Myrtle Beach in 6 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
Myrtle Beach in 6 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
Six days earns a water park day and an on-water excursion on top of everything a shorter trip covers. It still runs on the same rule: one layered outing a day, beach and pool underneath all of it.
| Day | Focus | Est. spend |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Free beach + Boardwalk, $21 SkyWheel | $0-21 |
| Day 2 | Broadway at the Beach + beach afternoon | $0-43 |
| Day 3 | Brookgreen Gardens/Huntington SP + Murrells Inlet dinner | $25-33 |
| Day 4 | Golf or mini golf + a live show | $10-60+ |
| Day 5 | North Myrtle/Barefoot Landing, slow beach day | $0 |
| Day 6 | Water park + dolphin/on-water excursion | $50+ |
Day 1: Beach and the Boardwalk
Full day on the sand. Swim near a lifeguard and know the flag system - green calm, yellow medium risk, single red don’t swim, double red closed, blue marine life. Only circular umbrellas 7.5 ft or under are allowed between Memorial Day and Labor Day (no tents or canopies), and alcohol and glass are banned on the sand year-round.
Evening walk on the free 1.2-mile Boardwalk - a 2010 rebuild after Hurricane Hazel destroyed the original in 1954 - then the SkyWheel (~$21 adult, ~$17 child) at sunset. Restaurant bills inside city limits carry roughly an 11.5% meal tax.
Day 1 spend: roughly $0-21 per person, plus tax on food.
Day 2: Broadway at the Beach
Morning at Broadway at the Beach (free to walk, about two blocks off the actual Boardwalk), with one paid stop: Ripley’s Aquarium (~$43 adult, $27 child) or WonderWorks ($43). Afternoon back on the beach.
Day 2 spend: roughly $0-43 per person, plus tax on food.
Day 3: Brookgreen Gardens and Murrells Inlet
Morning at Brookgreen Gardens ($25 adult, 7-day ticket, Lowcountry Zoo included), then Huntington Beach State Park ($8) for the 1930s Atalaya Castle and premier birding - a separate park and fee from Myrtle Beach State Park.
Evening dinner at Murrells Inlet’s MarshWalk: Dead Dog Saloon, Drunken Jack’s, Wahoo’s, Bovine’s, The Wicked Tuna, or The Claw House. She-crab soup (named for the female crabs’ roe) is a safe order anywhere along it.
Day 3 spend: roughly $25-33 per person, plus tax on food.
Day 4: Golf or mini golf, then a live show
Real golf if you play - roughly 80-90 courses along “the Golf Coast,” usually booked as a stay-and-play package rather than a single round at rack rate. Otherwise, mini golf at one of 50+ courses (Hawaiian Rumble’s erupting volcano is the standout) keeps this day cheap.
Evening show at the Carolina Opry or the Alabama Theatre at Barefoot Landing. Keep valuables out of the car at any beach lot.
Day 4 spend: roughly $10-60+ per person depending on golf vs. mini golf and the show.
Day 5: North Myrtle and Barefoot Landing
Ocean Drive in North Myrtle Beach is the birthplace of the Shag, South Carolina’s official state dance since 1984 - the dance itself, distinct from “beach music,” the genre it’s danced to. Walk Barefoot Landing, free, on the Intracoastal, then slow all the way down on a quieter stretch of beach.
Day 5 spend: roughly $0, plus food.
Day 6: Water park and a dolphin or on-water excursion
Spend the morning at Myrtle Waves water park (~$50 general admission) or the oceanfront Splashes water park, both good breaks from straight beach days. In the afternoon, book a dolphin-watching or on-water excursion through a local charter - prices vary by operator, so compare a few before you commit.
Wind down with a relaxed beach evening; this is the last full day, so don’t schedule anything else on top of it.
Day 6 spend: roughly $50 or more per person for the water park, plus whatever the excursion runs.
Money tip: pick Splashes over Myrtle Waves if you’re watching the budget closely and staying oceanfront already - it’s the more scaled-down of the two. Book the water park and any excursion a few weeks ahead in June-August. Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1-November 30 (peak mid-August to mid-October), worth a forecast check before locking in non-refundable plans. Have one more day? See the 7 day itinerary for how this adds a full Charleston day trip.