Incredible Family Trip to Myrtle Beach and Washington DC – Part 1
What a blast! Our latest summer vacation took the family into the US to enjoy Myrtle Beach in the summer and then we passed through the capital city of the US, Washington DC.
Now, all of our research, fun places to eat, things to avoid and other tips and tricks are here for you to help with your planning. Enjoy!
Day 1 – Travel Day
What did we ever do without Google Maps and GPS; ah yes, the trusty CAA/AAA Trip Tik (and you don’t even need a membership to print it out…). With about 40 hours of total driving ahead of us, we brought the van in for a tune-up, stopped by the local library to pick up some books/movies, bought a couple cases of water then off we went.
Lobby of Sheraton Charlotte Airport
Drove straight for about 13 hours until we hit Charlotte, North Carolina and stayed at the Sheraton Charlotte Airport hotel. Impressive foyer, room was clean, wished we had more time to enjoy the cool looking indoor/outdoor pool. Lots of stuff nearby such as a bunch of malls and, of course, a Wal-Mart and Target. Crashed for the night.
Day 2 – Charlotte, North Carolina
Woke up and ate at a great pancake place with a lot of unique pancakes called the Original Pancake House, delicious!
Fresh Georgia Pecan Pancakes
Went to Mass at a Church with a harp player (don’t see that very often) then drove around before heading the last 5 hours to Myrtle Beach while the kids had a nap. We found Charlotte to be a pretty town with a lot of foliage and nice architecture.
Driving down a street in Charlotte, NC
Arrived at Myrtle Beach, checked in smoothly at Dunes Village, had dinner at the Captain’s Cafe in the resort then enjoyed a memorable (albeit a bit windy) evening on the beach. Simply beautiful!
First night on the Beach
A note on booking. If you can, definitely try to book in advance to get the room you want during your vacation. Also, while you can book online, double check costs by calling in and speaking to a rep; we found better prices by calling in and availability changed by the hour!
Day 3 – Dunes Village, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Time to really enjoy the pool and beach. First, breakfast at the Admiral’s Room Restaurant. Pricey but the service was excellent and the food was good; the mini-waffles were great! Reserved our pool-side chair at 7:30 in the morning (got one of the last ones), slathered on the sunscreen then swam around in the pool for a couple of hours.
View of the pool and beach from our room.
I took a break, sat in a covered beach chair on the beach, summer wind blowing in from across the sea and enjoyed reading “Audacity of Hope” in preparation for the Washington DC part of the trip.
Lounging under an umbrella
Rest of the family came by, kids enjoyed just having the waves wash over their legs. While taking a break, Clean Mom pointed something out that we couldn’t believe… a shiver of sharks had swam close enough to shore for us to see their fins… yikes! Lazed the rest of the day on the beach and the various indoor waterslides and pools at Dunes Village.
One of the many waterslides at Dunes Village
Went back to the room, showered up then went to Broadway at the Beach for some dinner and fun. Ate at Amici’s Brick Oven & Italian Bistro, average Italian food, ate outside to avoid the 45 minute wait. Great shopping, tourist sites, HUGE candy store called It’Sugar (highlight of the night)! Got back to the resort much too late.
The store's name says it all!
Day 4 – Sea Crest, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Due to the fact that we booked so late (BPS-Busy Parent Syndrome), we had to switch resorts half-way during our stay at Myrtle Beach. On the bright side, it let us experience both sides of the Beach. Buffet breakfast again at the Admiral’s Room (hey, we’re on vacation). Went swimming then showered up and checked out. Had lunch at Thorny’s Steakhouse and Saloon, food was ok. Neat part was the TV at every booth and mini-arcade for the kids to play at after lunch. You also get to keep the kids plates which are actually frisbees!
Inside Thorney's
Drove over to the Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort and checked in. Smaller rooms, not as modern as Dunes Village. First room assigned was too high for Clean Mom (15th floor) so we moved to a a lower floor, very nice service at front desk. Got our bathing suits on, kids really enjoyed a small kids pool with a frog slide. After swimming, walked over for dinner at Friendly’s; we couldn’t believe how much food the kids got for $4.99! The ice-cream dessert they got with their meal was more than enough for the whole family! Went back to the resort where a karaoke/dance party happens every night. Book Boy and I sang a song and he did great! (Book Boy said, once we registered our name – “Daddy, I have to start warming up my voice!”) Went to bed.
Karaoke at Sea Crest
Day 5 – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Woke up and visited the on-site convenience store to purchase some milk and cereal for breakfast. After eating, it was time to really enjoy Sea Crest’s amenities; unfortunately, they weren’t as good as Dunes Village’s.
You had the requisite pools and lazy rivers but not as many or as fun as DV’s. Splash pad was fun for the kids; water slide was not open the entire time we were there. Staff said it was because the lifeguard didn’t show up?!? On the beach, you actually had to pay $30 to the lifeguards for the chairs and umbrellas, ouch! Clean Mom didn’t have any magazines to read so I trekked off to find a Walgreen’s or Rite-Aid to find some. Came back with a Cosmopolitan and Clean Mom was in heaven. After swimming, showered up and while the kids napped in the car, drove over to the Tanger Outlet Centers for some shopping. For dinner, we visited the other Tourist site, Barefoot Landing.
Ghosts and Legends Theatre
Huge lineup on the road to get into the site so we drove past the enormous line, did a u-turn further ahead and got in light-years ahead of when we would have arrived. We ate at another Italian restaurant, Umberto’s, but weren’t impressed again. (For the record, I was pushing for TBonz Gill and Grill but got out-voted…). After dinner, walked around and while there were some cool stores/sites (have your picture taken with a real tiger or chimpanzee on your lap, ghost show/walk, bull riding broncos), it was smaller than Boardwalk at the Beach and felt like they had less stores. Book Boy chose to do the Ghost Show – some neat effects and wasn’t too expensive. On the drive back to the resort, stopped at a Krispy Kreme. Deliciously hot out of the oven! Tip, just go for the original donuts, the fancy ones don’t even come close. Time to crash for the night.
Click Here for Part 2 of our Incredible Family Trip to Myrtle Beach and Washington, DC!
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