The first time I went to Myrtle Beach I was prepared to have
a bad time. I don’t usually like crowds, and lying around in the sun all day
just wasn’t my bag. The wife and kids liked it, though, and we were visiting
family so I just resigned myself to a week at the beach.
That was over twenty years ago, and I wait with
joy for the moment when I can once again head for the coast. Myrtle Beach 
surprised me then and continues to do so now – I have grown myrtle_beachto like the bustling crowds around the SkyWheel and the Boardwalk, and even some of the other standard tourist attractions are fun – especially when you see the kids (well, the grandkids nowadays) discovering things for the first time!
The Alligator Adventures is great, and of course the Family
Kingdom is fantastic for kids – there is also some of the best mini-golf
courses in Myrtle Beach I have ever seen (that’s one of the things that started
turning me around on this town!)
Another pleasant surprise Myrtle Beach offered were the
unexpected gems I found – the small restaurants like the Soda Pops Vintage
Shop, the state parks and nature reserves like Huntington Beach State Park, the
Burroughs-Chapin Museum and Brookgreen Gardens, a delightful little park,
garden an museum all rolled into one!
The thing which draws me back to this place in thought and
body, though, was a simple sight that greeted me more than two decades ago, and
which is still the largest attraction was the ocean.
There is something about it – some people like it in the
sun, and playing in the sand and the surf. I happen to like the beach early in
the morning, or on cool, windy spring days. I like to fish from the piers in
the afternoon, and watch the people enjoying themselves on the beach – they
have chosen best attraction of all, and one that is free!
There are great camping opportunities at Huntington Beach
State Park and Myrtle Beach State park, but in the peak tourist season they get
filled up fast. Reservations can be made at most state parks for camping, and
more parks are offering amenities like Wi-Fi as well.
That is just one more thing about Myrtle Beach that I like!
I don’t know how many times now I have traveled to the coast
of South Carolina, and I wait fondly for the next time that I can go back, and
sit once again with a cup of hot coffee to watch the sun climb slowly over the
Atlantic.
The sound and the smell of the ocean are powerful triggers,
and bring pleasant memories of a time when my family was just starting out. I
have watched the kids and Myrtle Beach grow up together, and cannot wait to see
the grandkids back on Boardwalk and the Ferris wheel, eating cotton candy and
hot dogs, getting lost in the mirror houses or shrieking in joy at Alligator
Adventure or the Waccatee Zoo.
All these years later, and here I am looking forward to
another beach season!
The Author writes about family, life, work and how to make
them all come out right – these days he likes the resorts in Myrtle Beach more than the
camping, and looks forward to watching his grandkids enjoy the Myrtle Beach
activities!
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comment