Arriving in Myrtle Beach, SC

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This is the third installment recapping our trip to Georgia and South Carolina.  Chad had work in four cities over an 11-day period.  We visited Augusta, GA and Columbia, SC before we made our way to Myrtle Beach.  We had all day to make the 2 1/2 hour drive from Columbia to Myrtle Beach so we took our time.  Along the way we stopped at this old church in Florence and took some pictures.  Beautiful.  The road was lined with golf courses and old churches like this.

Though Chad had been to Myrtle Beach before on golfing trips, it was my first time.  I was doing research trying to find us some decent hotels that were part of Chad’s corporate lodging program and I read a lot of reviews.  Normally, we try to stay in Extended Stay hotels but in Myrtle Beach it was a Red Roof Inn that had some high marks.  The hotel was only two blocks from the beach and about a mile from the main drag of the Myrtle Beach strip.

I had never stayed at a Red Roof before but it was clean and spacious.  We had a huge king sized bed and a separate desk area which was going to be great for me as I planned on working on the computer while Chad was at his job.  Plus the hotel had all the free coffee I could drink in the lobby.  I rarely drink coffee but I survived on a lot of decaf this whole trip.

After we checked into the hotel, we immediately headed out to find some lunch.  We noticed two major things while driving down the strip-

#1)  There are a lot of pancake houses in Myrtle Beach.

#2)  Unlike the beaches in Florida, there is an off season in Myrtle Beach.  A time after the New Year and before the spring when many of the restaurants close down for the “winter”.  We were surprised at just how many places were closed.

Lucky for us, one of the places I had researched on my “restaurants to visit” list was open- a place called Mr. Fish Seafood Restaurant.  I had read rave reviews about their Black and Blue Tuna Sandwich and it was pretty good.  The tuna was thick and spicy and went well with the blackberry wasabi sauce that was served on the side.

We also visited the Hard Rock Cafe and walked around the Broadway at the Beach complex.  Similar to the Citywalk Entertainment complexes of Universal Studios in Florida and California, there were plenty of restaurants, bars and shops.  However, it was the off season and very few places were open.

We then decided to drive back into town and find some frozen yogurt.  Most of the yogurt and ice cream shops were closed for the season as well.  Eventually we found a TCBY where Chad had a brownie sundae and  I had some pralines-n-cream yogurt topped with chocolate sunflower seeds.

I collect magnets of places I have visited, so we stopped by one of those touristy shops. You know, the ones filled with beach towels, tacky T-shirts and key chains.  I found these cool bacon rings.

And look at these poor hermit crabs.  Their shells were painted in bright colors and they were being sold for $4.99.  I wonder if these crabs had a say in the colors or designs put on their shells?

We made it an early night even though we still had another day off before Chad had to go back to work.  More next time….

Recaps from the trip so far:

1. The Day The Lights Went Out In Augusta

2. The Cockaboose Railroad and Vegan Food in Columbia, SC