A Different Kind of Trip Report. Myrtle Beach & Charleston S.C.

[Teknik_DC2]

I'm not sure if this is the best place to post this but here it goes anyways.

Compared to our usual trips that consist of Theme Parks or Cruises this vacation was intended to be a bit more laid back. Back in 2010 my parents moved to Summerville, South Carolina for a new job. We visited them back in 2011 but havn’t been there since. With our Son Daniel turning 2 later this year and the time of having to purchase him an airline ticket soon approaching we figured that this would be our last chance to get out to my parents without having to pay that extra cost. And one thing we’ve realized for sure is that its not cheap to fly into Charleston.

This trip would take place from May 1st to May 7th 2013. It would be a rather quick and cheap trip considering we had a place to stay already and wouldn’t have to rent a car. We spent a few days in Myrtle Beach as well as in Charleston. Many of you know my reviews get pretty long in length with many photos and very descriptive writing. Unfortnatly I need to cut back on some of the writing. So much detail takes so long to write and I start to tire and lose interest in doing these trip recaps. So I’m gonna try to cut it back a bit. With that said on to the reacap.

Day 1: Travel to South Carolina

Our next vacation was upon us. We would be heading to my parents in South Carolina for a week. We worked it all out with our work schedule to miss the least amount of days as possible (going over Kiera’s long weekend off) and would soon be on the east coast.

We chose the dates we choose because that’s the cheapest we were able to get airfare into Charleston for. I quickly found Charleston to be pretty pricey to fly in to. When I booked it still cost us over $700 to get our family there. And that’s considering it a good deal. As you know we have a Southwest Credit card but unfortunately we didn’t have enough points saved up to cover any of these flights (saving them for our Fall Florida trip). So all of the costs were out of pocket. That’s ok though as we actually earned rapid rewards points for the distance traveled and they ran a double points promo at the time (which really paid off for Florida). The other downside to going to Charleston from Salt Lake is the total lack of flights. There were only 3 flights available. One left early in the morning. The other 2 late in the afternoon.

We choose the early flight so that we could get in to Charleston as early as possible. One of my good friends meet us at Kieras parents house (where we left the car) and took us to the Salt Lake Airport at 6am. Upon arriving we were able to check in fairly quickly and make our way thru security and to the terminal. Since our last trip we had switched Daniels car seat to a forward facing so we found a new challenge in hauling that car seat thru the airport (we use to be able to put the old one in the stroller).




Our Flight was scheduled to leave SLC at 8:35am. With time to kill and hungry tummys we decided to grab Wendy’s real quick for Breakfast.. We would have a long day of traveling ahead of us. I mentioned the lack of flights going to Charleston so it was slim picking. The downside of choosing the flight we did though was that we would have 2 stops on the way to Charleston. One in Chicago where we would actually have a layover and a quick stop in Nashville. This ment an all day travel schedule with an arrival in Charleston just after 7pm.





We checked the Car Seat and Stroller at the Gate and soon boarded the aircraft once they announced Family Boarding. We were honestly afraid of this flight as we didn’t know how Daniel would do. He had got to a point where he doesn’t like to sit for long periods of time. Especially on our laps. So we loaded up the Netbook with his movies and games on the Kindle and hoped for the best.




Luckly for us he fell back asleep before we even left the runway and stayed asleep for a good part of the flight. The flight to Chicago itself was rather uneventful so there’s not really much else I can say about it.





As we made our approach into Chicago you could see the Famous Chicago skyline in the distance of the shores of Lake Michigan. It seems like such a beautiful city that maybe someday we will actually visit other then quick layovers.




Upon landing we found our plane stopped in a different terminal A instead of B where we usually unload at. Our connecting flight was even in Terminal B but with almost 2 ½ hours to kill we would have plenty of time get to our next flight.





Since it was lunch time when we landed in Chicago we stopped in at the sandwich shop called Potbellies located between Terminal A and B. This has become a favorite of ours and somewhat of a tradition when passing thru Chicago. The Sandwiches are really good and rather inexpensive considering its Air Port food. Its always a place I recommend to check out. Daniel really loved it as well and he doesn’t love really any food.







Before we knew it we were once again boarding the next leg of our flight to Nashville before arriving at our final stop in Chicago. Once again the flight was uneventful and Daniel decided he didn’t really want to sleep this time. Luckly he stayed fairly entertained watching his movies and playing games that he was just fine on the flight.





This was our first time ever stopping in Nashville so it was kind of interesting to us to see the scenery around the area. I was also surprised at how small the City looked to be as we passed it making our decent. Our flight would be continuing on to Charleston so while everyone else exited the plane we would stay on. After a head count we were allowed to move seats if we’d like so we moved to the front of the plane as we like being able to unload quicker up there.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

The plane soon loaded up and we were back in the air. Our long day of travel was almost completed. You wouldn’t think one extra 30 minute stop would add so much more to your day but we were already so exhausted and sick of flying. We never want to do a 2 stop flight again. Unless of course we have no other choice. Good think the flight to Charleston from Nashville really wasn’t too long and soon enough we were making our decent. We were soon flying over the rivers in the Charleston area and then we caught a glimpse of the Boeing Factory where my Step Dad works as we made our final decent and landed In Charleston.







