Locals Advice - Route Directions for Trip (Myrtle Beach, Bennettsville: condo, safety)

[Sumack0075]

Hello All,

Need a little advice on what the best route to Myrtle Beach is for my family, which will all be coming from Ohio in different cars. We will be staying in a condo very close to Apache Pier. When I plug in our address and our condo's address, I get two very different results in Google Maps and Mapquest. Below are where the two options split in North Carolina:

Google Maps
74S
Take 38 when I get South of Hamlet, NC near the South Carolina Border
then take 501 to 22, which runs me into 17

Mapquest
74S
Stay on 74 until I run into 410 in Chadbourn, NC
410 to 701
701 to 9
9 to 31
31 to 22
22 to 17


If you were a somewhat fast, impatient driver (I dont let the impatience dictate bad driving manuvers though. Safety first! ), which route would you take? I figured the locals on this board will have a better idea of what those roads are like. The Mapquest route seems to have more 4 lane roadway when I zoom in on different parts of the roadways, and I am favoring that route.

I've never driven down on my own, and typically fall asleep as a passenger, so I never really paid attention in the past how we got there.

[CTyankee54]

I have family in WV and when I travel back to see them I usually use Option 1. It's mostly 4 lanes (some 2 lane on 38) and a pretty easy drive.

I have taken Rt 9 before and do not like it at all.

[SCGamecock]

There is only about 5 miles/5 minutes difference between the two routes depending on traffic. If you are arriving on Friday or Saturday, the second option may be slightly better since the Hwy 501 portion of the first option will be busy, especially around Aynor. The portion of Hwy 9 you would be on is fine. Some people take the portion of Hwy 9 that runs from Bennettsville, SC to Loris, SC and you would not want to do that.

Both options contain about the same amount of two lane roads. For option 1, it's the portion of Hwy 38 from Hamlet, NC to Bennettsville, SC. For option 2, Hwy 410 and 701 from Chadbourn, NC to Loris, SC.

Option 1 involves going through about 4 traffic lights in Bennettsville, SC and 2 in the speed trap town of Aynor. But option 2 means going through the town of Chadbourn.

For option 1, Hwy 22 "feels" like an interstate because of limited access points. On option 2, it's Hwy 74 that has limited access.

[Sumack0075]

Great, thank you for the informative response, SCGamecock!