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While Thanksgiving traditions vary, a fishing trip isn’t the most common way to spend the holiday. But for dedicated anglers and outdoor enthusiasts, Turkey Day can be a great time to enjoy nature on the water.

FishingBooker, an online platform for fishing trip bookings and guides, recently released a list of the best U.S. fishing destinations this Thanksgiving. Here’s why Myrtle Beach took the number one spot.

While the list cites Myrtle Beach specifically as an, “angling epicenter,” FishingBooker highlights the Grand Strand’s 60 miles of Atlantic coast. With mild fall weather and fewer tourists in the off-season, anglers visiting the Myrtle Beach area for Thanksgiving can enjoy a cool, calm fishing trip.

In addition to migratory fish like bluefish and king mackerel, which pass through the area in November, FishingBooker recommends keeping an eye out for “brag-worthy catches” like amberjack, black drum, flounder, redfish, sheepshead and speckled trout in Grand Strand waters.

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South Carolina

September 24, 2024 6:00 AM

Whether you’re interested in fishing or simply watching the waves, beach parking for Grand Strand visitors is more relaxed in the tourism off season.

Thanksgiving visitors can take advantage of free parking in the city of North Myrtle Beach and the town of Surfside Beach. Horry County also offers free parking all year in three beach access lots.

Myrtle Beach was the only Carolina city to make the list. Other destinations are a mix of coastal and inland areas around the U.S. The complete list includes:

1. Myrtle Beach, SC

Possible catches: amberjack, black drum, bluefish, flounder, king mackerel, redfish, sheepshead and speckled trout

2. Fort Lauderdale, FL

Possible catches: grouper, kingfish, sailfish, snapper, swordfish and wahoo

3. Naples, FL

Possible catches: cobia, grouper, king mackerel, pompano, redfish, snapper and snook

4. San Francisco, CA

Possible catches: Dungeness crabs, largemouth bass, lingcod, rockfish and trout

5. Tacoma, WA

Possible catches: cabezon, Dungeness crab and trout

6. Plymouth, MA

Possible catches: cod, haddock, tautog and trout

7. Lake Buchanan, TX

Possible catches: largemouth bass, striped bass and white bass

8. Lake Shelbyville, IL

Possible catches: crappie, muskellunge, sauger, walleye and white bass

9. Silverthorne, CO

Possible catch: trout

While Myrtle Beach grows and more development starts throughout the area, there are some spots where more care is required before building can commence.

These locations sometimes have hazardous materials and require cleaning before new development begins.

Called brownfields by the Environment Protection Agency, these plots may have pollutants or contaminants that require cleaning before re-development starts. According to the EPA, the United States has more than 450,000 brownfields.

The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services keeps an interactive map of brownfield tracts in the state. A SCDES spokesperson wrote in an email that these sites face contamination typically due to previous heavy industry or manufacturing on the property.

According to the map, there are 765, most clustered near cities like Charleston, Columbia, Greenville and Spartanburg. Meanwhile, the map shows Horry County has 11 brownfields. The map lists these sites near Top Golf, the former Possum Trot Golf Course and other locations.

However, not all properties listed on the locator tool remain undeveloped. For example, the map lists 961 Meyers Ave in Market Common as a brownfield, the current location of field seven at the Grand Park Athletic Complex. The locator tool lists the property’s project master status as “CLOSED.”

Other former Myrtle Beach area brownfields received re-development. Sandy Davis is the president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation. MBREDC helps bring industrial firms and growth to the Grand Strand area.

Davis said the Ascott Valley Industrial Park in Conway was previously a brownfield site due to a mill that once operated there. A grass field before Ascott Valley opened, Davis said the industrial park now houses five businesses. She also said the area benefits from converting abandoned brownfield land for industrial use because it can generate tax revenue.

“(As) opposed to land that would probably just be zoned as FA and not receive very much tax revenue,” Davis added.

The state also has programs for dealing with brownfields.

The SCDES spokesperson added that owners not responsible for contaminating a site could enter a voluntary cleanup contract for an environmental assessment of the property and/or clean the tract for future buildings.

The spokesperson wrote that owners who enter a voluntary cleanup contract receive liability protection from lawsuits filed by a third party due to the previously present contamination.

Some land plots not designated as brownfields also face hurdles before being built upon. Sometimes, land can be unsuitable for construction without contamination. A new surf park and resort will open at Broadway at the Beach, the retail destination’s owner, Burroughs & Chapin, announced in November 2024.

However, Broadway at the Beach wasn’t the original location for the surf park resort. It was previously supposed to open on a City of Myrtle Beach-owned property along 21st Avenue North before the deal fell through in November 2024. City of Myrtle Beach Director of Public Information Meredith Denari wrote in an email to The Sun News that the 22-acre parcel is not a brownfield. While not hazardous or contaminated, other factors made building on the tract problematic unless the project moved the spoiled dirt first.

While the city hasn’t given a reason why the 21st Ave North deal wasn’t successful, one item Myrtle Beach and developers previously worked on dealt with “spoiled dirt.” The Sun News reported in 2020 that about 295,000 cubic yards of spoiled dirt lay on the property.

In an email to The Sun News, Denari said that the dirt was not contaminated but too soft to build on, referring to it as “squishy.” Dumped during the construction of Broadway at the Beach, the dirt required moving before building the surf park could’ve gotten underway.

The Sun News

Ben Morse is the Retail and Leisure Reporter for The Sun News. Morse covers local business and Coastal Carolina University football and was awarded third place in the 2023 South Carolina Press Association News Contest for sports beat reporting and second place for sports video in the all-daily division. Morse previously worked for The Island Packet, covering local government. Morse graduated from American University in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism and economics and is originally from Prospect, Kentucky.

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) has become a link in Allegiant Air's new 44 nonstop routes. On Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Nevada-based airline provider announced three new cities for its hub, which includes Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Greenville, South Carolina.

Beginning in February 2025, the airline will add three airports to its network: Gulf Shores International Airport (GUF), Colorado Springs Airport (COS), and Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE). This will bring 51 new cities into Allegiant Air's network option in the U.S.

In addition, beginning in May 2025, new routes to Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) include direct flights from Plattsburg, New York (PBG), Grand Rapids, Michigan (GRR), and Niagara Falls/Buffalo, New York (IAG), with one-way fares as low as $59.

On Feb. 13, 2025, GSP Airport will offer one-way fares as low as $49 to a new route at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) in Florida. This new addition is part of GSP's plan to enhance airport accommodations to prepare for more airlines to join the mix.

To prepare for these changes and more, GSP Airport began construction this past fall on two new boarding bridges along Concourse A and B, allowing two additional docked planes to onboard and offload passengers and to be completed by the end of 2024. This addition will enable 70 to 90-seat airplanes the option to have five-to-seven additional flights per day at GSP Airport and increase the total number of boarding bridges to 15 between the two concourses.

Over the past year, GSP Airport has seen Southwest Airlines add flights to Nashville, Tennessee, Denver, and Houston to their schedule, and in September 2024, United Airlines commenced its three daily flights to Washington, D.C., out of GSP Airport.

Airport officials say nearly 2.9 million passengers will travel through GSP Airport in 2024 as existing air carriers increase their flight frequencies and bring in bigger aircraft.

Allegiant Air was founded in 1997 and specializes in commercial aircraft travel from small and medium-sized cities across the U.S., with authority to charter services to Canada and Mexico. It is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, and provides air service to 124 cities.

More:GSP Airport to add two new boarding bridges, parking garage, possible hotel? What to know.

– A.J. Jackson covers the food & dining scene, along with arts, entertainment and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com, and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.Sign up today for a digital subscription.