I came the last week of August and the beach wasn't crowded.