If you’ve ever flown in to Charleston you’ll know that its possibly one of the smallest International Airports out there. Infact the airport shares its runways with the air force base nearby and the Boeing facility. After a quick bathroom break we exited the terminal to find my Mom and Step Dad there waiting for us. After a happy reunion with my family we retrieved our bags from the baggage claim, loaded up the vehicle, and then started our drive back to there house in Summerville about 25 minutes away.

We drove past the Boeing facility where one of the Boeing Dream Lifters were in that day. These huge planes may look pregnant but they are designed to fly all over the world collecting parts for the planes and bringing them to Charleston for final Assembly. They can fit an entire mid section of a plane inside of it. Right now the Charleston facility is where the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner is being constructed and assembled. The plant itself is huge and is currently being expanded to be larger.

We soon arrived at my parents home where we would spend the rest of our evening. She had a nice home cooked dinner waiting for us when we got there and Daniel enjoyed exploring this new home where he had never been before. It was much better when Grandma even pulled out some new toys just for him and the other grandkids to play with when they come to visit.



It was a joy trying to get Daniel to bed that evening as he wasn’t use to the 2 hour time difference. But he eventually did go down and so did we. We had a big day ahead of us tomorrow as we planned to head into Charleston for the day and See some of the sights.


And thats it for now. Stay tuned for my next update and feel free to ask any questions that you might have. I'd be happy to answer them. I look forward to this different kind of trip report with you all.

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 2: Charleston

Our first full day was upon us. Although it was a pain to get Daniel to sleep the night before it was kind of nice that he slept in longer then he normally would have. We got up and got ready for the day as we planned to head into Charleston to see some of the Historic sites of the city.

The one thing we didn’t do last time we visited Charleston was go out and see Fort Sumter. So this became a must do for us on this trip. You can catch the ferry out to the fort from 2 locations. Right from Downtown Charleston and also from Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant. The ferry alternates times and since we planned to go downtown as well we figured we could make the 12:00 Noon ferry out to the Fort.

My brothers were in school today so my Mom would just be driving us around seeing whatever we wanted to see. We left the house a little after 11 but with how ridiculously the roads are set up in South Carolina and with my parents living a decent drive from Downtown we would be pushing the 12:00 ferry.



We tried to make it downtown on time but we realized that we just weren’t gonna make it so we might as well not even try. Instead of heading into Downtown Charleston at this time we decided instead to head over the Ravenel Bridge into Mt. Pleasant where we could catch a 1:30pm ferry from there.





Since we now had time to kill my Mom drove us around showing us some of the areas around Mt. Pleasant. We briefly drove by where Patriot point is located and also the park and visitor center located directly under the Ravenel Bridge but we never got out and looked around.



Instead we realized that we were getting hungry so now would be a good time to grab some food. There was a little Southern Café that my parents really liked over in Mt. Pleasant called Page’s Okra Grill so we decided to give it try. I ordered some Pulled Pork and Kiera got I believe a grilled chicken sandwich. The food was pretty good and it filled us up quicker then we expected it to.





Time was drawing near when we needed to catch the ferry if we still wanted to go to Fort Sumter. So my Mom took us back over the Patriot Point and dropped us off to catch the ferry. My Mom wouldn’t be joining us to go out to the Fort as she has done it already 3 times in the past which were more then enough times for her. She offered to take Daniel with her as she went and did some shopping while we would be at the fort but we decided to bring him along with us instead.




We expected that it would likely cost money to go out and take the Fort Sumter tour. But we weren’t expecting it to be so expensive. It cost $16 per adult. Luckly children under 3 were free though. I guess the price makes sense though when you consider its probably not cheap to run that ferry. Also don’t think this is something that will be a quick trip. In all the tour takes around 2 ½ hours to complete.




With about 10 minutes to spare we were boarding the ferry for our tour. The ferry is fairly large and can accomidate a lot of people. Since we boarded late there was no longer any seating on the upper outdoor deck so we headed downstairs to the enclosed lower deck. This was fine for us though as the day was already pretty windy and cold.




Patriots Point isn’t just home to one of the Fort Sumter Ferry docks though. It is also basically a Navel museum. Of course each thing costs money but they also have a decommissioned Navel ships that you can tour including an Air Craft Carrier and a Submarine. They even do a haunted tour of the Air Craft Carrier if your into that kind of stuff. It would have been cool to see some of the other stuff but Fort Sumter kinda meet our limit already.





