On The Road Again: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Oh hey! Remember this guy? He turned 16 this month, and as his gift, we went on a trek to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We set out on our 16 hour trip as the guests of the Myrtle Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. The trip was mostly centered around Nathaniel, with a lot of wiggle room to do things the littles liked too. We thought with a full week we would be able to see and do everything, boy were we wrong. Myrtle Beach is FULL of things to do for the entire family. It also spans the age spectrum in a way you wouldn’t believe.

However, like I said, we we were celebrating 16 years of age. Can you believe I have a SIXTEEN YEAR OLD MAN CHILD IN MY HOUSE?! The mustache and beard alone make me want to weep for my lost youth. But I digress. 

As stated, we spent 16 hours on the road from Chicago to Myrtle Beach, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought that it would be. We left on a Thursday night, a little later than we wanted to, but we made it to Myrtle Beach at 4 pm. Along the way, we stopped for walking breaks – which are very important for three little children, a teen, and a mom who has birthed those four children if you know what I mean. I also ate for the first time at a Waffle House and enjoyed it immensely. Normally we stop at Dairy Queen, but 8 in the morning seemed a bit early to have children bouncing off of the walls from sugar consumption. 

A couple of tips from us – who travel quite a bit. 

1. Pack snacks. In individual snack bags, so no one can say that someone else is getting more snacks than them. It helps. 
2. If you are going to a place where you will be swimming, invest in a wet bag and pack all of your swimming essentials in that. That way, you won’t have to dig around in a suitcase when the first thing the family wants to do is take a dip in the pool after a long ride. Trust me on this one. 
   
3. Rent a vacation home or condo if it is in the budget. You’ll be able to keep an eye on children without separating from your spouse. There should be plenty of televisions for separate viewing, and a full kitchen for cooking to keep down on eating out for every meal. 
4. Pack light. No one will care if you wear the same pair of shorts with three different shirts while you’re on vacation. Make sure to bring sunscreen wherever you go though. Trust me, if you’re tourists like we are, walking will happen. 
5. Be open for change. Some days, things won’t work the way that you want them to, and sometimes that works to your advantage, because you’ll discover new and fun things to do. 

To give you a taste of all that I’m going to recap in the upcoming days for you, we attended a baseball game, ate seafood until it became sinful, enjoyed the ocean and the indoor pool, and toured every touristy thing possible. I also got height fright on TWO attractions, and no one laughed. I wore a swimming suit and even allowed myself to be photographed in it, because memories. Shout out to all who told me to search JC Penney for a suit, found one in one visit! 

Overall, the week spent was fantastic, and I can’t wait to share all of it with you, the things we did, and the places we dined. You’ll love it, and want to visit soon too! 

Our visit to Myrtle Beach was in partnership with the Myrtle Beach Convention & Tourism Bureau