Home Care In Murrells Inlet, SC

MURRELLS INLET, S.C. (WMBF) - After nearly 40 years in Surfside Beach, Neal and Pam’s is bringing their brand south.

Owners said the new restaurant, Neal’s Creekhouse, will incorporate many of the things people love about Neal and Pam’s, into a new marshfront restaurant.

Neal’s Creekhouse will be located near the Murrells Inlet Marshwalk, off of Highway 17 Business, in the old American Steak and Oyster Bar building.

“I’m very excited and I wish them luck,” said one woman from Murrells Inlet.

Pam Stapleton, one of the previous owners of Neal and Pam’s said the name of the new restaurant is to honor her late husband Neal.

“He was quite a character in the area,” said Stapleton. “If you ever knew him, you wouldn’t forget him.”

Construction is currently underway and the building is transforming.

“A little water view. I think it’s going to be nice,” said a regular at Neal and Pam’s.

Current Neal and Pam Owner, Zach Baker said this location is a perfect spot.

“On this side of the highway in Murrells Inlet, on the water, I don’t know that there will ever be anything in our lifetime that comes available again,” said Baker.

Baker said they’ve been thinking about this expansion for years.

“When we found this place, we have such a good following in the Inlet already and even further south, down into Pawley’s Island. We thought this was the perfect location to continue our journey,” said Baker.

This journey is one that many people thought might never happen after a fire forced Neal and Pam’s to close for eight months last year.

“We got back open, we had a great summer and this came available and we jumped at the opportunity,” said Baker.

Neal’s Creekhouse will have more space and a bigger kitchen, allowing Baker’s team to be more creative with their menu.

Baker said they will also have music and of course karaoke.

“We always say food doesn’t have to be pretentious to be delicious, and it’s more fun to eat in a bar than drink in a restaurant,” said Baker. “So that’s the kind of vibe we’re going for here.”

Baker said they can’t wait to serve the community, but they have a lot of work to finish before they’re ready to set a grand opening date.

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The Murrells Inlet MarshWalk has long been a go-to destination for visitors and locals alike.

Boasting eight restaurants and a vibrant live music scene in an idyllic setting along a natural saltwater estuary, it’s no surprise that folks come back to visit time and time again.

But during the holidays a magical transformation takes place.

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The MarshWalk Wonderland of Lights features thousands of brilliant holiday lights, illuminated arches set to music, photo op areas, a 20-foot LED Christmas tree at the end of Veterans Pier – and that’s just scratching the surface.

This walk-through event is free and runs nightly from Nov. 24 through Dec. 31 from 5-11 p.m.

Prefer a more immersive, family fun experience? A Santa’s Village attraction and kids’ activities will be available on weekends (Fri.-Sun.) from Nov. 24 through Dec. 23, excluding Dec. 9. Hours are 5-9 p.m.

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Last year, the event returned with a new and improved setup. Before that, the last Wonderland of Lights took place during the 2017 holiday season.

“We had a lot of people who were appreciative of us for bringing back the Wonderland of Lights last year,” said Christina Burzler of Brickyard Marketing, LLC and spokesperson for The MarshWalk Group.

Burzler said improvements for 2023 include additional lights on Veterans Pier and new placement for the photo op areas – a gingerbread house at the entrance of Neptune Bistro and Raw Bar, a candy cane arch at Creek Ratz, an ornament between Drunken Jack’s Restaurant & Lounge and Wahoo’s Fish House as well as the giant Santa at Bovine’s Restaurant.

Other MarshWalk restaurants include Dead Dog Saloon, The Claw House and Wicked Tuna.

As for the Santa’s Village attraction and kids’ activities, expect bounce houses, barrel cart train rides, vendors and artisans.

“We’re also adding a petting zoo this year. That’s a huge thing because people love the animals,” Burzler said, adding that holiday characters will be on rotation every weekend – The Grinch, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman and The Gingerbread Man.

