My Latest Experience With "Myrtle Beach Days"

Just about every native Carolinian has experienced Myrtle Beach Days.

Growing up on a North Carolina tobacco farm, my family took a Myrtle Beach vacation almost every year on the weekend when the crop was too big to plow yet too small to harvest. It was the only time of the year my mom and dad took a break from work.

This past week, I had a fresh experience at the Grand Strand.

My wife and I vacationed at the Litchfield resort below MB for the first time. It was a great place.

Too bad I don’t play golf. I felt I was in the minority. My power-walking and jogging weren’t “cool” at a place like this.

Our accommodations were spacious and top-notch. The grounds were lush green.

We saw an alligator swimming in one of the resort’s ponds. I asked my wife if she wanted to stop and watch.

She didn’t.

The beach was great… wide and beautiful.

At least I –think- it was. I was so relaxed, the moment we sat in our beach chairs, I fell asleep. Good sleep. Dream sleep.

On our last afternoon at the beach, I awoke to discover I was turning into a sand dune.

The wind was blowing sand so hard, my sandals were buried, and I had a gritty layer all over.

Our experience at Murrells Inlet restaurants was terrific. Each of the five we visited had a unique atmosphere, and the food was enjoyable each time. One restaurant was so good, we ate there twice.

If you need restaurant recommendations, let me know.

We tried to visit the “Broadway at the Beach” shopping and entertainment complex on a Tuesday night.

I found out quickly I’d made a mistake.

Not one parking place to be found. Not one!

After riding around for about 20 minutes, we gave up and decided to try again on a different day at a different time.

We returned the next afternoon. Plenty of parking.

Turns out Tuesday is fireworks night at “Broadway at the Beach,” and it always packs the place. Plus there was a game underway at the baseball stadium across the street.

Shopping was low on my list but high priority for my wife. We did the Tanger Outlet thing, visited a local mall, and hit several gift shops.

My patience was rewarded with two Murrells Inlet t-shirts.

Grand Strand merchants say the high gas prices have hurt their business this vacation season. With the exception of fireworks night at “Broadway at the Beach,” we didn’t run into many crowds, and our wait at restaurants was little or none.

The highways sometimes were a different story. Each afternoon we visited MB, we ran into a lengthy traffic jam with no obvious cause on the return trip. After miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic on Highway 17, the jam would mysteriously disappear, and off we’d go.

My only disappointment was that we didn’t swing by South of the Border.

When I was kid, the annual family trip included a visit to Pedro’s place to buy fireworks (the good stuff which couldn’t be bought in NC).

I told my News Channel 7 coworkers that if any of them needed a set of maracas, back-scratchers, a giant plastic green fly, a bicycle license plate with
their name on it, or any of the other treasures sold at South of the Border, I’d make a special trip.

Funny… no takers!

I’d love to hear your stories of Myrtle Beach Days. Write when you have a chance.

You can even send a postcard.