Myrtle Beach, Day 5: Nascar Speed Park

Thursday was filled with frost warnings in the morning and cold winds during the day, so we decided to head inland to check out WonderWorks, a hands-on science exhibit. Unfortunately, we were faced by an hour-long line to buy tickets and an announcement that 400 schoolchildren had yet to arrive. We didn't want to repeat the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd experience that occurred at Ripley's Aquarium, so we ducked out of line and got back in the car.

With two small boys and no real plan, we spotted go-kart roads off the highway. We pulled into the Nascar Speed Park, and found Little Boy Nirvana.

We bought all-day wristbands for unlimited go-kart rides, and headed off to the "Beginner's Circle" area of the park. They had a few kiddie rides in this area, in addition to go-karts that could be driven by anyone over 40" in height. Nolan barely made it, but he was able to drive the cars.

Of course, it took a little effort! Even though Nolan met the height limit, he has short legs and really had to stretch to reach the gas pedal.

Matt was in his glory, speeding around the race course. While he did ride some of the other rides, he spent the majority of the day driving these cars.

We did ride the family speedway one time, which allowed Matt and Nolan to ride as passengers. They loved this ride, but Nolan's patience for lines is limited, so we only rode it once.

We spent most of the time in "Kiddie Land," watching the Nolan run from ride to ride while Matt drove the little go-kart cars. The all-day wristbands were definitely worth the price, as the boys were in heaven.

We also played a round of miniature golf while we were in the park. The course wasn't fancy, but the kids liked playing, anyway.

Our only hiccup happened at lunchtime, which was quite delayed. The cafeteria was extremely slow in getting the orders out - I'm not sure what was going on, but we finally ate our lunch after an hour of waiting for our orders! We ended up spending the entire day at the park, then went out for dinner at the Olive Garden. We did spend some time at the indoor pool that evening, and were grateful for the sheltered location because the wind was so cold!

Both boys fell asleep quickly that night, and we were grateful for the early bedtime. We wanted to be well rested for our dolphin tour the next day!

Myrtle Beach, Day 4: Medieval Times

I booked a dinner reservation at Medieval Times before we left for vacation. I managed to snag a great "buy one get one free" deal that made the dinner theater affordable. I figured the kids would absolutely love the horses, knights, and swords.

Of course, poor Nolan fell asleep in the car on the way to the castle. So did Matt. Fortunately, Matt woke up by the time we arrived, but Nolan was down for the count. Once that boy falls asleep, nothing will wake him. We had our family portrait taken, battled off the time-share hawks in the lobby, and listened to several trumpet-led announcements and he never fluttered an eyelid. I am glad that I noticed a missing hearing aid while Dennis was sitting on a bench with him - otherwise it would have been left behind and would have caused a great deal of stress!

Fortunately, we did manage to rouse Nolan before dinner was served. Being "Medieval Times," there is no silverware and everything was eaten with our hands. The boys, of course, were delighted. 

Matt was literally jumping up and down in his seat as the knights jousted and the horses galloped through the stadium. It was fantastic.

We did buy the boys foam swords once the dinner was over, and they spent the next three days staging mock battles and enjoying every second of their pseudo-knighthood. The play continued at home, and Matt still builds horse stables out of his Legos. We're asked about returning to Medieval Times on a regular basis - they loved it that much!

Myrtle Beach, Day 4: Ripley's Aquarium

The weather turned fairly "cold" on Wednesday, so we decided to do a non-beach activity. The high was 64 degrees, which meant it was about 42 degrees in the morning when we woke up. We packed up the car and headed to Broadway at the Beach, since the Ripley's Aquarium is in that entertainment center. Unfortunately, every other person vacationing in Myrtle Beach had the same idea:

One of many long lines at the aquarium.

This was not the line to buy tickets, but the line to enter the aquarium after you bought your tickets. This should have been a warning sign to us. Instead of leaving immediately, as we should have done, we stood in line for an hour and bought our passes. Fortunately, the line to enter the building had decreased significantly by the time we had our tickets in hand.

Matt waits by a cool fountain.

We entered the aquarium and were shoulder-to-shoulder with a bazillion other people. The aquarium is much smaller than advertising would lead you to believe. The boys wanted to pet the sting rays in the touch tank, but the only one who could edge up to the front of the aquarium was Matt. The pool was too deep for him to actually touch a ray, unfortunately, and the crowds quickly pushed him out of the way.

The shark tunnel, however, was very cool. If only the rest of the aquarium had this level of pizzazz! We rode the moving sidewalk through the long tunnel, and the boys loved the sharks swimming right over their heads.

The sharks were very cool. 

In the shark tunnel.

The "Discovery Room" for kids has a few exhibits, but the crowds made the area difficult to see. There was one slide (with no stairs, so kids had to climb up while others were sliding down) inside a fish mouth, and our kids managed to squeeze through the crowd to give that a try. Apparently, people consider Horseshoe Crabs as creepy, because the touch tank had plenty of space despite the large crowds. Nolan got to inspect one up close:

Checking out a Horseshoe Crab.

This was the extent of the aquarium, with the addition of a small "rainbow reef" section. We probably spent 45 minutes seeing all of the exhibits, which was a bit of a shame (considering the admission price). We also decided that our boys certainly liked doing things as opposed to seeing things. We did wait in another hour-long line to see the dinosaur exhibit, since we thought Nolan and Matt would like that. They enjoyed it, but Nolan had fatigued by the time we reached the room.

