For many, each spring serves as the unofficial kickoff for the Jeeping season. It’s finally warm enough to pull the doors, drop the top and get that open air ‘wheeling experience that has made the Jeep brand the icon that it is. As one of the busiest vacation destinations in the southeast, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, plays host to major car and motorcycle events throughout the year. For 2018, it officially added Jeeps to that mix as well.
It’s called the Myrtle Beach Jeep Jam, a three day event that combines a show-and-shine, obstacle course and vendor show all in one. With major companies such as 4Wheel Parts sponsoring the obstacle course and aftermarket giants like Rigid Industries in attendance, there were plenty of avenues to keep Jeep enthusiasts entertained. We stopped by Saturday to take a peek at the inaugural event, which you can watch highlights from in the video above.
Overall, we were extremely impressed with how organized and large the first year event was, and look forward to seeing it grow.
The biggest attraction for us was the 4Wheel Parts sponsored obstacle course. The bevy of manmade challenges were enough to keep the drivers' attention glued to the path ahead. Chris King made it look easy with his low-and-wide Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. His LJ is sporting G2 Dana 44 JK series axles along with 37x12.50R17 Nitto Trail Grapplers. Be sure to look for a future feature on King’s Wrangler coming soon.
If you were looking to sling a little mud, the pit gave you plenty of opportunity to make a splash. It definitely got a few people soaked in the process, but we saw nothing but smiles as they exited the muddy climb.
Car crushing anyone? If you ever wanted to know what it was like to crush a car, there were plenty of chances to do so on the obstacle course.
For those just looking to show off their build, there was a Jeep show area that grouped the seven-slot grilles by generation. From the 1950s to the 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL, Jeeps of all makes and years were well represented.
Even the parking lots became an impromptu Jeep show with amazing rigs rolling in from states away. Robert Parmer’s cleanly built two-door grabbed our attention immediately. In a sea of four-door JKs, a stretched two-door on coilovers is always a pleasant surprise.
The one thing you can’t do in Myrtle Beach is drive on the sand. However, if you want to experience what that’s like, you can drive a touch over an hour north and check that off your bucket list at Carolina Beach, North Carolina. There, you can either drive out on Freeman Park at the northern end of the island or take your chances on the softer sand at Fort Fisher.
