The place
The complex by the lake
The shopping and entertainment complex that holds the theatre: who built it, how it is laid out around its lake, what else is there, and how to use it for a show night.
Find your tribute show night ↗Quick answer
The theatre sits inside a large shopping and entertainment complex in central Myrtle Beach, owned and run by Burroughs & Chapin and opened in July 1995. It spreads over 350 acres around the 23-acre Lake Broadway, with theatres, restaurants, shops, attractions and hotels. Entry is free; only the attractions charge. It lies inland, about a mile and a half from the ocean by its own account.
Who built it
The complex belongs to Burroughs & Chapin, a company with deep roots in the town. Its predecessor, the Burroughs and Collins Company of Conway, bought much of the old Withers family land along the coast in 1881, and the Burroughs family went on to bring the railroad to the beach and open the first inn. A century later the company announced this project, in 1993, and held the grand opening on 4 July 1995. The complex now bills itself as South Carolina's most visited attraction.
How it is laid out
Everything is arranged around Lake Broadway. The complex is divided into themed zones: New England Fishing Village, Caribbean Village, Charleston Boardwalk, Heroes Harbor and The Avenue, a warehouse-style nightlife district that stays open later than the rest. One zone features a replica of the Morris Island Light on top of a bar. Hotels sit inside and across the road from the main complex. For a show night, the useful thing to know is that restaurants, the theatre and the lake walk are all within the same grounds, so you can park once and do everything on foot.
What else is there
Besides the tribute show, the complex holds an aquarium, a wax museum, a science attraction housed in an upside-down building, and a nostalgia park with rides from the former Myrtle Beach Pavilion. In 2018 it added an observation wheel, which lights up and flashes in time with music after dark. There are also many shops and a long list of places to eat. None of this is part of the show ticket, and each attraction charges separately, but it makes the complex a full evening out rather than a theatre in a car park.
A theatre with a history
The production has not always been here. Wikipedia records that it held its last show in nearby Surfside Beach in October 2010 and moved into the complex in 2011, taking over the site of a former nightclub that had first housed a restaurant. The complex's stage history goes back further: one of its first attractions, the 2,700-seat Palace Theatre, was badly damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and torn down in 2017. Today the complex still counts three theatres among its attractions, the tribute show's among them.
Using it on show night
Treat the complex as the frame for the evening. Arrive early enough to eat at one of its restaurants, since the show ticket covers no food and the theatre is not a dinner venue. Allow a few minutes to walk from your table to the theatre, and more if you are with children or a wheelchair user. Guest Services, in the Key West Village area, hands out maps and visitor information, and wheelchairs, scooters and strollers can be rented there too. After the show, the lake walk and the lit observation wheel make a gentle end to the night.
Good to know
Admission to the complex is free; you pay only for attractions, food and shopping. There are no storage lockers and no public wifi, so travel light and download your voucher before you arrive. Pets are allowed only when they are assistance animals, which matches the theatre's welcome for service animals. And it is not on the beach: by the complex's own figure it lies about a mile and a half west of the ocean, so plan to drive or take a taxi rather than strolling over from the sand.
Read next: Reaching the theatre
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