Five Family-Friendly Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Myrtle Beach

Article Thumbnail Image

Whoever says New Year's Eve is for adults only never celebrated the holiday in Myrtle Beach. While the Grand Strand offers plenty of dining, dancing and parties for grown-ups to spend a wild night out on the town, the Myrtle Beach area also caters to families who want to ring in 2017 together with a wide selection of kid-friendly and family-friendly festivities.

With New Year's Eve falling on a Saturday this year, the long weekend is the perfect time for a family getaway to close out 2016 and start 2017 on a good note. Compass Cove Oceanfront Resort is always a hit for families, and our downtown location puts you close to all the action. Here are a few of our guests' favorite ways to celebrate New Year's Eve at Compass Cove:

* A Southern Times Square: Located just a short distance from Compass Cove, The Market Common does its best impersonation of the Big Apple and New York's Times Square. Crowds gather around to watch the ball drop, and fireworks light up the sky over the popular retail and dining district. Several restaurants will stay open late to accommodate patrons out past their usual bedtimes, and there are activities designed specifically for kids to burn off some steam before the ball drops.

* Children's Museum of South Carolina: Children don't have to stay up ’til midnight to celebrate the New Year's traditions normally reserved for grown-ups. The Noon Year's Eve Party provides kids with the chance to count down the clock until the stroke of noon, enjoy the thrill of a balloon drop, and even pop the cork on some sparkling cider. Located about four miles north of Compass Cove, CMSC offers other fun activities from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If this all sounds too “uncool” for your older children, let them bounce and play next door at the new Rockin' Jump Trampoline Park.

* Fireworks: No need to stay up ’til midnight to see the many pyrotechnics displays on the Strand — and if you time it right, you can even see more than one fireworks show. At Barefoot Landing in nearby North Myrtle Beach, the free fireworks show kicks things off at 6 p.m., followed by The Market Common's A Southern Times Square display at Midnight, and Broadway at the Beach at 8 p.m. The skies over the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk explode with brilliant colors at Midnight and there are other smaller shows up and down the Strand that you can watch from the beach.

* Ripley's Aquarium: Ever wonder what it would be like to spend the night under the sea? The closest you will come is at this Broadway at the Beach attraction's New Year's Eve Sleepover. Running from 8 p.m. Saturday ’til 8 a.m. Sunday, this overnight kids’ party features lots of fun activities for children and the chance to spend the night in the facility beside the giant tanks of sharks, stingrays and other aquatic creatures. Best of all, the parents can slip out for some grown-up time at the Celebrity Square New Year's Eve Party.

* Shows: Here’s your last chance to catch the traditional holiday shows at local theaters like The Carolina Opry and Alabama Theatre, and dinner theaters like Pirates Voyage and Medieval Times & Dinner Tournament also provide family-friendly entertainment. Legends in Concert at Broadway at the Beach puts on a special New Year’s Eve show for all ages.

Of course, families can also enjoy a great New Year’s weekend without leaving the Compass Cove property. Enjoy the indoor water park, on-site dining, comfortable accommodations and other amenities while you celebrate the occasion with the whole family at Compass Cove Oceanfront Resort, Myrtle Beach.