Myrtle Beach, SC

10/15/2026

10/15/2026

Myrtle Beach, SC City Council is discussing a possible change to how the citys 1 percent tourism development fee is divided. The fee is a local sales tax on purchases made in the city, including lodging, and it currently generates tens of millions of dollars each year. Under the existing state law, 80 percent of the revenue goes to tourism advertising and promotion aimed at visitors from outside South Carolina, while the remaining 20 percent goes to the city for property tax credits on owner occupied homes or for tourism related capital projects.

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City leaders, including Mayor Mark Kruea, have said the current split no longer works well for the whole community because rising home values and a growing number of owner occupied properties have consumed most or all of the citys 20 percent share for tax credits, leaving little for infrastructure. They are exploring a proposal that would give the city a larger portion, closer to 40 percent, with the rest still going toward marketing. The additional funds could support projects such as redevelopment of the former Pavilion site.

Because the fee was created by state law, any change would require approval from the South Carolina General Assembly.

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What are your thoughts on adjusting the split so the city retains more of the revenue for local infrastructure and resident tax relief?

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10/15/2026

Learn about this Hidden Gem of Horry County History... Peter Vaught’s Plantation 👉 What was once a large cotton plantation owned by Colonel Peter Vaught now forms the heart of some of the area’s most developed oceanfront communities. The original lands stretched across more than 4,100 acres just north of Singleton Swash in present-day Arcadia Shores, Kingston Plantation Resort, Green Lakes Subdivision, and the Dunes Club.

➡️This article is supported by Jake Lee - Myrtle Beach & Pawleys Island Top Realtor , preserving and sharing the heritage of this extraordinary region.

Colonel Peter Vaught Sr. (1774-1867) was a prominent Horry County figure who served as sheriff, state legislator, and carried the honorary title of Colonel. He established the plantation in the early 1800s in the Long Bay area between Windy Hill Beach and Myrtle Beach, SC . The property supported a diverse operation that included cotton and Indian corn as primary crops, along with salt works, cattle, sheep, and swine. During the Civil War the salt works became especially important for supplying the Confederacy.

After Vaught’s death in 1867 the land passed to his son Peter Vaught Jr. and later other family members. A half-acre family cemetery once existed on the property, though all grave markers have since been destroyed. In the 1890s a post office was established on the land and the area became known locally as Vaught. The original plantation house and summer house are long gone, but the name and history live on in the landscape.

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Today the majority of the original Peter Vaught Plantation has been developed into resorts, subdivisions, and golf communities that thousands of visitors and residents enjoy each year. What was once farmland and timberland along the Atlantic Ocean is now part of the vibrant modern Grand Strand.

Interesting facts:

- Peter Vaught was one of the largest landowners in antebellum Horry County and played an active role in local government for decades.

- The plantation’s salt works were a strategic resource during the Civil War.

- The area that was once Vaught’s Plantation helped shape the early growth of what became Myrtle Beach and its northern neighborhoods.

- A village called Vaught appeared on maps as late as 1911, preserving the family name long after the plantation era.

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10/15/2026

Coastal Carolina University is NOT in Myrtle Beach, SC , and Carolina Forest is NOT in Conway.

Come on, y’all. 😂

The endless “is that Conway or Myrtle?” debates along 501 have a simple answer...just look at the zip code overlays on this map. 29579 is Myrtle Beach (hello, Carolina Forest), and 29526 is Conway (proud home of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers ).

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Faculty, staff, and students at CCU will tell you they’re in Conway...minutes from the beach, but Conway through and through. And about your friend that lives in Conway, but is acctually in Carolina Forest...That’s a Myrtle Beach mailing address all the way. The map’s right here.....

Who else has heard these mix-ups?

Where do you draw the line?

Drop it in the comments.

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10/14/2026

The Oldest Cemetery in Myrtle Beach, SC … and the Ghost House That Still Floats

Tucked quietly near Withers Swash, just off Collins Street, sits Withers Memorial Cemetery... the oldest burial ground in Myrtle Beach, with roots stretching back to the 1790s.

➡️This article is supported by Jake Lee - Myrtle Beach & Pawleys Island Top Realtor , preserving and sharing the heritage of this extraordinary region.

This is no ordinary resting place. It was once part of the Withers family plantation, one of the earliest European settlements along what was then called Long Bay. The Witherses received massive land grants in the colonial era and lived here for generations, farming indigo on the bluff overlooking the swash. Captain Withers and one of his children are believed to rest here in unmarked graves. Many others lie forgotten beneath the soil; ground-penetrating radar later revealed roughly 25 additional unmarked burial sites.

But the most chilling story connected to this place isn’t written on any headstone.

In September 1822, a catastrophic hurricane slammed into the coast. Eighteen people took shelter inside the Withers home as the storm raged. The house was brightly lit with candles and lanterns against the darkness. Then a massive storm surge roared up through the swash, ripped the house from its foundation, and sent it floating upright into the water. Another surge struck and shattered it. All 18 souls were lost.

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Local legend says that on dark, stormy nights near Withers Swash, you can still see it: a house lit from within, drifting out toward the sea.

The family never returned. The land was later sold, and the cemetery portion was eventually donated to what is now First Baptist Church around 1870. Confederate veterans rest here too. But the unmarked graves of the earliest Withers settlers remain, silent witnesses to the night the coast claimed them.

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10/14/2026

Meet Peter Horry (O-ree)....the French Huguenot planter and Revolutionary War officer that Horry County, South Carolina is named after.

