Photograph courtesy Eliot Beach Rentals
The year was 1990, and at just 3 years old, I made my first trip to Myrtle Beach. I may not remember it, but I sure remember returning every summer for the next 25 years.
I’m not alone in this tradition—Myrtle has become a staple of Cincinnatians’ beach travel. It’s not too far to have some fun on the water from mid-April through October, give or take hurricane season.
But what most Cincinnatians don’t know is that the nostalgic Myrtle of the past has gotten a glow-up. While you might remember the boardwalk, Ferris wheel, ice cream shop, and shark teeth hunting, there’s a whole host of other reasons to check it out this year, especially if you head toward North Myrtle Beach.
WHERE TO STAY
Elliott Beach Rentals is a popular company in the North Myrtle real estate scene. It offers a mix of smaller beach houses and larger ones you can share with a few close family friends.
Our rental, Antigua Sunrise, featured its own private pool and was just a few steps from the beach. I learned from this trip that a private pool where some people can swim while others sleep in is more relaxing. There are fewer high rises and more clean, safe neighborhoods.
Photograph courtesy Inlet Point Plantation
MORE NATURE, LESS TOURISM
For some, Myrtle might conjure images of calabash seafood, billboards, traffic, and oversaturated tourist destinations. Not only has the entire area gotten a refresh, though, but North Myrtle feels like a whole different destination.
At the heart of this part of the city is nature. A large beach renourishment project was recently completed. Inlet Point Plantation Stables offers horseback riding right on the deserted beaches of Waites Island. A surprisingly exhilarating and not-at-all-touristy Dolphin Cruise out at sea was a highlight for the kids, who came back soaked and smiling.
Photograph by OKSIX via Adobe Stock
FOR THE KIDS
We leveled up our usual seafood buffet with Boardwalk Billy’s, which had an outdoor sandpit and play place for kids, a bar for the adults, a marina view, and impressive food. This was the only food of the week that the adults enjoyed in peace, aside from a stop at Melt ice cream shop after dinner, whose line out the door was warranted.
While most childhood trips probably included the staple Broadway at the Beach, we found some fun activities, restaurants, and a lifesaving, energy-burning playground at Barefoot Landing.
In the same area, we almost skipped Alligator Adventure, fearing it would be a tourist trap, but it ended up being a cute, educational, and safe mini-zoo that let my youngsters get close to alligators, snakes, and capybaras. But of course, my son would say the highlight of the trip was winning headphones at Lulu’s Beach Arcade.
Photograph by Kirk Fisher courtesy Barefoot Landing
SIDE TRIP REST STOP
From hiking and swimming to ice cream and more, Sevierville’s Oak Haven Resort is the luxury pit stop you and your kids need.
If you aren’t a fan of Pigeon Forge and the nearby Gatlinburg area, you are missing out on a well-kept secret that outperforms a typical hotel stay four-and-a-half hours into the 11-hour trip to Myrtle.
Oak Haven Resort is an overnight cabin stop with a pool, spa, and mountainous hiking that’s still fun for little kids, which will make you wish you’d built a few more days into your halfway stop.
Plan for a leisurely brunch at The Apple Barn & Cider Mill, which is a working apple orchard, bakery, winery, ice cream and candy shop where you can watch treats being made—and get some to take on the rest of your drive.
Facebook Comments