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My son-in-law is from Myrtle Beach and has taken me (for some reason) to Dixie Stampede twice. I don't know why---I'm not a fan of horses or country music or the civil war. Maybe he just doesn't...
My son-in-law is from Myrtle Beach and has taken me (for some reason) to Dixie Stampede twice. I don't know why---I'm not a fan of horses or country music or the civil war. Maybe he just doesn't like me and wants to let me know in no uncertain terms.
As you may or may not know, Myrtle Beach is FILLED with theme-park restaurant-dinner-show-themed extravaganzas.
I am not reviewing this as a restaurant, but rather an entertainment complex, which I find to be more 'complex entertainment'.
There are alot of horses in the center ring doing horsey things and showing off and fighting the bad guys (You're either NOrthern or Southern, depending on what side of the arena you sit on). It's not very appetizing to eat food in a closed-space that is shared with horses.
I'm not big into battlefield reinactments, whch you'll get TONS of here.
I suggest getting tanked before you go. It'll save you $$ on drinks there, and will make the whole thing more entertaining. It will also give you deeper insight into the person your child married----does he LIKE Dixie Stampede, or does he hate ME?
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Okay. Dr. McMahon can be very good, or very bad, depending on how innebriated you were when you were seen by her.
My daughter Looooved Dr. McMahon. I, personally, loathe the woman with every...
Okay. Dr. McMahon can be very good, or very bad, depending on how innebriated you were when you were seen by her.
My daughter Looooved Dr. McMahon. I, personally, loathe the woman with every fiber of my being.
I went in for a normal run-of-the-mill cleaning. Nothing special. The next day, I'm driving around and one of my teeth crumble in my mouth. I call her, she says "your tooth was dying" (why she didn't mention this to me the previous day is a mystery). Told me to come in and she'd fix the tooth.
Ended up putting in a filling or something that came out. Then she created an entirely DIFFERENT problem by chopping out a hunk of tooth between two teeth because food kept getting stuck between those two teeth. NOW food not only gets stuck even MORE between those two teeth but under the gum as well. She's utterly useless as far as I'm concerned and every time I've gone to her I've left with more dental problems than I had when I walked through the door.
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If you happen to be traveling I-95 North from Florence, SC, you may have noticed that every 3 feet or so there is a billboard prompting you to NOT MISS SOUTH OF THE BORDER.
The signs are either...
If you happen to be traveling I-95 North from Florence, SC, you may have noticed that every 3 feet or so there is a billboard prompting you to NOT MISS SOUTH OF THE BORDER.
The signs are either delightfully funny, or horrendously offensive and racist--I suppose it depends on your perogative. Pedro is the mascot of South of the Border and he is supposed to be Mexican, I suppose, as he wears a huge somberero, is often seen sleeping under a cactus, and speaks in an exaggerated Spanish accent. Oi vey.
South of the Border is located, well, South of the North/South Carolina border in Dillon, SC.
This is your classic American roadside attraction. Nothing good, nothing cheap, and nothing really to write home about. But a heck of a lot of people stop here for some reason or another. There's a gift shop full of the run-of-the-mill bric-a-brac you'll find in roadside gift shops, a restaurant that is overpriced and way too liberal with the grease, and a hotel that makes me get hives just thinking about their beds. Yech.
But, hey, if you're on I-95 heading north, take a breather and stop at South of the Border. At least you'll have interesting stories to tell your friends up north about "them crazy southerners" (you may choose to use more colourful terms. It's all up to you).
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I love the Pavillion. I took my daughter there all the time when she was a wee babe and we were in MB with my parents for Shriners Conventions.
The Pavillion now, as an adult with a grown...
I love the Pavillion. I took my daughter there all the time when she was a wee babe and we were in MB with my parents for Shriners Conventions.
The Pavillion now, as an adult with a grown daughter is just as fun. I don't know...there's something almost magical about stepping through the gates and getting the whole sensation---the smell of corn dogs and elephant ears, the blinging sounds of the arcade, the sticky feel of the floor under your feet, and the unsettling wetness that is present in the seat of every ride.
But it's all fun. Even if you're not a ride-rider (like me), it's great just to walk around and see other people on the rides. To me, it's the experience that counts not just the attractions. Granted, they do have some major rides and games--it's like the county fair, only it's not open for just a week, but for nearly 6 months out of the year.
No visit to MB is complete without a stop at the Gay Dolphin (see my review on that) and the Pavillion.
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Oh my! All the time when my daughter was in school the fieldtrip of choice was to go to Carowinds. Band went to Carowinds. Cheerleaders went to Carowinds. Footballers went to Carowinds....so be...
Oh my! All the time when my daughter was in school the fieldtrip of choice was to go to Carowinds. Band went to Carowinds. Cheerleaders went to Carowinds. Footballers went to Carowinds....so be prepared to be in the park with large numbers of Middle and High Schoolers when you go to Carowinds.
