Barefoot Landing is a large shopping complex located in

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina North Myrtle Beach is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities, and is located about northeast of Myrtle Beach. It serves as one of the primary tourist destinations along ...

. It consists of several divided sections of stores and attractions located on filled land over top of Louis Lake, next to the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

. Barefoot Landing was previously known as the Village of the Barefoot Traders which was a collection of 15 unusual gift shops that was located on 3½ acres along a natural

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

and in 1988 was rebuilt and opened as Barefoot Landing. The complex, a popular tourist attraction, has over 100 stores and restaurants, on all sides of a small lake, plus it has adjoining areas with Alabama Theatre,

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...

and Alligator Adventure.

History

Barefoot Landing was originally a residential area that had its own private marina, that was developed in the 1970s into a quaint "village" of shops. The Village of Barefoot Traders opened in March 1972 on 3-1/2 acres containing 15 shops surrounded by Louis Lake. In 1988, the entire area was redeveloped and expanded into a much larger complex, consolidated under a single owner, and was rebranded from The Village of Barefoot Traders to Barefoot Landing. Several unexploded bombs were unearthed during the construction of the resort. The bombs were left over from when the property was used as part of a bombing/gunnery range for the military.

Purchase by Burroughs and Chapin

On December 12, 2012 Burroughs & Chapin along with an investment firm, put in a bid to purchase Barefoot Landing and a memo was sent out to the merchants of Barefoot Landing, notifying them of the potential sale. On April 2, 2013 it was reported that B&C would take control of Barefoot Landing that month and a

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

called "Barefoot Landing Commercial, LLC" filed for incorporation in late January. The purchase was finalized on March 31. Current tenants would not notice any notable changes to the property or its administrative staff. On April 15, 2013 it was also reported that Burroughs & Chapin paid $43 million for Barefoot Landing and the sale closed on March 1, with Barefoot Landing Commercial, LLC paying $43 million for the 64-acre complex which is according to the Register of Deeds office of Horry County. According to tenants, small improvements are set to be made at Barefoot Landing in the next month including installed fountains, playing music throughout the center, and replacing some of the aging boards in the wooden walkways. On April 14, 2014,

The Sun News ''The Sun News'' is a daily newspaper published in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in the United States. It serves the Grand Strand region of South Carolina with a daily circulation of 19,773 and a Sunday circulation of 26,798. It is owned by Cha ...

reported that Barefoot Landing would be undergoing a renovation, along with the addition of 10 new stores. Work included replacing the pedestrian bridges, renovating and expanding the restrooms, freshening up landscaping and resurfacing the parking lots. In Spring 2018, LuLu's by Lucy Buffett opened with 400 seats, live music performances, rope climbing and its own beach, as the anchor to a restaurant district called Dockside Village.

Resort

On December 15, 1998, Silver Carolina Development and Barefoot Landing Inc. presented plans to the North Myrtle Beach city council for the $812 million 2345-acre Barefoot Landing Resort, which would be built over 12 to 15 years. The resort would have four

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

s, two hotels, a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

, and 5000 housing units, along with commercial, office and retail space. Late in 1999, the city annexed the area, a move expected to double the population in the city limits. In March 2000, a renovated

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...

built in 1934 was moved from

Edenton, North Carolina Edenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Chowan County, North Carolina, United States, on Albemarle Sound. The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has be ...

to cross the

, connecting the resort to the shopping center. The golf courses opened in April, though the bridge was not ready, after a delay caused by damage from

Hurricane Floyd Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful Cape Verde hurricane which struck the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States. It was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd tr ...

. The Resort's section of greenway is a part of the

East Coast Greenway The East Coast Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle route between Maine and Florida along the East Coast of the United States. In 2020, the Greenway received over 50 million visits. The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance was created in 1991. ...

, a 3,000-mile long system of trails connecting Maine to Florida. The International Association of Golf Tour Operators named Barefoot Resort 2016 North American Golf Resort of the Year.

References

External links

Barefoot Landing Official SiteBarefoot Leasing Info Site
{{Shopping Malls in South Carolina , state=collapsed Shopping malls in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Shopping malls established in 1988 U.S. Route 17