On the road for New Year’s Eve

Nothing beats the excitement of ushering in a new year; a whole world of new possibilities. It’s a moment when you want to be in good company in a memorable place.

The good news is that, no matter what direction you are traveling in, you are bound to run into a New Year’s Eve celebration. Here are a few that are within driving distance of the Myrtle Beach area that are sure to get your new year off to a festive start.

Annapolis, MD

City of Annapolis’s New Year’s Eve Celebration 2016, Susan Campbell Park, City Dock, Festivities begin at 3 p.m. December 31: The City of Annapolis welcomes the New Year in style with entertainment for the entire family under a heated tent. Festivities include two sets of fireworks over the Annapolis harbor. The Radio City Band takes over the stage in the countdown from 9 p.m. until midnight. Recognized as Annapolis’s Best Party Band, the group will take party-goers on a trip down memory lane. Free. For more information call (410) 280-0445 or visit www.VisitAnnapolis.org.

Richmond, VA

Richmond Virginia New Year’s Eve 2016, VCU Siegel Center, 1200 West Broad Street, 8:00 p.m. – 1:30 a.m., December 31:

This year it will be moving RVA NYE indoors to the VCU’s state-of-the-art, 6,000 person capacity facility - the Siegel Center.

Expect the production values to be off the charts and entertainment to live up to its billing as the biggest New Year’s Eve Party of the Year. Get ready to ring in 2016 with a bang at the hottest dance party in Richmond featuring music from Gent & Jawns, Mass FX and DJs Doddie Braza and Hoody. Tickets are $20 early bird, $30 at the door. The event is 21 and over only. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.rvanye.co/.

Greensboro, NC

Ring in the New Year with The Avett Brothers Concert, Greensboro Coliseum, December 31: Greensboro is welcoming

The Avett Brothers, one of North Carolina's favorite traditional folk/rock bands on New Year's Eve. They're known for combining bluegrass, country, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock and roll, indie rock, honky tonk, and ragtime to produce a novel and creative sound. This promises to be a magical celebration with 20,000 fans singing along to match the band’s crazed energy onstage. Tickets for the concert are available at www.ticketmaster.com.

Durham, NC

New Years Eve Party at Motorco, Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Avenue, 8:00 p.m. until late, December 31: Head to Motorco for live music and time travel. Motorco has discovered a wrinkle in the fabric of the fourth dimension – a wormhole through time – and perfected a room-sized device, the Motoroboto, that will offer you the opportunity, right at the strike of midnight, to transport yourself to that place in time where you really belong. A rogue’s gallery of players, collectively called JFK, Jr., will be plucked from their places in time to perform the hits from Reagan to Clinton. The event also includes a champagne toast and snacks for the early birds. Tickets are $15. www.motorcomusic.com/event.

Columbia, SC

2016 Famously Hot New Year with Singer, Lauryn Hill, Columbia’s Main Street, Gates open at 6:30 p.m., Lauryn Hill goes on a 10:30 p.m. and will play until big countdown, December 31: Now in its fifth year, FHNY is a free, outdoor street celebration that draws a diverse, all-ages crowd from all over the nation - last year 28,000 strong - to downtown Columbia. Headliner for this year is multiple GRAMMY award-winning singer, Ms. Lauryn Hill whose breakout album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, swept 5 Grammy’s. Her best-known tracks include the number one hit "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and her hugely popular cover of "Killing Me Softly." For more information visit http://www.famouslyhotnewyear.com/.

Jacksonville, Fl

New Year’s Eve in Downtown Jacksonville, Downtown Riverfront, 8 p.m. – 12:00 a.m., December 31: Say goodbye to 2015 with more than 100,000 of your new best friends as you gather by the beautiful St. Johns River to ring in the New Year with live music, food trucks, special performances and the best fireworks show in Northeast Florida. Any spot along the riverwalk is a good one to watch the huge fireworks display, as they launch from the middle of the river on two different barges. The show is free and open to everyone. For more information visit www.makeascenedowntown.com/Events/New-Year-s-Eve-Celebration-Fireworks.aspx.

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 12:15 AM with the headline "On the road for New Year’s Eve."