It’s pretty bad around here, folks. Our boys are so desperate for the road that they are building ‘campgrounds’ out of their Megablocks and Spinaroos. Jeremy took the camper down to the dealership for a bit of a freshening up this weekend, and something about the act of hitching up and pulling out gets Max and Theo all amped up for our first spring trip.
Lucky for them (and us!) we are just weeks away from our season opener. We have always headed south in the spring, but never quite far enough to really shake off the chill of winter. This year I told Jeremy that we had to go far enough to actually sit on a beach. Bonus points if I break a sweat. It has been a long, bitter winter and that is where my head is at.
So here we come MYRTLE BEACH! Neither of us has ever been, but we hear we will get all the sun, sand, and kitsch we can take.
We will be staying in the heart of it all at the Myrtle Beach KOA, and have already received some great recommendations from friends about things to do while we are there. I have my newfound Pinterest mojo working, and you can check out my Myrtle Beach board to see what we have planned so far.
Here is where you come in. What recommendations do you have for us? We want restaurants, activities, best beach spots, etc. On the beaten trail or off, we love to plan our trips by word of mouth. Must sees and must eats. You get the idea.
Here’s to spring. They say it is right around the corner. I hope they know what they’re talking about.
I know you guys are KOA groupies, but there are a couple of other campgrounds in MB that I’m sure you would enjoy too. There is the State Park, which is right on the beach (where as, I believe the KOA is in a couple of blocks, but still a short walk)…and Pirate-Land, which is really geared towards young families with kids. We haven’t been to either….but have heard from others about them, and both were well liked.
There are dozens of “Putt-Putt” golf courses, and Outlet Malls that will tug at your wallets….LOL!!
It’s been over a year since we were down there (from Wilmington), but you guys can hike the beach for hours….it’s not called the “Grand Strand” for nothing! Recent storms may have damaged the beaches a bit, but I’m sure they will be fine by the time you get down there.
We will hit the “Putt-Putt” and avoid the Outlet Malls–we have plenty of those in NJ. Stephanie cracked up about the “KOA Groupies” comment. So true….
Looking over the list of things you hope to do while in MB, I saw you had the Children’s Museum on the list. While we haven’t been to this one, we have yet to be at one that wasn’t at the least “good”, and usually, the less than great ones are rated that way, because of the greatness of others!
I would highly recommend that you invest in a reciprocal membership, because these places are a godsend on rainy days…..and if you have one near home, you’ll use it A LOT!! I take our grandson at least 1-2 per month to the one here in Wilmington, and we have used the reciprocal agreement at several Children’s Museums this past year (Columbia, SC – Great…..Raleigh, NC – Great….Chapel Hill, NC – Good)….and now that I see there is a museum in Myrtle Beach, we will be heading down there one of these days too
Check for Children’s Museums at
http://www.childrensmuseums.org/component/acmmuseumsearch/searchform.html
Broadway at the Beach for shopping and fun, Calabash for great food by the docks!
Thanks–both sound great. Others have recommended Calabash as well.
It is absolutely beautiful here in Santa Monica, really expensive but beautiful. I’ll bet you can’t wait to get out the camper and escape this winter from frozen hell. How much do the boys charge for their campground? I’ll bet there are some others who are desperate…
JP–the boys have agreed to let you camp for free at their campground! But no full hook ups! This is strictly dry camping.
Hello Lively Little Campers: (transplanted Jersey girl here) I would ditch the Children’s Museum idea…..it sort of well….sucks. One of the biggest miniature golf places…..Mt. Atlanticus is in the heart of Myrtle Beach across from the Zipline. And speaking of the Zipline….it’s not long…..but I’m sure for little ones it would be great. Living here in Myrtle Beach; I like to go places with my 3-year old granddaughter which don’t cost a lot of money…..(or any at all is nice as well). Broadway at the beach is great for romping around. If you’ve already been to an aquarium almost anywhere else….I’d say skip that one too…unless you need something to do on a rainy day? It’s alright, but nothing special. Little ones always seem to enjoy it though…and that’s what counts.
Murrells Inlet is great for the Marsh Walk and they have the Pirate Adventures there as well. (http://pirateadventures.com/). I’m waiting for my granddaughter to get just a little older for that one…..but it looks like great fun. Riding along the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach is great fun…..with either your own bikes or rentals. There are plenty and plenty of tacky beach shops to go in and out of.
Depending on the age of your children……they might enjoy renting a golf cart or one of these little tiny dune buggies and seeing the sites that way.
Huntington Beach State Park has the remains of the Atalaya Castle to go through during the tour hours…and there are bathrooms, picnic areas and of course…..the beach. I’ve been there after-tour hours and it was still fun to roam around and take pictures over there. There is also a sleepover March 29-30.(http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/huntingtonbeach/introduction.aspx). If you love taking pictures of beautiful wildlife there are plenty of areas. There are also jetties to stand out on over the water on viewing areas to see alligators and I believe there is a tour as well.
http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/products/10002631
The Myrtle Beach State Park is a great area as well……and both have walking and biking trails.
There is the Myrtle Beach Safari (http://www.myrtlebeachsafari.com/) There are two stations…one right here in myrtle Beach….and another at Barefoot landing in North Myrtle Beach.
I know you’ve probably been to some great Zoos but there is the Waccatee Zoo
There’s the River Walk in Conway. (http://www.conwayparksandrecreation.com/riverwalk.html)
There is the Skool for Pirates (I guess Pirates can’t spell…lol.) (http://www.ghostshows.com/skool.html)
Please feel free to contact me if you want to know anything. I live right here in Surfside Beach and would be glad to let you know about some out of the way places to eat, etc….based on what you like to eat.
tracyann62@gmail.com
Another great place….especially on a rainy day: The Fun Warehouse and it’s central to everything:
http://funwarehousemb.com/. Huffman Helicopters for a fast ride out over the water and back: http://www.huffmanhelicopters.com/. Lots of fishing off of all of the piers and of course….lots of ice cream and arcades. The Sky Wheel http://myrtlebeachskywheel.com/. I’ll be quiet now. 😉
Thanks so much for all of this great info! There is so much here that looks great. Let us know if you think of anything else…
Before you guys head down this way….check out the deals on these two sites each week…as the deals change and you have a month or two once you purchase the deal to redeem them. I saw one recently for Brookgreen……
http://myrtlebeach.dealsaver.com/engine/splash.aspx
http://www.carolinalive.com/directory/deals/#.UyvMgPldWSo
You can also purchase an Attractions Guide and I believe you can also purchase some deals right from the website:
http://www.attractionsbook.com/coupons/city/Myrtle%20Beach
A Groupon Deal I Found and I’m sure there are others on the site, but I didn’t look around….will leave that to you! 😉
http://www.groupon.com/deals/myrtle-beach-adrenaline-adventures-2?p=6&sid=04e08068-1d01-4eb4-9964-43a208bf985e&division=raleigh-durham&user=de68441d334f532e1ea3f01bcd4404a04ff34d7cbcbfe44e76a2b544b2461d8f&date=20140312&s=body&c=link&d=deal-page
Here is one for Brookgreend Gardens on Groupon:
http://www.groupon.com/browse/charleston?context=local&lat=33.6890603&lng=-78.88669429999999&address=Myrtle%20Beach%2C%20SC%2C%20USA