Gay Dolphin Gift Cove

Gay Dolphin Gift Cove is a gift shop in Myrtle Beach, SC. It carries sea shells, apparel, home decor, collectibles, jewelry, and shark teeth, and offers seven photo opportunities that include a life-size Yeti, an Elvis figure, Egyptian guardians, and pirates. The shop holds a rating of 4.50 based on 4,065 reviews.

The business traces its start to 1946, when Justin Plyler opened a small gift shop alongside a large amusement park for children. The first gift shop opened was called Shell Craft. The original store was destroyed in Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and rebuilt in phases: the oceanfront portion first, then the basement and part of the stockroom, followed in the early 1960s by an expansion to Ocean Boulevard and the building of the iconic tower. The Gay Dolphin was incorporated in 1946. It is family owned and operated, and Buz Plyler runs it today. Along with Lazelle's Flower Shop, it is among the oldest businesses in Myrtle Beach still owned and operated by the original family. Summer hours run 9:30 a.m. to midnight, shoulder season hours 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and winter hours 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The shop sits at 916 N. Ocean Blvd. It is on North Ocean Boulevard, steps from Fun Plaza and Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, and about a tenth of a mile from Justin W. Plyler Boardwalk Park, Plyler Park, and Mr. Joe White Avenue.

Its reputation rests on a large base of customer reviews and a long record of serving Myrtle Beach visitors.

For generations of Grand Strand vacationers, the Gay Dolphin has been a stop on Ocean Boulevard, carrying the shells, souvenirs, and shoreline photographs that bring a Myrtle Beach trip home.