Destination guide
Destination GuideMyrtle BeachMurrells Inlet MarshWalk
The MarshWalk Weekend: Sunsets, Seafood & Salt Air
Three slow, salty days in the "Seafood Capital of South Carolina" — boardwalk sunsets, boat rides, and dinner with a view every single night.
Back to Myrtle Beach
By Jennifer Rancourt
The Concept
Fifteen minutes south of the Myrtle Beach neon, the Grand Strand takes a deep breath and turns into Murrells Inlet — a little fishing village wrapped around a salt marsh. Its heart is the MarshWalk, a half-mile wooden boardwalk lined with eight waterfront restaurants and bars, shrimp boats bobbing at the docks, egrets fishing the shallows, and live music drifting out over the water.
Here's the secret: the marsh faces west. That means every evening ends with the sky going full peach-and-lavender right in front of your dinner table. So this weekend is built around one simple rule — be somewhere on the water by sunset. In between, you'll wander a world-class sculpture garden, poke around a seaside castle, glide past dolphins in a kayak, and eat your weight in fresh-off-the-boat seafood. Low effort, high reward. Exactly how a girls' trip should feel.
Getting There
Fly into Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) — it's small, easy, and about 25 minutes from the MarshWalk via US-17 Bypass. Driving in? Murrells Inlet sits right on US-17 between Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island. Grab a rental car: the MarshWalk is walkable, but Brookgreen, Huntington Beach and the Pawleys side are a short drive apart.
Search flights to Myrtle Beach on Expedia ↗Where to Stay
The Itinerary: Three Days, Three Sunsets
Day 1: Boardwalk & Golden Hour
Land, drop the bags, and get to the water. Tonight is all about easing in.
- Afternoon: Check in, change into something breezy, and head straight for the MarshWalk. Walk the whole boardwalk end to end while it's still light — watch the charter boats roll in, spot the herons, and peek at the menus.
- Golden hour: Sunset dinner at Bovine's — wood-fired steaks, seafood and pizza, and a waterfront deck that's regularly ranked among the best sunset tables on the whole Grand Strand. Request outdoor seating and order a bottle for the table. This is the "we made it" toast.
- Evening: Stroll back down the boardwalk for a nightcap and live music at Dead Dog Saloon (a MarshWalk institution since 2002) or the rum-and-pirate vibes of Drunken Jack's. Dance badly. No one's judging.
Day 2: Gardens, a Castle & a Sunset Cruise
The big day — art, beach, and the best seat in the house for sunset: a boat.
- Morning: Fuel up at Applewood House of Pancakes in Litchfield — fluffy pancakes, waffles and omelets, no pretense. Then head to Brookgreen Gardens, a former rice plantation turned sculpture garden with one of the country's great outdoor collections of American figurative sculpture, live oaks dripping in moss, and a Lowcountry zoo. Wear comfy shoes; you'll want hours.
- Afternoon: Grab lunch on-site at Brookgreen, then cross the highway to Huntington Beach State Park — three miles of undeveloped beach, alligators in the causeway lagoon, and the Moorish-style Atalaya Castle, the 1930s winter home of Brookgreen's founders. Tour the castle, then claim a stretch of sand and do absolutely nothing for an hour.
- Sunset: Hop aboard a sunset cruise with Express Watersports right off the MarshWalk — about an hour on the inlet with refreshments included, past Goat Island and back as the sky turns pink.
- Evening: Dinner at The Wicked Tuna — their boats bring in the fish, and the sushi and fresh catch prove it. Snag a waterside table and order the day's catch.
Day 3: Paddle, Sip & Say Goodbye
One more taste of the marsh before you scatter.
- Morning: Get out on the water with Blue Wave Adventure Tours for a guided kayak or dolphin tour through the creeks. The guides know their marsh ecology, and the dolphins love the morning tide. Prefer to stay dry? Book their boat tour instead.
- Midday: Lunch at Lee's Inlet Apothecary, an old-fashioned soda fountain serving pimento cheese sandwiches and ice cream sodas. Then stop at Harrelson's Seafood Market for crab cakes to take home (pack a cooler — trust us).
- Farewell: One last meal with a view at Gulfstream Cafe at the mouth of the inlet in Garden City — seafood, a big deck over the water, and a final toast to the trip. Somebody will already be planning the next one.
What to Pack — The Marsh & Boardwalk Edit
The dress code here is "coastal casual that photographs well." Breezy layers for boat rides, shoes you can walk a boardwalk in, and one look worthy of that sunset table.
- A flowy maxi dress or linen set for sunset dinners on the deck
- A light denim jacket or wrap — it gets breezy on the water after dark
- Cute, comfortable sandals or sneakers for boardwalk and garden miles
- Quick-dry layers and water shoes for kayaking
- A wide-brim hat and polarized sunglasses (sunset glare is real)
- Reef-safe SPF and bug spray — it's a marsh, after all
- A crossbody bag that keeps your hands free for the drink and the camera
The GGC Bottom Line
Murrells Inlet is the Grand Strand with the volume turned down and the flavor turned up. No overplanning, no neon, no stress — just boardwalk strolls, boat rides, sculpture gardens, and seafood so fresh it practically introduces itself. Book a sunset table every night, wear the good sandals, and let the marsh do the rest. You'll come home sun-kissed, well-fed, and already texting the group chat about doing it again.
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