Garden City , SC!
by Matt Reid - Staff Writer

Nestled tightly between Surfside Beach and Murrells Inlet in the Grand Strand, visitors will find the subtle community of Garden City. Garden City, much like its neighboring beaches are well known as a family destination which trades the skyscraper-type resorts for traditional beach house vacationing.

Garden City has the quiet feel of a throwback beach community with the reach of the hustle and bustle of Myrtle Beach just eight miles away. Garden City visitors can look forward to a relaxing stay, trading the sometimes chaotic resort vacation for a "home away from home" feel.

The tranquility that can be felt while in Garden City can be thanked in part to the tragedy of Hurricane Hazel in 1954 which swept through the Grand Strand and only left two houses standing in Garden City. Since, Garden City has been rebuilt to almost 8,000 housing units with almost 10,000 residents according to the 2000 U.S. census.

In the heart of Garden City is the Garden City Pier. The pier is 668 feet long and admission is free to enjoy the Atlantic Ocean view and check out the fishermen's daily catches. The pier also houses an arcade which has games for all ages and a café where visitors can dine with an ocean view. During the summer nights, the pier turns into a concert venue where visitors can enjoy live music under the rain shelter at the end of the pier.

Surrounding the pier are family-owned shops and stores with everything from groceries to beach entertainment items. More arcades can be found in the area surrounding the pier, including Slick Tracks Family Amusement Park which is home to the premier entertainment spot in Garden City with rides and go-cart racing. And one cannot leave Garden City without stopping into Sam's Corner which has been a staple in the diet of visitors for years.

South of the Garden City Pier on Waccamaw Dr. is the Marlin Quay Marina which specializes in charter fishing trips and parasailing. In fact, Marlin Quay is the longest running parasailing business on the Grand Strand. While at Marlin Quay, one can eat lunch at the marina's grill or take something to-go from the marina's convenience store.
If golf is your forte, Garden City is the home of one of the most popular courses in the Grand Strand, Tupelo Bay Golf Center. Tupelo Bay houses an 18-hole course along with a 9-hole par 3 course and Runaway Bay, a 36-hole miniature golf course.

Garden City is a quiet beach community, but what it lacks in size makes up for in a "true" beach experience. It is what Myrtle Beach used to be before it gained its popularity and grew to tremendous heights. People who remember Myrtle Beach how it "used to be" love Garden City and come back to enjoy the quaintness that its beaches offer year after year.

There are other shows, restaurants, attractions, and shopping to be found in North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Murrells Inlet, Litchfield, Pawleys Island, and historic Georgetown.

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