In case you’re confused, yes, we already visited Myrtle Beach this summer. In early July, we traveled with Jesse’s parents and stayed at a campground about 6.75 miles (as the crow flies) from the beach. On this trip, we traveled with my mom, sister, and two nieces and stayed less than half a mile from the beach.
Where We Stayed
Because we traveled with family on this trip, we got to experience the cabins at this campground. So in this post, we’ll include our thoughts on the RV site, the campground, and the cabins.
Myrtle Beach KOA
Myrtle Beach, SC
August 18 – 28, 2023
Site 342
The campsite
PROS
- The site was level enough that we didn’t have to use the red, side-to-side levelers. Always a plus in my book!
- This particular site backs up to a small pond/river.
- This site had a beautiful deck that was perfect for sitting outside and watching the water for wildlife as well as a sunken fire pit.
CONS
- I don’t know how they prepare RV sites after someone checks out, but it seems like they don’t check the grill. We tried to roll ours to another spot and, when it tipped over, we found out there was an aluminum pan still inside and filled with grease. So that was fun to clean up.
The cabins
My family stayed in 2 deluxe cabins. I didn’t expect them to be shiny and new, but overall, we were disappointed in the quality.
There was a good bit of what I assume is mold in both cabins. The floors were so dirty that the kids’ feet would be black after walking around barefoot. The fridge handle in one cabin was completely broken off. In the other, the cabinet door under the kitchen sink was off its hinges. It would stay in place only if you didn’t open it…not an ideal situation when you have two young kids staying there. Lots of lightbulbs were out or flickering. Some were even flickering when the lights were turned off. The TV worked maybe half of the time; the other half it was too jittery to watch or completely frozen.
The doorknob for one cabin actually came off in my hand as we were heading out one day. Luckily, Jesse is handy and was able to fix it, so we didn’t have to rearrange our plans to wait for maintenance.
I meant to go around and get better pictures of the mold (or whatever it is) and other issues in the cabin, but all I remembered to get was the photo of the wall beneath the AC unit in one of the cabins.
In general, it just felt like the cabins weren’t cleaned or maintained, which was disappointing. Our RV site was nice, but the next time we need cabins, I don’t think we’ll come here.
We stayed at Sun Outdoors Myrtle Beach (previously Carolina Pines) earlier this summer and saw their cabins (where Jesse’s parents stayed). The difference between cabins in the two campgrounds is like night and day!
The campground
For most of our stay, the campground was almost empty! It worked out well for us because the pool and jumping pillow were quiet. But it was unexpected for the summer near the beach. We think schools must have gone back that week or the week before which contributed to the quiet.
The campground pool was a good temperature, warm enough to walk right in. It was very quiet since the campground was pretty empty. There’s a splash pad, a tiny pool that’s only 2 feet deep, and two regular-sized pools. One I believe was 5 feet deep and the other maybe 4 feet deep.
There is a jumping pillow and a playground, which our nieces enjoyed. Since the campground was really quiet, it was also a great opportunity for them to use their scooters.
Something else to note is that the campground does have golf carts for rent. You can drive them up to 4 miles off the property. We planned on renting one until we heard the price. They were significantly more expensive than we expected, so we decided to skip it.
We did see a good bit of wildlife during our stay. That always gives a campground bonus points in my book! (If you want the wildlife details–including photos and a video–be sure to read the wildlife section at the end of the post.)
What We Did
Sky Zone (Trampoline Park)
We’ve been to one or two of these trampoline places over the years. It’s been a while, so I’m sure I’ve forgotten some details, but I was impressed by this place. It had several options for younger kids. There was an actual climbing place for kids. They had an inflatable staircase that you jumped off into a soft pit of sorts. It was for all ages, but our nieces spent a good amount of time there. We went on a weekday morning and it was pretty quiet. Also, we were there during a specific time for 6 years and younger. Adults could jump too if they came with kids, but it was nice that we didn’t have to worry as much about the girls being trampled by a bunch of big kids.
Myrtle Waves Water Park
This is your standard small water park. It had a decent lazy river and a wave pool. The wave pool was on a different schedule than we’ve seen before. The waves happen at the top and bottom of the hour and go for 10 minutes. It’s such a little thing, but I think the most annoying thing about the park was how complicated it was to get a drink. The lines at the food stations took so long, so we tried a vending machine, but we never found one that actually worked and had to get back in line at the original place. Again, a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things, but it would be nice to be able to get a quick drink without waiting in the long food lines.
Sky Wheel
This is not an inexpensive Ferris wheel, but it’s a pretty cool experience and my nieces loved it. You should do it at least once. This time, we went on a weekday afternoon and there was no line. We bought our tickets and got on right away. The ride lasted about 20 minutes. You get to enjoy the air conditioning and some great views.