Our Ferry eventually pulled away from the docks and we started the 45 minute boat ride out to the Fort. Yes that’s right. The majority of that 2 ½ hours I told you about is going too and from the Island that the Fort sits on. I thought it was gonna end up being just a basic boat ride but they had audio playing the entire time talking about the history of Charleston and pointing out some famous landmarks as you passed by. I really enjoyed listening to it but then again I really like History.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

We did venture out to the Aft end of the boat a few times though to catch some views of the city, bridge, and harbor in the distance. Daniel really enjoyed when some birds started to follow pretty close behind. We didn’t stay out there too long though as it was pretty cold with the moving boat and strong wind coming off the water.








Soon though the ferry approached Fort Sumter and prepared to dock. For those who don’t know Fort Sumter is where the Civil War officially started. Its where the First shot occurred when Confederate Armys surrounded and attacked the Union operated Fort. 24 hours later the fort was surrendered to the Confederacy and the Civil War had begun. Today the Fort is a National Monument and is ran by the National Park Service.






We would be allowed to spend about 45 minutes in the Fort unless we wanted to wait for the next ferry to come. As you enter the fort you see the older walls and areas of the fort. But you will also see some newer structures. That’s because the fort was in commission by the United States until the Vietnam War ended in the 60’s. It was at that time that the fort was decommissioned and turned into a public monument.





You can explore the fort as you please. But they do have National Park Rangers on site that explain the history of the fort and more so its involvement during the Civil War. The story is very interesting and well worth listening to if you have the time. What you hear is not something you can read from a history book and its very intriguing. Daniel however didn’t want to listen so Kiera took him walking around outside the fort walls instead.












After the History talk I meet back up with Kiera and we looked around the Fort. We started with some of the older areas that were practically ruins now. It was pretty cool to see some of the broken walls though and see the seashells inside that were used in the walls construction. We then climbed up the more modern areas of the fort to the top to see the ocean and the area around us.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

At the top of the fort there is a large green field area with many plaques telling the history of the fort, civil war, and surrounding areas. The fort actually sits at the entrance to the Charleston Harbor so this was the first time that Daniel had actually seen the Atlantic Ocean. The wind was blowing so strong and it was so cold coming off the ocean though that we didn’t stick around this area for too long.











There is also a Visitor Center inside the Fort that you can tour. The visitor center was actually pretty cool and of course it was nice to seek refuge from the cold wind. They had some models and some actual old artifacts from the fort on hand that you could see. Including some original flags that were flown over the fort when it was occupied by Union and Confederate army’s. The US flag on display is especially interesting as if you look closely it looks the image of a union solder is faded into the flag.







There is also a gift shop on the island but we didn’t get a chance to look in it as right when we were finishing with the Visitor Center they started to call us back to the ferry to head back to the mainland. As we loaded back on the boat there were now plenty of seats on the upper deck of the boat as many people had made there way downstairs to get out of the cold wind. We also headed back to the lower level lol.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

On the way back the ship had audio playing once again talking about Charleston and the surrounding areas. Surprisingly it wasn’t the same audio though and something completely different. On the way back Daniel started to get fussy so Kiera gave him his very first Sucker. He was in heaven and thought it was the coolest thing. Soon enough though we arrived back at Patriots point and our Fort Sumter tour was over. As well as Daniels sucker being gone and he was not happy about that.










I can easily say that Fort Sumter is the Must Do thing when you go to Charleston. I am so happy that we did it and see such a remarkable piece of history. Its pretty incredible to hear about the Civil War and to walk where it all began and if you enjoy hearing about history then you won’t get enough of it. However with that said it really is a one and done type thing. We are really glad that we went out and experienced it. But its not something we see ourselves doing again on future trips. Now we understand why my Mom didn’t want to come with us. Still if you haven’t been definitely check it out.

We made a call to my mom when we were back on shore and she was a few minutes away. Since we didn’t get to check out the Gift Shop on the island we killed the time waiting for her by looking at the much larger gift shop at Patriots point. They actually had quite a few good deals here as we ended up buying almost all of our souvenirs from this trip there. In addition to our traditional Christmas Ornament and Post cards Kiera also got some Sand Dollars to take home to her family.





When my Mom picked us up she still hadn’t found what she was looking for so we decided to head into Downtown Charleston’s King Street to look. So in to downtown we went. The store she was looking for is a national type shoe retailer so we parked nearby it. In the store she was finally able to find what she was looking for. But she wasn’t alone. The store was having a big sale so I got myself a new pair of flip flops and we also got Daniel a pair of shoes.





After the shoe store we continued to walk down King street to see some of the other shops and stores that were there. They say that King Street is the big shopping area of Charleston. In addition to your regular stores you will find in malls across the country there were also many more small shops and boutiques unique to Charleston. And then the food. There were many restaurants as well that looked very good.





