Billed as a Legendary Gift Shop, the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove has been operating since the 1940s. Founders Justin and Eloise Plyler were an entrepreneurial couple who owned a golf course, several motels, a reptile show, a monkey exhibit, an aquarium, a rifle range and an amusement park. The original Gay Dolphin was destroyed by a hurricane in 1954, and was built back in phases. Over the years, it grew to 26,000 square feet, including a glass tower that fronts on Ocean Boulevard. At one time, people could climb a set of circular steps to the top of the tower, but access was closed in 2006 for safety purposes.

You can get almost anything at the Gay Dolphin: beach towels, t-shirts, hats, knick-knacks, ornaments, jewelry, pet toys, even a mermaid for your water garden. You can also get lost! With all of the different rooms on the various levels, it doesn’t take long to forget where the entry was, or even whether you need to go up or down to get there.

If you can’t find what you need at the Gay Dolphin, this area has many more tourist shops/traps, as well as restaurants, bars and activities.

Just a few blocks from the Gay Dolphin is the Myrtle Beach SkyWheel, an observation wheel, which I mistakenly called a Ferris where. There is a difference! The observation wheel is much larger than a typical Ferris wheel, plus it usually overlooks a scenic area – the beach in this case. The SkyWheel is almost 200 feet tall with 42 enclosed gondolas. Each gondola holds up to 6 people, Constructed in 2011, this particular wheel was the first of its kind in the US and the largest wheel in the country at that time.

Besides SkyWheel, there is another observation wheel at Broadway at the Beach, the Broadway 360 Observation Wheel. This one is smaller though, at only 150 feet. It is part of Broadway at the Beach’s amusement park. Drop your kids there, and head to the numerous restaurants, bars and shops. It’s a short step up from the attractions near the Gay Dolphin.

Broadway 360 Observation Wheel Myrtle Beach SkyWheel

Broadway at the Beach is also home to Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. Until now, I didn’t realize that Ripley’s had more than their Believe It or Not! museums. Ripley Entertainment bills itself as an entertainment and edutainment holding company. Although I was not familiar with the work “edutainment,” it apparently was coined by Walt Disney in the 1950s to denote entertainment that also educates. We’ve usually enjoyed visiting aquariums, so tried this one out on a hot afternoon, June 24.

This aquarium is definitely focused on children and families, and did a good job from that standpoint. However, it was pretty lame compared to many others we’ve seen. We spent a couple of hours there, and walked away underimpressed. Still, I would recommend it to families with children, or adults who are experiencing an aquarium for the first time.

Myrtle Beach has many great restaurants. Here are some that we enjoyed:

Donald’s Pancake House – we ate breakfast there three times! We recommend the Royal Pancakes topped with Nutella sauce, Pecan Waffle, or anything else on the menu. You can get healthy options as well.

Bumzz Beach Cafe – wait for your table in an adirondack chair near the beach. Dine inside or out, and enjoy the live music. We ate here twice. Their home-made chips were worth taking home.

42nd Street Bar & Grill – Heads up: It’s actually near 42nd Avenue, we overshot it looking for 42nd Street! It’s a reasonably priced steak and seafood restaurant. My scallops and white beans was delicious, as was Mark’s duck. The waiter went above and beyond to figure out how to make me a Vesper.

New York Prime – reservations highly recommended; this place had lines out the door every time we went by. It has the feel of an old style supper club. The food and service are outstanding, but you will pay for that.

Fire & Smoke – I think this was my favorite. The menu is creative; the Smoked Wild Boar and Free Range Bison is amazing. Who knew meatloaf could be a gourmet dish? Mark’s drink was smoked, then covered until presented at our table. There was live music, but not so loud as to overwhelm our conversation.