Broadway at the Beach Fun Park –
There are two places with rides at Broadway at the Beach. The Fun Park has rides for younger kids and it opens earlier than the big kid/adult rides (so be sure to check their hours when you go). We liked this place because it had several options for smaller kids. We looked at some other small amusement parks in the area, but this one seemed to have the most number of rides that my younger niece could ride. (She’s about 36″ tall.)
Ripley’s Aquarium
For its size, this is a really fun aquarium. While it’s smaller than others we’ve been to, it had several things I haven’t seen anywhere else. There’s a sting ray touch tank, which I’ve seen before, and they also have a tank where you can touch a jellyfish! They had a great kids’ play area, in addition to a couple of exhibits with tunnels underneath or tubes that pop up into the exhibit for a photo op, and the kids loved that. There’s a long tunnel under a tank with sharks, a sea turtle, sawfish, and more. It gave an interesting perspective for viewing. My favorite part was a cool educational thing I’ve never seen! Zoology nerds, it’s a must-see in my book! There’s a screen mounted to the wall that shows various marine life. When you scroll down, the screen shows sea life at different depths. It went way deeper than I expected! I could have stayed there for hours, but I didn’t actually get to the bottom of it! At some point, I noticed a child standing behind me, looking like he wanted to try it out. I stayed a little longer trying to reach the end, but eventually, I felt like I was monopolizing it, so I walked away. I knew about most of the creatures mentioned (frilled shark, oarfish, sperm whale, Greenland shark, sunfish, and so many more), but it was really interesting to see them displayed this way. I am shocked I had the presence of mind to get a quick video while I was there! It was a fairly large screen, so I couldn’t hold the phone far away enough to get a good view while I was using it, but you get the idea (I hope).
Zero Gravity at Le Grand Cirque
I wouldn’t recommend this show for kids as there’s some adult humor. Maybe stick to 16 and up? 14 and up? I don’t know. It’s not in the same league as Cirque du Soleil, but it’s also not the same price. The show was about 2 hrs long and included a 15-20 min intermission. Warning: They pull several people from the audience. We thought we were safe because we weren’t sitting near an aisle. We were wrong!
Myrtle Beach State Park
So much of this trip involved kid-friendly, but not dog-friendly activities. Max and Corona are older, so they’re perfectly happy to spend the heat of the day relaxing in the RV after a decent morning walk, but we wanted to give them a treat. On our last full day, instead of our usual walk around the campground, we loaded the dogs in the truck and went to Myrtle Beach State Park.
Neither of the dogs enjoys the ocean or waves. However, Corona loves sand, so she’s perfectly happy to walk on the beach. We started with a walk on the beach and then went in search of the park’s campground.
The campground may not have a splash pad or a fancy bathhouse, but when you’re a quarter-mile walk from the beach, those things don’t seem to matter much. Most of the sites seemed to be a reasonable size with plenty of shade. There’s a playground and some truly beautiful trees. We’re already making plans to camp here one day.
Where We Ate
Dinoland Cafe
This seemed like a place where you’re paying for the theme/experience, not the food. It was more expensive than expected for food that was just ok. However, the kids loved the dinosaurs. The best there’s an employee dressed in a dinosaur costume who comes around to each table every hour. The kids got a real kick out of that, though some kids at other tables were scared.
The Hangout
PROS
- This place is very family-friendly. They even have a slide from the second floor of the restaurant!
- There’s a great gift shop. When we were there, they also had some terrific sales.
- Outside, they have a giant sand mound with a tunnel through it. There’s also a building with a small arcade.
- They have music and seating outside, plus games like cornhole and giant Jenga. They even have a foam party (every hour?).
CONS
- Seemed pricey for the quality of the food. The burgers were just ok, but the fries and chicken tenders were great.
- We sat inside and quickly discovered they do some sort of song/dance thing (not sure how often). It is definitely loud during that performance. Also just kind of loud in general.
Kirk’s Ice Cream
One family member has type II diabetes, so we’re always looking for low- or no-sugar options. I read a review online that said Kirk’s had some no-sugar-added flavors! I even called to confirm before our trip. They did not disappoint and had two options. My mom said it was good. As for the regular flavors, the one I got was delicious! Sadly, I cannot remember the name. It was something like cookies n’ cream, but it wasn’t that exactly.
Also, they have cones covered in rainbow sprinkles!
Wee-R-Sweetz
This place had quite a few sugar-free candy choices. We didn’t get any, so we can’t say if they were good, but it’s worth noting that they exist.
The Grumpy Monk
The burgers were pretty good (better than at The Hangout in my opinion) and the side salad was good.
Beach Treats Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt
We didn’t actually make it there, but it sounds like this place may also have sugar-free options, so I thought I’d mention it.
Wildlife
There were plenty of opportunities for wildlife sightings at the campground. Staying at a site that backed up to the water helped a lot. I managed to get at least one photo of everything except the ducks, the great blue heron, and the kingfishers. Seeing all the different birds was great, but the otter sighting was so unexpected. And the fact that I managed to get a video is amazing! Enjoy!
Happy travels!
