The Myrtle Beach Boardwalk & Promenade, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, runs along the oceanfront from the Pier 14 at 14th Avenue North to the 2nd Avenue Pier at 2nd Avenue North. The promenade officially opened in May 2010 at a cost of nearly $6.4 million. National Geographic has ranked Myrtle Beach Boardwalk number three in the United States, while Travel and Leisure ranked the boardwalk number two. Description The northern section, wide with a raised wooden deck design, runs from Pier 14 to Plyler Park, the location of "Hot Summer Nights", with live music twice a week during the summer, and weekly attractions that include a "Kids Carnival", bagpipes, and a Dixieland band. The middle section, from Plyler Park to the former site of Myrtle Beach Pavilion, has "a carnival atmosphere accompanied by restaurants, bars and gift shops". The Southern Promenade, from the former Pavilion to 2nd Avenue Pier, city officials describe as a "meandering oceanfront park" with benches and landscaping. The 2nd Avenue Pier is the location of weekly fireworks. The contractor responsible for constructing the MB Boardwalk Project is M.B. Kahn Construction Co., Inc., according to city officials, used close to 770,000 board-feet of lumber, 555,000 screws, and 300,000 nails. The city contributed 600 palmetto trees and 50,000 beach grass seedlings. History Myrtle Beach had a wooden boardwalk in the 1930s. After being upgraded with concrete in 1940, with plans to expand it delayed by World War II, it was destroyed by Hurricane Hazel in 1954. All that remained was a concrete walkway between 9th Avenue North and 11th Avenue North, later renamed Mr. Joe White Avenue. The 1999 Pavilion Area Master Plan included a boardwalk. When the Pavilion closed in 2006 after 58 years, area merchants wanted an attraction to replace it. A mile-long boardwalk had been discussed for several years, but the estimated cost was $10 million, and even if construction started in 2007, it would not be complete until 2010. A major storm could also damage the new attraction. David Sebok, executive director of the Myrtle Beach Downtown Redevelopment Corporation, said "Most tourists expect a boardwalk ... and we really don't have one to speak of." The city allocated $285,000 for design, and The LandArt Co. made preliminary sketches that included benches and planters. By 2007, the cost estimate had risen to $12 million and the start date was Fall 2008. The city