Carolina coasts offer choices for families
Rick McDaniel • Citizen-Times correspondent
For a lot of families, summertime means at least one trip to the beach. North and South Carolina have more than 500 miles of coastline, so finding a spot to rest your beach chair shouldn’t be a problem. But where are the best beaches for families?
Both Carolinas have beaches that stand out for their gentle waves, family-oriented restaurants and activities. Here are some of the best beaches in the Carolinas to take kids:
Wrightsville Beach
A few minutes drive from Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach offers gentle surf, clean sand and a gentle slope to the water for toddlers. There are closely spaced lifeguard towers and regular beach patrols. Be aware that the parking meters are regularly patrolled, too. This won’t be a problem, however, if you’re staying at Wrightsville, as your parking should be included.
Room rates: PriceLine.com lists room rates at Wrightsville Beach from $59 per night for a hotel in nearby Wilmington to $266 for a beachfront resort.
Attractions and activities: Surf fishing gear can be rented at several piers. Nature trails and shelling at nearby Shell Island are also popular, along with bird watching. Wilmington offers a children’s museum and the World War II battleship USS North Carolina. Also in Wilmington, boat rides are offered on the Cape Fear River. The downtown waterfront is an interesting place for an evening stroll.
Eating out: Dining at Wrightsville Beach is somewhat limited and generally expensive. Wilmington has a variety of restaurants, from independently owned ones to major chains.
Ocean Isle and Sunset Beach
These beaches, located on the North Carolina-South Carolina line, are family-friendly and have gently sloping beachfronts without sharp drop-offs. The surf is gentle except at high tide.
Room rates: PriceLine.com lists Ocean Isle-Sunset Beach rates from $49 per night in nearby Shallotte to $123 for an oceanfront hotel.
Attractions and activities: Area attractions include nature walks to see sea turtles, a planetarium and the Museum of Coastal Carolina.
Eating out: There are several family-style restaurants just off the island at the Sunset Beach Bridge. Calabash, home of “Calabash-style seafood,” is about a 10-minute drive from Sunset Beach and offers a number of additional restaurants.
Myrtle Beach, S.C.
South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach has been one of the favorite destinations for Western North Carolina beach goers for generations. If you don’t mind the crowds, you’ll hit the jackpot in terms of room rates, restaurants and activities and attractions. The beach itself is family-friendly, and there will be lots of other kids for yours to play with.
Room rates: PriceLine.com lists a range from $59 per night for a hotel in the heart of downtown to $194 per night for an oceanfront condominium. Oceanfront hotels start at $90 per night.
Attractions and activities: Myrtle Beach probably has more amusement park attractions and activities than any other Carolina beach. Offerings also range from miniature golf to museums, and from dinner theater to a large, impressive aquarium. There’s also the Broadway at the Beach mega-shopping spot and a Hard Rock Café. And don’t forget the fishing piers.
Eating out: Myrtle Beach has everything from fast-food chains to fine dining. For a good meal on the cheap, check out Peach’s Corner, 900 N. Ocean Blvd., across from what used to be the Pavilion. Known as Peachy’s to the locals, this Myrtle Beach landmark has served up burgers, fried catfish and corndogs for decades.
Isle of Palms, S.C.
This beach near Charleston, S.C., offers gentle waves on a long, gently sloping beach. Public changing rooms and restrooms are clean and well-maintained. But day visitors need to be vigilant about parking meters or pay to go in a lot.
Room rates: PriceLine.com lists rates from $84 per night for a hotel in the historic district of nearby Charleston to $305 per night for an oceanfront hotel.
Attractions and activities: Nearby Charleston offers everything from museums to historic sites. You can catch a carriage ride between them. Between Isle of Palms and downtown Charleston is Mount Pleasant and Patriots Point, a maritime museum built around the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown.
There’s also an aquarium on the waterfront in Charleston. Or stroll along Waterfront Park in Charleston’s historic district to find a large splash fountain designed for tykes to frolic in to cool off. It’s free. Another option for family fun: Boat rides around the harbor.
Eating out: There are several locally owned restaurants and sandwich shops on the beach. Mount Pleasant has several good seafood restaurants in addition to the usual chains. In Charleston itself, you’ll need to shop around for an affordable restaurant, if you’re on a budget.
Getting there
North Carolina beaches: If you’re heading to Wrightsville, Ocean Isle or Sunset, you can take U.S. 74 to Wilmington, then get on U.S. 17, which runs along the coast of North and South Carolina. An alternate is to take Interstate 26 to Columbia, S.C., then Interstate 20 to Interstate 95, which will take you to U.S. 74. This route is a little longer in distance, but saves time by avoiding a lot of small towns along the way. Either route will take about
five and a half to six hours.
Myrtle Beach, S.C.: Take I-26 to I-20 in Columbia, S.C. Take I-20 to S.C. 576 to U.S. 501. This takes you to S.C. 15 and finally to U.S. 17 in Myrtle Beach. Estimated driving time is five hours even.
Isle of Palms, S.C.: Take I-26 until it ends in Charleston, and then take U.S. 17 to Isle of Palms. Or, take I-26 to I-526 east to U.S. 17. Then take the Isle of Palms Connector over to the beach. Estimated driving time is four hours and 15 minutes.
Surf before you drive
With gas prices getting higher, some travel sites are offering incentives for summer travelers. Check online booking sites like PriceLine, Travelocity and Hotels.com, as well as beach area visitors bureaus for travel incentives such as special room rates and even gas vouchers.
Read more at Citizen Times
Rick McDaniel is a freelance writer.
E-mail him at southerncooking@charter.net.
