The first thing I would do here is ignore the campground map.
Walk towards the water instead.
Apache Family Campground sits directly on the Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with the beach immediately beyond the campsite roads. There are RV sites, a few tent sites and vacation rentals, but the beach is really the reason the place makes sense. You can wake up, walk a short distance and be looking at the Atlantic before you’ve properly decided what to do with the morning.
The campground has been here since 1969. The pier came later, in 1993. It now stretches 1,206 feet into the Atlantic and is described by Apache as the longest wooden fishing pier on the East Coast. It is not just somewhere for people carrying fishing rods, either. You can walk it, watch dolphins, look for pelicans, or simply stand at the end and let the wind make your hair unpleasant.
I usually like places where you can do nothing without feeling that you are wasting your day.
This is one of those places.
The beach is the obvious part. Swimming, walking, sitting in the sand, fishing and watching the water are all within a few minutes of your accommodation. The campground also has a pool and splash pool, playgrounds, pickleball, laundry facilities, a Trading Post and other basic camping services.
There is also a slightly strange pleasure in having a pier that stays open from 6am until midnight. Early morning seems particularly suited to it. The official hours currently list the same opening hours every day, although seasonal conditions and events can change things.
I would go early.
Not because you have to.
Because the Atlantic looks different before everyone else arrives.
The pier is the main event
Apache Pier is where the campground becomes something more than an oceanfront place to park an RV.
Fishing is a serious part of the place. The on-site Bait & Tackle Shop rents rods and equipment, so arriving without a suitcase full of fishing gear isn’t necessarily a problem. The pier is also accessible for people who simply want to walk out over the water.
And then there is the music.
Apache currently advertises live or DJ entertainment during the summer, including beach music, shag, pop, rock, country and karaoke. The exact programme changes, so checking the activity calendar before going is sensible.
There are already some 2026 dates published by performers. For example, 3rd Shot Drop is scheduled at Apache Pier on August 22 and September 6, both from 8pm to 11pm. Ambush also has an August 2026 Apache Pier date listed. Weather can affect outdoor performances, so I would check again shortly before going.
That is probably more useful information than a list of ten attractions.
You can spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing, then walk onto the pier after dinner and find music already happening.
Eat the seafood
There is no need to leave the campground immediately when you get hungry.
Groupers At The Pier is the on-site restaurant and bar, with ocean views and a menu built around seafood. The current menu includes grouper, shrimp, flounder, oysters, catfish, seafood platters, calamari and crab cake, alongside burgers, sandwiches, salads and a few non-seafood options.
The seafood baskets are particularly in keeping with the setting. They come with fries, coleslaw and hush puppies, with fish and shellfish available fried, grilled or blackened. The current menu lists a grouper basket at $23.50, shrimp at $21 and a seafood platter at $37.50, although prices are the sort of thing I would check before ordering rather than writing into a notebook forever.
There is clam chowder too.
I like places where that is considered a perfectly normal thing to have.
If I wanted to eat somewhere else, Bimini’s Oyster Bar is one of the nearby seafood options worth knowing about. It is on Lake Arrowhead Road and has been operating locally since 1985. Their menu is heavily focused on oysters, shrimp, crab, clams, mussels and other seafood, with a daily 4–6pm happy hour.
The current menu has a classic seafood steampot at $67.95, a half portion at $43.95, oysters, shrimp and several grilled fish options. It is not trying to be delicate food. This is seafood that arrives with hush puppies and probably requires a napkin.
There are also plenty of other restaurants close to Apache, including Black Drum Brewing, Finn McCool’s, Ocean Annie’s, Café Amalfi and several casual places along the Shore Drive area.
I would not turn the trip into a restaurant tour.
One good seafood meal is enough.
Things to do when the beach gets boring
The nice thing about Apache is that you don’t have to spend every day inside the campground.
Barefoot Landing is one of the easiest nearby escapes. It combines restaurants, shops, entertainment and a waterfront setting around the Intracoastal Waterway. During summer 2026, its SummerFest programme runs through August 31, with nightly entertainment, live music, strolling performers and Monday fireworks, weather permitting.
If you’re there in late August, the calendar is particularly busy. Live music continues through the month, while SummerFest runs until the end of August. The exact performers change from day to day, so the official calendar is more useful than anything I could write here and pretend will still be correct next month.
For an evening that involves sitting rather than walking, The Carolina Opry is another option. The 2026 schedule includes shows such as Second Helping, an Original Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute, on August 22, followed by Dean Z’s Elvis production on August 23. Regular Carolina Opry and Time Warp performances also run through the season.
The standard 2026 Carolina Opry ticket prices currently range from around $31 to $66 for adults depending on seating and booking conditions.
For something quieter, Brookgreen Gardens is farther south and gives you a completely different version of the South Carolina coast. Its 2026 programme includes exhibitions, gardens, sculpture and evening events such as Summer Light: Art by Night. There is also a monthly Walk With A Doc programme, including an August 22 walk.
That would be my choice after several days of sand.
I would probably need the trees.
What the campground feels like
Apache is not a minimalist wilderness campsite.
There are more than 200 RV sites, vacation rentals, a small number of tent sites, bath houses, a pool, playgrounds, a Trading Post and organised activities. The current site also lists golf-cart rentals, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities and propane services.
That makes it much more of a holiday campground than a place where you disappear into the woods.
There are family activities. Kids have access to crafts, games, a splash pool, an arcade and weekly movie nights. Adults have water aerobics, pickleball, bingo and the evening entertainment on the pier.
The Trading Post is useful too. It carries camping basics, groceries, beach equipment, snacks, drinks, souvenirs and other things that tend to be forgotten when packing.
I once travelled with no proper beach towel and spent three days pretending a shirt was one.
I don’t recommend it.
If you’re thinking about it:
- Apache Family Campground & Pier is at 9700 Kings Rd, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina 29572.
- The campground currently lists 229 RV sites, 24 vacation rentals and 3 tent sites.
- Apache Pier is 1,206 feet long and is open daily from 6am to midnight according to the current published schedule.
- Pier fishing equipment and rod rentals are available from the on-site Bait & Tackle Shop.
- Groupers At The Pier is the easiest dinner option because you don’t have to leave the campground.
- Summer entertainment includes live music and DJs, but individual performances are weather-dependent and schedules change. Check the Apache activity calendar before going.
- In late August 2026, nearby options include SummerFest at Barefoot Landing and live performances at the Carolina Opry.
Apache isn’t the kind of beach where I would go looking for silence.
There are children, golf carts, fishing rods, music, people carrying chairs towards the ocean and somebody almost certainly playing something too loudly somewhere.
But the beach is right there.
And at six in the morning, before most of that starts, there is just the Atlantic and a long wooden pier going into it.
That is probably enough.
I’ll be here a while longer.