It's not a bad theme-park. It's closer to us than Six Flags in Altanta is, and much closer than Disney. Expect to pay about $20 a person to get in, but keep an eye out for soda cans that have discounts on them. They're everywhere and usually can knock $5 or so off your admission price.
The rides are standard fare---some roller coasters, the ship that swings, the zoom-zoom things, the flip-u-upside down....Honestly...once you've been to one amusement park, you've been to them all.
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When the Yachtsman first opened, it was THE hotel to go to in Myrtle Beach if you wanted to impress or be impressed.
Now that MB is condo-central and is all built up, I don't know if the...
When the Yachtsman first opened, it was THE hotel to go to in Myrtle Beach if you wanted to impress or be impressed.
Now that MB is condo-central and is all built up, I don't know if the Yachtsman has the same panache it used to in years gone by, but it's a decent hotel that's right on the beach and you get what you pay for---which is, upper class, high end hotelling.
As always, the cheaper rooms face away from the water, but go during off-season (October-March) and you can get an oceanfront room for really cheap---of course, it'll be too cold to swim, but who cares? It's the YACHTSMAN!!!
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Seriously---I know alot of people who have misgivings about the Gay Dolphin just because of the name.
The Gay Dolphin (as in, "happy dolphin") has been a Myrtle Beach mainstay for as long as I...
Seriously---I know alot of people who have misgivings about the Gay Dolphin just because of the name.
The Gay Dolphin (as in, "happy dolphin") has been a Myrtle Beach mainstay for as long as I can remember.
The store is right on the "Strip" and it is HUGE. I mean "smithsonian institute" huge. Multi levels, and every single thing you never thought you needed until your kids reminded you that yes, you DO need a bag full of sea-horse skeletons, thank you.
They've got shells out the yahoo, toys, bric-a-brack...I mean, it's like trying to describe how many angels can dance on the head of a pin---> completely impossible. IMPOSSIBLE.
This is THE place to go in MB for souvenirs. They've really got something for everyone here. Gag gifts galore, monkeys made out of shells, shell monkeys sitting on shell toilets under a shell tree....I tell ya...there's gotta be a shell shortage from all the shells they have at this store BUT IT DOESN'T END AT SHELLS.
Go here. If you don't then you have not experienced Myrtle Beach.
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This is the perfect place to take your dad, or your daughter's father-in-law when you're tired of them sitting around your pad complaining about the smell of incense and the tapestries on your...
This is the perfect place to take your dad, or your daughter's father-in-law when you're tired of them sitting around your pad complaining about the smell of incense and the tapestries on your wall.
It's wall-to-wall military madness. See! the USS Yorktown! VIEW! Stuff you're not interested in if you're not a military buff.
I give this 5 stars because everyone that goes here gushes over it. I grew up in the Navy and have seen my share of ships and planes and all that hoo-haa. However, it's a decent place and I'm not going to give it low marks because I don't enjoy it. There's always kids there and families so I guess that's a good thing.
Watch out when you're on the Yorktown, though. Make sure to Step UP through the doors at the same time you DUCK DOWN. Ship doors are tiny. Six-footers, beware!!!
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As you know, Ft. Sumter was the birthplace of the Civil War, and for about $20 a person you can take a boat-ride out to Ft. Sumter and see the fort and pretend you're a yankee firing on those...
As you know, Ft. Sumter was the birthplace of the Civil War, and for about $20 a person you can take a boat-ride out to Ft. Sumter and see the fort and pretend you're a yankee firing on those ungrateful southerners. Or, you can pretend to be a rebel warrior, protecting your homeland from those yankee carpetbaggers.
Whatever your fancy, you'll sure have fun at Ft. Sumter. The grounds are kind of creepy because there's dark crumbling nooks here and there.
They say you'll have bad luck if you take any of the rock wall with you---I don't know if it's true. I think they tell you that so that 10,000,000 tourists a year don't take 10,000,000 peices of the rock wall because if that happeend, there would be no more Fort. But still. Don't take the rock wall or any other artifacts you find. Give them to the helpful people that work there so that they can put them in the museum on site and charge admission for YOU to see the nail YOU found.
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The Charleston Waterfront Park is a pretty new park as far as Charleston goes, and is situated right downtown. You can see the Yorktown, Castle Pinkney, and the new (and old) Cooper River...
The Charleston Waterfront Park is a pretty new park as far as Charleston goes, and is situated right downtown. You can see the Yorktown, Castle Pinkney, and the new (and old) Cooper River Bridges.
There is the huge pineapple fountain (pineapples are a symbol of hospitality) and the main fountain where there are always kids playing. It's okay--let them play there.
On the 'boardwalk" there are swings and a large sitting area where you can sit or fish or just look around. The park is very large and has plenty of room for you to find a peaceful spot away from everywhere else.
Beware--this is often a stop for school field-trips and pre-and-post Prom, so depending on when you go, you may be the only person there, or the only person over 18 and not wearing formal.....
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