Garden City Pier on a summer Saturday fills up faster than you’d expect. The under-pier lot at 110 S. Waccamaw Drive is real, and it’s convenient, but on a peak weekend it can be gone before 10 a.m. So plan around three things. Arrive early, know your backup lot, and match your SUV to the space you’re walking into.
The 2026 Chevy Traverse is the SUV we see most often headed down Highway 17 toward Garden City with a full family aboard, and for good reason. But it’s not the only answer, and we’ll walk the full breakdown below.
Where Do You Park and When?
You park at the under-pier lot on 110 S. Waccamaw Drive if you arrive before about 9:30 a.m. on a weekend, and you head straight for the Horry County overflow lot if you’re rolling out any later, since the under-structure lot fills from the beach side first and goes fast on a peak Saturday. The honest number is 9:30. Get there before it and the close spot is yours.
| Arrive by | Parking Spot | Fit/Space Note | Insider Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 9:30 a.m. | Under-pier lot, 110 S. Waccamaw Dr | Tighter pull-through lanes; fits compact and midsize SUVs comfortably; tighter in a Tahoe or Suburban | Face in toward the pier. Backing out is easier when it fills. |
| 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. | Horry County lot, corner of Atlantic Ave and Dogwood Drive N | More room; no time limit during open hours (6 a.m. to 2 a.m., no overnight); food truck zone nearby | Short 3-4 block walk north to the pier entrance; easy with a cooler cart |
| After 11 a.m. | Street parking along S. Waccamaw Dr | Slim pickings; golf carts and beachgoers fill spots fast | If you’re circling, go directly to the Horry County lot. Don’t waste time on the street. |
| Any time | Horry County lot as primary | Guaranteed space, free, easier to pull a long wheelbase through | Best call for a Tahoe, Suburban, or a loaded Traverse |
Check the under-pier lot twice before you write it off. The lot is designated for pier customers, and visitors have flagged that golf carts sometimes take up car-sized spaces. If you roll in and the lot looks full but there’s golf cart clutter, it’s worth a patient second lap before heading to the backup.
The Maneuvering Play: Which Chevy Fits Where
Which Chevy fits comes down to length, and the shorter the SUV the easier the under-pier lot gets, though you trade away cargo and seats as you go smaller, so the right pick depends on whether you’re packing light for two or loading a family of six with coolers and canopies. Length matters here more than anywhere on the Grand Strand.
The 2026 Chevy Trailblazer measures 174.1 inches bumper to bumper. It fits the under-pier lot without a second thought, parallel parks on S. Waccamaw Drive easily, and still holds 25.3 cubic feet of cargo behind the rear seats (54.4 cubic feet with the seats folded). The EPA rates the 1.3L FWD Trailblazer at up to 33 mpg highway, so the 45-minute run down Highway 17 from Conway costs you almost nothing at the pump. The tradeoff is fair. You get five seats only, and if you’re hauling tackle boxes, a beach canopy, and two full coolers, you’ll feel the limits of that cargo floor. Pack smart or make two trips.
The 2026 Chevy Equinox splits the difference well. At 183.2 inches long, it still maneuvers comfortably in tighter lots, and Chevrolet rates it at 29.8 cubic feet behind the rear seats (63.5 cubic feet with the bench folded). The EPA rates it at 25 city and 29 highway on the 1.5L turbo. Five adults, chairs, a cooler, and a bag of fishing gear fit without forcing anything. If your group is two adults and a couple of kids with a medium load, the Equinox is the most sensible choice on this list, sized exactly right for what Garden City Pier requires.
The 2026 Traverse is where the equation shifts. Chevrolet lists it at 204.5 inches long (that’s 17 feet of SUV). It parks fine in the Horry County overflow lot where the lanes have room to breathe. In the under-pier tight lanes, you’ll want patience. Go slow. But fold both rear rows flat and Chevrolet lists up to 97.6 cubic feet of cargo. Three rows, up to eight seats, and enough room behind the third row (22.9 cubic feet even with all seats up) for a serious beach haul. Family of six with gear? The Traverse is built for exactly this.
The 2026 Chevy Tahoe runs 211.3 inches long on a 120.9-inch wheelbase. Our advice is straightforward. Treat the Horry County lot as your primary spot, not your backup. The Tahoe’s 122.7 cubic feet of maximum cargo and seating for up to nine people make it the right call for bigger groups and anyone towing a trailer to the nearby Murrells Inlet boat ramps. The 5.3L V8 is EPA-rated at 15 city and 20 highway. Real Grand Strand heat and stop-and-go on Highway 17 will land you toward the city end. The diesel option does better, but either way plan your fuel stop before you hit the beach strip. Park it in the overflow lot, walk the three blocks, and the size stops being a headache.
Your Pre-Pier Checklist Before You Leave Conway
A good day at Garden City Pier comes down mostly to logistics, and the morning prep decides whether you’re on the sand by mid-morning or circling S. Waccamaw Drive at noon, so we’d load, fuel, and time the drive before anyone climbs in, coolers first. We’d run that prep like this.
- Cooler position: Load coolers behind the second row before the kids get in, not after. Rearranging at the lot wastes your good parking window.
- Parking cash or card: The Horry County lot is free; the under-pier lot has no noted admission charge for walking the pier either. Still, have a card handy for the tackle shop or Pier Cafe.
- Shade gear: Bring a compact pop-up canopy or a couple of umbrellas. The pier has benches with umbrellas on the structure itself, but the beach in front fills fast with families on peak weekends.
- Fuel up in Conway: Once you’re on Highway 17 south past Surfside, options thin out quickly. Keep your vehicle in shape before the season ends (a tire, brake, or battery issue on a packed beach road is genuinely disruptive).
- Arrive time: Target the parking window above. Before 9:30 a.m. for the under-pier lot, or head directly to the Horry County overflow lot if you’re rolling out later.
- Fishing gear: The pier rents equipment on-site if you don’t want to haul rods, and fishing does require a small fee. Decide before you load the vehicle whether you’re bringing gear or renting.
- Plan the timing: The pier is open year-round and runs all night for fishing in summer and early fall. If you’re doing an evening trip for live music at Pieradise, parking is easier after 6 p.m. when daytrippers head home.
Schedule a Pre-Trip Vehicle Check
Go enjoy it. The pier at Garden City is one of the better spots on the Grand Strand (free to walk, live music in summer, decent fishing, and far less crowded than the Myrtle Beach strip). Get the right vehicle under you, leave Conway before the traffic builds on 501 south, and it’s an easy day, coolers and all.
If you want to talk through which SUV size fits your family’s regular beach run, our team at Palmetto Chevrolet is at 1122 4th Ave in Conway. We know this road. We drive it too.
