Last Updated on April 26, 2024 by Capt. R.C.
Myrtle Beach makes up South Carolina’s Grand Strand and offers a hospitable atmosphere, amazing beaches, and great places to eat. While enjoying the area, you may get the itch to catch some local gamefish, and maybe throw a meal together for the family with the day’s catch.
You’re most likely looking to ensure that your kids have a good time on this fishing adventure. Looking at offshore options out of Myrtle Beach may not suit everyone in your party. Inshore fishing charters are a popular option for a great way to spend a day on the water while making sure the family enjoys every minute of it.
Your Family Friendly Fishing Trip Begins with Adventure
The best family-friendly fishing destination is located where the Grand Strand, and the Lowcountry begins! Your destination takes you away from the frenzy fueled tourist city of Myrtle Beach to a serene setting away from it all.
This adventure begins on U.S. Highway 17 out of Myrtle Beach, Highway 17 is known as “the Coastal Highway”. The road itself is considered one of the most popular road trip routes along the east coast, but during your journey – it is just a piece of the days’ fun.
You’ll head south on Highway 17 towards your fishing destination, which is under an hour away. On this route, you will find a picturesque drive loaded with roadside attractions, parks, and cool places to visit. Some of these smaller coastal communities offer a welcome getaway during your Myrtle Beach vacation.
I would recommend stopping for a bite to eat, go on your fishing trip, and then gauge the energy level of your family to decide what to visit on the way back. One of these destinations, Brookgreen Gardens, a National Historic Landmark on Highway 17 in Murrells Inlet, is a sculpture garden and wildlife preserve. This is a great place to take a leisurely stroll to see a one-of-a-kind place.
This area, Murrells Inlet, will also make for an opportune time to stop for a bite to eat on your journey back. Whether that be seafood or barbeque, this area has something for every hungry belly in the group. While barbeque can refer to a variety of foods around the country, in South Carolina it means one thing: pulled pork. Family friendly restaurants prepare local seafood fried with hush puppies. It’s no wonder that Murrell’s Inlet, SC is considered the seafood capital of the world!
Brookgreen Gardens offers a quiet setting that the whole family can enjoy.
If you’re planning ahead, you can stay a night on your way back to Myrtle Beach at the Ocean Lakes Family Campground. It is located on Highway 17, and has its own private beach! This family-centered camping area has a family fun center, onsite food and entertainment, a nature center, and a ton more – including seasonal events.
Being a parent myself, I can say – especially with little ones, that taking them camping when they are already a bit tired from a day on the water is one of the best-laid plans. Why? Because they go to bed early and sleep well in the natural environment. In the end, the entire adventure will become an engrained memory they will tell their friends about.
Now, let’s (finally) talk fishing.
The Myrtle Beach Family Fishing Adventure Begins
Where are we headed? Georgetown. This fishing destination really captures the best of all worlds when considering a day on the water with the family. Leisurely boat rides, amazing scenery, wildlife viewing opportunities, and awesome fishing.
Family Friendly Fishing
Launching from Georgetown will land your family into South Carolina’s Lowcountry and Winyah Bay. Winyah Bay offers the most family friendly fishing near Myrtle Beach, and one of the largest coastal watersheds on the east coast. In this area, there are opportunities to target red drum, spotted seatrout, flounder, sheepshead, and seasonal species – including tarpon! All of this while cruising within calm, shallow, coastal waters.
Families looking for offshore quality fishing without the long boat rides can opt for a Myrtle Beach nearshore fishing charter. Just outside of Winyah Bay, within sight of the Georgetown Lighthouse, you will find opportunities to target kingfish, Spanish mackerel, cobia, and many more – right inside of fishery. This part of the Grand Strand’s coastline is lined with reefs and wrecks that make for excellent family friendly fishing.
Immersion Learning
Making memories and taking the area all in is part of the family fishing adventure. Winyah Bay is also a coastal estuary, which means that it is loaded with marine wildlife. Taking note of the marsh ecology and the animals that inhabit it will make for a great learning experience.
This estuary is inhabited by sturgeon, sharks, dolphins, red drum, stingrays, black drum, white shrimp, blue crabs, pelicans, bald eagles, cormorants, and various species of seagulls – and that doesn’t name them all. There are also a lot of historical facts that your family can learn about, including a visible civil war shipwreck. Taking your family friendly fishing trip in Myrtle Beach to Winyah Bay will expose your children to an interactive atmosphere like no other!
Myrtle Beach’s Family-Friendly Fishing Guide
Of course, while on this family-friendly Myrtle Beach fishing charter, your fishing guide will have a major impact on your day. It is important to find an experienced guide who is family-focused himself. I am a father, and I am passionate about introducing your young ones to the same waters I grew up on. I try to make sure the adults on board have everything they need to enjoy the day while primarily focusing on keeping the kids happy.
Making sure the whole family has fun isn’t that difficult, but it takes an experienced guide to make it happen. If the kids aren’t having fun, the day could be cut short, so they get the vip treatment! If they get tired of fishing, catching bait and playing in the livewell are great ways to keep them entertained. Keeping them happy is the best way to make sure the fishing trip is fun for the whole family!
Plan Your Myrtle Beach Family Fishing Adventure
If this sounds like the right kind of fishing trip for you and your family, planning your trip is easy. Instant online reservations are available (with real-time availability), and the Captain is also available to help you plan your trip or answer any questions.
When you book your fishing trip with Harvest Moon, you will be fishing with me as your captain. This business is independently owned and operated, so there are no surprises when you show up for your families fishing trip.
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