We walked all the way down King street until we got to Broad st. We were now out of the shopping area and amongst some of the more historical buildings. We walked down Broad towards the Harbor passing “The 4 corners of Law” where St. Michaels Church and the City and County buildings are at. We also walked past Washington park and a painting known as “The Hat Man”. Little is known about this painting other then he is made up completely of hats. And it can’t be removed.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Broad Street ends at the Old Exchange building where you could learn more about Charleston’s part in the Revolutionary war. There we turned down Bay Street then made our way over to the Waterfront Park which sits on the Charleston Harbor. As you walk around look down some of the streets and alleys as you will still see some of Charleston’s old Cobble Stone Roads.





When we got on the waterfront it got really windy again and very cold. Not too many people were out in the park on this cold windy day. There is a pier in the park that you can walk out on to get some views from around the harbor. Across the harbor you could see where we were earlier over in Mt. Pleasant as well as see Fort Sumter sitting out at the entrance of the Harbor.








In the park there is also a big pretty Pineapple fountain that the city is somewhat famous for. So my mom took us to see that. She thought it felt so weird seeing the park so empty today as she said its usually packed with people and collage kids.







We walked back and continued down Bay Street until we got to Market Street. Down the middle of Market Street is the old Slave Market that is still in use today. Of course there are no longer slaves here selling things. Instead people set up booths inside each day and sell there goods. The market was already closed for the day though so we just walked past the shops and restaurants on the sides of Market Street.






Eventually we passed the point where all the carriage tours have to check at to get there routes. If you read my recap from the last time we were in Charleston you may recall that we did one of these carriage tours and we thought it was a lot of fun. We would have done one again this time but instead decided we would save the money and just do a self guided walking tour later in the week. Daniel really loved seeing the Horses though.





We continued down Market Street and eventually made it back to King Street and where our car was located. I thought we had walked pretty far away from where the car was but with how Charleston is set up you will almost naturally walk in a circle.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

As we were heading back to Summerville my mom made some wrong turns and we ended up on the freeway heading towards Folly Beach. We turned ourselves around though and on the bridge crossing a river you could see the old historical part of Charleston as well as the new more modern part.




We were all pretty hungry so my mom pulled off the freeway and we grabbed some Hardees drive thru. We don’t have Hardees back home anymore but they are basically the same as Carl’s Jr. They even both use the Star logo and Hardees had many Carl’s Jr. Items on the menu. Although they still had things specific to Hardees like the Frisco Burger that I’ve always liked. To get back home my Mom took us down the Ashley river road which is easily the most beautiful road we’ve ever driven on. It makes you feel so secluded and takes you back to an older time. This is the road that some of Charleston’s famous plantations are located on like Magnolia Gardens and Middleton Place.



Eventually we made it back to the house where we just kicked back and relaxed for the rest of the night. Daniel enjoyed finally being free and able to run and play with some toys. He was also much easier to get to bed tonight. We enjoyed our day in Charleston and looked forward to the next 3 days as tomorrow morning we would be making the drive out to Myrtle Beach.



And thats it for today. Thank you for checking out and reading my Trip Report. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have and I will try my best to answer them quickly. Thanks everyone.

 

[Sydney2977]

Loved reading your report so far! What a "small world"- we live in Summerville too! DH is stationed at Charleston AFB, and we know plenty of people that work for Boeing. It's great living in such a historic area, but I was laughing about your airport and road comments- so true, especially for us since we came from Houston. If you came up Ashley River Rd. and turned up Bacon's Bridge Rd. into Summerville, you drove right by our neighborhood. I'll check back in to see what else you guys got to do in the area.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 3: Myrtle Beach

The day we would be heading up to Myrtle Beach was upon us. Since we couldn't check into the Condo until like 3ish anyways we weren't in a big rush to leave early in the morning. We took our time getting ready and loading up the vehicles and then finally left a Little after Noon. My 17 year old brother Tanner had a school function he needed to be at that day so He and my Step Dad would be joining us later in the evening. So after a quick lunch at Subway Kiera, Daniel, Myself, My Mom, and Youngest brother Kory hit the road for the nearly 2 hour drive to Myrtle Beach.



We hit the freeway and crossed over a river onto Daniel Island. There didn't seem to be a whole lot here other then a huge Tennis Stadium where professional tournaments actually take place. It was just weird seeing such a huge thing for a sport that you don't think as being super popular. But I guess it is. You could also see the Ravanel Bridge and some of the Charleston Ports as we crossed a river again and came into the top end of Mt. Pleasant.






The drive from here to Myrtle Beach was pretty uneventful. Although the Weather really made us worry about how it would be in Myrtle Beach as it was once again colder and windy. Plus every so often we would hit some heavy patches of rain fall. Hopefully our first Beach Vacation won't have crappy weather. We kept Daniel entertained once again by putting a movie on the Netbook. Traffic came to practically a stand still when we were only a 10 miles out of Myrtle beach that took over a half hour to get thru. My Mom worried that this was the amount of people trying to get into town for the weekend. What it ended up being though was a bike race of some sort that had us all backed up.




