The building at 4139 Highway 17 Business sits at the southernmost point of the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk. It's right in front of Wicked Tuna and the Murrells Inlet Boat Launch, which makes it the first stretch of boardwalk you hit from the boat launch end. This fall it's closed again. Inlet Shipwreck Bar & Grill, the pirate-themed spot that opened there in February, stopped serving in September, less than a year after opening.
The owners of The Boathouse, the waterway concert venue on Fantasy Harbour Boulevard, plan to open there next spring. Their pitch for the corner looks a lot like what the rest of the MarshWalk has been running for more than 20 years. That history explains why this address has been so hard to settle, and why an outdoor stage is the next thing being tried there.
One address, a long list of names
The Post and Courier lists the building's past tenants in order.
- Mojo's Marina Bar & Grille
- Neptune's Bistro and Raw Bar
- Sloppy Jose's Cantina and Seafood Grill, which opened in 2024 with Mexican and Caribbean-style food
- Inlet Shipwreck Bar & Grill, which opened Feb. 25, 2026
- Boathouse on the Inlet, planned for spring 2027
The last two changeovers happened quickly. According to The Sun News, the Sloppy Jose's owners decided a little over a year in that the cantina wasn't working out. It closed at the start of 2026 so the same space could reopen as Inlet Shipwreck, with a whole new menu and an all-day happy hour. About a month before Shipwreck went quiet, it posted new hours on Instagram: 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. By Sept. 9, Google listed it as permanently closed while its own website said temporarily closed. No announcement was made. If you check the MarshWalk's online dining directory, Shipwreck may still be listed. That entry is outdated.
Each tenant brought a different menu: marina bar and grill, bistro and raw bar, cantina, pirate-themed seafood. The next one leads with a stage.
The MarshWalk got its formula in 2002
To see why a stage makes sense at the south end, look at the north side of the boardwalk. Charlie Campbell bought the Dead Dog Saloon property in 2001, when it was a restaurant called Anchovies. His family says he wanted food, entertainment and a place to hang out all in one spot. He also started the MarshWalk Association so businesses along the boardwalk could share their marketing instead of competing for the same visitors.
His son, John Campbell, described the before and after to WPDE after his father's death this summer:
"It was quiet. It didn't have the outdoor deck that you know now. It had no live music no stage so he really brought that to the community... He put a stage out here now everyone has stages. Theres music nightly."
The family booked musicians themselves, on the road, scouting acts in person. WPDE reported in June that the Dead Dog Saloon is now under new management. The Campbell family still owns the property and stays involved in daily operations.
So the model that holds up along this boardwalk combines a deck, a stage, nightly music and shared promotion. Each restaurant also benefits from the foot traffic its neighbors bring in.
The pitch for the corner
Misty Pate co-owns The Boathouse with her business partner and ex-husband, Tripp Coan. She told the Post and Courier exactly what the south end has been up against.
"The place has changed hands a lot and nothing has quite stuck, but we believe it's a great location. We're not having to build a brand. The Boathouse is established and this will be a similar concept, just on a smaller scale."
The original Boathouse has been near the U.S. 501 bridge since 2005. Its Sunday Summer Concert Series has brought in national acts like Colt Ford, Whiskey Myers, Drivin N Cryin and Sir Mix-a-Lot. It sits at 201 Fantasy Harbour Blvd. and serves salads, burgers, sandwiches and craft beer. It also has a small brewery, Independent Republic, plus a deck over the waterway, and it hosts charity events, a formula the owners hope to bring to the inlet.
The inlet location will book differently because it's smaller. Pate said:
"We will have more local acts and up-and-comers because we can't hold as many people. We will have an outdoor stage with one of the best views of the inlet, a beautiful bar. The building already looks like the Boathouse, but we just need to put our own little spin on it."
Locals and up-and-coming performers are the kind of acts the Campbells booked to fill the first MarshWalk stage. So the south end's next tenant arrives with a name people already know and the same booking approach the boardwalk was built on.
Timing comes from two sources. The Post and Courier says spring. On Oct. 2, The Sun News confirmed that The Boathouse had announced an opening next year, though the owners hadn't returned a message by publication. For now, spring 2027 is the owners' plan. No firm date has been announced.
This fall's biggest MarshWalk days
While the corner is between tenants, the fall calendar runs right past it. Two of the three big events depend on businesses working together, the same way the MarshWalk Association was set up to work. The second one takes place next door to the empty building.
Halloween on the MarshWalk, Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 to 10 p.m. The MarshWalk calls this its longest-running and most successful event. Kids' trick-or-treating along the boardwalk starts at 5 p.m. The children's costume contest is at 6 p.m. at the Pirate Statue in front of Drunken Jack's, with prizes for Most Creative, Best Group and Funniest for ages three and up. Kids two and under compete for the Awes Applause award. The adult contest starts at 7 p.m. with more than $4,000 in cash and prizes. Categories include Big & Bulky and a Murrells Inlet Themed award. Adults must register at Tuna Shak between 7 and 8:30 p.m. to be eligible. Final judging is at 9:30 p.m. between Wahoo's and Drunken Jack's. Participating restaurants listed on the event page are Bovine's, Wahoo's, Drunken Jack's, Creek Ratz, Dead Dog Saloon, The Claw House and The Wicked Tuna.
22nd Annual Murrells Inlet Oyster Roast, Saturday, Nov. 7, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. This one is in the Wicked Tuna parking lot at 4123 Highway 17 Business, at the south end of the boardwalk. Tickets are $40 per person, which comes to $41.87 with the online fee on TicketSignup. That covers all-you-can-eat oysters, an oyster bucket, a roast koozie and live music. Other food is sold separately. One event listing elsewhere says admission is free. The official ticket page lists the $40 price. All proceeds go to Murrells Inlet 29576, formerly Murrells Inlet 2020. The group lists the MarshWalk itself among the marsh-access projects it has championed, along with the Bike Bridge, Morse Park Landing and Jetty View Walk. It also helped build and fund the Inlet-to-Intracoastal multipurpose path. Its 2026 news page lists a Fall Haul Cleanup. The group also runs the Spring Tide cleanup and monitors water quality. No bands or vendors have been named for the roast yet.
Wonderland of Lights, Nov. 27 through Dec. 31, 5 to 11 p.m. nightly. The walk-through is free. It runs along the half-mile boardwalk with lit restaurant buildings, music-synced arches, a 20-foot LED tree and themed photo stops. Santa's Village opens on Friday, Nov. 27, and runs Fridays through Sundays, 5 to 9 p.m., through Dec. 20. It has a petting zoo, barrel-cart rides and visits with Santa, and some kids' activities may cost extra. Holiday characters appear 6 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and the lineup hasn't been announced yet.
The building at 4139 Highway 17 Business should be dark for all three of these events, unless an opening date is announced before the holidays. The Boathouse's own description is the best preview of what will light it next: an outdoor stage, a bar, and local bands playing with a view over the inlet toward the boat launch.
Kirk Stalvey grew up in Conway and has watched spots like the MarshWalk's south end change hands for years. If you're thinking about what the coming Boathouse means for living near the inlet, or for a property you own close to Business 17, Kirk Stalvey would be glad to walk through it with you. Book an appointment and he'll bring the local details.
