Ultimate Kid Friendly Guide to Myrtle Beach

Ripley’s hosts a handful of unique, kid-friendly venues in town that could fill up your vacation itinerary for a few days – and you can bundle tickets to them all and save. Walk through a shark tank tunnel and feed the rays at Ripley’s Aquarium; take in two floors of exhibits that will make you look twice at Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium; explore Ripley’s Illusion Lab; and take a swing at the wild indoor Ripley’s Crazy Golf.

Climb aboard the Sea Gypsy pirate ship, docked outside of Dead Dog Saloon along the MarshWalk of Murrells Inlet, and be swept away into a treasure hunt adventure! Before the kids are handed a treasure map, the crew will paint either a curly mustache or anchor tattoo on them and dress them in a lucky treasure hunting vest. Clues ensue to search for sunken treasure and Pirate Pete as all on board go into battle with the ship’s water cannons.

This children’s museum located within The Market Common is packed with interactive, hands-on exhibits, programs, and events that will bolster your kiddos’ imagination and education. They can blast off into space, go grocery shopping, or craft something in Maker’s Space, and much more.

This family-fun, 13-acre amusement park has been a Myrtle Beach landmark since 1966, and the more than 30 lineup of rides changes up year after year to stay ahead of the trends for thrill-seekers. Family Kingdom hosts everything from kiddie rides to roller coasters, like the original wooden Swamp Fox, and extreme rides, like the new Vertigo and The Lunartic. When the kids want to take a break, sit down with a funnel cake or corn dog and enjoy some of the park’s free entertainment offerings.

Get the kids closer to nature with a visit to award-winning Brookgreen Gardens or either of our nearby oceanfront state parks: Huntington Beach and Myrtle Beach State Park. Brookgreen offers a lovely landscape of foliage over 9,000 acres, which also includes sculpture gardens and the accredited Lowcountry Zoo. Both state parks boast hiking trails, nature centers, special classes, and pavilions for your family to sit down and lunch.

Myrtle Beach is known as the Mini Golf Capital of the World, so there are plenty of courses to choose from. Also known as putt-putt around here, mini golf is a family tradition here. Try the high-tech PopStroke at Broadway at the Beach, Red Dragon Cove Adventure Golf, or any of the courses that are part of Myrtle Beach Family Golf: Jungle Safari, Jurassic Golf, Shipwreck Island, and Captain Hook’s Adventure Golf.

Take a walk on this oceanfront boardwalk and promenade lined with family-fun stops along the way in the length of a little over a mile. There are restaurants, souvenir stores, arcades, ice cream shops, and the SkyWheel that will give you some of the best views of the coastline and the Myrtle Beach skyline – and admission is free!

A night at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans ballpark is more than just a baseball game. The home of the minor league team offers more family-friendly fun on top of the nine innings of entertainment, like a speed pitch game, obstacle course, and moon bounce on the concourse, a sandy beach section of seating, and Friday specials that include a family meal deal, fireworks after the game, and the chance for the kids to actually run the bases after the fireworks show.

Slip-slide the day away (and don’t forget to reapply the sunscreen) at Myrtle Waves Water Park, where there are water attractions for kiddos of all ages. There’s a layout of fast-paced slides, splash pads and kiddie slides, a wave pool and lazy river, tube and mat rides, and the Flowrider surf attraction. Cabanas are available for extra shade, and snack and drink options are served.

If the kids feel the need for speed, buckle up and head to one of Myrtle Beach’s go-cart parks, such as Broadway Grand Prix or The Track Family Fun Park, which features a three-level track layout. Hang on tight!

Open since 2016, this award-winning enabling park features ADA-approved playground equipment and structures for children of all ages and abilities. It’s named in honor of Savannah Thompson, who was born with Williams Syndrome, and now serves as a special place for every child who visits. Kids will love climbing the traditional equipment, like swings, slides, monkey bars and merry-go-rounds, plus the ropes course, zipline, and more sensory-friendly features, such as the musical gardens.

The kids will love this unique park that features a course for cable wake boarding, knee boarding, water skiing, wake skating, and foil boarding, plus a floating obstacle course with slides, climbing towers, and more.

Your kids will jump their energy away at Sky Zone, where there is not only a massive trampoline area, but also foam pits they can swing or jump into, dodge ball and basketball dunking zones, a zipline, jousting, an American Ninja Warrior-like obstacle course, and arcade games. When they want to take a breather, there is a concession stand serving snacks and drinks.

Located in the Coastal Grand Mall, the massive Stars and Strikes offers plenty of indoor fun for the kids (plus a bar and restaurant for Mom and Dad). Choose to take part in traditional bowling or AR bowling, VR games, classic arcade games, laser tag, or axe throwing – or everything!

What my kids call “the upside-down house” will become your kids’ favorite find as well! With more than 100 interactive exhibits on three floors, WonderWorks in Broadway at the Beach is a hybrid entertainment and science education venue. Step foot into the hurricane exhibit to feel 84 mph hurricane winds, lay down on a bed of nails, create giant bubbles, make music or dance to it in a light show, and climb into a cockpit to fly a fighter jet. In addition to the exhibits, there is also an indoor ropes course, laser tag, arcade games, and a snack shop.