Charlie Duke's Moon Boots Imprint (Myrtle Beach, SC)

Seeking Myrtle Beach's Grand Strange is a ten-part series by author Jim MacKenzie where he visits and writes about strange attractions in the Myrtle Beach area. In this installment, MacKenzie checks out the Charlie Duke's Moon boots imprint.

Most of us will never get to walk on the moon, but one man who grew up in South Carolina did, and you can easily visit the imprints of his moon boots.

Charlie Duke, who was raised in Lancaster, SC, flew to the moon on Apollo 16, one of the last lunar expeditions, in April 1972.

While on the moon, Duke set down a photo of his family on the lunar surface which is still up there to this day.

Duke was the tenth man to walk on the moon, and the youngest. When he got back to Earth, he was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1973. At his induction ceremony at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, he placed his moon boots in wet cement where their imprint can still be seen today.



It is encouraged that you go see the boot marks, but don't stand on the imprints. We want them here for a long time for many generations to enjoy.

The plaque under Charlie Duke's moon boots imprint reads:

"These are the footprints of Astronaut Colonel Charles M. Duke, Jr., a native of South Carolina, who walked on the moon April 20, 1972, and the first inductee to the South Carolina Hall of Fame at its dedication on February 14, 1973."

What To Know Before You Go

GPS Coordinates: (33.70645397787084, -78.87416902253277)
Location: 2101 N Oak St, Myrtle Beach, SC

JIM MACKENZIE
Jim MacKenzie lives in Asheville, comfortably hidden away in the mountains of Western North Carolina. He's appeared in Bride of the Monster Serial, a horror compilation book about forgotten monster movies. Jim enjoys writing about authors, especially regional, and researching literary history. He enjoys the strange and the uncanny, but never both together. That's just overwhelming. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing music, and travel.