It takes in the settlement of Tythegston and a stretch of coastal sand dunes known as Merthyr Mawr Warren.

Merthyr Mawr House is an early 19th-century mansion built by Sir John Nicholl and set in an extensive park.

At the south end of the village is the parish church of St Teilo, which was built in 1849–51 to a design by Benjamin Ferrey and John Pritchard, on an ancient medieval site.

Mike Young Productions children's cartoon studio is located in Merthyr Mawr.

It contains the highest sand-dunes in Wales and is notable for its floristic and animal communities including rare plants.