Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, SC and Hilton Head, SC are in many respects polar opposites. Both are South Carolina beach resorts. Both have world class followings. Each is frequently listed in travel magazine lists like "100 Best Family Beach Vacations" or "Best Golf Destinations". They are both beach towns in South Carolina, Myrtle Beach on the northern-most stretch of the SC coast and Hilton Head at the southern-most. Yet the feel of each is distinct and opposite.

To be fair, we have been long time Hilton Head people. Our first visit here was 30some years ago. We have owned several properties on the island. I have posted on this blog three time about HHI, here, here and here. My Flickr set on Hilton Head is here. We return here whenever we can, usually with friends or family.

We had been to Myrtle Beach once before, in 1982 and were not impressed. 100s of t-shirt shops, tattoo places, tacky signs, fast food hot dog stands, bikini contests and loud music on the beach. It was the place our teens and their children wanted to go for Spring Break or anytime they could get a free spot on the floor. The fact that it was 5+ hours from our home in Aiken, SC, while HHI was 3 hours away also kept us from returning.

Pirateland Campground, about 700 sites, is flanked by Ocean Lakes Campground, 900 sites,
and Lakewood Campground, 1100 sites. Almost 3000 sites on the ocean. KOA is nearby with 500 sites.

Our swans. Below is a video of Rosie's first encounter with a swan.

The Market Common. This is one of 4 developments we visited. Like a small town 3-4 streets wide by 6-9 streets long.
Lots of restaurants, shops, residential areas. Saturday Farmers market.

I placed this photo for my son-in-law who manages a restaurant which would do well here.

Broadway on the Beach is another gathering spot with restaurants, amusement, theaters, shops

The fattest catfish in the world. A small lake is i the center of Broadway.
Around the lake are dozens of feeding spots (25 cents a handful).  The fish get fed all day long.

Barefoot Landing, another gathering place.

This woman explained to us what to look for in shells

Very stoic. Rosie was calling him names but he would not bite.

This boogie-boarder didn't quite make it!

This girl is being buried by her dad.

I finished reading "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" while at the beach/
Highly recommended.

Rosie had never met any swans before. Nice beautiful, graceful, gentle birds, right? NOT. Swans can be very nasty. When Rosie started to run into the water to chase them away, one of them hissed at her and scared Rosie!

Final conclusion: Myrtle Beach is much better than it was on our last visit, 30 years ago. It is a great place for families with lots to do day and night. We still prefer Hilton Head Island. That's our opinion and we're sticking to it!

Ciao, Frank

Hilton Head Island, SC

This post is not in sequence, nor is it actually part of our Airstream journey. I am posting it because we love Hilton Head so much and wanted our readers to learn about it.

HHI is shape like a shoe. It is 12 miles from the "toe" to the "heel".
 The beach runs the entire "sole"/

Hilton Head Island, SC is one of the greatest family beach vacation places anywhere. And we have been to the French Riviera, Italy, Greece, Southern California, Maine, Martha's Vineyard, Florida, South New Jersey, and many others. I'm not saying that HHI is better than these places, just that it's up there with any of them.

 We were lucky to spend 2 days on HHI with our dear friends Karla & Michael before we left with Diva on our Airstream adventure. This would be our last visit with Karla & Michael  for a while since we were heading off to the sunset in a few days. It will also be our last trip to the Island for a time. We have been coming to HHI for 32 years. We have owned 4 different properties on the island over the years and enjoy every visit there.

Add captionThe beach at Hilton Head Island goes on for 12 miles uninterrupted.

An older photo of Debbie and I riding bikes on the beach.
At low tide you can ride the whole 12 miles.

Some of the beach areas are maintained by hotels but anyone use these areas.

Four of our grandchildren about 2005

Annabelle and Peyton dressed up for dinner.

Gregg Russell has been performing under the oak tree at Harbor Town for more than 30 years.
Little children come and sit on a platform in front of him. He brings many of them up for an interview and to sing a song. We have been going for most of those 30 years and have not grown tired of him yet.

This kite is attached to a surfboard.

Finally a video from our most recent trip. Enjoy.

The best time to visit is almost anytime of the year. the Island used to be pretty much closed down in January and February, most of the shops and restaurants closed for the season, but not anymore.In my view, the worst time in July and August. The Island is packed with tourists from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Mayland, New York.