Who Played Charlie's Place? A Myrtle Beach Trolley Tour Answers
A two-hour narrated trolley ride through Myrtle Beach's music and movie past, with a stop at Charlie's Place, a Green Book site.
Myrtle Beach History Tours sells this as a two-hour narrated trolley ride about the town's coming of age, from the mid-20th century to today. Three threads run through it: the movies that were made or premiered here, the part music played in the town's history, and the part the town played in music history.
The narration carries the morning. Travelers' accounts from 2020 to 2026 describe a guide who grew up in Myrtle Beach, wrote the tour herself and tells much of it from people she knew. The trolley is enclosed and climate-controlled, and it pulls over twice: a short stop in the city's new historic district and a longer one at Charlie's Place.
Boarding starts at 9:45 AM in front of the Grand 14 cinema at The Market Common, and the trolley is back there at noon. Every ticket costs USD 45, the same for children and adults, and the tour takes guests from age three. One booking covers up to 15 travelers. Book before the Monday ahead of the Tuesday you want: the guide has said a tour runs only if enough tickets are sold by that Monday morning.
Myrtle Beach History, Movies and Music Trolley TourA two-hour narrated trolley tour from The Market Common in Myrtle Beach, with a stop at Charlie's Place Historic Site. Tuesdays at 10:00 AM, USD 45 per person.www.viator.comThe Club Is Gone, the Motel Was Rebuilt
Charlie's Place is the longer of the tour's two stops, at about 15 minutes. In the listing's account, the greatest names in 20th-century American music performed there from the 1930s to the 1960s, and the club was a stop on the Chitlin' Circuit. The city of Myrtle Beach names Dizzy Gillespie, Little Richard, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington among the artists who performed there. The club itself no longer stands. What you visit is Charlie's home and a reconstruction of his motel, which was listed in The Green Book, the guide for African American travelers during segregation.
Travelers who went inside describe motel rooms set up as they looked in their heyday and a small museum given over to the area's music history. One traveler in April 2026 arrived to find it closed to tours that day, with staff on vacation.
More Stories Than Landmarks
Expect to hear about more places than you see. A traveler in April 2026 wrote that most of the historical sites no longer exist or are under reconstruction, and another in September 2025 said that with the original buildings gone, what you mostly see are the businesses there now. The guide's reply describes the city's new historic district at an early stage, with old buildings being brought back and streets realigned.
The telling is what travelers remember: the movies shot in the area, the musicians who played here, and, in one March 2026 account, the blending of Black and white music cultures from the 1930s to the 1960s. A traveler in October 2024 singled out seeing houses and locations from the movie Shag.
Earlier travelers mention a free copy of the guide's book on the area's movie history, Myrtle Beach Movies. In a February 2025 reply, the guide said that group was the last to receive it, and in April 2026 she suggested a traveler find a copy online.
Two Stops, Some Walking, and a Seat Chart
The listing asks everyone to arrive by 9:50 AM to check in and pick a seat from a seating chart. Guests board in seat order, and those who choose seats at the back board first and step off last at each stop.
The listing marks the tour as suitable for all physical fitness levels. A traveler in October 2025 said you get off at two stops with some walking involved, and that anyone who finds that hard can stay on the trolley. A traveler who walks with a cane got a front seat in July 2024, and a 91-year-old using a walker was helped on and off by the driver in April 2024.
Hearing is the other thing to plan for. A traveler in July 2026 struggled to hear everything clearly. The guide replied that traffic and the air conditioning can make it hard, and that anyone who misses something can place a hand behind an ear and she will repeat it.
Tuesdays Only, When Enough Tickets Sell
The tour runs on Tuesdays at 10:00 AM. As of October 28, 2026, Viator's booking calendar showed open Tuesdays through December 15, with November 24 and December 1 sold out. For 2027, the first open Tuesday it showed was October 19.
The operator can cancel for bad weather or for too few travelers, and a traveler in May 2025 wrote that it was canceled twice because not enough people were interested. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund; inside 24 hours there is no refund.
The meeting point is The Market Common, the shopping and dining district beside the airport between Highway 17 Bypass and Highway 17 Business, also called Kings Highway. The trolley loads in front of the Grand 14 Cinemas, where Deville and Reed Streets meet. The operator says parking there is free, in two parking decks, several lots and on the street, and that there is a public restroom next to the bike shop on Deville Street near the Grand 14.
Cafes nearby open before the tour, and the listing says the restaurants and stores at The Market Common are ready for guests when the trolley comes back at noon, which puts lunch a short walk from where you started.