In 2026, America turns 250. It’s a big moment for the country and a meaningful one for places like North Myrtle Beach, where history isn’t tucked away in textbooks. It lives in fishing piers, dance floors, museums, and community gatherings.
If you’re visiting during this anniversary year, this is a chance to experience the area a little differently. Not just as a beach getaway, but as a place shaped by generations of coastal living, culture, and celebration. It’s a great opportunity for a self-paced history tour that you can add in between beach walks and dinner plans.
Where North Myrtle Beach’s Story Began
North Myrtle Beach Area Historical Museum
Start at the North Myrtle Beach Area Historical Museum, where the story of the town comes into focus. Inside, you’ll find glimpses of the earliest families who settled here, drawn by timber, fishing, and the opportunities the coastline provided. Long before vacation rentals and beach chairs, this was a hardworking coastal community shaped by boats, sawmills, and neighbors who depended on the land and waterways as well as one another.
What makes the museum especially worthwhile is how clearly it traces the transition from working waterfront to welcoming beach destination. The same creeks and inlets that once carried lumber and fishing boats would eventually welcome visitors looking for sun and salt air. You start to see how today’s North Myrtle Beach grew naturally from those early roots.
Horry County Museum
For a wider view, a stop at the Horry County Museum helps connect the dots. Its exhibits explore how transportation routes, trade, and coastal geography shaped communities across the region, giving helpful context for where North Myrtle Beach fits into that bigger picture.
Local Icons That Shaped NMB Culture
Cherry Grove Pier
Few places capture North Myrtle Beach history quite like the Cherry Grove Pier. Built in the 1950s as a fishing pier, it quickly became a gathering place for anglers, families, and curious visitors. Over the decades, it has weathered storms, been rebuilt, and remained a steady landmark along the shoreline. Standing at the end of the pier and looking back toward land, you can almost imagine how the community slowly grew around it.
The Carolina Shag
Then there’s Ocean Drive, where music spills out onto sidewalks, and the rhythm of the Carolina Shag still carries through the air. This is where teens in the mid-20th century started dancing to rhythm and blues records in beach clubs, unknowingly creating a tradition that would define the area. But the Shag’s history isn’t something you only read about. It’s something you can still see, hear, and even join in today. The OD Pavilion is one of the last open air dance floors on the east coast, and Fat Harold’s Beach Club offers free Shag lessons every Tuesday night!
Gullah Geechee Culture
A meaningful part of North Myrtle Beach’s story is the influence of Gullah Geechee culture, especially in the historic Atlantic Beach neighborhood. Descendants of enslaved West and Central Africans who lived for generations along the Sea Islands carried forward language, food, music, and craftsmanship that still shape coastal life today.
In the early 1930s, during segregation, Black entrepreneurs opened hotels, restaurants, and shops in Atlantic Beach, creating a welcoming seaside community when many other beaches were off limits to them. Known today as “The Black Pearl,” the neighborhood reflects both that history and ongoing efforts to preserve and revitalize its legacy.
Celebrating America’s 250th North Myrtle Beach Style
One of the best parts of visiting NMB during this anniversary year is seeing how the community celebrates history in everyday ways. Here are a few of the events you can join in on!
Music on Main
Every Thursday from June through September the Music on Main Concert Series brings neighbors and visitors together at the iconic Horseshoe on Main Street for evenings of live music, dancing, and shared pride, with special nods to the 250th anniversary woven into this year’s season.
Movies at McLean
At Movies at McLean Park, families spread out blankets under the stars for outdoor films that are really more of a tradition than an event. And this year’s lineup is filled with patriotic themed flicks like National Treasure, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West, and Captain America.
Summer Fireworks
Seasonal fireworks light up the coastline all summer long, adding a celebratory backdrop to your visit. From the big 4th of July display at Cherry Grove Pier to weekly shows at Barefoot Landing, check out our fireworks in North Myrtle Beach blog to find viewing spots and details.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Even America’s favorite past time joins the fun! The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are marking the occasion by offering $2.50 hot dogs at every home game this season as a nod to America’s 250th.
Experience North Myrtle Beach’s History for Yourself
This anniversary year offers a great excuse to slow down and notice the stories around you. Visit the museums, walk the pier, wander Ocean Drive, and join in the celebrations happening across town. Start planning your visit and follow the locals as you map out your own self-guided history tour!