Upon getting into Myrtle Beach we went strait to our Condo to check in and get everything unloaded. We would be staying at the Alantica Hotel and Condos. I believe it was a 2 1/2 star rated property that was right on the beach. We booked an Ocean Front 2 bedroom Condo that worked out great for our family. It was located just down the street from the "downtown" area of Myrtle Beach and was pretty reasonable at only $120 a night. Checking in was confusing as the property is shared with the Palmetto Shores hotel as well and all the facilities are shared between the 2 hotels. So Check in was actually done at the Palmetto Shores.



After checking in we drove over to the Condo Tower which seemed to be the newest of the 5 buildings. They had a small drive area which was used only to unload vehicles as parking is located across the street. Our condo was located on the 8th floor and we got everything hauled up and started settling in to our home for the next couple days. The Condo was pretty decent and being Ocean Front had a great view of the beach and Ocean. Daniel really enjoyed the balcany and thought it was really cool. Hopefully we'd get to enjoy it as the weather today wouldn't allow it. The condo worked out great being a 2 bedroom as Our family had our own room and Family and my parents had a room and bathroom of there own as well. The couch even had a hide a bed that worked great for my brothers.












We took some time and settled into the Condo for a bit before we finally started to trying to decide what to do for the remaining part of the day. My Mom mentioned when she checked in that there were coupons and guides in the Front Lounge that we could get to see if there was anything interesting. So Kiera and I went down to see what was there. The guides and coupons though weren't just out on there own though. We had to talk to a timeshare person to get them which of course they tried to get us to check out some timeshares before we could get the stuff. We respectully declined as we just wouldn't be in town long enough to justify it.

The sprinkling rain had stopped and without a child for the moment Kiera and I decided to walk out onto the beach to see the ocean. The ocean and beach did look pretty dispite all the cloud cover. However it was cold and very windy. Especially as the wind came off the ocean. It was also weird not seeing anyone out on the beach as every picture I had looked at prepairing for this trip the beach was pretty packed. We didn't stick around too long though as the cold wind was only so much before we needed to warm back up. Especially since we didn't pack for cold weather.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Back upstairs we looked over the coupons but nothing we got really peaked our interest. So we decided to just head over to the big Broadway at the Beach entertainment area to spend the evening and check out the things and shops there. So out to the car we went to make the drive to Broadway at the Beach as unfortunatly its not actually on the beach like the name might imply. Its actually located a couple miles inland.





Now Disney and Universal could both should both take a look at Broadway at the Beach to see how a family friendly Entertainment complex should work. Not saying theres anything wrong with Downtown Disney or Citywalk but man I thought Broadway at the Beach was much better done then ether of those. The complex has many more stores (some of them the same), many restaurants, and even more things to do there from Mini-Golf to the Ripleys Aquarium to Magicquest to movie theaters to clubs to Carnival Rides and Inflatables to Wonderworks and much, much more.







The complex is devided between 6 themed areas. we parked and entered the New England Fishing Village East area. The rain had started to pick up again as we arrived but luckly it stopped shortly after. We looked around some shops and stopped in as well at It's Sugar which if you havn't been inside before its a pretty fun store to check out. Inside this one they had a large Sandcastle made completly out of Jellybellys that was pretty cool.







My brother Cory was pretty obsessed on this trip about getting a car from Ridemakers. So when he saw it across the Lagoon we had to go there right then. So we crossed one of the bridges across the Pond and entered the Charleston Boardwalk section of the complex and went strait to Ridemakers. I personally think Ridemakers are pretty cool. You can build a toy car and customize however you want. However what I don't like is the price. They seem to be crazy expensive for not a whole lot. And then when you do customize them they add up significantly quick. We looked around for a bit and my brother was upset when he was told he couldn't get anything at this time.












Located next to Ridemakers was Del Sol which sells color changing shirts and other things. It was odd seeing one of these as we usually see them while Cruising around the Caribbean. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised though considering the Del Sol world headquarters are in Utah. Anyways Kiera and my Mom did have a coupon for a free item here so they did buy a few things. I spent the time with Daniel out on the boardwalk watching a boat out in the lagoon that was giving rides and doing stunts and stuff. We also watched and feed the fish.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

The sun was going down and we were starting to get hungry so we walked over to the Caribbean Village Section to see what we could find. Just like it was weird seeing Del Sol it was likewise weird seeing stores and restaurants like Senior Frogs and Ron Jon here that we typically see on our Cruises. We didn't stop to eat though as everywhere seemed too pricey.






