Myrtle Beach Archives - 'lil Burghers

Vacation Myrtle Beach – Condo Giveaway

This post contains information shared to ‘lil Burghers through our partnership with US Family Guide. They’ve teamed up with Vaction Myrtle Beach to get the word out about their “Great Myrtle Beach Condo Giveaway Contest” and asked that I’d share with yinz. All opinions are 100% my own.

A rainy Pittsburgh day always makes me miss the beach and today was no exception. It might not have helped that I got some awesome news to share with you from our friends at US Family Guide. They’re partnering with Vacation Myrtle Beach (aka one of our favorite travel destinations, the place Greg and I fell in love, and our “2nd home) and want to get the word out about a current contest they are running. Of course I wasn’t going to think twice about sharing them with you – this is a big YES in my book! Check out all the details and then be sure to enter to win.

The Great Myrtle Beach Condo Giveaway Contest

Vacation Myrtle Beach is Giving Away an Oceanfront Condo, valued at nearly $100,000 (or $50,000 CASH, winner’s choice)!!! One lucky winner will own this condo (this is not a timeshare).
Win this beautiful Oceanfront Condo and Change Your Life! Vacation Myrtle Beach, one of the largest providers of family vacation accommodations in Myrtle Beach, SC, is pleased to announce the launch of The Great Myrtle Beach Condo Giveaway contest, which features the grand prize of a furnished oceanfront condo at The Caravelle Resort located in Myrtle Beach, SC, valued at nearly $100,000 (or $50,000 CASH, winner’s choice)!!! One lucky winner will own this condo (this is not a timeshare). Other lucky winners will receive a 7-night stay or a 3-night stay at one of Vacation Myrtle Beach’s oceanfront properties.

The newly renovated, oceanfront efficiency condo offers room for up to four guests and includes a fully-equipped kitchen. In addition to its prime Myrtle Beach location, the resort provides convenient access to all of the area’s major attractions, restaurants, and things to do. Families and couples enjoy a wide variety of on-site amenities including an indoor pool, a block-long poolscape complete with a large pool, whirlpool, lazy river, kiddie lazy river, kids’ pool, poolside bar, and plenty of relaxing deck options. In addition to everything you need for fun in the sun, the resort offers an array of dining options as well as an opportunity for rejuvenation and relaxation at its on-site spa.

The Great Myrtle Beach Condo Giveaway sweepstakes is now open for entries.

To enter or for Official Rules and more information about Vacation Myrtle Beach properties and deals, please here: https://woobox.com/hsfeoo?source=usfam
Source: US Family Guide & Vacation Myrtle Beach

Wowza, right? Now if that isn’t a contest to be sure to enter, I don’t know what is. All the sweet tea, sun, sand, and surf you could ever want in one place. Sounds amazing to me. Now as much as we love yinz, what are ya still doing here? Head over to enter today!

Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center

It is always fun to find something new in a place that is familiar. Greg and I got to take in a date and do just that at the Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center while we were vacationing in his hometown of Myrtle Beach. Since Myrtle is a popular travel destination for Burghers, we teamed up with the museum and US Family Guide to tell you more about the experience. (We were provided tickets to this venue in exchange for our honest thoughts. All opinions are 100% our own.)

When you walk into the Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center, there is no doubt in your mind that you are about to have an amazing time. If the gigantic King Kong doesn’t scream that, I don’t know what fun is! You can get your photo taken inside King Kong’s arms, we didn’t end up buying our photo and now I have remorse!

First Up: Hollywood Wax Museum

There are three experiences to choose from (but your best deal is to enjoy all three). We started with the Wax Museum because it was right there on the entry level. (Note, all floors are handicapped accessible, but the downstairs experiences are not exactly accessible, more on that later.)

Between two floors you will find many popular stars from movies, music, and pop culture. I encourage you to take photos with the figures and enjoy the prop stations that make selfies and photo shoots super fun. Greg and I had a blast and had the luck to go in the middle of a weekday so had much of the experience to ourselves. (It took us so long to get through that one of the employees joked that they thought they’d lost us!) Take your time, read the stories about the icons, and most of all, have fun!

