After Greg Norman's Early Exit, North Myrtle Beach's Fall Runs on Its Calendar

"After 27 remarkable years at Barefoot Landing, the realities of operating a premium food and beverage experience in a highly seasonal market have made this location no longer sustainable." That is how Greg Norman Australian Grille announced its closing on Sept. 1, with Oct. 15 set as its last night.

It didn't make it to Oct. 15. The restaurant's own website now says ongoing staffing shortages made it impossible to keep up its level of service, and its last day of business was Thursday, Oct. 1. The waterfront dining room that anchored the Barefoot Landing boardwalk for nearly three decades closed two weeks early, just as the season it called the hard part was beginning.

The same stretch of Highway 17 is full of things to do this fall. Barefoot Landing alone has something scheduled nearly every week from now until mid-December. The city has added a new Main Street festival, and the late-October weekend stacks three events into one Saturday. In North Myrtle Beach this year, the off-season is carried by the event calendar more than by any single restaurant.

What the Early Closing Means for the Boardwalk

So far, nobody has announced what will move into the Greg Norman space. The Sept. 1 announcement said outstanding gift cards would be honored through the final day of service. It also said refunds would be available to anyone who couldn't get there before the restaurant closed. If you're holding a card you meant to use before Oct. 15, ask the restaurant about a refund.

The closing notice thanked the community for "the outpouring of support that you've shown our team these last few weeks." After 27 years, that support came in the restaurant's final month.

The rest of Barefoot Landing is busier than usual for October. Its OktoberFest ran on Oct. 3, with a $10 wristband that benefited the Humane Society of North Myrtle Beach. WonderFall décor and hay-bale art are up through Oct. 31. Live music plays at the Pepsi Stage in Dockside Village on Fridays from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. through Oct. 23.

Highway 17 Keeps Adding Places, at Its Own Pace

Highway 17 has seen as much new restaurant and retail activity this year as any part of town. Some of these places are open now. Several are still waiting on their opening day. Here's where each one stands as of early October:

2 Lucky Pups Cantina is the one that changes Windy Hill most. Owners Brandon and Sarah Miller built the cantina around a mission of supporting rescue animals.

At Carolina Hot Chicken, owner Maher Awad serves Nashville-style chicken with heat levels running from mild up to Carolina Reaper. Posts from the business's Facebook page showed a line out the door on Aug. 18.

Ocean and Oak Coastal Kitchen is a seafood restaurant going into the former Country Living Amish Store. A restaurant partner described September as a tentative opening date. September has come and gone without a confirmed first service, so the date has likely moved.

Cavender's Boot City is building its first South Carolina store, a 19,000-square-foot Western-wear shop, in the former Badcock & More location in Crescent Beach.

Blueberrys Autograph is a brunch concept from Sonny Kasey, who owns Blueberry's Grill. As reported by The Sun News, regional manager Enea Qevi has described it as a separate, more elevated spin on the original. The project's official page lists 1720 Old Hwy 17 N, near Little River and Cherry Grove, with a late fall 2026 opening. Spring coverage placed it at 1721 Highway 17 N, behind Outback Steakhouse. Either way, it's the same corner of town.

A list like this tends to look different from month to month. Of the five, the two that are open are the ones built around a casual neighborhood stop.

Main Street Changed Its Big Fall Day

The biggest calendar change this year happened on Main Street. After 21 years of the Irish Italian International Festival, the city replaced it with NMB Live!, held Sept. 26. The new festival had three stages and more than 150 vendors, and the city expected it to draw more than 15,000 people. Angel Sylvester, the city's special events manager, explained the change this way:

"NMB Live! was created to provide a larger, more dynamic event while continuing the tradition of bringing our community together."

Main Street gets one more fall event. Flavors of Fall is a ticketed tasting on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with check-in from 11 to noon, at $20 per person. It gives the Main Street restaurants a reason to draw a crowd in early November.

Saturday, Oct. 24, Is the Busiest Day Left This Fall

Three events land on the same Saturday this year. The kite festival and BooFest run at the same time through the afternoon, and BOOnanza starts after both have wrapped up, so it's possible to fit all three into one day:

1. 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Grand Strand Kite Festival. Klig's Kites hosts its two-day festival at The Point in Cherry Grove on Oct. 24 and 25. Admission is free.
2. Noon–4 p.m., BooFest! at Barefoot Landing, 4898 Highway 17 South. Free.
3. 5–8 p.m., Halloween BOOnanza. The city's Parks & Recreation event is at the Soccer/Lacrosse Complex at North Myrtle Beach Park & Sports Complex, 150 Citizens Circle. Admission is $5 cash for everyone 3 and older, adults included, and free for kids 2 and under.

If you'd rather keep the day short, you can also fly kites again on Sunday. Before then, Crooktoberfest at Crooked Hammock Brewery, 4926 Highway 17 S., Unit 2, runs through Oct. 11 with fall beers, German-inspired food and live music. One week after the 24th, Barefoot Landing hosts Trick-or-Treat with participating merchants from 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 31.

The Holiday Run Starts Before Thanksgiving

The calendar stays full straight into December. Barefoot Landing and the Park & Sports Complex host most of the events:

• Nov. 2–Dec. 31: The South's Grandest Christmas Show at the Alabama Theatre, 4750 Highway 17 South. Tickets start at $49.95, and children's tickets are $21.95. Check the theatre's schedule, since shows run six nights a week.
• Nov. 20–21: Dashing Through the Glow at the Park & Sports Complex, 7 p.m. $25 for adults, $10 for kids 11 and under, registration required.
• Nov. 21: Lighting of the Landing at Barefoot Landing. Free. The holiday program starts at 6 p.m., followed by the tree lighting at 7 p.m. and then fireworks.
• Nov. 23–Dec. 30: The Great Christmas Light Show at the Park & Sports Complex, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. nightly except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. $25 per standard vehicle on Santa's Village nights and $20 on select other nights through Dec. 9.
• Nov. 26: The Turkey Trot 5K starts at 8 a.m. at Barefoot Landing, with the Gobbler Kids' Dash at 9. Registration is currently listed at $50 for the 5K, and the kids' dash is free with online registration.
• Nov. 28: The Intracoastal Christmas Regatta, hosted by Yachts for Tots, runs from Little River to North Myrtle Beach from about 5 to 7 p.m. Free to watch.
• Dec. 1: The city's Christmas Tree Lighting at McLean Park, 93 Oak Drive, at 6 p.m. Free.
• Dec. 5: The North Myrtle Beach Christmas Parade at 5:30 p.m. It starts at Second Avenue North and Ocean Boulevard and ends at Ye Olde Kings Highway.
• Dec. 13: The Holiday Golf Cart Parade at Barefoot Landing, 1 p.m. Free to watch, or $10 to enter a decorated cart.

Count it up and Barefoot Landing alone has six single-day events between Oct. 3 and Dec. 13. Those weekends will bring crowds to the boardwalk around the space Greg Norman Australian Grille left empty.

We'll update this post when Ocean and Oak, Cavender's and Blueberrys Autograph open, and when Barefoot Landing names a new tenant for the waterfront space. If you're out of state and want to know what North Myrtle Beach is like after the summer crowds leave, Nick Paolozzi can walk you through it on video. Start Your Life at the Beach.