Myrtle Beach

[Mickeyherewecome123]

Has anyone ever been to Myrtle Beach? Is it nice? Any hotel or vacation home rental suggestions? Whats fun for the kids to do?


My sister is thinking of having her wedding there in April. She went on vacation there several years ago and loved it, so now she wants to have her wedding there.

Thanks
Fran

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

We live in North Carolina, so we go there at least once every summer. I don't think I would go there if it weren't the closest beach to me. I love the ocean, so I don't think you can go wrong on that. We go and stay at a very private family friendly condo community. Once we pass the gates we never usually leave. The shopping in the area is "okay", but not that much else to do in my opinion. We just go and relax and become beach bums for the week. Definitely the opposite of our Disney Vacations!

 

[The McCombies :)]

My husband and I stayed at Myrtle Beach 6 years ago for our honeymoon. We stayed for 4, and that was enough for us. I did like it I just missed our little guy. We stayed at Best Western Grand Strand and really liked it. We didn't stay right on the ocean but it was only a 2 minute walk from the hotel. One thing we would like to take our children back to do is the charter boat ride and that was a lot of fun.

Now between going to Disney or Myrtle Beach, MB is alot more relaxing and not so much hussle like Disney. So my husband would rather go back to MB. But I LOVE Disney. Have fun and enjoy the amusement park there.

 

[SnowWhite12]

We went for about 5 days the last week of July. After a long 15 hour drive, it was well worth it. Great family beach! Awesome waves! And a cute, old-timey amusement park right across from the boardwalk area. Wonderful seafood restaurants---best ever in my life!! I will try to think of where we stayed so I can say Don't stay there. It was horrible service and only had one elevator for entire highrise! Can't think of it off top of my head. But I think all of the ones on the beach (which was the one good thing about ours) are about the same. We just went 'cause we got a good deal on a timeshare tour via South Beach Resorts (which was awesome, but only the members actually "stay" there). I love Myrtle Beach and definitely plan to go back sometime. We also did Medieval Times while there, which was good. I wouldn't waste my time at the Hard Rock park there. Looked tiny and boring.

Just remembered where we stayed--Coral Beech Resort--absolutely horrible service!

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I read last week that Hard Rock park is closed already. I think it's only been open a year or two. The owners have closed it while they search for a buyer. We've never been there, but I've heard it's a waste. We always stay toward North Myrtle, across from Barefoot Landing. It's MUCH quieter!

 

[The Moonk's Mom]

We love to go to MB...we even go for long weekends after doing WDW. We always stay at the Sea Mist. You can get a great family package that includes water park passes for everyday and amusement park passes for everynight or your stay. We like to go to the Alligator Adventure too...not included, but fun. At the resort, they have a small put-put place, a water park that is kinda small at the resort and the beach is right there even if you stay across the street. They have all kinds of event that they have almost nightly. When we went last year, we went to the pizza buffet (Sunday night I think) and the did free face painting, balloon sculptures, and the kids got to decorate cookies. It was a blast. It is a nice place to stay too, very family oriented. Oh, and if you stay on the side away from the beach, they have a tunnel that goes under the street to the beach side so you don't have to cross that busy road. I also really like it because it is away from all the bars.

http://www.myrtlebeachseamist.com/

 

[mousetravel]

If you want a "disney fix" while you're there, there are 2 Disney Stores:
one at Broadway at the Beach, and one at North Myrtle Beach Tanger Outlet.

I always stay at Holiday Sands North. They have an on site, ocean front restaurant.

 

[Familycircus]

Touristy, Touristy, Touristy.

We went to Myrtle Beach last summer ’07 and enjoyed our vacation. My kids had a blast.
I see you are from Chicago so I’ll explain it this way.
Think of Wisconsin Dells with a lot more sand, water, and high-rise buildings.
There is the Ripley’s stuff, an amusement park (maybe 2 but not sure how Hard Rock Park will be doing by then), mini golf everywhere. Not so much the indoor waterpark atmosphere as there is the ocean. For every 1 fudge shop in the Dells there are 3 surf/beach shops in Myrtle Beach. There is what they call “Broadway at the Beach” which reminds me a lot of Pier 39 in San Francisco. Broadway at the Beach has MagiQuest like the Dells has Adventure Quest. Though it might not be what you’re looking for for your 5yr olds. Our youngest was 4 at the time and MagiQuest was too complicated for him.
We stayed on the beach down toward the airport. The beach seemed less crowded than northward by the Ripley’s stuff.
Most lodging is condotels. You can book through the hotel, but it might be someones condo they’re renting out. You could also check a vacation rental website and rent directly from the owner. We booked through Expedia and got a reasonable rate. I wanted to be oceanfront so I got a lower class hotel, but we were right on the beach.
We also drove to Calabash, NC just across the border and took a dolphin cruise.