This isn’t Greg’s street wear, enjoy the props!

ben affleck wax figure — I had no idea Ben Affleck was so tall!

vin diesel wax figure — We’re huge Fast and Furious fans so this…YES.

Reese Witherspoon wax museum — So I am pretty sure her pink heels were something I donated to Goodwill before I moved away. I SO had those shoes!

Once you have gone through all of the figures, take your add on tickets and have some fun downstairs!

Outbreak – Dread the Undead

I have no pictures of this experience (they ask you to turn off your phone) but some funny memories. You see, I am a jumpy person and walking through this zombie outbreak experience definitely was a good level of thrills that made me jump. I mostly laughed, nothing was scary but it was fairly realistic and fun. Would I have done this as an experience by itself, no, but it was definitely worth the laughs.

Parent Tip: Do this one on your own or with your teens. My kids would have been frightened!

Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors

Mirror mazes are super tough! Greg and I were on a mission to save a princess trapped in the mirror maze and if it had been our own kid I think we might have failed. Eek. This was a good level of fun and trickery – we got lost more than once. I wish it was timed so we could have seen how we stacked up against others (because I’m competitive).

Parent Tip: The teens might not enjoy this but your toddlers might be too little and bump into the mirrors. Do this with your elementary/middle school kiddos!

Experience the Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center

Located at 21st Avenue North and Highway 17 Bypass, Myrtle Beach’s Hollywood Wax Museum is a can’t miss building – there’s a giant ape climbing on it. My Readers receive $2 OFF ALL ACCESS PASS at the Myrtle Beach Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center when purchased here.

Myrtle Beach’s Hollywood Wax Museum

Disclaimer: I was provided with information about Myrtle Beach’s Hollywood Wax Museum through US Family Guide in order to write this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center – Myrtle Beach

If you love to travel with family, I’m willing to bet that Myrtle Beach is on your list. My husband grew up there, we met there, Arianna was born there…so while it holds a special place in our hearts, we truly love vacationing there too.

One of the things that have changed since we left (and last visited) is the introduction of the Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center. US Family Guide sent me some information on this complex and I’m thinking a visit is in order while we’re there:

The Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center is the best value in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. When was the last time you walked the red carpet with an A-List star or stepped into the spotlight with Hollywood royalty? At the Hollywood Wax Museum, you’ll get the chance to pose with your favorites while learning about their pets, pet peeves and accomplishments. Bring your adoring fans (friends & family) for fun photo ops! Are You the Chosen One? Find your way through the hidden corridors and save Princess Hannah in Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors. You’ll need to make your way through 288 potential turns among hundreds of mirrored walls and archways while enjoying other surprises along the way. It’s a modern-day fairy tale, where you’ll get lost and come out smiling! And finally, in Outbreak, you must stop a worldwide viral attack. Chemacorp might mean well with Alpha Strain, but the gene-altering substance turns humans into zombies. Shriek your way through the ransacked lab and rotting basement where zombie infection is rampant and aerosol attacks are unpredictable. Contain your fear? No way!

Located at 21st Avenue North and Highway 17 Bypass, Myrtle Beach’s Hollywood Wax Museum is a can’t miss building – there’s a giant ape climbing on it! Inside you’ll find:

Hollywood Wax Museum
Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors
Outbreak – Dread the Undead

Myrtle Beach's Hollywood Wax Museum

My Readers receive $2 OFF ALL ACCESS PASS at the Myrtle Beach Hollywood Wax Museum Entertainment Center when purchased here.

Have you ever experienced this entertainment center? What did you think? I’m excited to snap a few pictures with my favorite celebs like The Rock…I think I’ll need my latest Half Marathon medal on me though, right?

Girls Week 2014

Last week, I got the chance to bring my best friend to the Resting Place to join me for Girls Week 2014. Our time was all too short, so now I am going to whine a bit. You know how I do.

Missy and I left her house at 6:00 PM last Friday after I pulled out of work at 4. We had a full tank of gas, cds that were with us in high school, and high energy. We were trying really hard to beat the snow to Holidaysburg, a crazy hilly area in PA. At the outskirts of Indiana, it was clear it wasn’t happening.

