For our final stop in South Carolina, we went to Myrtle Beach and stayed at the Myrtle Beach State Park.
The state park does have some nice amenities to it: walking trails, touristy type of shops (1 in the campground, 1 at beach), walking distance to beach. If you are staying in the park, you do not have to buy the daily park pass (as long as you have your window tag displayed).
It was very dark at night, as there were not any street lights throughout the campground. Bring a flashlight if you are taking a walk or going to the bathroom! There are signs about copperheads throughout the park. There was air noise from the airport and helicopter tours. There were a couple of airplanes that flew so low that the RV rattled.
The sites are nicely shaded, although they are long and narrow. The sites had a picnic table and fire pit (with flip down grill). The gates closed and locked at 10:00 pm, although they do give you the code. It was a very weird experience, as you have to get out of your car in the dark near the woods to unlock and open the gate, drive through, get out again to shut it. Having a keypad code for the gate would be a huge improvement. The park also states that there is no alcohol permitted in the campground or park.
The camp store had some souvenir type of items, firewood ($7.49/bundle), ice, and some drinks and ice cream.
There were several bathrooms/showers around the campground. The laundry facility wasn’t too far from our site (in loop 5). Washers and dryers were $2/load.
The beach did not close at night, so we did get a couple of nice nighttime walks in.
There was a patch program for the kids through the state park (a little like the Junior Ranger Program at the National Parks). The Nature Center was at the edge of the campground and was a nice spot to sit and watch the birds at the feeders. It was also a great spot for the kids to find lots of information for the scavenger hunts.
We did not see many animals, other than birds and squirrels in the campground. We did see some crabs, starfish, and a jellyfish at the beach. Nick and I also found shark teeth, which was lots of fun and a new experience for both of us. There were also shells to find, which is always a plus for us at a beach.
CONCLUSION:
CONS: Air noise, the gate, tightness of the campground
PROS: Walkable to beach, campfire ability, shade trees, amenities of park and campground, patch program for kids
If we were in Myrtle Beach, we would stay here again.
VIDEO: Walking Tour Myrtle Beach State Park
SUMMARY OF CAMPGROUND:
Our rating: 3.5 out of 5 hitches
Cell Phone Reception: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile
Laundry: Yes
Bathrooms/Showers: Yes
RV Sites: Back-in (dirt/sand)
Pop Up Tents/Gazebos/Outdoor Rugs On-Site: Yes
Amenities: picnic table, fire pit, playground, community grills in state park, second playground in the state park, close to beach, walking trails in state park, patch program for kids in park
Cabins: Yes (6)
Tent Camping: Yes
Full Hook-ups: Yes
Amps: 20/30/50
Pool: No, but ocean is close
Food On-Site: No
Camp Store: Yes
WiFi: Yes
Fishing: Yes (no license, but daily fee: $8/day ages 16+, $3 ages 3-15)