Digging for dinos. 

An animatronic T-Rex.

Nolan was starting to melt down, so we headed out of the aquarium and had lunch at a nearby Mexican cantina. In retrospect, the aquarium was overpriced and overcrowded. If there was one attraction we wouldn't do again in Myrtle Beach, this was it.

We headed back to the condo and Dennis took Nolan to the indoor swimming pool while Matt and I walked down the beach in the afternoon. Then we headed back inside for a little rest before heading to our next adventure: Medieval Times!

Side note: You can read my official review of Ripley's Aquarium at Myrtle Beach HERE.

Myrtle Beach, Day 3: Broadway at the Beach and Barefoot Landing

I didn't take my camera to the beach on the second day of playing along the Atlantic Coast, but we had another fantastic day in the sand and water. There is nothing better than lying in warm sunshine and hearing little boy giggles, crashing surf, and seagulls crying.

After our days at the beach, we usually would go out to dinner. The first night, we went to Barefoot Landing. Barefoot Landing is a shopping and entertainment area close to our condominium, and it was a wonderful place to take the boys. Lots of restaurants, a big lake full of gargantuan fish and little turtles, and a pretty little carousel made the outing fun.

Matt thought this was hilarious. 

The fish were huge. Compare to the duck for an idea of scale. 

The boys at Barefoot Landing. 

Ice cream at Maggie Moo's.

Broadway at the Beach was a much larger (and more frenetic) place to visit. The boys absolutely loved it, as we wandered among the shops and ate at Margaritaville. The boys both got balloon swords from the entertainers-on-stilts that meandered through the restaurant - those were definitely the thrill of the evening!

Matt climbs aboard a T-Rex. 

Nolan on a Triceratops. 

Matt waits for our table at Margaritaville. 

Sword fighting at Broadway at the Beach.

Matt was disappointed that the bumper boats were not running in the lake (too cold), but both boys were delighted when we decided to take them miniature golfing at Dragon's Lair.

Matt's favorite activity in Myrtle Beach.

There is nothing in this world that Matthew loves more than miniature golf. Wandering around these very touristy areas was a lot of fun for us, because our rural community at home has nothing like the huge putt-putt places or big shopping centers in Myrtle Beach. We were always happy to get back to the quiet of our condo, though, and get a good night's rest!

Myrtle Beach, Day 2: The Pool

After eating a great lunch of peanut butter and jelly, we headed back down to the sun and sand. The boys really wanted to play in the hotel swimming pools, so we picked up our sand toys and headed to the (heated) outdoor pools and lazy river by our hotel tower.

The view of the South Tower of the Seawatch Plantation from the beach.

The pools were fantastic - nicely heated and the boys spent a great deal of time splashing and wading out into the shallow water. We also discovered that Nolan can swim. The child had one session of swimming lessons over a year ago, but never learned how to swim through those lessons. Somehow, he spontaneously discovered that he could swim - it caused a minor panic attack when he dove under the pool water for the first time. I was ready to jump in and grab him, but he started paddling away and popped his little head up a few feet away, looking triumphant.

Apparently, Nolan can swim. Who knew? 

Matt is getting better at swimming, too. 

The view of the beach from the pool area.

The lazy river was a big hit, though the air temperature was quite cold. For this reason, both boys ditched the inner tubes and simply swam/walked around the river. They had a blast doing this, because the current pushed them along faster than they could normally swim.

Matt floats in the lazy river.  

The air was cold, so he slipped out of his tube. 

Running in the lazy river. 

Nolan plays in the lazy river.

The day ended with a dip in the hot tubs. Nolan was hard to restrain in the hot tubs, because he has absolutely no fear and decided that doing cannonballs would be a great idea. Fortunately, we managed to get him settled down and we had a glorious time chatting and relaxing in the hot water.

Hot tubs are SO nice! 

Matt loved the hot tub, too!

We went back to the condo and the boys fell into bed, absolutely exhausted and absolutely happy.

Nolan was absolutely exhausted after a day at the beach! 

Matt gets ready to hit the sack.

The boys were ecstatic as they fell asleep, knowing that another full day on the beach was ahead!

Myrtle Beach, Day 2: The Beach

Monday and Tuesday were going to be the warmest days of our trip to Myrtle Beach, so we planned on spending those days on the beach. The high was 74 degrees for Monday, and 76 degrees for Tuesday. There was actually a frost warning for Wednesday and Thursday nights, so I am glad we spent those first two days on the beach!

We woke up to the sound of crashing waves and a gorgeous view from the hotel balcony.

The boys were so excited to hit the water that they woke us up with their swimsuits on. Nolan needed some help with his "sand flappers" (sandals). Matt had his boogie board on the balcony, watching the waves.

The boys beat us to the elevator. Going to the beach was the pinnacle of excitement for these two!

Once we made it to the beach, the boys tried out their boogie boards. Nolan was absolutely fearless in the ocean, and Matt actually caught a wave or two!

Nolan loved wading into the water and jumping over the waves. He would get fatigued, but a beach is a nice, warm place to warm up in between adventures!

Matt ran into the ocean to fill his pail: water is a very necessary component for sandcastle moats!

After playing in the sand, we headed back to the condo for lunch. Having a condo was absolutely fantastic - on the warm days, we simply had to pop up to our room for a quick (and sand-free) lunch. It was wonderful.

Next up: Day 2, Part 2 - The Pool!