Last summer when we took our seven city road trip around the South our fourth stop along the way was Myrtle Beach. After a whirlwind in Orlando, soaking up the southern charm in Savannah, Georgia and Charleston – I wasn’t sure what to expect from Myrtle Beach, other than – the beach.
As we headed into Myrtle Beach the traffic started to build up and I could see that it had a lot going on. It reminded me a little like the old Las Vegas strip, there were a lot of neon signs and large red signs advertising seafood buffets. We made our way to our hotel which was a very tall building along a stretch of other hotel towers known as the “Grand Strand”.
Where we stayed
We stayed at the Crown Reef Resort, which is an oceanfront hotel that just had a 7.5 million dollar renovation which included a brand new waterpark. We were there just a week after this water park opened, they were literally still laying down some of the carpet on the stairs going up to the waterslides and paint was still drying.
The hotel already had two pools and a lazy river but the new water park consists of two large waterslides and a splash park with two smaller slides for younger children. For the new large slides you grabbed your tube at the bottom and then walked up three flights of stairs to the entrance of the slides. I was happy to know that there were lifeguards at the top controlling when the kids went down. You could go down on a solo tube or a tandem double tube or the other slide without a tube at all. This feature of the hotel was a big hit with our kids!
The pool deck area gets very crowded and it is very hard to find chairs, you have to get down there pretty early to grab one. Smoking is allowed around the pool deck, which really shocked me. I was not used to this and neither were my children. Standing in line for a snow cone with your kids and having smoke blown in your face was not exactly ideal.
The parking garage is right next to the pool and lazy river area which I found to be distracting and sometimes very loud. The pool deck area is not a relaxing place that you might hope to find when on vacation and the view from most angles is a lot of stone colored concrete and now giant waterslides overhead.
The new restaurant on the property is the Loco Gecko and the food and service here was good. There is also a brand new arcade, but the games are pretty expensive. Through the arcade you’ll also find a small cafe where you can grab some coffee or pastries in the morning.
Our room was an ocean view suite with two queen size beds, a kitchenette and a living room area that had a murphy bed in the wall. This was the highlight for the kids, pulling down the murphy bed! It was clean but very basic. Our view of the ocean was nice and it was only a short walk to get to the beach but it was packed with people. Summer in Myrtle Beach, I guess I shouldn’t have been so shocked.
We had very slow internet in our room, which actually made me get up really early and go to the Starbucks in the Piggly Wiggly at The Market Common so I could get some work done in the morning. Usually when we travel my husband and I are always working a bit too and so we like to hang out in a lobby outside of the room, but there was no real lobby area or comfortable working space for me here.
Sweet Frog Yogurt
Chances are you’ll want to cool off and get some ice cream while in Myrtle Beach. You’ll want to head to Sweet Frog Yogurt, maybe even twice! Grab your cup and fill it up with a variety of yogurt flavors and an endless buffet of toppings. This is located on the main street of North Ocean Drive in a small strip mall.
Nacho Hippo
Hands down the best thing I ate in Myrtle Beach was this buffalo shrimp fish taco at Nacho Hippo. This is a fun restaurant and the food is excellent. The Nacho Hippo located in The Market Common, which I mentioned before. This is a great area if you need to do some shopping or want to have a nice dinner.
Myrtle Beach Sky Wheel
The one thing I was looking forward to riding as a family was the Sky Wheel but unfortunately it was stuck by lightening and was not working the day we went to ride it. Not their fault of course, but a bummer for us. Even though we didn’t get to ride, I am sure I would have liked the view from the top. I would have enjoyed seeing my kids’ nervous faces as we got higher and higher too.
If you need to grab some lunch, Landshark Bar & Grill sits right next to the Sky Wheel and has a nice patio and view of the ocean. The food was good and the beer tasted even better!;)
Arcades & Mini Golf
My son LOVES arcades and playing games. So we spent a lot of time in the arcade, winning tickets and picking out prizes. Arcades definitely make for some old school fun and I can never resist a few games of Ski Ball. Another plus for the arcades is that they are air conditioned!
Myrtle beach has more mini golf courses per mile than any other city. So if you are a mini golf fan, you won’t have any problem spotting a course, they’re everywhere! This is a great activity once the sun starts to go down and it’s not so hot outside.
Skip it: The Myrtle Beach Helicopter ride was a a waste of time and money. We waited to go on the helicopter ride for 45 minutes and then the ride was about 8 minutes long and we paid almost $300 for the four of us. Sure, it was cool to be up in a helicopter, but not worth the cost or the wait for a view of hotels on a beach. I’ve honestly seen better views out my airplane window that lasted longer.
Myrtle Beach no doubt has a lot to offer families and is a great alternative to those other expensive theme parks but it is not for everyone. As someone who travels a lot and with budgets big and small I can see how Myrtle Beach appeals to families looking to get a lot of bang for their buck. Myrtle Beach is a giant playground for kids, however when I go on vacation I am a little selfish and want just as much for me to do as there is for the kids. If I ever went back I would do some more research and try to find more hidden gems and a place to stay away from the crowds.
Have you been to Myrtle Beach? Did you love it? What did I miss?
Disclosure: I was hosted for three nights at the Crown Reef Resort. All my savvy thoughts and sassy opinions are my own.
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Comments
Some of my favorite things to do here is go walking around Broadway at the Beach. There’s tons of things to do there and plenty of great restaurants & shopping places.
Sweet Frog is definitely a favorite of our family too! And well, I love going down to the Skywheel at night and watch it all lit up!