We crossed another bridge back over to the New England Fishing Village West area to see if we could find food here. On this bridge is where you pay and load onto that speed boat if its something you would like to do. Also next to the bridge is the large Wonder Works building. You've heard me talk about the wonderworks building in Orlando before as we were so amazed by this upside down building on International Drive. But the one here in Myrtle Beach is even more large and massive then the Orlando one and is still just as bit amazing to look at as this one crash landed on top of a shrimp shack. We even stopped inside to see what the pricing for it is and even the lobby is upside down. It too is pretty pricey though considering whats inside.








We looked in some more shops and checked on some restaurants but they all seemed so expensive. My Mom got the call from my Step Dad that he and my brother would soon be in town so we decided to leave Broadway at the Beach to go meet up with them and maybe find somewhere a bit cheaper for dinner.




After loading back in the car we drove back up to the Highway and decided to grab dinner at Red Robin. My Step Dad and Brother meet us there and we had a pretty filling dinner before heading back to the Condo for the rest of the evening. Daniel had fun playing with the arcade games in the waiting area and the food is always pretty good at Red Robin. Especially the Strawberry Lemonaids.




We did make one last stop before going to the Condo. We made a quick stop at the Piggly Wiggly to grab some food and other things for our time in Myrtle Beach. Now I work in the Grocery industry back home so I was shocked to see how incredibly small the Piggly Wiggly was. I was even more shocked to see that there seemed to be no orginization at all to how the store was laid out. I mean they had the pancake mix next to feminine products. The whole store was crazy like that. And then there service booth was just a small window. It didn't feel welcoming at all. It was quite the experiance.

I dropped everyone else off right in front of the Condo so they didn't have a long walk. However I found it pretty difficult to find a parking spot. And it wasn't even that late. Pay close attention to the parking lot signs so that you park in the correct lot though and not another hotels as it gets hard to tel. I eventually found some more lots assigned to our hotel a few blocks up. Heck I practically parked at the Piggly Wiggly we were just at. The main drag though looked pretty all lit up at night. Espeically down where the Skywheel is at.






The wind had really kicked up now but it was ok as we wouldn't be going out anymore tonight. We relaxed in the condo for a bit then started to retire to bed. Daniel had fun playing with his uncles on the hide a bed but then it was time for us to retire and try to get some sleep for the busy day tomorrow. We made a little bed for Daniel on the floor but he ended up in our bed after all. We just hoped that the weather would be better tomorrow so that we could actually enjoy the beach.








And thats it for today. There more Myrtle Beach coming in the next update. Thanks for taking the time to look and read. I appreciate it.

 

[Mick West]

Great report! Now granted, beign born and raised in Charleston and spending lots of good times at Myrtle Beach may bias me just a bit. But not being back "home" in a while I really enjoyed the pictures and commentary. Charleston is very historical and kind of cool at the same time - and a very freindly city. Look forward to reading more on your trip.

 

[Teknik_DC2]

Day 4: Myrtle Beach

The 4th day of our vacation started off very early. 6am early infact. With the storm passing thru during the night Kiera had hoped some good things like seashells, sand dollars, coral and other things of the sea would be washed up on the beach. So her and I got up just as the sun was coming up to go walk the beach to see if we could find anything of interest.

We had hoped that the weather would be better today then it was yesterday but as soon as we stepped outside it seemed that wouldn’t be the case. It was cold still. And not only that it was till pretty windy and overcast. It started to look more and more like our 1st beach vacation was gonna be a bust.




We walked to the beach where there were a few people out doing the same thing we were. Looking for shells. And boy were there plenty of shells that got washed up last night. However there was one problem with them all. They were all broken. The wind must have been bad enough last night that the shells got broken into many pieces before being washed up on shore. Still we walked the beach down almost all the way to the Pier looking for some that might be good still. We then went back towards our hotel looking again.






In the end we found a few different shells that would work out fine. But we didn’t find any sand dollars or sea glass. The things Kiera was hoping to find the most. Basically it ended up being pointless to wake up that early as we could have found just as good of things later in the day. When we got back to the Condo we crashed back asleep for a couple more hours.






After waking up for real and eating some breakfast we looked outside and saw the nearly empty beach was still cloudy and windy. But we couldn’t let that get us down. The Condo had plenty of swimming pools including an indoor pool that we could enjoy still. We changed into our Swimming suits and down we went. Daniel is basically a little fish and love to be in water so he was really excited to go swimming.



Each of the 5 buildings had there own swimming area. But you could use any of them so long as you were staying there. It kinda figures though that the furthest building from us was the one with the Indoor pool. We walked outside to get to it and it was kind sad to not only see the beach sitting empty, but all of the Outdoor pools as well.

When we got to the Indoor pool we found it to be pretty crowded. I don’t blame it being that way though as nobody wanted to be out on the cold and windy beach right now. Still we found room and enjoyed sitting and relaxing in the Hot Tub and swimming in the pool. Of course Daniel had a blast and was sad when it was time for us to go.





