Signs along Myrtle Beach Boardwalk provide area history, share information

Tourists and locals alike can now learn a little bit of history while strolling the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade.

Thirteen plaques installed along the boardwalk last month highlight area history and share information about local nature.

“There’s historical information, information about marine life, and it’s all relative to our area,” said Lauren Clever, executive assistant with the Downtown Redevelopment Corp., which sponsored the plaques.

Clever said the plaques, suggested by DRC member Peter MacIntyre, are a continuation of the DRC’s mission to “continue to enhance the downtown experience.”

She said it cost between $7,000 and $8,000 to install the plaques. The DRC was created by Myrtle Beach City Council to “facilitate the revitalization of downtown Myrtle Beach,” according to the group’s website.

The plaques can been seen along the boardwalk from the north corner of Plyler Park to the former Myrtle Beach Pavilion site. Clever said there are plans to add more plaques along the rest of the boardwalk, which runs from First Avenue North to 14th Avenue North. A one-block extension to 15th Avenue North is expected to be completed this month.

“The plans are to line the entire boardwalk and promenade area, and maybe onto Ocean Boulevard, depending on how things go,” Clever said.

MacIntyre said many throughout the Grand Strand contributed to the project.

“Growing incrementally, our program could eventually encompass areas beyond the downtown providing unity among our community and entertainment for all,” he said in a press release.

Each plaque has a QR code that visitors can scan with their smartphone and be directed to the DRC’s website for more information. Plaques provide information on topics such as bottlenose dolphins, loggerhead turtles and hurricanes Hazel and Hugo.

“It’s a fun thing for people who are out of town where they can look at it and step back and see where we are now and how we’ve grown,” Clever said.

This story was originally published September 9, 2013 at 11:42 PM with the headline "Signs along Myrtle Beach Boardwalk provide area history, share information."