July 4th Myrtle Beach?

July 4th traffic in Myrtle Beach is always horrific - at least, on 501. Depending on where you need to go, there are alternate routes for you to take. You could try SC 9, which will take you toward the northern end of North Myrtle Beach. SC 22, also known as the "Conway Bypass," connects from just south of Aynor to the southern end of North Myrtle Beach (also known as Restaurant Row). Near the beach end of 22 is SC 31, which will take you into North Carolina (if you go north) or over to Socastee (south). It also connects to Hwy 501.

22 and 31 are generally wide-open; but be forewarned that the posted speed limit is usually not obeyed by people that take those roads. They're treated more like interstates than they are anything else.

Of course, if you need to get somewhere that's between Conway and Myrtle Beach, you could always take 22 east to 31 south, and then take 501 north to where ever you need to go. 22 & 31 have been around long enough now that they should be in newer atlases - use one of them to help you navigate to where you need to be.

The problem areas will be US 17 and Hwy 501. If you ever need to use those roads for your travels while you're in town, give yourself plenty of time to get to where you need to be.

Hope that helped - have a fun time visiting us!

Myrtle Beach on July 4th is similiar to bike week. Pretty much anywhere over there is packed. It will be more traffic this year, I would think. They just opened up the Hard Rock Theme Park across the highway from The Hard Rock Cafe. Not to mention Myrtle Beach was just named the #1 family beach destination in the U.S.