A plan to dredge 16.5 miles of natural and man-made channels through Murrells Inlet is under review by federal and state agencies. It is also under scrutiny by environmental groups who question the project’s impact on the saltmarsh and oyster beds.

Georgetown County is seeking permits to remove over 750,000 cubic yards of sediment from the channels to provide access to boats at all stages of the tide. The material would be disposed of in the ocean about four-tenths of a mile off Huntington Beach State Park.

If approved, this will be the first time placement of dredge spoils has been allowed in nearshore waters in South Carolina, according to GEL Engineering, which designed the project.

The project is estimated to cost $30 million to $35 million, said state Rep. Lee Hewitt, who has helped get $14.3 million in state funding for the project so far.

“If we don’t get the offshore spoils site, it could triple that cost,” Hewitt said. “It becomes a whole other project without that.”

GEL did additional studies over the last year after the Army Corps of Engineers raised concerns that the nearshore spoils could find their way back into the federal channel that it maintains. (The Corps is currently dredging that channel.)

“A lot of work, a lot of research has gone into it,” Hewitt said.

He said he was told the location of the spoils site, which covers just over 344 acres, will allow the silt to flow offshore and any sand to flow back onto the beach.

“It could end up with some additional sand on Huntington Beach,” Hewitt said.

Amy Armstrong, executive director of the S.C. Environmental Law Project, met last week with Hewitt and the project engineer. She said she isn’t sure how to evaluate claims about the nearshore spoils disposal.

“He said they’ve never done this in South Carolina,” she said.

What is established through past litigation, Armstrong said, is that dredging has to stay at least 10 feet away from the marsh and oyster beds. That is intended to prevent the marsh and reefs from collapsing, or “sloughing,” into the dredged channels.

The permit application states that 1.5 acres of marsh and .16 acres of oyster beds will be impacted by the project. To mitigate that loss, Hewitt noted, the permit calls for restoring marsh and oyster beds in other parts of Murrells Inlet rather than purchasing mitigation credits.

That could include “living shoreline” projects or thin-layer placement to help the marsh keep pace with rising sea levels, he said.

“We’re going to spend that money in Murrells Inlet where it can help the estuary,” he said.

But Armstrong said the best solution would be to keep the dredging away from the marsh and oyster beds.

“Some of these channels that will be dredged have never been dredged before,” she said. “I feel very comfortable saying that’s something we’re going to object to.”

While she understands that there is a public benefit to keeping waterways navigable, she noted that portions of the project call for dredging that only benefits the waterfront property owners.

“Some of these dead-end channels where you’re trying to create access at all stages of the tide, that doesn’t meet the test,” she said. “They’re dredging everything that could possibly be dredged.”

Hewitt said the dredging is needed in an estuary that is “probably the most used estuary in the state.”

He also pointed out that a 2014 master plan for the Murrells Inlet watershed included dredging as a method to increase water quality. The plan cited data recorded around the Crazy Sister Marina in a previous dredging that showed an increase in fecal coliform bacteria immediately after the work was done when sediment was stirred up. The bacteria levels then dropped because the deeper water meant there was more exchange of fresh and salt water.

The permit calls for the work to be carried out over three years, starting in the fall of 2025.

“It’s a good plan and a thoughtful plan and one with very little impact,” Hewitt said.

The Corps of Engineers is taking public comments on the permit application through Nov. 30. The complete application can be found online.

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WPDE) — The days are numbered for neighbors who can provide input or raise questions in regard to the Murrells Inlet dredging project.

The county-planned project would dig up more than 16 miles of creeks and channels in the Inlet. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is receiving public input until Nov. 30 as the county needs certain permits for the project. It also will involve a first for the county and the state in how county-hired engineers plan to dispose of the dredged material.

According to county data shared by the Corps, 754,616 cubic yards of sediment, or 1.05 million tons will be dredged out of the estuary.

READ MORE: Georgetown County officials look to dredge Murrells Inlet

It's a project that's been in the works for years. Officials dredged parts of the Inlet near the Marshwalk 5 years ago. This plan would deepen more creeks and channels, but also impact more salt marsh and oyster beds.

