Things to Do for Father’s Day in North Myrtle Beach

June comes to North Myrtle Beach the way the best days always do — quietly, without announcing itself, the tide already moving by the time you’ve had your first cup of coffee and found your way to the porch. The pelicans work the shallows with a kind of indifference to time that men spend their whole careers trying to imitate. Father’s Day here has that same unhurried quality. It doesn’t ask anything of you. It just opens up along nine miles of coastline and waits.

Father’s Day 2026 falls on Sunday, June 21 — the longest days of the year, when the sun doesn’t fully set until past eight and there’s genuinely no excuse to come inside early. If you’ve ever wanted to give a dad something better than a novelty grilling apron and a Hallmark card, this is the year to do it properly. North Myrtle Beach’s nine miles of coastline, bracketed by Cherry Grove Beach to the north and Windy Hill to the south, contain just about everything a man could want for a day — fishing piers, golf courses, fishing charters, boat cruises, saltwater marshes to kayak, horses to ride along the surf, and enough good seafood to make a serious dent in the day’s catch.

What follows is a guide to doing Father’s Day right on the Grand Strand — not a list of generic suggestions, but a real map to the places and experiences that make this stretch of the South Carolina coast so good at this time of year. The charters are real, the golf courses are open and in shape, and the dinner reservations you’ll want to make sooner rather than later.

Fishing: Pier, Inshore, and Deep Sea

Ask most dads what they’d actually like to do for Father’s Day and the honest ones will tell you: go fishing. North Myrtle Beach obliges with options that run from a casual morning on the pier to a full offshore charter that puts you miles out in the Atlantic chasing mahi-mahi. June is one of the better fishing months along the Grand Strand — flounder are moving through the inshore waters, king mackerel are running off the pier, and the weather is warm enough that nobody minds getting a little spray in the face.

Cherry Grove Fishing Pier

The Cherry Grove Fishing Pier at 3502 N. Ocean Blvd. is one of the most storied fishing piers on the Atlantic coast — stretching 985 feet over the ocean with a two-story observation deck at the end and a history that includes the record catch of the largest tiger shark ever landed from shore in the United States. It opens daily at 6 a.m. and stays open until 11 p.m., which means dad can be out there before the rest of the family has had breakfast. Rod rentals run $26 and king mackerel passes are $30. The pier also has the Driftwoods restaurant on site for when the morning appetite kicks in. No charter booking required — just show up, pay the admission, and find a spot on the rail.

Captain Smiley Fishing Charters

For a guided inshore experience, Captain Smiley Fishing Charters out of Little River (4495 Baker St.) has been putting families on fish in the salt marshes and inshore waters around the Grand Strand for years. Inshore trips target redfish, flounder, speckled trout, and the various species that move through the backwaters around Cherry Grove Inlet in June. All equipment is provided, including the required fishing license — the family shows up and fishes. Father’s Day weekend books up fast; the captain’s team recommends reserving well ahead of the holiday. The phone is (843) 361-7445.

Voyager Fishing Charters

If the deep blue is calling — mahi-mahi, blackfin tuna, grouper, snapper — Voyager Fishing Charters at Dock Holidays Marina (1525 13th Ave N., North Myrtle Beach) runs a full menu of offshore options including half-day, full-day, and the crowd-favorite night shark fishing trips. For a dad who has already done the pier and wants something with a little more horizon in it, Voyager is the answer. Multi-day and Gulf Stream packages are also available for the true enthusiast.

Golf on the Grand Strand

North Myrtle Beach is serious golf country. The Grand Strand claims more golf courses per square mile than almost anywhere else in the country, and the courses in the northern end of the Strand — where the crowds thin out and the marsh views get genuinely spectacular — are worth a special trip on their own. Father’s Day weekend puts you on the course in the heart of the season, when the fairways are lush and the late-afternoon rounds end in some of the best light of the year.

Tidewater Golf Club

Tidewater Golf Club at 1400 Tidewater Drive in North Myrtle Beach routinely places on Golf Digest’s list of America’s Top 100 public courses — a ranking that the course has earned honestly, not through marketing. Designed by Ken Tomlinson and opened in 1990, Tidewater is positioned on a narrow peninsula between the Intracoastal Waterway and Cherry Grove Inlet, which means that on certain holes the Atlantic Ocean appears in the background of a shot that is already asking a lot of you. The par-three 12th crosses over marshland above Cherry Grove Inlet. The 13th gives you that ocean view from the green that people talk about for years. The course plays to a slope of 144 and stretches to 7,078 yards from the back tees, so dads who want a real challenge will not be disappointed. Book tee times early — (843) 913-2424.

Barefoot Resort & Golf

For the dad who wants to play more than one round, Barefoot Resort & Golf offers four courses on the same property — designed by Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Tom Fazio, and Pete Dye. The Norman course, in particular, has a demanding routing through wetlands and marshes with water in play on virtually every hole. Barefoot’s courses offer a range of difficulty and style that can keep a group of golfers of different abilities genuinely happy across an entire weekend. The resort sits along Highway 17 in North Myrtle Beach, and the courses are bookable individually or as part of packages.

