Senior Week North Myrtle Beach: The Complete Guide

What Is Senior Week in North Myrtle Beach?

Senior Week in North Myrtle Beach is a post-graduation beach trip taken by high school seniors, typically the week immediately following commencement ceremonies in late May and early June. Groups of graduating friends rent beach houses near the Ocean Drive district, book the house for a week, and spend the time celebrating the end of their high school years before heading off to college, jobs, or the military.

The tradition is rooted in the Ocean Drive neighborhood itself. The area around Main Street and 1st Avenue North in North Myrtle Beach has been a student destination since the 1950s, built around the shag dancing scene that grew up at clubs like Fat Harold’s on Main Street. That history — and the fact that Ocean Drive is one of the few beach neighborhoods in the Southeast where you can rent a house, walk to the beach, and walk to the bars without getting into a car — is why graduating seniors have kept coming back for generations.

Senior Week is distinct from Beach Week, which is the broader term for the entire late April through June window when students of all ages come to North Myrtle Beach after the school year ends. Senior Week is the graduation-specific portion of that tradition — the week that belongs specifically to high school seniors.

When Is Senior Week 2026 in North Myrtle Beach?

Senior Week 2026 in North Myrtle Beach runs from late May through the third week of June. Most groups arrive the week after their graduation ceremony, which means the schedule is spread across a roughly four-week window depending on when each school district holds commencement.

Late May (Memorial Day week and after): The earliest senior groups arrive in the last week of May. Schools in some North Carolina and Virginia districts graduate before the end of May, and those groups tend to claim the first Senior Week slots on Ocean Drive.

First and second weeks of June: This is the peak of Senior Week traffic on Ocean Drive. The majority of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia high schools hold graduation in late May or the first days of June, and the groups arriving in the first two weeks of June represent the largest concentration of senior renters.

Third week of June: Some groups arrive later in June, particularly from schools whose graduation ceremonies fall later in the calendar. Ocean Drive is still active during this window, though the density of senior groups begins to taper as summer vacation gets underway.

Senior Week overlaps with the tail end of Beach Week for college students, which runs through May. By early June, Ocean Drive is primarily a senior week crowd.

Where Senior Week Happens: Ocean Drive

Senior Week is centered on the Ocean Drive district in North Myrtle Beach — the neighborhood built around Main Street and Ocean Boulevard in the northern part of the city. The area spans roughly from 1st Avenue North down to the Main Street intersection and a few blocks in each direction. Everything seniors come for is in this compact neighborhood: beach access, rental houses, bars, restaurants, and shops.

The layout of Ocean Drive is what makes Senior Week work as a tradition. Groups staying in Sea Aire properties on 1st Avenue North can walk to the beach in under two minutes. Main Street — where Fat Harold’s, Duck’s, and the other clubs are located — is less than ten minutes on foot. The Spanish Galleon on Ocean Boulevard is within the same walkable radius. Once your group is settled into a house near 1st Avenue North, you don’t need a car for the entire week.

That walkability matters practically and financially. Groups that don’t need to arrange rides or pay for rideshares spend less and stay more flexible throughout the week. It also means the group stays together — no one leaving early because they’re the designated driver, no coordinating pickups at 2 a.m.

For context on how Ocean Drive compares to other parts of North Myrtle Beach, see our guide to where to stay in North Myrtle Beach for student groups.

What to Do During Senior Week

Days at the Beach

The beach access points near the Ocean Drive area — along Ocean Boulevard between 1st Avenue North and Main Street — are where most senior groups spend the majority of their daytime hours. The beach here is wide and the crowd during Senior Week is almost entirely other students, which makes for a different atmosphere than the more family-oriented stretches of the Grand Strand farther south.

Chair and umbrella rentals are available from vendors who set up on the beach during peak season. If your group plans to be out every day, buying a couple of chairs and a folding cooler from a local store on the first day typically costs less than renting daily for a week. Boulineau’s Foods Plus at 700 Sea Mountain Highway is the most convenient grocery and general store for the Ocean Drive area.

Ocean Drive Nightlife

The nightlife on Main Street is the center of Senior Week evenings. The clubs on Ocean Drive are within walking distance of each other, and most nights involve moving between two or three venues rather than staying in one place. All of the major clubs are within a ten-minute walk of rentals on 1st Avenue North.

For a full breakdown of every venue, hours, and cover charge information, see our guide to the best bars on Ocean Drive in North Myrtle Beach.

Mini Golf

Hawaiian Rumble at 3210 Highway 17 South is the best-known mini golf course in North Myrtle Beach — it has hosted national championships and features a full-size erupting volcano. A round costs under $15 per person and takes about 90 minutes, which makes it a solid afternoon activity before dinner. Pirate’s Island Adventure Golf on the same highway is a good alternative for groups that want a different layout without driving far.

Water Sports

Jet ski rentals, parasailing, and fishing charters are available in the Cherry Grove area of North Myrtle Beach, just north of Ocean Drive. Most operators offer group rates, and booking in the morning gives you the best selection of afternoon time slots. A half-day group jet ski rental or a parasailing session gives a Senior Week itinerary something to do beyond the beach and the clubs.

Barefoot Landing

Barefoot Landing at 4898 Highway 17 South is a waterfront shopping and entertainment complex about ten minutes north of Ocean Drive by car. It has restaurants, live music venues including the Alabama Theatre and the House of Blues, and outdoor space along the waterway. Worth a half-day visit, especially if the weather on a particular day isn’t ideal for the beach.

Day Trips

Groups looking to get off the beach for a day have a few realistic options. Myrtle Beach’s boardwalk and amusement attractions are about twenty minutes south on Highway 17. Broadway at the Beach, also in Myrtle Beach, has restaurants, a comedy club, and a full day’s worth of activity for a larger group. For something farther out, Wilmington, NC is about an hour and forty minutes north and has a good downtown restaurant and bar scene for a full day trip.

