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Our time in Myrtle Beach is over. The community has a very different feel from Columbia. While I didn’t explore the residential areas where the year-round residents live, I did see a lot of the tourist area. Myrtle Beach has a large tourist area. In fact, it was a little too touristy for me. We are fortunate that we passed through at the beginning of the off-season because I could easily see the traffic being unbearable during the high season.
One major advantage to traveling when no one else is: the hotels have rooms just sitting there. Due to Mr. HomeFree’s status in the Marriott Bonvoy program, he can request an upgraded room everywhere he goes. Sometimes the hotels can accommodate the request and sometimes they can’t. In this case, the Sheraton Myrtle Beach was apparently really, really under-booked because they upgraded us to the Francis Marion Presidential Suite! This was my first time in a Presidential Suite, and let me tell you, I could get used to it! Our 12th floor room had a round living room with ceilings and windows that were at least 12 feet high.
The suite faced the Atlantic Ocean so we could watch the sunrise every morning. Watching the afternoon storms roll in was kind of a thrill too.
The entire unit was two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. I think it was bigger than the apartment that we lived in last year!
In case you are curious like I was, Francis Marion fought in the Revolutionary War. He did not like the British occupation of South Carolina, and therefore, was considered a “rebel” when the revolutionary war got going. He was known for using “irregular methods” of warfare. Remember, back in that era, soldiers often lined up in a field facing each other and just started shooting. He was one of the “fathers of guerilla warfare.” My vague recollection of my high school history was that colonists learned those techniques from the Native Americans. Perhaps his fighting style contributed to his nickname as “Swamp Fox.” Anyway, good ‘ol Wikipedia says he is “credited in the lineage of the United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets.”
There is even a Francis Marion National Forest in between Myrtle Beach and Charleston. So, that’s our history lesson for today.
Typically, we have access to the concierge lounge at a lot of the hotels. During these uncertain times, hotels have closed those. They are kind enough to give us vouchers toward to-go food at their onsite restaurants. Our Myrtle Beach hotel made some delicious food!
Several mornings I ordered a full breakfast and ate half in the a.m. and half for dinner. Obviously, Mrs. HomeFree is still trying to keep an eye on the scale. I treated myself one night to garlic-parmesan wings, though. Yum!
Downside: We were not big fans of the plastic containers they used for takeout or the plastic bags each order was placed in. Other properties have given us takeout food in cardboard clamshell containers and paper bags with handles. Mother Earth has taken quite a beating in 2020, give her a break.
On one particular free day I spent some time wandering around Broadway at the Beach. This strange, tourist-driven property is what would happen if a mall and an amusement park had a baby. There is a lake (probably man-made) in the center and all the stores wrap around the shores of the lake. Two large boardwalk bridges allow visitors to traverse the lake. For example, when you realize there is a gigantic Paula Deen store/restaurant combo. on the other side, and your butter-laden arteries won’t allow you to walk the perimeter of the lake.
There is a man-cave store for Dads and, well, all the other stores for Moms. Sorry, that was sexist, but you get the idea. In an effort to make sure there is something for everyone, they added a ferris wheel and merry-go-round for kids and swan boat rides for mushy couples. That’s who romantic comedies tell me patronize swan boats, anyway.
Despite the disgustingly expensive parking, I took a (short) stroll near Myrtle Beach’s famous boardwalk one morning before it got busy. Ten dollars for two hours? Who are they kidding?
Goodbye, Myrtle Beach. Until next time. Charleston is the next stop on our Southeastern U.S. tour.
If you have suggestions of places that are worth our time in Myrtle Beach, let me know in the comments and I’ll add them to our list for next time.
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