Snow kept us on the road and in PA much longer than we should have been. Five and a half hours later, we got to the Maryland border. 12 hours later, we were 141 miles away from South Carolina and had nothing left in the gas tank or us. It was time to get a hotel and nap. But nap we really couldn’t. We left a little after 10, amped on bad hotel coffee, and had high hopes of getting to the Resting Place at 1:00. My turn signal had other plans.

And the mass-merchandiser where we stopped to get help made 30 minutes turn into an hour and a half. I was exhausted, irritated, and in desperate need of CUSTOMER SERVICE. They were not giving.

24 hours after leaving my office, we rolled into Conway and grabbed a car wash. I wanted to run, but thought I lost my inhaler. I was not so happy and ended up crying in the Walgreens wine aisle 45 minutes later. Armed with frozen beverages and photos, we pulled into the beach house 25 hours after I left Pittsburgh.

The “weekend” involved a few fun games of Quelf, Suzie’s Thirty-One party (thank you!), and the Favorite Things shared between us (another post — I’ve never cried like I did over amazing people I met). Missy and I met Dustin for a tear filled church service (Christ UMC in Myrtle is WHERE IT IS AT). On Monday, I got to do yoga then join my cousins and Missy for a day at Barefoot Landing.

Missy, Me, Jess, and Ella enjoying a fun moment at Carolina Winery

When we got home and grabbed a snack, I digested Greg’s text that essentially said, “DC is going to SUCK to drive through” and we opted to hit the road and get home. 14 hours and very tired eyes later, we made it back to my house.

The trip was all too quick, but it reminded me of one of those youth group retreat weekends. Faith, fellowship, good food, activities. And even better? Amazing women to have shared it with. I have to say – these ladies saw me at the tiredest I’ve probably ever been, and still heart me. For that, I am thankful.

And Missy, I can’t wait for you to join us again. No is not an option.

WonderWorks (Myrtle Beach)

About six years ago, someone (who worked in construction) showed me a photo of a job he was about to start work on. It was an upside down house, but he couldn’t tell me more about it because it was “top secret”. Well, it was one of Myrtle Beach’s newer attractions, Wonderworks, and my family and I finally took the time to visit it last week.

First of all, if we hadn’t bought a “Playcation” pass (which got us into several attractions), I would not have thought twice about paying the admission rate ($22.99) because “it’s just a house”. Second of all, I would have been sorely wrong to have made that decision. The price is NOTHING compared to the value you get for going, let me tell you. Pay it. Package it up. I don’t care. Just do it.

It doesn’t matter if you have young kids (talking 2+ here), tweens, teens, or no kids at all. We had a blast and I’ll definitely be going back.

For Evan (3), there were plenty of bubbles to go around. And around. And around. He probably spent thirty minutes in this area (although he liked other attractions such as the basketball arcade-style game) making bubble after bubble with Grandma.

And our five-year-old Arianna simply loved it all. Of course, there were some things over her head science-wise, but she touched, pushed, stepped, rode, and did every thing she could. Not being 42 inches, she had a minor pout-down over not being able to ride a virtual ride, but there’s always next time.

Us adults probably had the most fun. Imagine being a kid in an arcade and not needing tokens. That’s exactly what it was like. Virtual rides, sports simulators, interactive games, bed of nails, ropes course…it was all free with admission. Besides mildly freaking out on the ropes course (I did four obstacles then QUIT), I had a great night.

(I would have been on this with him, but our combined weight is over the weight limit – darn!)

If Greg and I still lived in Myrtle Beach, it would definitely be a date destination. We could have “played” for hours!

With over 100 attractions, there surely is something for everyone. If you’re traveling to Myrtle Beach (or any of the other locations with a WonderWorks), definitely include this on your to-do list. You can read more on their website: http://www.wonderworksonline.com

Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored by WonderWorks. I decided to write about our experience after we enjoyed it like we did. When I can’t pull Greg away, it’s definitely worth a review! 😉

His Calling: Hammock Making

After a quick demonstration from Marvin at the Pawleys Island Hammock Shops, Greg got to work making “gifts” to give to the kids, Aliyyah, Jess, and Ella. Perhaps he’s found his calling in hammock making?

If you’re ever traveling in the Myrtle Beach area, take a trip to the Pawleys Island Hammock Shops. You’ll find Marvin in his shop outside the Original Hammock Shop where he creates all of his masterpieces.