"We have some concerns with the extent of the dredging," said Monica Whalen with the South Carolina Environmental Law Project. "We just want to make sure that this is fully assessed and that we aren't losing more than they would gain."

Engineers working on behalf of Georgetown County report that Inlet is seeing some deterioration of marshes and oyster beds already due to stormwater runoff and increased development around it.

"What I want to do is restore the water flow in Murrells Inlet to its natural state," said Rep. Lee Hewitt who's helped secure millions in state dollars for the dredging and calls the inlet home. "I'm afraid Murrells Inlet will be in a worse situation without this dredging."

Since the county is footing most of the bill for the project, years of studying have also led them to pitch a first in South Carolina; dumping the dredged material back into the ocean.

"It's going to be several hundred yards off of Huntington Beach. What it is, it's an area where you pump the sediments onto the ground and work on having the mud balls offshore and the sandy on the inshore," Hewitt said.

To do this, the Corps and county also say monitoring would have to take place to ensure the dredged material does not surpass a thickness of 5.5 feet. It would also have to stay out of the surf zone.

"This would be the first time that this technique has been implemented in South Carolina and we want them to look into more feasible alternatives," Whalen said. "We have talked to some other scientists who have raised questions."

Whalen says the questions that linger surround how the county plans to monitor the dump site, and if DHEC will be involved in case the dumping surpasses that 5.5. ft threshold. Also, they'd like to have a better idea of what the 'surf zone' is.

To counteract the impacts of salt marshes, the county is pitching the idea of adding sediment to dying or impacted marsh areas to promote regrowth.

"Putting some of that sediment on top of the marsh grass not much about 4 to 6 inches that will raise that up and will allow the Spartina to come back," Hewitt said. "I in no way want to hurt Murrells Inlet."

The county plans to also submit another plan to lay out their proposed mitigation plans that could include more living shorelines.

Still, environmentalists are requesting the county abandon some plans before the dredge craft hits the water.

"We think the project proposes dredging that is less than 10 feet from these areas [reefs and marsh vegetation] and it's SCELP's position that if the channels are too narrow to allow for a 10-foot buffer they should be excluded from the project," Whalen said.

The county, in its application, has promised to respect that 10-foot buffer between the dredging area and marsh areas.

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The project itself would not begin until Fall 2025, Hewitt says. It would take several months to complete. He supports neighbors sending in as many questions as possible.

Whalen and SCELP are asking for at least 20 commenters to request that DHEC and the county hold a public hearing on the dredging.

"This will allow community members to express their viewpoints in a direct manner. Whether they are in support of the project, or they oppose it, or if they want to request that the project is minimized," Whalen said.

You can submit comments in writing, identifying the project of interest by public notice/file number (SAC-2020-00449), to [email protected].

"Whatever we can do to restore a natural water flow to Murrells Inlet and mitigate some of the things that we are seeing out there now I think is a much better option than sitting there and letting it continue to deteriorate like what we are seeing," Hewitt said.

MURRELLS INLET — A new Murrells Inlet attraction docked beside the picturesque MarshWalk is the first of its kind in the United States.

The idea for Seakart Adventure SC — located at 4079 U.S. 17 Business behind the Dead Dog Saloon — came while owner Jason Zimecki was in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on a work trip a few years ago.

“A guy there introduced me to it,” said Jason Zimecki, who along with his wife Lorrie owns the seasonal business. “I rode on one and asked what can we do to get this thing to America. He said if you can figure it out, let’s roll.”

A Seakart — developed and produced by Dubai-based Seakart International Boats LLC — is a hybrid between a jet ski and an inflatable boat, offering riders a jet ski’s adrenaline rush but the comfort and safety of a boat as they explore the inlet and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean.

“People look at it but can’t quite figure out what it is,” Jason Zimeck said. “But we have an amazing crew here on the dock who talk people through riding them. Each Seakart holds three people. The person in the middle drives and people can sit on either side.

