Making Myrtle Beach Memories

Myrtle Beach is one of those places that come with magical memories. Many of us grew up coming to the beach every year, whether it was summer or not. For families all over the eastern United States, bringing your family to Myrtle Beach every year is almost like a rite of passage. I remember all my friends coming back from the beach every summer, looking gloriously tan and exhausted from all the fun they had. When my family finally went, my friends and I got together to compare stories, which quickly turned into a competition for who went to the coolest water park or rode the most scary rides. When I was a child, my uncle owned a camper right on the ocean at Lakewood Campground. Every summer we got to go spend a week there and I have some of the best memories of playing on the beach and spending hours in the indoor pool if it rained. For nice days, I spend MANY hours at the local outdoor pool at the campground, which I remember had a water slide that went through a secret cave built into the side of the “mountain.” I loved going down that slide! For the really adventurous days, we would head down the road to the water park called Magic Mountain. If any of you came to Myrtle Beach during the 70’s and 80’s you might remember this place—it was epic in my world! It was one of those old fashioned water parks where you grabbed a mat and shot down the concrete slide like a bullet. Little did I know that I would actually live in Myrtle Beach one day and that wonderful park, like many others, would no longer exist. Of course, there are many new and wonderful places on the Myrtle Beach scene now, but I think many people like me still miss the days of the Pavilion Amusement Park, The Magic Attic, The Arcade downtown and some of the old attractions that are not here any longer. The economic downturn has been tough on our area, but the good news is that Myrtle Beach is still one of the best options for family vacations. It’s easy to get here, gas prices are lower this year, and there are lots of new attractions that cater to the family.