And just in case Greg’s not going to learn to make me one, he can take a hint that something like this would be something I’d like, you know, someday. 🙂 Life is better in a swing, don’t you agree?

Disclaimer: We traveled to and visited Myrtle Beach and the Shops on our own; however, this blog does include affiliate links which help us take a family of six on trips like this! All opinions are my own.

Where I Connect

BlogHer July NaBloPoMo — BlogHer.com July NaBloPoMo

This post is brought to you by the NaBloPoMo July prompts from BlogHer. This month, I am writing about connections.

Today’s Prompt: Where is your favorite place to connect with friends?

I have a sacred place, do you? My sacred place has always been Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And before any of you Myrtle Manor haters start laughing at me, just listen. (Because I’ll get to where my favorite place is to connect with friends, and it’s related.)

Myrtle Beach is the place where:

My best friend Wendy went for her Make-A-Wish trip, a place she and I always talked about visiting…and then I couldn’t go because I was in the musical that was opening at the same time as that trip.
My grandparents lived for 20 years, moving there right after I was born.
My mom taught me about family fights and how we really do love each other even if we don’t see eye to eye. I’ll always remember the time that we were in town (without my dad, he was working) for about a day and then had to leave almost immediately–mom drove all night back to PA, alone and with two kids with sunburns all because she was standing up for something she believes in (GO MOM). Or the time that Dad drove us up and down 17, all the way to North Carolina and down to Litchfield, not one of us talking until one of us (probably Mom) broke and we all cried and apologized…way to be teenagers. Or the time we walked Huntington Beach up and down, again because Jack and I were being bratty teens. Mom’s strength and love for my Dad and our family always showed.
My first adult jobs were–Call Center Training Manager, Interior Design Assistant, and Teacher.
My finger was broken, my body and brain scarred by someone I thought I was in love with, lessons were learned.
My daughter was born, healing my shattered, broken heart.
My husband and I met and fell in love.
My in-laws live, where they raised the love of my life.
My friends and I retreat every year, bringing our busy lives back to moments of sanity.

Now that you’ve let me pour my heart out, it’s time to talk about the place where go to connect, a beach house south of Myrtle in North Litchfield, The Resting Place.

Come, have a sip of your favorite coffee and see why I love it, and why my friends and I come here year after year to connect with each other, with ourselves, and with the ocean.

Some of us come to scrapbook or paper craft. I come to take over a closet and set lofty goals for myself. I have to drive because I bring so much stuff, and I bring most of it back (because I spend most of my budget while there on supplies from A.C. Moore and boutique scrap shops).

There’s amazing food, and we all pitch in. A bottle or two of wine just might be enjoyed, too.

We’ve picked up yoga. There have always been beach walks and finding souvenirs, or in the case of Chuck a friend we had to send back to the ocean (and then he became my tattoo).

This year, we added a painting class, and I got to connect with a dear friend, too.

I love this place, I love these ladies, and I cannot wait to get back there. September, you cannot come soon enough. (BTW, want to see what we are up to this year? Check out our Pinterest board.)

Tie Dye

One of the things I really loved about our recent vacation is that the resort had tons of activities scheduled throughout the week. There wasn’t time to do everything (like making candles or salt scrubs, taking a cooking class, or playing Wii), but we sure loved the things that we got to do.

Our ‘lil artist had a great time dying his tie dye shirt, the giggles!

We didn’t realize that we’d have to wait 24 hours for the dye to soak into the shirts and then rinse, wash, and dry them, but they were ready to go just before we headed out. This was perfect timing for us to snap a photo in front of the resort at what Arianna called “The Lightning House”.

They look great!

Ten Years for Mr. Burgher

Last week our family traveled back to Myrtle Beach to vacation with my family and attend Greg’s 10 year High School Reunion. We went to part of the Carolina Forest football game (but left at halftime after we could barely hear the announcement of their attendance) then over to Handley’s for some hanging out. It was nice to meet Greg’s friends from “back when” and learn that there are Pittsburgh Steelers fans everywhere. 🙂

Pumpkin Patch

The kids made their best attempt to cooperate with me for a pumpkin patch photo opportunity at Brookgreen Gardens…I sort of can’t blame them, I hate hay very much myself.