Spring 2018 Southern Trip: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Friday 4/6:  228 miles and parked at the Myrtle Beach KOA

Site 135

The drive down I-95 was relatively straight forward, and traffic was very heavy.  We arrived at the KOA, which is huge, about 2:30.  We did learn a lesson though.  We use the iPad as our GPS, and even though you plot the route ahead of time, it will often choose a slightly different route, without telling you, to save a few minutes.  We found this out in downtown Myrtle Beach when it sent us on some side streets.  While for most occasions, the time savers are good, they are often not good choices when you are pulling a 35 foot camper behind you.

By 3:00 we were set up and sitting outside in 70 degree sunny weather having a beer.  We have finally found Spring.  By that evening, there was not an empty site to be found.  Even though larger and busy, this park is well laid out and the sites are large.  They keep the grounds immaculate.

Saturday, 4/7:

Saturday morning it was still warm, but rain and cooling temperatures are in the forecast.  Many of the campers moved out this morning.  We made a shopping run to Walmart and TJ Maxx to resupply the fridge and pantry. About 1:30 we decided to hunt up the New South Brewing Company.  One of traveling activities is finding new micro breweries and sampling their brews.  We bought a growler of the IPA.  The tasting area is actually located in the brewing warehouse itself.  At the bar, we sat next to an interesting local couple who like microbreweries.  We shared notes and they gave us some tips of where to go in St. Augustine.  By the time we left there was a big crowd, which appeared to be a great mix of tourists and locals.

While we were at New South, the sky opened and it poured!  It ended up raining the rest of the day and evening.  By bed time, the temperature was down to 50 and it was still raining.

Sunday, 4/8:

It was 40 when I woke this morning, and it had rained all night.  The rain finally stopped about 7:00 and sun came out by 9:00.  Since we had sunshine, we decided to visit nearby Brookgreen Gardens.  I'm so glad we did.  Brookgreen consists of four old rice plantations totaling over 9,000 acres.  The focus point is a series of themed sculpture gardens.  In addition there is a huge wildlife preserve and a Low Country interpretive center.  The Live Oak trees on the grounds are HUGE.  Most were planted by slaves in 1760.  That makes them over 250 years old!  There are 1,445 pieces of figurative sculpture within the gardens.  We had time to see only a small part of the gardens.  A ticket is good for 7 days, but we are leaving tomorrow.  We will be sure to come back next time we are in the area.

About 4:00 we met retired Canton teachers, and long time friends, Rod and Cheryl Grant at their condo.  They have lived in Myrtle Beach for 15 years.  After cocktails, we went to the Bonefish Grill for dinner.  It was so much fun catching up with Rod and Cheryl.  We were home by 8:30.  After walking the dogs and catching a couple TV shows, it was bed time.

By Sunday evening, the campground was only about half full.  Rod told us the all the schools in the county had their spring break this past week, and that is why the campground was so full.

Tomorrow we move on to Savannah, Georgia.