We did try to swim outside for a moment but that didn’t last long. The outdoor pools were just too cold. Which was sad as our hotel had a kiddie pool area that Daniel would have really loved plus it also had a lazy river which was cool to see a Hotel have.











Back at the Condo we all got ready for the day, watched rise of the Planet of the Apes, and ate some lunch before heading out. We had planned to just be beach bums all day and enjoy the ocean. But with that out the window we started looking for other things to do. We decided that it would be fun to go back to Broadway at the Beach and go see the Ripley’s Aquarium as its rated as the #1 South Carolina attraction.



I recommend buying your tickets online if you choose to go to the aquarium. It was about $5 cheaper this way but we didn’t know that until we were at the aquarium. Instead of paying more at window though I quickly purchased the tickets online from my phone. My parents did the same thing for theres too. However I do recommend you do this from a home computer if you can as both of us had problems (mine with our multipule attraction ticket and my parents got charged twice). Ripley’s has 4 attractions in Myrtle beach so they offer a combo ticket where you can add additional attractions at a cheaper cost. So for $8 more we added the Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum to our tickets too.

 

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At first when we entered the Aquarium it seemed to be pretty small. But don’t let that fool you as we spent many hours here. And I’m sure its probably still larger then many other aquariums (the only other one we’ve been to is The Seas with Nemo and friends at Epcot). The aquarium is 2 levels and theres a map telling you which way to go as you zig zag up and around the aquarium. Daniel loves animals and was very excited to see the fish. He didn’t want to be in his stroller. He wanted to see them up close.






The first exhibit as you start to go down the ramp is a Rio Amazon exhibit. It had some of the different fish and marine life that you could find in the Amazon Rain Forest in Brazil. Including some Paranahs.







This ramp leads out downstairs to like the main hub of the aquarium as it had a small kid play area and was also the location where you could touch some of the sea life such as sharks, rays, and other fish. But more on that later as we didn’t stick around here long. We continued on with the exhibits where next was a huge salt water take with thousands of fish. We didn’t see it but its in this tank where they do dive shows of some sort every hour or so.






The next part of the aquarium is in my opinion the best part of it. The tunnel. This sea tunnel takes you thru the largest tank of the aquarium where most of the Sea Life is located including the Sharks and other Deadly Animals. The tunnel runs on the bottom of the tank so these animals and fish are swimming all around you. It kind of scared Daniel at first but he eventually got use to it and really liked seeing the fish all around him. He actually really liked seeing the Sharks and would point to one each time they got near.

 

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You exit the sea tunnel back into that main hub area but if you walk around you can find more windows to view into that same tank. We had got ahead of my Parents a bit and we could see them as they were coming thru the sea tunnel from where we were standing. You could tell Daniel was confused by it but thought it was neat.








Back in that main area we let Daniel play around for a bit and also checked out the fish you could touch. I wasn’t about to touch any of them but Daniel did and he thought it was pretty funny. You will see a photo below of a tank me and Daniel crawled under for a photo spot. But keep crawling as you will be in a dark little room with a tank of Angler Fish and you can see there bulb glowing in the water.












Moving on you come into a room with another large tank that has many sting rays swimming in it. This tank is home to another show that the Aquarium puts on featuring “Live Mermaids”. On 90% of the advertising for the aquarium they advertise the Mermaids. This is a big deal I guess. So we thought it would be cool to check it out. A show would be starting soon and the viewing area was already pretty packed but we found an area towards the back to watch from.

 

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There were only two Mermaids and the show was only about 5 minutes long. I thought there would be more to it then there was as the mermaids dove in front of the tank and did some flips or make a heart in there hands then went back up for air. it’s a cute little show that you won’t find at many other aquariums. But it really wasn’t anything too super special. I’m sure little girls would go crazy for it though.






After the show we followed the ramp back upstairs where the tank is opened in the top. You could normally touch some of the sting rays here but after the show the Mermaids to kind of a Q&A thing where kids can ask them questions. They even swim around letting kids touch there fins and give them five. Daniel was more intrigued by this then he was the actual show and even got a five from one of the mermaids.










With the crowds now dispursed from the mermaid show viewing area we went back downstairs to get a better look at the Rays in the tank. There were also some more thanks right next to it that we managed to miss that had and octopus, jelly fish, and seahorses in it.

 

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After a quick Bathroom break we were finished with the Aquarium and exited thru the gift shop. The Aquarium was actually a lot of fun. I mentioned that it looked so small but we managed to spend almost 3 hours there. Many comment on the price being expensive but for all that we saw I don’t think it was too bad. Its something to check out if you also get caught in Myrtle Beach during a storm.







