Homeschooling Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

One of the handful of campground reservations I made in advance of our 50 States Tour was at Myrtle Beach State Campground in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  One snowy night in January, just after deciding that I was definitely going to see the USA with my kids, I stayed up the entire night researching destinations because I was too excited to sleep.  Sometime before the sun came up, I booked several days at Myrtle Beach State Campground, figuring a little sunshine and beach time in April would be an instant mood lifter. TripAdvisor and Google reviews gave the campground high marks for family friendliness.

The campground was indeed family friendly.  I choose a site right near a great play structure (site 199), that had a fire pit, table, perfect trees for hanging a hammock, and plenty of room for my 31′ Class C to fit.  The beautiful beach was only a few minutes walk from our campsite, and the campground store, laundry facilities, nature/activities center, pier (ice cream and kid fishing), walking trails, and boardwalk were all easily within reach for little kid legs.  Safety patrol regularly did park rounds.

The kids participated in the Myrtle Beach Junior Ranger program and each earned a badge, after attending kid-friendly nature classes at the campground and completing an extensive and educational scavenger hunt around the State Park. They learned about the effects of salt spray on trees, maritime forests, Carolina birds and nests, beach pollution, sharks, and snakes in South Carolina.  They honed their smores’ making and veggie dog roasting skills.  They spent hours riding bikes, running, and walking around the campground and trails, running on the beach, jumping waves, and playing in the sand.  They played with lots of kids most nights until almost dark at the playground adjacent to our site.  They played legos outside, under our IKEA garland star lit awning at night until they were practically falling asleep on the ground from the day’s adventures.

 

 

Though I loved Myrtle Beach State Campground, I didn’t come close to falling in love with Myrtle Beach, the city, itself. By the way, we stayed one night at the Myrtle Beach KOA before the start of our Rez at the State Campground.  That campground has a nice inflatable bouncy and waterpark for kids, and is near the city strip, but I was so happy we had our beach campground reservation for the majority of our time in Myrtle Beach (plus the sites seemed much roomier at the State Campground).  In the city though, I did love the gluten free pizza at Mellow Mushroom, and the kids’ loved playing mini golf at one of the many mini golf parks, as well as our two visits to Sonic for ice cream (ice cream always tastes better when it’s served by someone wearing roller skates).

Many campgrounds into our tour, Myrtle Beach remains as my favorite campground so far, and my kids’ favorite campground–the perfect place for homeschool fun, learning, play, and family camping memories.