Endless Beach, Endless Possibilities

And what a beach! It stretches for as far as the eye can see in both directions – nearly 100km in all – in parallel bands of hard-packed swash zone, silky warm sands and a dune zone made for picnicking and hide-and-seek games. At dawn on a lazy Sunday, I donned my running shoes and ran 30kms along the beach (I’m training for a marathon). It seemed effortless as I watched the sun rise from the Atlantic horizon and slowly bathe the dunes and the hotels in a rich glow that also illuminated the pelicans diving in the surf. The beach is also fertile hunting ground for shells and fossil sharks’ teeth and a number of piers punctuate the endless strand and provide fishing opportunities.

Parks and Gardens

Though the family resorts line much of Myrtle Beach, nature is never too far distant, and we found some delightful places to experience some of South Carolina’s many natural wonders. Closest of all - a short walk down the beach – is Myrtle Beach State Park, featuring a wide open beach, a fishing pier (this was where Tim caught his shark) and meandering paths through oceanfront maritime forest. Huntington Beach State park features a bizarre Moorish-style winter mansion, superlative bird watching and chance to see alligators in the wild. But the star attraction is Brookgreen Gardens, the “floral jewel of South Carolina’s coastal community” – a glorious mix of impressive sculpture and native fauna set in verdant landscaped gardens at the edge of southern swamplands.