Watersports and Boat Cruises

North Myrtle Beach’s relationship with the water does not begin and end at the shoreline. The Intracoastal Waterway runs the length of the Grand Strand, Waites Island sits just off the Cherry Grove Inlet, and the salt marsh creeks threading through that landscape are their own world entirely — one that rewards anyone willing to climb into a kayak or onto a boat and go exploring. For Father’s Day, the watersports options range from gentle to seriously exciting.

The Barefoot Queen

The Barefoot Queen riverboat operates out of Barefoot Marina at 2051-2 Bridge View Ct., North Myrtle Beach, and offers scenic and dinner cruises along the Intracoastal Waterway. The 70-foot riverboat accommodates up to 130 people and carries live narration and entertainment on every cruise. For Father’s Day weekend, the dinner cruise — which departs at 6 p.m. during peak season — is one of the more elegant ways to celebrate. It combines the slow drift of the waterway at golden hour with a catered buffet-style meal and cocktails available at the onboard bar. The lunch cruise at noon is a solid option for families with younger kids who need an earlier evening. Reservations: (843) 390-2017.

Cherry Grove Kayaking

For a dad who would rather be moving than sitting, Cherry Grove Kayaking delivers kayaks and paddleboards directly to the ramp at Cherry Grove Beach and offers guided tours through the salt marsh out to Waites Island. The Waites Island tour follows the current of the rising tide through the marsh channels, past bald eagles and blue herons, and lands on the uninhabited barrier island that most beachgoers never reach. The trip is appropriate for children and requires no prior kayaking experience. Three-hour self-guided rental packages are also available for groups who want to move at their own pace. Visit cherrygrovekayaking.com to book.

Jet Skis, Parasailing, and Watersports

Along Ocean Drive and Crescent Beach, several established operators run jet ski rentals, parasailing, and banana boat rides through peak season. Action Water Sportz and East Coast Jet Ski Adventures both offer jet ski rentals along the North Myrtle Beach coastline, while New Wave Watersports and Atlantic Watersports handle parasailing for those who want the bird’s-eye view of the strand. If the dad in the group has never looked down at nine miles of white sand from a few hundred feet in the air, Father’s Day is a decent occasion to change that.

Horseback Riding on Waites Island

This one lands differently than most Father’s Day activities, because very few people expect it. Inlet Point Plantation Stables, located at 5800 Little River Neck Road in North Myrtle Beach, offers guided horseback rides on Waites Island — a 1,380-acre uninhabited barrier island just off Cherry Grove Inlet that is accessible only by boat or van shuttle from the plantation itself. You ride along the ocean, feet from the surf, on a beach that has no houses, no umbrellas, and no traffic. The horses are well-trained Tennessee Walkers and Warmbloods. The guides know the island’s history, which runs from ancient Waccamaw tribal settlements back some 2,600 years.

The one-hour beach ride is appropriate for any skill level and for riders age seven and up. The sunset beach ride — offered Monday through Thursday with two days’ advance notice — is a particular gem for Father’s Day weekend, sending the last light of the day across the water in exactly the way postcards always promise and rarely deliver. The plantation is open Monday through Saturday, so Saturday, June 20 is an excellent day to book. Riders must be at least seven years old, and there is a weight limit of 240 pounds. Reservations are essential; visit inletpointplantation.com or call ahead.

Where to Take Dad for Dinner

Dinner on Father’s Day weekend in North Myrtle Beach is its own event. The best waterfront tables fill up days in advance, particularly at Barefoot Landing — a complex of restaurants, shops, and entertainment built along the Intracoastal Waterway that has more good dining options within walking distance of each other than most mid-sized cities. Plan ahead, make reservations, and remember that whoever shows up first to Cherry Grove Pier or Tidewater Golf Club gets to pick the restaurant.

Greg Norman Australian Grille

The Greg Norman Australian Grille at Barefoot Landing is where you take the dad who considers steak a serious matter. Perched directly on the Intracoastal Waterway, the restaurant has held a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for more than 15 consecutive years. The menu draws on Australian beef traditions alongside local seafood and carries an extensive wine program that treats the cellar as the equal of the kitchen. The waterfront deck at dusk, with a bone-in cut and a glass of Barossa Shiraz, is a specific kind of experience that most dads won’t stop talking about by July.

LuLu’s North Myrtle Beach

LuLu’s at Barefoot Landing is the choice when the family has kids who need an activity alongside their meal — the complex includes an arcade, a ropes course, and live music on the waterfront. The menu is built on fresh seafood with a coastal Gulf South influence, and the atmosphere runs warm and cheerful rather than precious. It’s a genuinely fun place on a Saturday afternoon when the whole family is still sandy from the beach and no one wants to put on their good shoes.

Flying Fish Public Market & Grill

The Flying Fish Public Market & Grill at Barefoot Landing is built on a simple, honest premise: get the freshest local seafood and treat it well. The market format means a rotating selection of what’s actually running off the Grand Strand coast — local shrimp, deep-sea scallops, whatever the boats brought in that morning. For a dad who spent the morning on Cherry Grove Pier, there’s a particular satisfaction in eating the ocean’s output at a waterfront table that evening.

