This weekend brings two important dates for beachgoers everywhere—Saturday, June 20, is the official start of summer, and Sunday, June 21, is National Seashell Day! It’s fitting that these two dates happen within a day of each other, as summer at the beach (and especially Myrtle Beach) is the perfect opportunity to find some seashells. I’ve always enjoyed finding shells when I’ve gone to the beach, but never in the past set out with the intention to go searching for seashells. The recent quarantine due to COVID-19 changed that! Shelling is a…

As the Myrtle Beach area continues to reopen to visitors, we want to make sure our travelers are doing every thing they can to visit responsibly. Fortunately, there are many ways to safely social distance while visiting our shores! Here is a round-up of some of our favorite ways to make the most of your Myrtle Beach vacation while staying healthy: 1. Spend time on the beach! The beach is one of the easiest places to social distance, and sunbathers can enjoy the benefit of fresh air and sunshine while doing so. Just be sure to place at least 6…

The beginning of May marks the start of loggerhead sea turtle nesting season here in South Carolina. From now until October, female turtles will make their way out of the ocean and to the dunes, where they dig a nest and lay their eggs. A loggerhead sea turtle will lay around 120 eggs that will then incubate for around two months, 55 to 60 days until they emerge to make their journey back to the ocean. Volunteer groups throughout the Grand Strand make a great effort to protect these turtles, their eggs, and babies throughout the turtle season.…

As we near a very unique Mother’s Day—one most families will celebrate at home—I’ve been thinking a lot about my personal journey as a mother during this scary season of coronavirus. Like many around the world, I’ve found life in quarantine to be a roller coaster… a strange recipe of memorable family moments, anxious nights, afternoons of boredom, creativity, frustration, exhaustion, and more. There have been some truly magical days—my oldest learning to ride a bike, mornings cooking with my youngest son or sitting in the sunshine while the…

Around the beginning of May—sometimes earlier if we’re having a particularly warm spring—we start to see some cannonball jellyfish wash ashore on our daily beach walks. One of the questions I’m asked frequently online is whether there are jellyfish in Myrtle Beach, and of course, the answer is yes. But that shouldn’t cause too much concern or stop anyone from swimming. The jellyfish most commonly seen along our shoreline are cannonball jellyfish and this particular kind are not generally known for stinging humans. In fact, I’ve lived and swam…

This week, we’ll celebrate Earth Day in a different way. Normally, we venture down to Brookgreen Gardens for activities they host celebrating our planet and teaching us how we can do our part to keep it clean or we head out for a community beach sweep. But given the current circumstances, we’ll be sticking close to home and trying to incorporate Earth Day into our day-to-day life. Earth Day falls on Wednesday, April 22, this year, but we’ll be using the whole week to teach our kids what we can about doing our part. It’s the 50th anniversary of…

The threat of COVID-19 has affected millions of individuals financially across all parts of the country. In tourism-dependent communities like ours, the shutting down of bars and restaurants—while necessary—yield big blows to hospitality and tourism workers as we head into what would normally be a busy time here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. While we’ve heard a lot of stories of hardship, we’ve also heard a lot of wonderful stories about neighbors helping one another. One company here locally, Native Sons, has started a ‘Support Our…

Schools in the Myrtle Beach area haven’t been in session for about two weeks now, and we’re starting to settle into a ‘homeschool’ routine that works for us. I’m home with a 5- and 2-year-old, along with a newborn, so hands-on crafts and learning aren’t possible at every single moment during the day. During times when I need to change diapers, prepare meals or just need a break, we’ve turned to some ‘virtual learning.’ The boys enjoy the change—i.e. not hearing mom talk for a while—and we’ve gotten to see some pretty neat things! We have a few…

Beginning in April, Brookgreen Gardens will be showcasing a new exhibit throughout the gardens. ‘Southern Light’ is an immersive experience in art and light, created by internationally-known artist Bruce Munro. Munro is bringing his spectacular large-scale light sculptures to the gardens from April 8 to September 12, 2020, and it will allow visitors to literally see the gardens in a completely new light. The exhibit will feature seven works of art in light and mixed media, each designed specifically for the natural garden rooms where they will…

Tickets for the first of the March Myrtle Beach history trolley tours are now on sale. This is the last of a three-month series that sold out every tour in both January and February. Locals and visitors alike have loved these local history tours that depart each Tuesday at 2 p.m. from in front of the Grand 14 Cinemas at The Market Common in Myrtle Beach—me included! Making a stop at the historic Pine Lakes Country Club, the Early Myrtle Beach & The War Years tour tells the city's origin story and what it was like during WWII with U-boat…