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Arts & Culture
The Grand Strand may be well known for its beaches, golf courses, and recreational attractions, but its communities also offer an abundance of cultural opportunities including art, history museums, a symphony and  the Brookgreen Gardens – a world-renowned outdoor sculpture garden. Featuring more than 500 sculptures by about 230 American artists, Brookgreen (located in the Myrtle Beach South Strand) has a wildlife park with plants and animals in their natural habitats, pontoon boat tours, biking, hiking, canoeing and kayaking.
The Grand Strand also has a full-fledged symphony orchestra that performs throughout the year, live entertainment theaters that host operas, ballets and plays, the Art Museum in a renovated beach house, and various history museums and exhibits. Fundraising is now underway for the construction of a new facility to house The Children’s Museum of South Carolina. Presently the Museum is located on Oak Street at Myrtle Square. If that wasn’t enough, the Grand Strand also is home to such  annual events as the Blue Crab Festival, the Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival and the Vivace! Festival held every October. Even though Myrtle Beach is a small place, we still enjoy many of the things that most people associate with a big city.
Education
With an award-winning public school system, a respected technical college, an outstanding university plus continuing-education programs for adults, the Grand Strand was rated by MONEY MAGAZINE as one of the nation's “Top 20 Places to Retire”. Below is more information on the educational opportunties available in the Grand Strand area.
Horry County School District –
The Horry County School District is the 5th largest of South Carolina's 86, with more than 27,000 students. This district includes 42 schools and is the County's largest employer. Educators have focused on developing the district’s achievement scores and educational ratings – focusing on the improvement of student scores in reading, writing, and mathematics based on S.C. curriculum standards. Horry County also has three specialized schools – The Academy of Arts, Sciences, & Technology in Myrtle Beach, the Aynor-Conway Career Center, and the Finklea Career Center in Loris. There are also several private schools, most affiliated with local churches.
Georgetown County School District –
The Georgetown County School District (southernmost tip of the South Strand) is located in historic Georgetown, South Carolina. Presently, the Georgetown School District is comprised of 17 schools, an adult education program, and an optional school program, serving a total of 10,250 students. The mission of the Georgetown School District is “to provide challenging educational programs that require all students to meet high academic standards and that prepare all students to be responsible citizens and lifelong learners.” The Georgetown teachers, parents, and administration set Learning Standards for all students and are working to obtain these standards.
Coastal Carolina University –
Coastal Carolina University is a four-year liberal arts college that offers bachelor's and master's degrees as well as preparation for the South Carolina teaching certificate. This university, founded in 1954, has approximately 4,500 students on its campus that includes an arts center, Wheelwright auditorium, gymnasium, Olympic-sized swimming pool, dance studio, and library. The Lifelong Learning Society, offered by CCU, is designed for adults who are interested in learning, exchanging ideas and becoming more socially and culturally interactive. The university also offers a Division of Extended Learning with courses on the Internet, distance-learning programs via closed-circuit television and summer youth programs on various topics.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College –
Horry-Georgetown Technical College has three campuses: Conway, Myrtle Beach, and Georgetown. Associate degree programs in arts and science are available for students who eventually want to transfer to a senior university. The college also offers associates degrees in more than a dozen subjects including business, computer technology, hospitality/tourism management, and engineering.
Webster University –
Webster University, with a campus in Myrtle Beach, offers graduate level programs.
Healthcare - Patient Sensitive & High Tech
Below is information on medical facilities in the Grand Strand area. In addition, there is also outstanding comprehensive health care available at nearby hospitals such as MacLeod Regional Medical Center in Florence, SC and the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. As the area's population grows, hospitals are branching out to make their services more convenient. Hospitals aren't so centralized. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of health care construction are taking place now and will help the Grand Strand stay ahead of its residents' health care needs for the future.
Grand Strand Regional Medical Center –
The Grand Strand Regional Medical Center is a 219-bed acute-care and trauma center facility affiliated with Columbia/Healthcare Corp of America. The medical staff of more than 275 physicians, over 900 staff members and 350 hospital volunteers boasts of the area's only cardiac surgery program, with 2 operating rooms dedicated to open-heart surgery, angioplasty and other heart-related procedures. A recent $57 million expansion, added an 18 bed extended-care unit for patients making the transition from acute-care to home or assisted living.
Conway Hospital –
Established in 1928 as a nonprofit, private 248-bed facility, Conway Hospital offers 24 hour emergency care, one-day surgery, chemotherapy, CT-scanning, MRI, maternity and pediatric care, cardiac rehabilitation, and physical therapy. The hospital also operates an 88-bed nursing home and a 38,000 sq.ft. wellness and fitness center.
Georgetown Memorial Hospital -
Georgetown Memorial Hospital located in the farthermost end of the Myrtle Beach South Strand is a JCAHO-accredited, private, not for profit 145 bed facility. Twenty areas of medical specialties are represented and medical services include: ambulatory surgery, birthing sites, cardiac diagnostic, catheterization and rehabilitation, full emergency and laboratory services, MRI, pathology, radiology, renal dialysis, and respiratory therapy. A new Waccamaw Neck Medical Center in Murrells Inlet and the Waccamaw Medical Center in Pawleys Island are both operated by Georgetown Memorial.
Loris Community Hospital -
Loris Community Hospital is a 105-bed facility that offers 24-hour emergency services, cardiac rehabilitation services, intensive care unit, ultrasound, MRI, CT scanner, nuclear medicine, and obstetrics unit. The hospital also runs a 26,000 square-foot Center for Health and Fitness and an 88-bed extended-care nursing home facility.
Waccamaw Community Hospital of the South Strand–
New in 2003 and located in Murrells Inlet, the Waccamaw Community Hospital is part of the Georgetown Hospital System. This 54-bed inpatient hospital offers all-private patient rooms and a full range of inpatient and outpatient services. The facility's third floor is dedicated to Waccamaw  Rehabilitation Center, a 29-bed acute rehabilitation facility. The center is designed to allow patients to regain maximum physical capability through additional physical, occupational or speech therapy services. Due to the success and growth, the addition of a complete fourth floor started this year and scheduled for completion in winter late 2008. Providing convenient medical facilities for this rapidly growing area, all residents of the Waccamaw Neck region welcomed this beautiful building
Myrtle Beach Activity Calender
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