Myrtle Beach Message Board

My husband and I have been visiting Myrtle Beach every summer since we started dating....16 years ago. We have our vacation traditions and routines like every other Myrtle Beach regular. However, this year we have a new addition coming along with us. Our daughter will be 18 months old and this will be our first major road trip/vacation with her. The drive from WV with the two of us typically takes about 8 hours. Any tips on how to keep her entertained on the drive? We have thought about leaving the night before and spending the night half way. In my past experience though that seems to make the drive feel even longer. Thoughts?

Also, any tips for our stay at the beach? What are some things you more experienced parents like to do with the little kids? My husband and I typically stay up late to enjoy the hot tub with adult beverages. We then sleep late and/or nap during the day. It is def going to be a change of pace for us. Any thoughts would be helpful.

If the baby sleeps pretty good through the night , I would try to leave really early in the morning. If you can leave at 3 or 4 a.m then you might get lucky and get four hours of road time in before wake time. We have tried splitting it up in two days but all it usually turns into is a two hour late evening nap due to the car ride, and then a wired child at the hotel that wants to stay up until 2 a.m.. The other chance you take on splitting it up is two four hour trips with the kid awake the whole time.

We have tried it both ways and the super early leave time seemed to work best. Even now with the kids older they still prefer it that way. They like to sleep to make the trip seem faster.

The car DVD player always worked for us when the kids were little and still does to this day. Disney has some different sing along DVD's or maybe a few of her favorite show or characters?

When our kids were that age, we always enjoyed nap time in the afternoon. We would put our girls down for a nap and enjoy some time on the balcony watching people on the beach and in the ocean. Sometimes we would alternate going up for the nap with the other person staying on the beach.

We would have an umbrella on the beach for shade. We brought plenty of beach toys.

We brought a stroller for Broadway at the Beach and went there several times during the course of the stay. The Children's Museum is a fun rainy day activity.

You will have a great time!

Thanks for the tips! Especially for the insight on what time to leave. Leaving super early does sound like a good idea. Fingers crossed she goes back to sleep though! Currently, she is a little wild and sleep is not her thing! Maybe in six months she will learn that sleep is her friend!

I trying to remember how we traveled when the kids were under 2 years old. Way back in those days we flew to MB most of the time. Once the kids got older my wife would fly with the youngest and I would drive with the older boys. I feel music DVD's would be your best bet. Once they are a bit older movies and video games would be all you will need.

On the beach we used a small kids tent as a place for them to take naps. The waves are tyically too rough for the little ones so we tried to find tidal pools for them to splash around in. We also stayed at places which had lazy rivers in the pool areas.

I miss those times when all my kids still ate off of the kids menu.

Enjoy it while you can. Time flies when your having fun.

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All but once on Shore Drive

Congrats on your first Beach Baby trip!!! We have been going to myrtle at least once a year since our kids were about one and three!!( they are 24 and 22, now) Its an 11 hour drive for us! In the beginning we did do it in two days but quickly changed to one day. 8 hours is possible, long, but it may be easier then having to stop and unload everything into the hotel...

As far as enroute entertainment...I would always have lots of snacks and prizes. I would start eating happy meal a few months before out trip just to get lots of happy meal toys. I would wrap them in tissue paper and plan a new on every hour! On the 1/2 hours I would have some small snack for them. It was fun and they knew there was always something coming!! The other thing my kids liked was colorforms on the windows. Colorforms arent as popular as they used to be but you can still find them. Look for something with lots of large pieces. My kids would love to stick them on the windows!!! Of course the dvds are great. But I think changing things up make the ride a little more fun!!

You are doing great to start traveling early. The more fun you make it the better. Your kids can become good little travelers! Remember, they will feed off of your attitude. If you dread the drive they will too. Make the journey a part of vacation!!

Make sure your go to Waccatee Zoo. Its fun for kids...my "kids" still like to go. Keep your daily expectations low...dont over plan, it will just frustrate everyone!!! We always went in the winter so I cant help with beach ideas!!

Have fun!!!

I will add that a rule we have is that we try not to stop until the little one wakes up. We once made it all the way to Columbia SC (5 hours) . We will pay the extra dime for fuel if it means the baby sleeping a couple of more hours. A stopped car underneath the bright lights of gas pump overhang is a sure way to wake someone. If you do have to use the bathroom rest areas or maybe stopping at a station and avoiding the fill up and lights might keep them asleep.