Garden City Vacay

Spending five days of vacation in your hometown may sound boring to most, but when you grow up 15 miles outside of Myrtle Beach, going home is never dull. The great part about visiting for us is that we have access to a family beach house in Garden City free of charge and can spend our money on the awesome tourist activities that attract thousand of visitors to the Grand Strand summer after summer. The kids always have a blast with their grandparents and cousins and the family attractions.

We took our kayak and used Ed's dock to spend some quiet paddling time on the inlet. Both beautiful and peaceful, the kids loved being out on the water.

Captain Hook's was a favorite for putt putt when we lived at the beach and did not disappoint the kiddos.

Jude was deemed the winner, his determination and concentration won him first place, despite not keeping score.

Dining is always fun on the Grand Strand. Where else do you see a large crab atop a van? Only at Crabby Mike's.

Although the wait for a table was an hour (!) it seemed to whizz by as the party in the parking lot took our full attention. Live DJ, hula hooping, dancing.....

I showed Eli the basics of hula hooping and he was a natural.

Temporary tattoos were also on hand to keep the kids busy. Conor sporting her pink butterfly.

And Jude showing off his pirate body art.

Once inside the kids enjoyed making their plates and especially were fond of the dessert bar.

PaPa Dan Dan surprised us with tickets to the new dinner theater show, Pirates Voyage. It was awesome, we had front row seats and the kids were beyond excited to see a real pirate show.

Chapel and I were chosen to participate in the show! Both nervous, we listened carefully to our instructions and helped our team defeat the opponents. Because dinner theater is all about you vs. them.

Eli showing his support for the blue pirate team.

I had not visited Brookgreen Gardens in years and forgot how great it is for kids. The zoo was our favorite and most of the animals were out and about despite the heat.

Famous for their statues, Conor took the opportunity to stand in front of each one she came across and demand a photograph.

Needing a break from the heat, we hit the Coastal Grand mall where we found this cool ride. Do I need to tell you the importance of finding a real Mystery Machine when you are 3 years old?

And finally, we won big at both the arcade and Guess Your Age booth. Chapel had seen one of these booths on an Olivia cartoon and insisted on visiting. She was so very proud of her pink dolphin and red I LOVE YOU pillow.

And there you have our vacation in your (home) town! It is so nice to go back and visit and share it with your kids.....