Holidays are all about memories, and what better way to remember a moment than through a photo? Myrtle Beach has the perfect spots for capturing the love and joy of the season. Throughout the Grand Strand, you’ll find gorgeous Christmas trees, holiday décor, and stunning light displays, among other things, perfect for taking a photo to put on your family’s holiday card!
1. Broadway At the Beach
Around the 350-acre shopping and entertainment complex you can find beautiful ornaments, lights, clusters of trees, and a 56-foot lit Sequoia! The tree features 580 branches and glows with bright LED lights. What better place to take photos than somewhere that has everything? While visiting Broadway, you can spend the day there before the fun happens to finish up your Christmas shopping and seek out all the beautiful places where you’ll take your photos, like the Ripley’s Aquarium. Temporarily, the fish and stingrays are transformed to look as if they are living in the Arctic! With each ticket is an entry to the Festival of Trees, where you can walk through over 55 differently decorated trees. If you love colors and enjoy the aestheic of horizontal lines in your photos, it would be advised to write this event on your list to make sure you don’t forget!
2. Myrtle Beach Boardwalk
Myrtle Beach’s iconic Boardwalk has colorful lighting displays along the oceanfront. The SkyWheel will be lit beautifully in various holiday colors, and the Winter Wonderland at the Beach will have event happening nearly every night. There will be a light show with over 10,000 lights, a family fun zone, and various vendors offering entertainment. The light show will be lit nightly from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. and start on Black Friday, running until January 4, 2025.
3. The MarshWalk
If you are headed to the beach during the holiday season, you’re more than likely trying to escape the colder place you’re coming from. Therefore, take pleasure in the natural landscape the beach has to offer by heading over to the MarshWalk. Various restaurant line the small boardwalk and take pleasure in decorating their seafood platters and wall decorations with holiday adornment. Enjoy specialty holiday themed drinks - this is a personal favorite photo opportunity, just make sure you capture the sealine of the inlet behind you!
4. The Market Common
The Market Common is an upscale shopping and entertainment district with a small city feel. The area is beautifully arranged for the season with various sleighs and decorations dotted throughout the stores. Each one has its own unique design, so you’ll never find two that look alike. Also, near the movie theater, you can explore a huge tree and drop a letter off to Santa at the North Pole’s mailbox. It’s a good place to grab some hot chocolate from the local Starbucks, walk around to enjoy the festivities, and take a photo on a sleigh (or two).
5. The Great Christmas Light Show
This multi-thousand light display in North Myrtle Beach takes you through an attention-grabbing 1.5-mile drive. Drive through the scenery taking photos of traditional Christmas characters, and some non-traditional holiday themes, while tuning in to Christmas music on the local radio station. Afterward, visit Santa’s Village with Santa Express Train, numerous photo opportunities, a petting zoo, and meetings with Santa! There are several ways to grab good shots and capture the magic you’ll create during the evening at The Great Christmas Light Show!
6. Nights of a Thousand Candles
Nights of a Thousand Candles at Brookgreen Gardens is an evening filled with 2,700 hand-lit candles, countless sparkling lights, carolers, and festive entertainment. Filled with primarily soft, glowing lights, your eyes will be in awe after seeing the decorations on the beautifully drooped trees around the property. This event is a recipient of the Charles A. Bundy Award for Excellence in Tourism from the South Carolina Parks and Recreation Department. Also, Travel+Leisure Magazine named Nights of a Thousand Candles the “Best Christmas Lights in South Carolina.” If you arrive at the event before sundown you’ll find beautiful scenic spots to capture holiday photos with the sunset in the background. After, the transition to the light display will begin and you won’t be able to refrain from taking photos even if you wanted to.
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7. Theatre Lobbies
A local’s tip for getting great Christmas photos is to visit any of the theater lobbies in Myrtle Beach. Some such as the Carolina Opry and Alabama Theatre have gorgeous decorations throughout their buildings, and visitors are free to stop by. It’s a great opportunity to dress up and take photos along the steps or around any of the trees on display.
8. Additional Spots
This year there will be various parades and tree-lighting events across the city that can also make for good photo opportunities. The Surfside Beach Christmas Parade will take place on Dec. 14th at 2 p.m., following a holiday market, and Broadway’s Christmas Parade will have a small festival in coordination with it on Dec. 7th at 11 a.m. These are only two of the many that will be happening. Tree lighting ceremonies will also be held in many places such as Conway, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, and the Annual Garden of Hope ceremony in Myrtle Beach. Regardless of when you visit Myrtle Beach this holiday season, you can ensure there will always be something going on to participate in, and of course, take the perfect photos for all of your family and friends to see!