My kids loved just being on the beach and the dolphin cruise. We spent more time on the beach than I had originally anticipated. I’m glad we stayed oceanfront.

Eat at the Filling Station. It’s a pizza buffet and if Isaac is still working there, you’re in for a treat.
Get the kids a small body board thing (about $10) and toys to play in the sand from one of the many beach shops and they’ll have fun.

If you’re not driving, RENT A CAR.

 

[caribou47]

Myrtle Beach IS touristy, but in a good way if you have small kids. There are two giant shopping/entertainment areas, Barefoot Landing and Boardwalk, that are great just to stroll around, get an ice cream, ride the amusement park rides, peek in stores, lots of photo opportunities. My 4-year old LOVED the "mirror maze" that we stumbled across. Alligator Adventures was awesome, really amazing.

I always thought I hated mini-golf but I got converted on this trip. There are dozens of courses and my kids went beserk -- one of them has a little "mine train" that takes you to the top of the course, another one has a dragon that breathes fire, etc., all very hokey compared to Disney but very cool compared to anywhere else. We played at four different courses in four days -- my 2-year old just ran around like a nut and threw balls in the bushes, while my 4-year old and my husband played for real.

Many of the hotels have lazy rivers and little waterparks. We barely went to the beach since the pools at the hotel were easier, no sand to deal with.

No question Myrtle Beach is the most touristy place I've ever seen, and I'm usually someone that prefers an outdoorsy, more natural vacation, but I really loved our trip and will definitely go back. The kids were just delirious the whole time with all the stuff to do and see.

Have fun!

 

[chasegoestodisney]

it is one of the most romantic cities in the U.S. and she'd have her choose of a Historic Charleston wedding or a relaxed NOT TOURISTY beach wedding. It would be a beautiful place for them to enjoy a relaxing, very special honeymoon.

If you want more info I'd be happy to send you some links. Charleston is about an hour and half south of Myrtle Beach.

 

[blondemom]

We went for the first time in July (me, husband, two boys - 10 and 5), and WE LOVED IT! It was relaxing and fun. It is a bit pricey, though. However, the hotel we stayed at had a full kitchen set-up (refrigerator, stove, microwave, and plates, pots, pans, etc). We ended up shopping and eating in a lot. We stayed right on the ocean, but about 10 blocks down from the "busy" section. It was quiet and very family oriented! We are planning another vacation soon!

Enjoy.

 

[Cadiewampus]

Personally I do not like Myrtle Beach or any of the Atlantic Beaches. I would go to one of the Gulf Coast Beaches. Sand is actually sand and not ground up seashells or hard as concrete. I have been to a couple of weddings in the area and they both were great. Check out the community of Seaside Fl. This is the town they filmed the Jim Carrey move The Truman Show at. Another good place is Gulf Shores/ Orange Beach in Alabama. We stayed at Perdido Beach Resort

 

[brightvalleyjrts]

I live in NC, so have been there at least once every year and I don't like it. LOL! The older I get the more touristy it gets. It was fun when I was a kid. They took the old pavilion down and now the strip is just dirty and trashy looking.

It is very crowded and loud. There are a lot of wild teenagers. There is a lot to do with the kids. Broadway at the Beach and Barefoot landing are fun, but we just don't like it anymore. We spent a week there this summer and said it would be a few years before we go back.

We prefer to stay in Oak Island or Holden Beach. They are much quieter and family friendly.

There is a ton of wonderful history in Myrtle beach, but for me a lot of it has been taken away!

 

[Mickeyherewecome123]

Thansk forall the great info. Now my sister changed her mind and she is getting married in St Augustine Florida. Woohhooo, now we get to take a side trip to Disney for 4 days.

 

[my3sons77]

If you want a "disney fix" while you're there, there are 2 Disney Stores:
one at Broadway at the Beach, and one at North Myrtle Beach Tanger Outlet.

I always stay at Holiday Sands North. They have an on site, ocean front restaurant.

We just moved to Texas from Monroe, NC. We used to ALWAYS stay at Holidays Sands North! But not the building with the restaurant in it, right beside it We love it there.