21 Main at North Beach Resort

For a more formal occasion, 21 Main at North Beach Resort and Villas brings USDA Prime steaks, fresh seafood, and a sushi program together in an upscale setting with Intracoastal views and outdoor terrace seating. The lounge opens at 4 p.m. with cocktails; the dining room follows at 5 p.m. Valet parking is complimentary in the traffic circle. If the family is celebrating something beyond Father’s Day — a birthday, a milestone, the first trip everyone has taken together in years — 21 Main has the right weight to it.

Live Music and Evening Entertainment

North Myrtle Beach has called itself the birthplace of Carolina Beach Music for decades, and in June that claim gets tested every week. The city’s Music on Main Concert Series brings free live performances to the Horseshoe at 11 S. Ocean Blvd. every Thursday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. through September. For Father’s Day weekend in 2026, the Thursday before — June 18 — features Tru Sol on the Main Street stage. The event is free, open to all ages, and set up for exactly the kind of unhurried evening that Father’s Day weekend deserves: beach chairs in the street, cold drinks nearby, and a band that knows how to move a crowd.

This year’s Music on Main carries a special theme — “Celebrating America’s 250” — in honor of the nation’s semiquincentennial, with select bands weaving patriotic material into their sets and July shows inviting audiences in red, white, and blue. Horseshoe parking closes at 2 p.m. on concert days; chairs are permitted after 3 p.m. Main Street from Ocean Boulevard closes to traffic at 4:30 p.m. Golf cart parking is available with limited spaces. For the full 2026 schedule, visit nmb.us.

Barefoot Landing runs live music throughout the summer season as well, with performances at LandShark Bar & Grill, LuLu’s, and other waterfront venues most evenings. The Alabama Theatre on the Barefoot Landing property offers ticketed shows for larger productions. And at Coconuts Tiki Bar on Ocean Drive — the only oceanfront tiki bar in North Myrtle Beach — the combination of specialty cocktails, live music, and the Atlantic directly in front of you makes for a fine end to any Father’s Day.

The Beach Itself

It would be a mistake to fill a Father’s Day in North Myrtle Beach so full of planned activities that there’s no time left for the thing that brought everyone here in the first place. The beach at Crescent Beach and Cherry Grove in the morning, before the crowds arrive, is as uncomplicated a pleasure as exists in American life. The water is warm in June — usually in the low-to-mid 80s — and the shore is wide enough that a family can spread out with chairs and a cooler and not feel like they’re sharing a parking lot with strangers.

For the oceanfront experience without the planning — no reservations, no equipment, no itinerary — the stretch of Windy Hill beach tends to be quieter than the sections closer to Main Street, making it well-suited for a morning where the goal is simply to be somewhere beautiful with people you love. From an oceanfront home rental, the beach is already in the backyard — which is, in the end, the cleanest version of the whole idea.

A Father’s Day Weekend Planner

For families arriving Friday evening and staying through Sunday, here is a framework that actually works — not scheduled to the minute, but sequenced so that the activities flow into each other and the day’s big moments land where they should.

Friday Evening — Arrive and Orient

Get to the rental, walk the beach, and find the nearest place to get dinner without making a production of it. LandShark Bar & Grill at Barefoot Landing is reliable for this — outdoor seating, live music, no dress code, and a menu wide enough that everyone finds something. The ICW view at night, with the lights of the waterway reflecting on the water, is a gentle way to announce that the weekend has begun.

Saturday, June 20 — Dad’s Day to Choose

Saturday is when the activities happen. Golf at Tidewater is best in the morning before the heat builds — tee times in the 8–10 a.m. range put you back at the rental by early afternoon. Alternatively, a fishing charter departs at first light and has dad back at the dock by noon, with enough time for a salt marsh kayak run in the afternoon or a horseback ride at Inlet Point Plantation before dinner. Reserve the Greg Norman Australian Grille or 21 Main for Saturday evening — these tables do not sit unsold on Father’s Day weekend.

Sunday, June 21 — Father’s Day

Keep it simple. Morning at Cherry Grove Pier with rod rentals. Brunch at Flying Fish. An afternoon on the beach at Crescent Beach with nowhere particular to be. The Barefoot Queen dinner cruise at 6 p.m. as a send-off — two hours on the waterway with dinner and entertainment, back at the dock before nine. If someone wants to extend the evening, Coconuts Tiki Bar is fifteen minutes away and open late.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources: Cherry Grove Pier (cherrygrovepier.com); Captain Smiley Fishing Charters (captainsmileyfishingcharters.com); Voyager Fishing Charters; Tidewater Golf Club (tidewatergolf.com); Barefoot Resort & Golf; Inlet Point Plantation (inletpointplantation.com); Cherry Grove Kayaking (cherrygrovekayaking.com); Barefoot Queen Riverboat (barefootqueen.com); Music on Main Concert Series, City of North Myrtle Beach (nmb.us); North Myrtle Beach Times (nmbtimes.com); Explore North Myrtle Beach (explorenorthmyrtlebeach.com). All event and venue information verified for June 2026.