“The Seakart has a 110 horsepower Yamaha four-stroke engine in it so for the engine junkies out there, it is a pretty big engine for a vessel this size.”

Lorrie Zimecki said Seakart rentals cost $199 for a one-hour adventure. She said some families rent two at once. Rentals can be booked on Seakart Adventures SC’s website, where people can find company policies and more information.

“When you get here, we do a 15-minute safety briefing and we teach you to drive it,” she said. “It’s super easy and it has a paddle acceleration right there at the steering wheel. So, it’s good for beginners or experts because it is so easy to drive. We take photos when they are out on the water, so following the adventure they get a digital photo album.”

The couple and their crew run six adventures a day, starting at 9 a.m. and finishing around 4:30. Right now the business is seasonal, closing around Oct. 15, but Jason Zimecki said they could expand their hours in the future.

The business has been open since May, a few years after the Zimecki’s settled down in Murrells Inlet in 2019. They are originally from Northern Virginia near Washington D.C.

“Lorrie and I — it’s very strange — we grew up near each other but we didn’t know one other. I went to school in Wilmington, North Carolina at UNCW and she went to Penn State,” Jason Zimeck said. “I’ve been on the water for most of my life. I love to surf and fish.”

Lorrie Zimecki said her parents retired to the Grand Strand roughly 17 years ago, and she had always gone to Surfside Beach or Garden City on vacations, leading the duo to make the move south to Murrells Inlet.

“We both kept our corporate jobs after arriving, but it was always a dream of ours to open a small business,” she said.

The couple said they knew opening Seakart Adventure SC on the MarshWalk was the right decision, especially after doing test runs on the inlet a week before they opened for business in May.

“We had three guys from Pawleys Island that came down,” Lorrie Zimecki said. “One of them was a younger veteran who had lost his arm and he was saying that he was not able to go on the jet skis but was happy he could go on the Seakart.”

But the best part of the Seakart adventure, according to Jason Zimecki, is the experience that riders get soon after leaving the docks of the MarshWalk.

“You are going to see a bunch of wildlife,” he said. “Tons of birds. There are many different things to see from the marsh to the ocean. You get into some good pods of dolphins.”

Riders should not get lost on the inlet as they follow behind a lead security boat operated by two crew members, one driving and the other an instructor to focus on the Seakarts and help the riders navigate. Each one-hour trip covers nearly 20 miles.

“On our inlet runs, we will run into the creeks but we are very cautious of the fishermen, so having us guide is good so we can slow down and prevent wakes from affecting them,” Jason Zimecki said. “But you see some pretty cool stuff. There is a bald-headed eagle — Billy we’ve named — flying around out there.

“We have several travel paths through the inlet and into the ocean, weather permitting, due to wind swells. It’s very tidal here too. So, at low tide, there are exposed sandbars that can become quite dangerous. And it is busy, so being able to navigate the traffic is helpful with our guides.”

Lorrie Zimecki said one of the most-asked questions they get is whether customers will get wet.

“We get a lot of folks that are hesitant about jet skis and they feel safer about this,” she said. “You really don’t get all that wet. So, you can go out on the Seakart and still go to dinner on the MarshWalk.”

The couple said the MarshWalk now feels like a second home.

“The MarshWalk has been very welcoming,” Jason Zimecki said. “We love all of the businesses that are located here. It’s like one family with everyone looking out for each other. Our crew is our main thing. This wouldn’t be what it is without our people involved.”

Lorrie Zimecki said they have been working for years to get their current fleet of two Seakarts imported into the United States but more are on the way in the coming months. They are open to expanding in other locations, but they first want to focus on the customer experience for their riders in Murrells Inlet.

“We have been working on this for so long that the Seakarts feel like they are a part of us,” Lorrie Zimecki said. “When we see the reactions of our guests, it reminds us this is the first and only time that they have done or seen this. So, it kind of humbles you and puts you back in perspective like, wow this is a really cool thing.”