The Grand Strand is 60 miles of coastline, and 'the beach' means something different every few miles. This guide's films walk the main choices so you can pick your stretch of sand by temperament, not by hotel address.
The quiet ends
At the north end, the Boones walk out to Cherry Grove Point — a secluded inlet point at the end of Ocean Boulevard, Angel of Hope statue and all, 'still secluded' in their verdict. At the south end, Garden City makes its case as the quiet alternative minutes from the crowds, and a November beach walk there shows the town's second season, when the sand belongs to walkers.
The family towns
Surfside Beach is introduced by its own mayor and events coordinator — a small, welcoming, committee-run town that most visitors never discover. Pawleys Island's portrait supplies the south end's mood in its own words: 'slower, softer, and just a little saltier,' across the marsh causeway to a wide, uncrowded beach.
The protected beaches
Two state-park films cover the coast's wildest sand: Huntington Beach State Park, where entry limits keep the beach uncrowded even in July (day entry was $8 a person when filmed) with alligators in the lagoon beside the causeway, and Myrtle Beach State Park's 312 oceanfront acres, toured in full in 2025. A North Myrtle Main Street walk closes the set — the beach town where the shag was born, for the days you base yourself there.
Sources: the 8 videos on this page. Each town and park also has its own full page on this site.