Broadway at the Beach Blog

September 18 is National Cheeseburger Day when all who love the delicious beef patty topped with cheese celebrate one of the world's greatest culinary inventions.

At Broadway at the Beach, many of our restaurants are known for serving delicious burgers with any number of wonderful accompaniments from cheeses like swiss, blue and American, to bacon, tomato, fried onions and more. Some, like Johnny Rockets, even serve burgers up with a song and a dance.

Today, as we celebrate, we hope these five fun facts about cheeseburgers will get your mouth watering for your next burger delight.

Three different states claim to be the birthplace of the cheeseburger. California says Lionel Sternberger was working in his father's Pasadena sandwich shop in 1928 when he experimented with dropping a slice of American cheese on a beef patty —and the cheeseburger was born. But Kentucky claims a Louisville restaurant called Kaelin's invented the cheeseburger in 1934. And Colorado says that the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver invented the cheeseburger in 1935, and has both a 1944 court order and a trademark to prove it.

A cheeseburger can be really, really big. Minnesota may not have been the state that launched the cheeseburger craze, but it holds the world's record for the BIGGEST cheeseburger. In 2012, a casino there served up a 2,014-pound bacon cheeseburger that was 10 feet in diameter.

Cheeseburgers can get pretty pricey. Some cheeseburgers cost way more than a great steak. In New York, $295 will get you a "Burger Extravagant" with black truffles, cheddar cheese, a fried quail egg, caviar and more served on a gold-dusted roll. For $666, a food truck serves up sarcasm with its pricey cheeseburger made of Kobe beef wrapped in gold leaf and topped with foie gras, lobster, truffles and gruyere cheese melted with champagne steam.

Cheeseheads celebrate the cheeseburger too. Wisconsin is a state where its citizens proudly call themselves "cheeseheads" and wear foam cheese wedges on their heads at football games. It's also home base for the Cheese & Burger Society which celebrates the burger and its topping, shares recipes, and provides facts about the cheeses we love to put on them.

The cheeseburger is so awesome that it has its own song. "Cheeseburger in Paradise" was written by Jimmy Buffett after a long time at sea on his first boat. Provisions were running low and night after night, Jimmy kept dreaming about a cheeseburger. He eventually came upon a marina on the island of Tortola that just happened to have a cheeseburger on its bar menu. Today, Jimmy continues to show his love for the food by serving up great burgers at his restaurant, Margaritaville, right in Broadway at the Beach.

Now that you have the facts, isn't it time you headed out to your favorite Broadway restaurant to celebrate National Cheeseburger Day?

Summer's in our rear-view mirror, and now it's time to look ahead to fall. Broadway at the Beach is gearing up for a month-long roster of festivals, food and fun throughout October.

Car connoisseurs race to Broadway in October to enjoy great car shows. On October 4, the PT Cruisers "Return To The Beach" for the 15^th year to put their collection of specially-designed beauties on display from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. That same day, the 4^th annual Coastal Carolina Mustang Stampede & Classic Ford Car Show has awesome automobiles, an on-site DJ, food and games from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Cruisin' The Beach Car Show revs up at 8 a.m. on October 16 and keeps its motor running through October 18. This show is open to all vehicles from hot rods to cool convertibles, and trophies will be awarded at 4 p.m. on the final day. In between, spectators can check out the vehicles, feast on foods, find awesome tee shirts, and get a chance to win prizes.

One of the high points of Myrtle Beach's fall season is the Sons of Italy Festa Italiana (October 11-12). Abundanza is the word for this Italian festival where everything from authentic Neapolitan-style pizza pies to meatball sandwiches and homemade italian desserts will be available. Continuous entertainment, arts & crafts, free face painting for the kids, and even a spaghetti eating contest are planned.

In addition to fun, there's fund-raising also going on during October. The 4th Annual Myrtle Beach Out of the Darkness Community Walk (October 11) presented by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The American Heart Association's 2014 Waccamaw Heart Walk (October 18) and Grand Strand Humane Society's Walk for the Animals (October 26) will also be coming to Broadway.

As Halloween closes in, Broadway at the Beach hosts the largest costume contest in South Carolina, Nightmare in the Square Adult Halloween Costume Contest & Party starting at 8:00 p.m. with DJ Barry!

The month wraps up on October 31 with Broadway's annual Trick or Treat. From 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., our shops will have the welcome mat out for little ghosts and goblins who trick or treat in our fun and safe environment. To close out the evening, the autumn sky will light up at 8 p.m. with some brilliant fireworks.

With all these activities, it's easy to fall in love with October at Broadway at the Beach.

Are you ready for some football?

While it's fun to head to the stadium and catch the game live from the 50-yard line, that's not always in the cards. So what's the next best thing to being in a stadium cheering on your favorite football team? It's the camaraderie and excitement of a sports bar, where you can see all the game action on giant screens, and enjoy the company of excited fans who love the game as much as you do.

A sports bar offers the next best thing to that perfect game day at the stadium: Suit up in your favorite team's jersey. Get settled in and order up a heaping plate of nachos. Grab hold of a generous helping of hot wings. Sip on an ice-cold drink, and get ready for kick off!

But where can you find a great sports bar experience in Myrtle Beach? Three of the area's top sports bars are right in the middle of the action at Broadway at the Beach.

There's not a bad seat in the house at Broadway Louie's, one of the largest sports bars along the Grand Strand. It's where you'll find a 25-foot jumbo screen that puts you in the middle of the action, plus four additional giant television screens and 35 smaller ones that let you keep on top of several games at once. Specials on food and drink make it easy to keep your game face on for college and NFL action.

