While the temperatures are dropping not very many people are thinking about east coast beaches except for my family that is. For as long as I can remember, I've spent every Thanksgiving in the vicinity of Myrtle Beach. It's a trip that my family looks forward to every year. It's our refresh!
For my family a refresh generally involves being as close to the beach as possible. Crown Reef Resort and Waterpark invited us to spend our annual pilgrimage to Myrtle Beach at their 11 story hotel with direct beach access. The location is ideal. Within ten minutes you are at the airport, movies or family dining. Although there was a lot to do very close by, the children went straight to the indoor water park on-site.
Because the resort is focused on a family friendly environment. There were other families already enjoying themselves on the slides and lazy river, and our children jumped right in to join them. After a few hours in the pool, we made a quick trip to the local supermarket. **MST** (Money Saving Tip) We intentional wanted to stay at a location with a kitchen/kitchenette. Instead of going out for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it is a lot easier to get some quick foods for the family. You can still stay in vacation mindset with quick and easy meals (e.g. cereal, pastries, microwavable meals) there is no need to have 3 course meals while on vacation. There are a few restaurants on site for those times when you don't want to cook.
Each day we found something new to do with the amount of activities there are to do at Myrtle Beach. The indoor pool was always at the top of the list, but we also visited the Ripley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. We spent time at each exhibit and the children are old enough to explore on their own in this family safe close environment. The stars of the show were the interactive jellyfish and stingray tanks. Learning through touch is always an ideal way to gain new information. The jellyfish grabbed our attention because we have always been told them to avoid jellyfish AT ALL COST. Now they finally had an opportunity to interact with this unique animal. We also took some time to spot the decorated trees that match some of our favorite states. I was hoping to catch the mermaid but she was sleeping:)
Day Two:
Legends in Concert. Who knew that watching impersanators could be so much fun. I was amazed at how much they looked and sounded like the actual stars. In fact, I asked at customer service because Nat King Cole sung “Unforgettable” and I was transformed back to my parents' living room. As a child, this was one of my favorite songs. The kids knew many of the stars by their songs since so many have been remixed.
Day Three:
No visit to Myrtle Beach is complete without a visit to the mall or the nearby outlet. The sales are unbelievable and I just enjoy walking the area. It's my retail therapy exercise. I always try to plan a family movie day and lucky for me the mall is connected to the theater. We popped in and found these fun rides while we were waiting for our showtime.
Final Days:
During the next few days between eating left overs and swimming we went go-kart racing, roller skating, played laser tag and even saw Biz Markie perform at the House of Blues.
With so much to do and so little time, my favorite activity will always be enjoying the beach with the family and Crown Reef Resort and Waterpark put the beach at our back door.
When you're ready to take an ultimate beach vacation check out Vacation Myrtle Beach as you'll find everything you need. I can't wait to return in a few months when I host my family reunion at one of their locations.
