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!