Where to Stay During Senior Week

The single most important decision a senior group makes when planning Senior Week in North Myrtle Beach is where to stay. Properties within walking distance of Ocean Drive and the beach fill up months in advance for peak late-May and June dates. Groups that wait until February or March to start looking often find the best houses near Main Street are already gone.

Sea Aire Rentals has been placing senior groups near Ocean Drive for decades. The properties on 1st Avenue North and 2nd Avenue South are among the closest private rentals to both the beach and the Main Street bar scene in North Myrtle Beach. Properties range from smaller houses sleeping 5 to larger properties sleeping up to 40, which means Sea Aire can accommodate groups of almost any size without splitting across multiple locations.

Browse all available properties and check open dates for your Senior Week at walktothebeach.com/properties.

How to Book Senior Week in North Myrtle Beach

The most important thing about booking Senior Week is timing. The properties closest to Ocean Drive — particularly the larger houses on 1st Avenue North — book up for late-May and June dates well before the end of the calendar year. Groups that begin looking in February or March typically find their preferred properties are already reserved for their graduation week.

The process is straightforward. Call Sea Aire at (800) 548-4551 or email seaaire@walktothebeach.com to check availability for your specific dates. Sea Aire handles the reservation directly — no third-party booking platform, no service fees layered on top of the rental rate. The team knows the Senior Week calendar and can tell you which properties have openings for your week.

Before check-in, groups need to complete a responsibility form, a grantor form, and a guest and vehicle list. All forms are available at walktothebeach.com/forms. These are standard requirements that apply to all Sea Aire rentals and are easy to complete in advance.

A few things to keep in mind when choosing a property:

• Consolidate into one house when possible. One larger property almost always costs less per person than splitting a group across two smaller ones — and it keeps everyone together for the week instead of coordinating between two locations every night.
• Book based on your maximum group, not your current count. Senior Week groups tend to grow between when you first plan and when graduation actually arrives. If you’re a group of 18 now and think it might reach 22, book accordingly rather than scrambling to change properties closer to the date.
• Fall booking secures the best options. If you’re a rising senior planning ahead, booking in the fall of your senior year gives you the widest selection of properties and dates. Waiting until after January 1 means working with whatever inventory is still available.

For more guidance on the full rental process, see our guide to renting a group beach house in North Myrtle Beach.

Senior Week Budget Guide

A realistic per-person budget for Senior Week in North Myrtle Beach — covering your rental share, groceries, going out, and a couple of activities — falls between $350 and $650 for the week. The rental is the biggest variable, and the biggest lever you have on that number is group size: the more people sharing a house, the lower the per-person cost.

Rental share: This is where group size pays off. A group of 20 sharing The Decoy costs significantly less per person than a group of 8 in a smaller house. When you’re deciding whether to invite that extra person or not, the math almost always favors going bigger.

Groceries: Boulineau’s Foods Plus at 700 Sea Mountain Highway is the best option for stocking up when you arrive. It’s a full grocery store with a deli counter — close to most Ocean Drive area rentals. Handling breakfast and lunch out of the house brings your daily food spend down substantially compared to eating every meal at a restaurant. Budget roughly $80–$120 per person for groceries for the week if you’re cooking breakfast and lunch and going out for dinner a few nights.

Nightlife: Cover charges at the Ocean Drive clubs typically run $5–$20 per night depending on the venue and the event. Most nights out during Senior Week at two or three venues, including drinks, typically costs between $50 and $100 per person. Weeknights tend to be cheaper than weekends.

Activities: Mini golf at Hawaiian Rumble is under $15 per person. Water sports (jet skis, parasailing) run higher — factor in $50–$100 per person per activity if you plan to do one or two during the week. Most groups do one paid activity and spend the rest of their daytime hours at the beach.

Getting there and back: If you’re driving down from within the Carolinas or Virginia, gas and tolls are the main transport cost. Groups renting The Decoy or other 1st Avenue North properties don’t need a car once they arrive — walking covers everything within Ocean Drive.

What to Bring for Senior Week

Packing for Senior Week is similar to any week-long beach trip, with a few adjustments for a group house situation and the specific June weather in North Myrtle Beach.

Beach: Sunscreen in larger quantities than you think you need — SPF 30 minimum, and reapply after every swim. A beach bag, towel, and a pair of sunglasses are obvious. If your house doesn’t have beach chairs, a compact folding chair costs $15–$25 at Walmart or Target near the strip and is worth more than a week of daily rentals on the beach.

Nights out: The dress code on Ocean Drive is casual to smart casual. Flip flops and shorts work most nights. The Spanish Galleon occasionally enforces a no-athletic-wear policy on weekend nights, so pack at least one pair of non-athletic shorts or pants and a collared shirt or nicer top if you want to avoid any issues at the door.

House supplies: Sea Aire properties are furnished and include standard kitchen equipment. Bring your own food and any personal supplies you’ll need for the week. A small Bluetooth speaker, a deck of cards, and a few outdoor games (cornhole, spikeball) fill the gap between beach time and going out in the evenings.

Medications and health: Pack any prescriptions you take. The nearest pharmacy to the Ocean Drive area is CVS on Main Street. Hydration matters more than it seems during a week that combines June heat and late nights — a reusable water bottle and a supply of electrolyte packets is practical, not excessive.

Documents: Print or save a copy of your Sea Aire reservation confirmation. The guest and vehicle list needs to be submitted before check-in — handle this before you leave home. IDs are required to enter all Ocean Drive clubs.

For a detailed packing list covering Beach Week and Senior Week in North Myrtle Beach, see our full Beach Week planning guide.