SC lovers -- come in

mcmann05 · April 2011

I am trying to plan a family friendly vacation for fourth of July week'ish. I am torn between 3 different beaches, all in SC.

1. Myrtle Beach (been there a dozen times)

2. Edisto Island (never been but my mom loves)

3. Hilton Head (been once and loved it but can't remember how kid friendly)

Help, if you've been with kids and which you would recommend and why. By then we will have an almost 2 year old and almost 11 month old. Are we crazy for even thinking of going to the beach?

Miller238 · April 2011

I don't think you are crazy, but that weekend could be super packed considering it is a holiday weekend.

And HH is very family-friendly.

We went to Emerald Isle two years ago, and that was also very family-friendly.

Hope you are able to find something that meets your needs!

JenRose05 · April 2011

i grew up in SC so im somewhat of an expert ;P My opinion: i hate MB, love charleston, HHI and ive heard great things abt EI. we usually stay in the Isle of Palms when we go

Klmorgan83 · April 2011

We're going to Myrtle Beach in August with my parents and siblings. We'll have an almost 3 year old and a 5 month old. I haven't been there since having kids, but we went there every summer as kids and always had a good time. It's definitely a touristy place, but I think that's a good thing when you've got little kids...there's more to do to keep them entertained.

We went to Destin last summer with DS who was almost 2 at the time, it's a lot quieter of a place like Hilton Head. We went to the pool or beach during the day, but other than going to dinner there wasn't much there for him to do. There was one tiny place with little kid rides, and that was about it....at least in Myrtle Beach there are a lot more options for entertainment.

mcmann05 · April 2011

Jen, for some reason I was thinking you were from there but wasn't sure where I got that. Never thought of or looked into Emerald Isle or Isle of Palms....will have to check it out.

The only reason I was still thinking Myrtle was that there is a ton to do and I'm familiar with the location. I loved HH the one time I went so that's what I was leaning towards.

I am a little worried about how crowded it will be but that is also our wedding anniversary week. One of the kids' birthday is the week after that so that's why I was leaning away from going that week but I guess it's still an option.

Thanks ladies! At this point, I'm not even sure we'll for sure be able to take the kids (or if we'll even still have them). I just know I want a beach vacation regardless. :-)

allobosc · April 2011

We are going to MB in july with my kids and two more ages 8 and 11. We chose that location based on the commercial stuff there for the older kids and it's a little shorter drive. We got a house thru surfsiderealty.com My friend has taken her little one about the age of your oldest to HH and loved it. If it was just my house family going we would gave probably gone there instead. You can't go wrong in SC in my opinion.

KYmama9286 · April 2011

We used to do all our family vacations to Wild Dunes in the Isle of Palms and it was great! We are actually going there this summer for a big family vacation with my siblings and their families-- cant wait! This area is definitely family friendly, nice beaches, close restaurants that are tasty. FWIW my dad usually rents a house that isnt technically through the resort but rather privately rented within the area of the resort. There is usually a nice community pool for the renters to use in case you want a break from the beach.

IAM4UK · April 2011

If you want a private beach vacation and not the commericalized spots, I would recommend Kiawah Island in SC. It's right outside of Charleston. LOVE LOVE LOVE it there.

It's a private island so only the people who live there and renting out vacation places are allowed on. No public access.

The beaches aren't crowded, they have daily activities for the kids in their park centers. We went last year with Katie and she LOVED it and she was 2.5 years old. They have concerts, ice cream socials, arts & crafts, etc.

The mode of transportation around the island is bikes. You can rent them while you are down there with child trailers as well to get around. It's really a great spot.

It's close the Charleston (about a 30 minute car ride), so we went into the city one day. Toured their acquarium, walked around downtown, etc. It was great.

mcmann05 · April 2011

IAM4UK:

If you want a private beach vacation and not the commericalized spots, I would recommend Kiawah Island in SC. It's right outside of Charleston. LOVE LOVE LOVE it there.

It's a private island so only the people who live there and renting out vacation places are allowed on. No public access.

The beaches aren't crowded, they have daily activities for the kids in their park centers. We went last year with Katie and she LOVED it and she was 2.5 years old. They have concerts, ice cream socials, arts & crafts, etc.

The mode of transportation around the island is bikes. You can rent them while you are down there with child trailers as well to get around. It's really a great spot.

It's close the Charleston (about a 30 minute car ride), so we went into the city one day. Toured their acquarium, walked around downtown, etc. It was great.

I LOVE Charleston so I'll have to look into that. Thanks!

buckeyethor · April 2011

Ditto Iam4UK. We went to Seabrook Island last summer (it is right off Kiawah). It was amazing. Both are private islands so our experience was similar. The beach clubs are amazing and the beaches are not crowded at all. We did a lot of our shopping on Kiawah (they are a mile apart). We went into Charleston multiple days to shop and sightsee. We walked the beautiful streets and shops. Oh man, Charleston is just gorgeous. We let the husbands take us to the USS Yorktown there and toured that for them. They are big into the sea turtle nests on the islands so we were super lucky to get to see a nest of baby turtles go from the nest back to the ocean. It was such an amazing experience. The sea turtles are endangered so they have to inventory the nests and such.

Audrey was 17 months and our friend's son was 13 months. They both did great. We had low expectations of some things. We knew we would have a few rough dinners. That was so nice about renting a house instead of being at a hotel. We were able to relax during naps and cook some familiar food for them when they needed a break from the sightseeing. We took them to the beach and the pool but just kept in mind that their schedule was going to dictate our week. We didn't expect to be at the beach all day, just a couple hours at a time. The adults just relaxed, watched tv, read books while the kids napped. It was a great vacation.

mcmann05 · April 2011

Ohh seeing the sea turtles would be such a neat experience for us and them! I want them to see the world while they are with us and just hope that they remember something about it. :-)

buckeyethor · April 2011

A local directed us to the website where they keep a list of the nests and which they are checking each morning. I think they lay eggs in early spring and hatch in summer.

https://www.kiawahturtles.com/Turtle%20Patrol/TurtlePatrol.htm

https://www.siturtlepatrol.com/

mcmann05 · April 2011

buckeyethor:

A local directed us to the website where they keep a list of the nests and which they are checking each morning. I think they lay eggs in early spring and hatch in summer.

https://www.kiawahturtles.com/Turtle%20Patrol/TurtlePatrol.htm

https://www.siturtlepatrol.com/

Awww great, thanks!