Born in the Georgetown, SC area around 1743–47, Horry served as a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army and later a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia. He fought alongside (and under) Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox,” in guerrilla campaigns against the British, and later served in the South Carolina House and Senate.

➡️This article is supported by Jake Lee - Myrtle Beach & Pawleys Island Top Realtor , preserving and sharing the heritage of this extraordinary region.

In 1801, while he was still alive, locals successfully petitioned to rename the old Kingston District “Horry District” in his honor. (It became Horry County in 1868.) He never actually lived in the county that bears his name... it was recognition of his service. The area’s isolation by rivers and swamps later earned it the nickname “The Independent Republic of Horry.”

Now the part that starts arguments…

How do you say it?

The traditional/preferred pronunciation (and what historical markers and the Horry County Historical Society use) is O-ree / OH-ree ... the H is silent.

Plenty of people say Or-ree.

Both get used by locals and visitors. Neither is “wrong” enough to end the debate… but bring it up around the wrong person and you’ll start a fight.
The one version that actually gets side-eye? Saying the hard “H.” Just don’t.

(There’s even an old 1930s Loris kids’ song that went “Oree, Oree, you’re the stuff / It’s Oree, it’s not Horrie.”)

Team O-ree or Team Or-ree? 👇

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10/14/2026

Search the hashtag on Facebook to browse more than 33,000 posts of LOCAL! Local news, local history, local photography, and amazing local real estate. LEARN MORE ABOUT JAKE LEE AT www.jakeleerealestate.com/about

10/14/2026

Horry County is taking the next step toward a connected trail network that could one day link Conway with Myrtle Beach, SC and open safer paths for walking, biking, and everyday outdoor activity across the Grand Strand.

County planners recently gathered community feedback through an online survey and an interactive map where residents marked places they want to reach, areas that feel unsafe, and ideas for new connections. Hundreds of suggestions came in, including requests for better ways to cross the Intracoastal Waterway near the Horry County Bike and Run Park. People also shared thoughts on amenities such as lighting, benches, water fountains, restrooms, and parking that would make a trail more useful for families and daily users.

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The vision centers on a continuous multi use path connecting the historic county seat in Conway with the beach communities. One concept under discussion uses portions of an existing rail corridor that once carried trains between the two places. That railroad line dates back to 1900, when the Conway Seashore Railroad was built by the sons of local businessman Franklin Burroughs. The line helped open the coast for development and later became part of the Atlantic Coast Line system. Freight service ended years ago, and sections of track, including the drawbridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, have sat unused since around 2011. In recent years city and county leaders have explored turning parts of the corridor into a trail, a process known as rail banking that keeps the option open for future rail use while allowing public recreation in the meantime.
State funding of two million dollars has already been set aside for a Conway to Myrtle Beach connection, though some route options are expected to cost more. Officials are looking at grants and partnerships so that Conway, Myrtle Beach, and the county can each build sections that fit together. Public meetings on a draft plan are expected in November. Residents can follow updates on the Horry County website or through local news for exact dates and locations.

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A finished network would add to trails already enjoyed in the area, including the multi mile loops at the Horry County Bike and Run Park in Carolina Forest and the completed East Coast Greenway segments through Myrtle Beach, which was the first city on the entire national route to finish its off road portion. Similar projects elsewhere in South Carolina, such as the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville, have shown how a well planned path can support recreation, local businesses, and safer travel for people who prefer not to drive every short trip.

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The survey has closed, but the conversation continues. November meetings will give residents another chance to weigh in on routes, safety, and features that matter most. For more information check the Horry County Planning and Zoning page or call 843 915 5340.

10/13/2026

Great news for the Grand Strand. Breeze Airways announced today eleven new nonstop routes from Myrtle Beach International Airport. These flights will make Breeze the largest airline at the airport with a total of twenty five nonstop destinations. The airline plans to grow its capacity here by seventy percent compared with this year. Most of the new service begins in the spring and summer of 2027.

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Here are the new nonstop routes and starting fares:

✅️ Albany New York on Mondays and Fridays starting May 28 from sixty nine dollars one way.

✅️ Boston Massachusetts daily starting May 4 from seventy nine dollars one way.

✅️ Buffalo New York on Thursdays and Sundays starting July 1 from fifty nine dollars one way.

✅️ Burlington Vermont on Thursdays and Sundays starting May 27 from seventy nine dollars one way.

✅️ Columbus Ohio on Mondays and Fridays starting May 28 from fifty nine dollars one way.

✅ ️Latrobe Pennsylvania on Mondays and Fridays starting February 9 from forty nine dollars one way.

✅️ New Haven Connecticut on Wednesdays and Saturdays starting May 26 from fifty nine dollars one way.

✅️ Portland Maine on Thursdays and Sundays starting May 27 from seventy nine dollars one way.

✅️ Portsmouth New Hampshire on Wednesdays and Saturdays starting May 26 from seventy nine dollars one way.

✅️ Stewart Newburgh New York on Mondays and Fridays starting May 28 from fifty nine dollars one way.

✅️ Syracuse New York on Thursdays and Sundays starting May 27 from sixty nine dollars one way.

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Promotional fares are available now for travel through September 7 2027. Breeze began flying from Myrtle Beach in February 2024 with a single destination and has more than doubled its seats and passengers in the past year. Airport and tourism leaders say the expanded options will support local jobs, visitor spending, group travel, and business opportunities after Spirit Airlines ended operations earlier this year. Residents and visitors alike will enjoy more convenient and affordable ways to reach the beach. Check the Breeze Airways website to book your flights today.

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