Active Pursuits

Beaches

Myrtle Beach sand is mostly hard packed and the color of brown sugar, to which it's often compared. During the resort's rapid growth during the 1980s and 1990s, city planners deliberately interspersed residential zones with commercial zones, thereby relieving clusters of honky-tonk with carefully landscaped communities of private homes and condos.

The beach has lifeguards and plenty of fast-food joints. Amazingly, there are no public toilets. South Carolina law, however, obligates hotels to allow beach buffs to use their facilities. (Many male beachgoers don't bother to go inside the hotels but use walls instead -- a habit that has provoked endless local-newspaper comment.)

At the southern tier of the beach, Myrtle Beach State Park, 4401 South King's Hwy., Myrtle Beach (tel. 843/238-5325) offers 312 acres of pinewoods and access to a sandy beach. Admission to the park is $4 for adults, $1.50 for children 6 to 15, and free for children 5 and under. Seniors (age 61 and over) who are residents of South Carolina pay an entrance fee of $2.50. The park contains toilets and picnic tables, and it's possible to fish from a pier for $4.50. The park is full of nature trails and offers 302 campsites, priced from $30 to $32 per night for full-service campsites; $28 to $30 per night for electrical (but not sewage and water) connections. Simple campsites with none of the above-mentioned hookups rent for $21 to $23 per night. The park is open daily 6am to 10pm.

Fishing

Because of the warming temperature of the Gulf Stream, fishing is good from early spring until around Christmas. You can pursue king mackerel, spadefish, amberjack, barracuda, sea bass, and Spanish mackerel, along with grouper and red snapper. Great fishing is available aboard any boat of Captain Dick's, Business Hwy. 17, at Murrells Inlet (tel. 866/557-FISH [3474] or 843/651-3676; www.captdicks.com). Captain Dick's offers three charters that go as far as 60 miles offshore. The Sea Bass Fishing Adventure is a half-day trip that's usually conducted every Thursday between noon and 8pm. It's priced at $44 for adults and $26 for children 12 and under. The rates include rod and reel, bait, tackle, and license.

The Continental Shelf Fishing trip is an 8-hour trip that goes slightly farther out than the Sea Bass Adventure, in search of bigger fish. Rates are $59 for adults and $33 for children 12 and under, including rod and reel, bait, tackle, and license. Electric reels are available for $9. The All Day Gulf Stream trip is an 11-hour jaunt that departs at 6:30am in search of red snapper, grouper, triggerfish, and amberjack. The rate of $90 for adults and $56 for children 12 and under includes rod and reel, bait, tackle, and license. Electric reels are also available for this trip for an additional $12.

Once a month, between March and November, Captain Dick's hosts the Overnight Gulf Stream fishing expedition for the true fishing enthusiast. The cost of the 25-hour trip, which departs at 1:30pm on Saturday and returns at 2:30pm on Sunday, is $175. The rate includes rod and reel, bait, tackle, and license; an electric reel is an additional $12. On this trip, the price of the electric reel may well be worth it.

Sailing & Windsurfing

Captain Dick's, Business Hwy. 17, at Murrells Inlet (tel. 866/557-FISH [3474] or 843/651-3676), has cruises that offer stunning views of the Grand Strand. The Saltwater Marsh Explorer Adventure is a 2 1/2-hour ecology trip that allows you to see marine life in its true element. Rates are $21 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. The Cruising the Beach Ocean Sightseeing Cruise along the coast of Myrtle Beach wraps up the trip with a sunset at sea. Rates are $19 for adults and $11 for children ages 6 to 12 (free for children 5 and under).

You can rent kayaks and Hobie Cat sailboats at Sail and Ski, 515 Hwy. 501, Myrtle Beach (tel. 843/626-7245), from April to September. Usually rented only to experienced sailors, they cost $30 to $35 per hour. Escorted 2-hour kayak tours through local mangrove swamps are around $50 each.

Tennis

The Myrtle Beach Public Courts, 3200 Oak St., on Myrtle Beach (no phone), offer a trio of outdoor and asphalt courts next to the Myrtle Beach Recreation Center. A more elegant place to play is the Kingston Plantation Sport & Health Club, 9760 Kings Rd., Myrtle Beach (tel. 843/497-1610). Such greats as Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors have played these five hard-surface courts. There are also four clay courts. Courts cost $20 per hour.

Grand Dunes Tennis Club, U.S. 17 Bypass, across from Dixie Stampede, at Myrtle Beach (tel. 843/315-0218), has 10 composition courts, 8 of which are lighted for night play. Courts cost $30 for two people for 2 hours and $50 for four people for 2 hours. There's also an on-site pro shop and fitness room.

Watersports

To rent jet skis and other watersports vehicles, contact Myrtle Beach Watersports (tel. 843/497-8848). Their main office is at 5835 Dick Pond Rd., Myrtle Beach. Here the staff will refer you to any of four other locations along the Grand Strand.