So this is Myrtle Beach...

 Myrtle Beach.  It's a beach that everyone has heard of and much of the nation travels to for vacation.  When we came across a groupon/living social deal for a hotel just off the beach, we figured we'd check it out, too.  We needed a beach excursion with sunny skies and May 1-2 were bound to be great weather, right?


Not so much.

I felt the warmth of the sun on my skin for all of 10 seconds.  I did put on a swimsuit this trip, just out of principle but I was much more comfortable with my jacket on.  Even though it was overcast and windy, at least it didn't rain.  Also, it was mid-week (and cold), so there really weren't hardly any people around, which was nice.

So let's talk about Myrtle Beach.  It is basically Pigeon Forge on the beach:  Pancake houses, mini-golf courses (known as putt-putt here in the South), and dinner theaters + beach and boardwalk.  There are some fun things about having a boardwalk with ice cream shops and such nearby, but all-in-all, it's not my beach of choice.  I prefer to see only beach and maybe some lovely beach houses along the coast rather than tall (not super pretty) hotels; I prefer to hear only the crashing waves and ocean birds rather than the music from bars and the screams from those riding the nearby catapult.  So while Myrtle Beach is not our favorite beach, being at the beach is still a good time.  We played in the sand, jogged and walked along the shore, and tried to keep Emmett from getting knocked over by waves.  And it is certain that we will be going back since this girl is moving to Conway, SC (just 10 minutes from Myrtle) this summer and we are determined to see each other at least every other month. 

Our hotel was just across the road from the beach.  It conveniently had a little kitchenette and we could eat most meals in (which was great since we weren't successful in finding phenomenal food).  It also had a hot tub, which we used multiple times a day. During one of our hot-tubbing sessions, we facetimed with the Schmutz fam as Kent opened his mission call--Lansing, Michigan!  We're so excited for him.

Despite our research, we did not have great food experiences this time around.  Someone from work (a patient on pain killers) had told Clark that Hamburger Joe's was a great burger joint.  An article I read confirmed the recommendation, so we checked it out.  And...it was pretty awful.  We had some okay bbq at the Twisted Pig and went on a completely unsuccessful wild goose chase trying to find Britt's donuts.  We are really hoping that once Hil and C move there, they will be able to find the hidden food gems of the area.

We ordered a ton of food--wings, ribs, pulled pork.  Some of it was pretty good, some not so much, but far better than the burger joint. 

It's always an adventure sleeping with Emmett in a hotel room.  We put the mattress from the second bed on it's side to create a partition between us and his pack 'n play. 

Not sure what to think when he does this.

Since the forecast wasn't promising improved beach weather, on our last day we ventured to Brookgreen Gardens.  There are expansive gardens full of all kinds of sculptures. 

It also has a small native animals zoo which was much cooler than I expected it to be.  The marshlands aviary was really truly awesome.  There were tons of birds (large ones!) all around and flying across the walk way. We also saw otters, owls, eagles, foxes and others.

The alligators in the zoo exhibit weren't anywhere to be seen, but we did see one near one of the ponds in the gardens.