Broadway Louie's is the place to go for NCAA college football Saturdays, NFL Sunday Ticket, Monday Night Football, and NFL Network Thursday. There's even Monday Night Football NFL Trivia and NFL Bingo.

Then there's the unique atmosphere of Chuck & Duck's Sports Grill. Fifty 50-inch high definition LED TVs ensure that you won't miss one minute of that much-anticipated game. A jumbo-screened wall with nine 50″ TVs is used separately to watch nine sporting events at once or turned into a jumbo display to showcase one big special event. The fun even spills out onto two patios outfitted with big-screen TVs. On crisp fall nights, it's fun to join other fans relaxing around a fire pit and watching games on the outdoor TV screens. Monday through Friday, Chuck & Duck's is one of the area's most popular spots for Happy Hour, which they host from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Only in Myrtle Beach would a raw bar also be a great sports bar. The Original Shucker's Raw Bar built its reputation on fresh raw oysters, fried Oreos, awesome appetizers, great sandwiches, and hearty dinners. Voted "Best Raw Bar" by Myrtle Beach locals, it's also well-equipped for sports fans looking to catch their favorite game.

Two big-screen projectors and 30 flat screen televisions carry NFL games, College Game Day, and ESPN 360. But Shuckers isn't just for spectators. This is a place where you can watch a game and enjoy some in-your-face action yourself. Challenge your friends to a game of pool, darts, Golden Tee, Pin Ball, and even Shuffleboard.

At Shuckers every day deserves its own Happy Hour. Specials are offered from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on oysters, shrimp, mussels, and wings. Plus, there are discount prices on all beers and house drinks.

Next time you're looking for a great game experience and your team is playing out of town, why not test drive a sports bar. It's the next best thing to being in a stadium seat.

Labor Day is right around the corner, and for a lot of people that marks the official end of the lazy days of summer. The kids head back to school and the days start getting shorter.

How will your family finish up its summer? Will you fade slowly back into your fall routine, or close out with one last weekend of warm evenings and lively entertainment fueled by street performers and rockin' bands?

If you'd like to have one more fun-filled summer weekend, head to Broadway at the Beach. Here, Labor Day is much more than just a celebration of summer's end.

Legends In Concert is moonwalking its way through a weekend celebration of the King of Pop's birthday (August 29). From August 29-31, Michael Jackson fans can catch extraordinary tribute artist J Lucas strutting his stuff. The final summer shows at Legends guarantee a thriller every night!

On Friday, August 29, the promenades of Broadway will be alive with music and laughter. At Center Court, you'll hear the giggles of small children as they delight in the free face painting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Then stroll over to the Heroes Harbor stage where the popular Mr. Nigel's Music show will be enchanting all ages from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. It's a bet that everyone in your family will be intrigued by the Living Statues strolling around from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. But be sure to make time to head to Celebrity Square at 7:30 p.m. when country rocker Ashley Martin takes the stage. Also, save time to get over to Wet Willie's by 9 p.m. when DJ Ryan Robinson will be turning up the volume.

Saturday, August 30^th means more fun with the antics of the Whacker Barrel entertainers strolling throughout Broadway from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. You'll have another chance to get the attention of the popular Living Statues when they give encore performances from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrity Square comes alive again at 7:30 p.m. when the Austin Mowery Band performs its own brand of contemporary country music. Then Wet Willie's starts up at 9 p.m. with The Faux Show, a collaboration of five friends with a passion for great music and life. Close out the evening with the Labor Day fireworks show at 10 p.m. sponsored by Helicopter Adventures. It's the final show of the summer season.

Sunday, August 31, the weekend is winding down but Whacker Barrel strolling entertainment will be keeping the energy high from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. And then another magical summer is capped off with the illusions of Bryan Dangerous who'll be performing in front of Capriz at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Summer is coming to a close, but the fall entertainment possibilities at Broadway are just beginning to open up. From festivals to car shows to walks for charity, it's a happening place. We've even got some special fireworks extravaganzas in the works.

We'll be telling you more about all that and more in the weeks to come. Stay tuned!

Many folks will tell you that some of their best memories were made while sharing an iced cold cola. Maybe it was when you were a kid and grandma served up your first sip of the sweet tasting treat. Or perhaps you were sharing a coke with a new friend and realized that he was that special someone. How many weddings, baptisms, birthdays and special holidays were times when you all had cola together?

This week, Coca-Cola will be returning the love you have for this refreshing beverage by personalizing your can of Coke. On Thursday and Friday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Coca-Cola van will be at Broadway at the Beach so that you can get your own customized can of coke. It's all thanks to the "Share a Coke" promotion that's sweeping America this summer.

Come join in the fun!

The line to get your very own personalized Coke will begin right outside Broadway's Guest Services Center. While you're waiting to get your can customized, you'll be entertained with music and served a sample 3 oz. serving of ice cold Coke. Games, social sharing, photos and more make this an event you won't want to miss. There will even be a custom hashtag #ShareaCoke to help you share!

Have an unusual name? No problem. Coke's bringing along its database of 100,000+ names to choose from.

The fun includes a special backdrop to help you make a big impression as you share your customized can with friends on your social networks. What a perfect time to shoot a video about your participation in this popular event. You could even post it to YouTube. Tweet out about it. Instagram. Pinterest.

The endless fun you can have with your personalized Coke can is just beginning.