Mile Marker News - South Carolina Beach Getaway

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

"Mile Marker News" will include details about our upcoming trip, the preliminary itinerary, the planning process, travel tips, and more. And of course there will be many posts to follow after the adventure when we share our reviews and other travel articles pertaining to our trip.

Well we are gearing up for another fun adventure, but this time we are heading north to our sister state, South Carolina. Did you see our South Georgia Adventure itinerary? I completed the post about our stop in Albany, Georgia, but I am still working on a few more for the other cities we visited.

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South Carolina Beach Getaway:

We are total beach bums and if we could live near a beach we totally would. In a few days we will be heading to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. Myrtle Beach is the perfect beach getaway and offers a wide variety of activities, accommodations and dining.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org.

Here are just a few of things Myrtle Beach offers:

• Rich history - there are tons of great historical places to visit in Myrtle Beach where you can learn about the Native Americans, colonial living, plantations, pirates, railroads and much more.
• Beautiful beaches - with over 60-miles of beach Myrtle Beach is a picture-perfect gateway to the sparkling Atlantic Ocean. There are tons of activities like boating, fishing, kayaking, scuba diving and more. And the area's ancient rivers, winding creeks, and spectacular marshes, along with the Intracoastal Waterway, offer water lovers even more opportunities for fun in the sun and water.
• To die for food - from mouthwatering seafood and steaks to scrumptious pastries and coffee Myrtle Beach offers a wide variety of eateries. 

This trip is not nearly as elaborate as the last trip but it is going to still be tons of fun and super relaxing. Here is information on where we plan to stay and have fun!

Itinerary:

• We will be staying at the beautiful, newly renovated Crown Reef Resort. Crown Reef Resort, which opened its first tower in 1994, is located at 2913 South Ocean Boulevard along the south end of Myrtle Beach. Crown Reef offers the most oceanfront rooms (514) in Myrtle Beach, a large conference center, indoor and outdoor water amenities, on-site dining and more. We are really excited about the $2 million waterpark that just opened at Crown Reef Resort. In addition to two new 4-story enclosed waterslides, including the world’s first hotel “EXPLOSION” slide, the waterpark features a kids waterslide, sub play area with water sprays and bucket dumps, and a sun deck.

Image courtesy of Crown Reef Resort.

• We will visiting Alligator Adventure the largest reptile facility in the world. This 15 acre zoo gets visitors face to face with nature’s fiercest and most beautiful animals. We cannot wait to meet the 2 rare albino alligators that live at the zoo. The zoo is located adjacent to Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, and is one of South Carolina’s most outstanding tourist attractions, 

Image courtesy of Alligator Adventure.

• At some point we will swing by the T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. This FREE wildlife exhibit and living tiger museum gives you the chance to meet some of the world's most amazing animals up-close and in-person while they play and relax in an outdoor environment. There are Bengal tigers, Siberian tigers, Royal White Bengal tigers and of course, the Golden Tabby tiger. 
• For some geocaching fun we plan to visit Myrtle Beach State Park which sits nestled among an oceanfront maritime forest. A quiet, and surprisingly green, escape from the otherwise bustling beach, the park provides educational opportunities, a nature trail and some of the best surf fishing South Carolina has to offer as well as stunning ocean views and another great fishing spot on Myrtle Beach pier.
• Either on our way to or from Myrtle Beach we will be stopping by Murrells Inlet a historic fishing village where you can experience nature along the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk. The MarshWalk is FREE to enjoy and offers great views of the saltwater marsh, birds, and beautiful scenery. Home to many waterfront restaurants, music is in the air once evening rolls around. 
• For some evening time strolls we plan to visit the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, Broadway at the Beach and/or Barefoot Landing. These place offer a variety of dining, shopping, entertainment and magnificent views!
• Since we are an art loving family we definitely plan to visit the FREE Burroughs-Chapin museum. This is the only art museum in Myrtle Beach. It is located across the Springmaid Pier. They feature many exhibits including an Art Studio just for kids. 
• To learn more about how native people lived along the Carolina coast before the arrival of Europeans we will make a stop at the Horry County Museum in downtown Conway. This museum features a great collection of Native American artifacts from Archaic, Woodland and prehistoric time periods. There is also a living history farm. Admission is FREE.
• For more nature exploration we will be hitting up the Heritage Shores Nature Perserve. This preserve is one of the most unique parks in the city; created in 2007 with seven (7) acres of walking paths. The park is located on an island that extends into the Cherry Grove Marsh.  The land is preserved in its native state and is accessible via a series of elevated boardwalks and observation docks. Interpretive signage throughout the park describes the plants, animals, fishes and birds that can be seen in the park. This is also FREE to visit.

What is your favorite beach to visit?

Mile Marker News - Our South Georgia Adventure

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

Welcome to my first of hopefully many "Mile Marker News" posts. So what is this post all about? Well we have a big dream to travel the United States and eventually the World with our children. But for right now our travels are mostly in the South East. Since we are a single income family, with one car our trips always have to be done on a tight budget and require LOTS of planning. But thanks to the many wonderful attractions, visitors centers, travel pr companies and some amazing friends our travel dreams are able to become a reality. I started this blog in 2011 as a way to share about our homeschool journey and traveling and learning through hands on experiences is a huge part of that journey for us.

