Oceana Resorts, 201 74th Avenue N., Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
Dogs are family, and a vacation your dog sits out isn’t much of a vacation. The good news: the Grand Strand has real options for a dog beyond the parking lot and the hotel room. The better news: most of them are free.
Here’s what’s genuinely worth doing with a dog around Myrtle Beach, with the current rules for each — because the rules are where most trips go sideways.
It’s the reason you came, and dogs are welcome on Myrtle Beach year-round. What changes is the timing. From May 1 through Labor Day, City of Myrtle Beach ordinances allow dogs on the sand before 10:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m. only. From the day after Labor Day through April 30, any hour is fair game. A leash of 7 feet or shorter is required every day of the year, and cleaning up after your dog isn’t optional.
Staying oceanfront makes the summer windows easy — our guests walk out the back of the resort for the early session and are upstairs before the cutoff. We wrote the full breakdown, including the Boardwalk and state park rules, here: Can you take dogs on Myrtle Beach?
A short drive south of us down Ocean Boulevard, and the best dog outing on this end of the Grand Strand: wooded trails, a quieter shoreline and a fishing pier. Pets are allowed in most outdoor areas of the park year-round, on a leash no longer than six feet — one foot shorter than the city beach requires, so pack the shorter leash and you’re covered in both places. Dogs are kept off the park’s beach from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 1 through Labor Day, and they aren’t permitted in the cabins or cabin areas at any time.
Further south, past Murrells Inlet, and worth the drive for a half-day trip. It’s a dog-friendly park year-round: three miles of beach, walking trails, saltwater and freshwater fishing, and some of the best bird watching in South Carolina. Dogs are welcome on the south end of the beach, on a six-foot leash, but they’re not allowed on the north end or inside any building — including Atalaya, the old Huntington winter home that anchors the park. Plan to tour Atalaya on a separate trip, or take turns waiting outside.
Up in North Myrtle Beach, and pet-friendly year-round. The waterfront boardwalk along the Intracoastal is an easy, shaded-in-places stroll, and many of the shops and restaurants welcome dogs too. Keep your dog on a leash or in a pet stroller and clean up after them — that’s the whole ask. It’s the closest thing the area has to a full afternoon of shopping and eating that your dog gets to attend.
You don’t have to eat in shifts. The Myrtle Beach area has a real bench of restaurants with dog-welcoming patios, from waterfront decks to places that bring out a bowl of water before they bring your drinks. We put together the current list, with what to expect at each: dog-friendly restaurants and patios in Myrtle Beach. Call ahead in peak season — patio policies can change with the weather and the crowd.
Between 10 and 5 in the summer, the beach is off-limits to dogs and the sand is hot enough to hurt paws anyway. That’s the window FURology Paw Spa & Retreat was made for. They operate on the ground level of Ocean Park Resort and offer full grooming packages, nail trims, dental care, short-term day care, and organic treats and toys. Drop your dog for a wash while the family hits the pools or the attractions, and everyone reunites for the evening beach walk. Call (843) 580-3647.
A few things that come up over and over at our front desk:
Rinse the salt off your dog after a swim — it’s the single most-skipped step, and it’s the one that turns an itchy dog into a miserable one by Wednesday.
Ocean Park welcomes up to two dogs, 40 lbs. and under each, in pet-friendly units on designated floors, for $25 per day, per pet. Direct beach access, an on-site potty area, a welcome gift of treats and waste bags at check-in, and the groomer downstairs. See the dog-friendly rentals, read the full pet policy FAQ, or check your dates.