It had been overcast all day long but while we were in the Aquarium the sky had opened up at the rain came down. Although it had let up some as we exited the Aquarium it was still lightly sprinkling. Since we still hadn’t seen all of Broadway at the Beach we decided to continue looking around the areas we hadn’t been yet.






We still missed the Hero’s Harbor area of the complex and crossed back over to the Fishing Village thru the Mini Golf Course and in front of the Magi-quest building. We stopped in a little Sweet Shop where we picked up some House Made Salt Water Taffy and I also got my first piece of Chocolate dipped Bacon. Here we learned to watch your child closely though as Daniel managed to grab a Buzz Lightyear spinner toy off a shelf and we walked out of the shop not realizing he had it. Needless to say we ran it back inside once we noticed.









The rain finally started to let up as we crossed back over to the Charleston Boardwalk Area. By little brother was still nagging my parents to get a RideMakerz car and they gave in and took him over there to build one. While they were building the car though Kiera and Daniel and I walked thru the Celebrity Square area where the Hard Rock Café and all of the clubs are located at. The area also has a mini walk of fame with Famous peoples Handprints that have been there before.








As my parents finished up at Ridemakerz we looked at the other shops in the Charleston Harbor area that we didn’t before. We never bought anything else though. We eventually looped back around to the Aquarium and decided to leave to go find some Dinner as once again we felt most of the Broadway at the Beach restaurants to be pretty expensive.

 

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For dinner we decided to go to Steak n’ Shake. There are many of these restaurants around but we don’t have them back in Utah. Kiera and I had experienced for the first time a year earlier when we were in Orlando on our Walt Disney World trip. And we became fans. And even after this visit we are still big fans of the place. Mostly for how good the food is considering how cheap the price. Kiera and I both got burgers with fries for under $10. I mean that’s unheard of at most restaurants. Even ones similar to this. Steak n’ Shake is a place that we plan to visit any time we are on the East Coast.




We were full from Dinner but there was one last quick stop we wanted to make before heading back to the Condo. The Steak n’ Shake is located next to the Myrtle Beach Outlets and inside the Outlets is a Disney Store Outlet. We had to stop in and see if there was anything decent that we could pick up. My parents just dropped Kiera and I off to run in real quick as they were pretty tired already. The Outlet is a mix between regular Disney Store priced Items and well discounted items. We looked around and found a few things though. Kiera found a Disneyland Hoody that she really liked. Regularly $85. She got it for $25. I also found another Tron Vinylmation to add to my collection (nothing like starting to collect a set after its already discontinued). And we picked up a Wreck it Ralph book for Daniel. Overall it was a successful stop and I’m glad we ran in.



We got back to the Condo after nightfall and relaxed for a bit. Tonight was our last night in Myrtle Beach and we really wanted to see what the night life of the town was like. My parents were too tired to go back out so they were happy to watch Daniel while the boys and us walked down to the Downtown area of Myrtle Beach.


Myrtle Beach is a very popular tourist destination and they have many different attractions and things to do. These things look even better at night such as the Amusement Rides. There is a small block of many different thrill rides that I’m sure I could never get myself to go on. There is also the Myrtle Beach Skywheel which I believe is the Only one of its kind in the United States and is also considered the Tallest Ferris Wheel in the US. It would have been cool to go on it but at $13 a person I just couldn’t justify that kind of cost for a ferris wheel.





The boys kept saying how shocked they were to see so few people out and about. I mentioned that they come to Myrtle Beach fairly regularly and each time they come the downtown area is packed with people. We are guessing that with how cold, windy, and stormy it had been that many people probably cancelled there weekend plans and just stayed home.






We strolled and looked thru some of the Gift Shops that line the Main drag there but the best of the bunch had to be the Gay Dolphin. This had to be the largest Gift Shop I had ever seen before as they had all sort of odds and ends here to buy. All we ended up getting though were some post cards for our tradition. But whatever you’re looking for you could likely find it here.






We continued down the main street passing many Arcades, little dinners, and the Other Ripley’s attractions before we decided to turn around and go back to the Condo. To go back we walked down to the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk though. This was my first time on a real actual boardwalk that ran along an Oceanside and I gotta say that it was pretty cool. I’m sure its more lively when the weather doesn’t’ suck though.







The Boardwalk continued on past the Skywheel and a stage where a band was performing until we got to the Pier. However this not a pier you can go out on to unless you pay to so by eating at the restaurant I guess. Pretty lame if you ask me as that pier would have been a great spot to take photos of the City from.






We soon arrived back at the Condo where we would retire for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow we would be leaving Myrtle Beach and heading back to Summerville. But we still had some things planned for Myrtle Beach in the morning before leaving. And who knows maybe the weather would get better so that we could enjoy at least a little bit of time on the beach.


And that concludes this update. Thanks again for looking and reading. I'm on a time crunch now so I hope to finish this report soon. At least before we leave on our next trip in 1 week. Thanks everyone.