Springmaid Pier Live Cam

History

Springmaid Pier, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is a historic landmark and popular tourist attraction. Its history dates back to the early 1950s when it was constructed as a part of the Springmaid Beach Resort, which was established by the Springs Mills company.

The pier was originally built in 1953 and quickly became a focal point for visitors to the Springmaid Beach Resort. The Springs Mills company, known for its textile manufacturing, decided to create the resort as a way to promote its products and provide a vacation destination for employees and the public. The resort included a hotel, beachfront cottages, and various amenities, with the Springmaid Pier as one of its highlights.

At 1,060 feet (about 323 meters) long, Springmaid Pier has been one of the longest piers along the Grand Strand coastline. It stretches out into the Atlantic Ocean, offering visitors stunning views of the beach, ocean, and surrounding area. The pier has undergone several renovations and improvements over the years, enhancing its safety and attractiveness to visitors.

Throughout its history, the Springmaid Pier has weathered storms, hurricanes, and other natural events, which have occasionally required repairs and rebuilding. However, it has remained an iconic structure along Myrtle Beach and a cherished spot for anglers, beachgoers, and sightseers alike.

Beyond its recreational significance, Springmaid Pier has played a role in community events and activities. Fishing tournaments, charity events, and other gatherings have often taken place on or near the pier, fostering a sense of community and camaraderie among locals and visitors.

Top Tourist Attractions

Springmaid Pier in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, offers a range of attractions and activities that draw tourists and locals alike. Here are some of the top attractions you can experience at Springmaid Pier:

• Fishing: Springmaid Pier is a popular spot for fishing enthusiasts. Visitors can rent fishing equipment on-site and try their luck catching a variety of fish species found in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Scenic Views: The pier provides breathtaking views of the Myrtle Beach coastline, the vast Atlantic Ocean, and the surrounding area. It's an ideal spot to watch the sunrise or sunset.
• Beach Activities: The area around Springmaid Pier is perfect for beachgoers. Visitors can enjoy sunbathing, swimming, building sandcastles, and playing beach games.
• Dining Options: The pier area features restaurants and cafes where you can enjoy delicious seafood, snacks, and refreshing beverages while taking in the ocean view.
• Photography Opportunities: Photographers and Instagram enthusiasts will find plenty of picturesque spots for capturing stunning shots of the ocean, pier, and the natural beauty of Myrtle Beach.
• Birdwatching: Springmaid Pier attracts various bird species, making it a great spot for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts.
• Events and Festivals: Throughout the year, Springmaid Pier hosts various events, including fishing tournaments, live music performances, and community gatherings.
• Dolphin Watching: On lucky occasions, you might spot dolphins swimming near the pier, providing an exciting wildlife encounter.
• Souvenir Shops: The pier area often has shops selling souvenirs, beachwear, and other items, allowing visitors to take home mementos of their Myrtle Beach experience.
• Leisurely Strolls: Walking along the pier is a relaxing activity, and there are usually benches where visitors can sit and enjoy the ocean breeze.

Vacation resort on South Carolina’s Atlantic coast

Myrtle Beach is the largest of the Grand Strand's beaches, the most developed and probably the most popular. The area has been billed the Seaside Golf Capital of the World, the Campground Capital of the World and the Miniature Golf Capital of the World. In February of 1994, Myrtle Beach was rated the second "Hottest New Destination" in Destinations magazine. In September of 1994, Myrtle Beach was listed as one of the "10 Outstanding Family RV Vacation Destinations" by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association; in 1995, D.K. Shifflet & Associates, a McLean, Virginia, research and consulting firm, identified Myrtle Beach as the No. 1 competitor to Orlando, Florida.

Another of the many distinctions the city holds is home to the world's largest sand sculpture. As part of a Sun Fun Festival promotion, Myrtle Beach challenged the city of Long Beach, Washington, to a sand castle building competition. Hundreds of volunteers united forces to create a sand sculpture that stretched for 86,536 feet. That's more than 16 miles! The feat landed the city in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1991.

Everyone knows, Myrtle Beach's most enviable attraction is still the grand Atlantic. But there are so many other things to do the shoreline is by no means the only attraction. In addition to shopping, amusement parks, miniature golf, water parks, waterway cruises, and golf, there's an absolute frenzy of theaters climbing skyward.

Even for the folks who have been around to watch, it's difficult to comprehend the explosion of development that has engulfed Myrtle Beach. Cherry Grove and Windy Hill were well established long before Myrtle Beach. On the other end of the Strand, Georgetown featured a flourishing rice empire resplendent with plantations when Myrtle Beach was nothing save mounds of sand and scrubby pine trees. People who passed through the area en route to more popular destinations noted Myrtle Beach's pristine beauty, but until the 1900s no one took an interest in staying.

F.G. Burroughs, a Conway businessman, was the visionary who recognized the staggering potential of the area once known as Long Bay. In the late 1800s he purchased a majority of the real estate now known as Myrtle Beach. (At one point, the Burroughs and Collins Company owned 80,000 acres including nearly all of the coastline between Little River and Murrells Inlet.) Burroughs earned his living selling the tar, pitch and turpentine gleaned from the area's rich timber.

The area's first motel, Seaside Inn, was constructed in 1901 under the direction of F.G.'s son, F.A. Burroughs. Room rates were $2 a day. Here's how a local newspaper described the inn:

People soon began building cottages. In 1910, lots sold for $25. Anyone who promised to build a $500 house on his or her lot received a second lot free of charge. Early residents enjoyed the area only as a secluded summer hideaway. The Burroughs family, for example, moved belongings on the railroad each summer from Conway to Myrtle Beach. F.G.'s granddaughter, Virginia Burroughs Marshall, remembers how the train pulled up to their home every spring. After making their way eastward with possessions that included cows and goats, the train stopped at their beach cottage and allowed them to unload for a peaceful summer. (Back then, semi-wild hogs sometimes ran sunbathers off the beach.)