The "Mile Marker News" will include details about our upcoming trip, the preliminary itinerary, the planning process, travel tips, and more. And of course there will be many posts to follow after the adventure when we share our reviews and other travel articles pertaining to our trip.

Remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and/or Google + so you can see snapshots of our adventure.

South Georgia Adventure:
In a few days we heading out on a South Georgia Adventure. We have lived in Georgia for 13 years now, but we haven't had a chance to explore South Georgia. South Georgia may seem like a desolate place compared to Atlanta and Metro Atlanta, but once you start researching you will find that South Georgia offers families so much.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Here are just a few of things South Georgia offers:

• Rich history - there are tons of great historical places to visit in South Georgia where you can learn about the Native Americans, plantations, agriculture, Spanish explorers, Civil Rights movement, Civil War and much more
• Beautiful landscapes - South Georgia boasts some of the most spectacular landscapes in all of Georgia. There is the largest Georgia canyon, the beautiful coastline and of course the largest, intact, un-fragmented, freshwater and black water wilderness Okefenokee Swamp. 
• To die for food - several South Georgia restaurants have gained national recognition like Nu-Way Weiners in Macon which is America's second-oldest hot dog chain. It is no secret that you will get to experience some of the best traditional southern foods including fried chicken, fried okra, boiled peanuts, and pecan pie while visiting South Georgia. 

Here are the cities we will be making stops at: Macon, Fargo, Waycross, Albany, Lumpkin, Warner Robins and Cordele. Planning a trip with this many stops takes lots of patience especially when you are trying to do it on a tight budget. This trip was sparked by an idea for a blog post and from there it grew. Sorry you will just have to wait to find out what the post is about or perhaps you will be able to make a guess after you read our itinerary.

Itinerary:

• Macon - Harriett Tubman Museum and Ocmulgee National Monument and Mounds and of course we plan to grab a hot dog at Nu-Way.
• Waycross - Laura Walker State Park - geocaching, swimming in the lake and playing in the sand
• Fargo - Stephen C. Foster State Park - boat tour, geocaching, hiking and camping. Wish us luck on the camping between the heat and bugs we are going to need it.
• Waycross - Okefenokee Swamp Park  - up close encounters, boat tour, hiking, history and more.
• Albany - we will be in Albany for almost 3 days. We will be visiting several attractions and dining at some of the local hot spots. Here are some of the places we will be exploring Radium Springs, Riverfront Park, Chehaw Park, Flint RiverQuarium, Thronateeska, Artpark, Mark's Melon Patch
• Lumpkin - Providence Canyon State Park - geocaching and hiking
• Warner Robins - this is more of a sleeping spot for us but if time permits we may squeeze something in.
• Cordele - SAM Shortline - before heading home we will be catching a ride on the SAM Shortine. We will be taking the Watermelon Express trip which stops at Veterans State Park and Plains. 

**Update**

• Read our review on Albany.

And there you have it our upcoming adventure! 837 miles and a total of 14 hours and 4 minutes in the car (assuming we don't hit any traffic).

I know this will definitely not be our last time exploring South Georgia. During our research we found tons of other great places we would like to visit. You can find many of these exciting places on my 200+ Things To See And Do In Georgia or in the Kids Love Travel books (review coming soon on this book).

What adventures do you have planned for the rest of the Summer?

Tips:
Recently I discovered two amazing travel apps which have helped me greatly with planning this trip. What are some of your favorite travel apps?

The first app is called TripIt and makes planning an itinerary a breeze. You can easily organize all of your travel details including plane tickets, car rentals, train schedules, hotel reservations, activities and more. TripIt "automagically" creates a single itinerary from all your trip details. Access your TripIt itinerary on your smartphone or tablet when and where you need it. When you book a travel reservation, simply forward your confirmation e-mail to plans@tripit.com. TripIt instantly recognizes reservations from more than 3,000 booking sites including cruises, restaurants, concerts, and much more. And best of all, you can easily sync your TripIt itinerary with your calendar and online at tripit.com. You can also share trip plans with family or colleagues directly, or let Facebook and LinkedIn contacts know where you're headed and when you'll be.

Seriously BEST APP ever check out these screen shots.

There is a FREE TripIt version (w/ads) and a paid TripIt version which is $3.99 (w/o ads).

If you are a history buff you will love this 2nd app. This app is called History Here. This app is an interactive guide to thousands of historic locations across the United States, brought to you by HISTORY. The easy-to-use interface, photos, video and dynamic maps bring history to life anywhere in the country. Whether you're on vacation or just running errands, the app makes it simple and fun to get the facts on the history hidden all around you, including amazing architecture, museums, battlefields, monuments, famous homes and much more! They are continually adding points of interest to make this app even better.

One of our favorite things to do before a trip is learn more about the places we are visiting. So we head to the library and check out all the books we can that pertain to our destinations. For this trip we are reading books on Georgia history, swamps, geology, Native Americans and the Civil War. So far some of our favorites have been Leaping Lily, Geology, Deep in the Swamp, Wild and Swampy, Encyclopedia of Biomes and The Very First Americans. Do you read books to plan for your upcoming trips?

One of our favorite camping activities is playing board games by the camp fire. Here are 4 of our favorite camping games: Camp, Animal Tracks, Sci-ology and Suspend. What are your favorite camping games?

Special thanks to my amazing friends who helped us in one way or another with this trip Ben and Me, Almost Supermom, Holly W., and Cassandra R., Cleve W.