December 25, 2024 • 13 mins
Not sure what to include in your Myrtle Beach itinerary? Dive into Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with local insider Darley Newman as she blends nostalgia with fresh finds. From exploring the serene maritime forest at Myrtle Beach State Park with Ranger Ann Wilson to indulging in southern charm at The Ellie Beach Resort, Darley highlights the best spots for nature, dining, and family fun. Celebrate birthdays in style at The Hangout, Broadway at the Beach's vibrant restaurant complete with dancing, cocktails, and a two-story slide. For more Myrtle Beach dining, indulge in sweet creations at The Dolly Lama and delicious oysters at 1229 Shine. Whether you're planning your next trip or just dreaming of the coast, this episode brings Myrtle Beach to life with stories, tips, and authentic local connections.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Planning a trip to the beach?
(00:02):
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has more than 60 miles of sandy beaches to explore,
thousands of restaurants, and a whole lot of hotels,
but with all these options, planning a trip to the beach may seem overwhelming.
Let me help you out.
I grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and I'm excited to share some of my favorite
classic locations mixed in with new locales I've recently tested out on a trip home for the holidays.
(00:27):
This podcast combines those retro and new flavors to share travel tips that take you on location
to experience places I recommend you seek out on your adventures along the Grand Strand.
From a surprising nature escape, to where to celebrate special occasions, like birthdays,
to delightful dining and dessert. Let's dive into Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
(00:49):
It's the Travels with Darley podcast, where traveling with locals means you get an authentic
take on a location and truly learn something new.
I'm starting at Myrtle Beach State Park with ranger Ann Wilson.
You drive off of the main highway and you come into this beautiful maritime forest.
(01:14):
Maritime forest. And it's unexpected when you're seeing mini-golf courses and pancake houses
and it's like a little oasis. It is a little oasis and what I love about it is we are the only
maritime forest in Horry County that's open on a daily basis to the public. Yes, you do have to,
(01:35):
you know, charge an admission fee to get in but there's no other maritime forest directly on the beach
that you can access as a citizen day in and day out. There's two other places but you have to
have special permission to get into them and so this place is so valuable even though it's tiny, you know,
we need that respite. We need that for our mind, body and soul. You mentioned it's small. What is the
(01:57):
size of the park? So Myrtle Beach State Park, it's a small 312-acre park with one to two million visitors
a year and we were the first state park in South Carolina to open in 1936. What are some things that
people enjoy doing when they come to this state park? What I have found through the years is everybody
(02:19):
has their pockets of the park, you know, some go to camp and they stay a lot in the campground and
probably walk the same path to the beach. We have our people that come in at 6am, go to the same
parking spot, get their dog on a leash, walk to the beach, walk, come back. Fishing from the pier,
there's sunset strolls, there's the camping, taking walks in the woods. I've been here a long time
(02:42):
and now and about the last five years, I'm having people that came as kids to the programs I taught, and they're now,
they're now coming back with their kids or I've graduated college or I'm getting my masters and so
they're bringing, you know, the second generation is coming back that I have seen. That's pretty
(03:02):
cool to be a part of their memories. Ann is making me tear up a little. I can see that being a part of
this park and this community over the years has meant so much to her and I love that because
isn't it all what we want in life to find purpose in what we do, how we live and who we interact with?
She's affecting lives upon lives here and that's a treasure that not everyone thinks about when they see
(03:27):
or interact with a park ranger. We have cabins that were built by the Civilian Conservation
Corps who helped develop our park in the 30s. So there's so many different things that people do where
or even just, you know, reading a book under a live oak tree, how nice is that? We have shelters
that you can rent or first come, first serve and there's been lots of reunions and get togethers
(03:48):
and parties and weddings and lots of different things that happen here. People also come to see the
unique landscapes and vegetation offered up by the park. As we get closer to the beach, the soil is
gonna change, gonna go to sandy, sandier things and these animals and plants are gonna have to
be able to handle a lot of the salt and the salt spray and things and so your trees are really gonna
(04:10):
change as you get closer to the beach and you can kind of see that. We call it salt spray pruning
that it'll just be kind of look sculptured. I had a kid once tell me it looked like broccoli trees
and if you see it, you'll go, oh, for sure. We have a lot of people ask us, you know, how long it takes us
to trim all those trees and we have 20 billion things to do and that's not one of them. So it's the salt
(04:32):
spray coming in and really stressing out the tree so it gives them this nice sculpture look that
you're only going to see right on the coast which is kind of neat. I like that the broccoli trees. Mm-hmm.
Yeah. It's perfect. That's very cool. From the mind of a fifth grader. I love it, yeah. Just down the road from
Myrtle Beach State Park, I'm staying at The Ellie Beach Resort, a large resort right on the beach
(04:54):
that has a sort of southern charm. I noticed when I checked in they gave me a bracelet to go get
free hush puppies. That is. Be in Myrtle Beach and in the south without having. That's when you know you're in the south.
That is correct. Greg Hussar sits down with me in a sunny room overlooking the beautiful
white sands that Myrtle Beach are so well known for. So we are on the south end of Myrtle Beach Proper
(05:20):
and we sit on about 30 acres here on property and then we abut Myrtle Beach State Park so we,
so instead of being sandwiched in between lots of high rise properties, you know, we sit right
next to a maritime forest, which is beautiful at the state park. So people can walk up or down the
(05:42):
beach and then get to the state park and enter in and enjoy that as well. That is correct, actually if
they start at the top of our property and go to the end of Myrtle Beach State Park it's actually
about a mile and a half. Okay, that's nice. That they can stroll on the sand. Mm-hmm. It's perfectly perched
for great photos and to watch the various fishermen seeking to catch saltwater fish like mackerel, flounder
(06:06):
and sea trout. So it's a thousand feet out and that is of course an official amenity of the resort. We
own the pier. When you check in, you can go out and you can do a day fishing pass or just enjoy the walk.
Other amenities draw in family travelers, as well as wedding parties, bachelorette groups and other
adults seeking to get active on vacation. So we have six pools. Wow, okay. We have sand volleyball,
(06:31):
we've got bocce, we've got horseshoe pits, cornhole, ping-pong, pool and then of course because we're
in Myrtle Beach, we have an 18-hole miniature golf course that is complementary as one of the resorts.
Can't be in Myrtle Beach without putt-putt and miniature golf. I love it. That's like one of my favorite things.
Yeah. Yes. But many people stay this resort because of its location. 'Cause we are situated kind of south
(06:58):
of the main center, we're near everything but not right in the center of it so it allows people if
they want to go to downtown and experience the boardwalk all that kind of stuff it's under 10 minutes.
Ellie Beach Resort is close to the Myrtle Beach Airport, as well as great shopping and entertainment
venues like Market Common and Broadway at the Beach. It's also close to natural areas like
(07:21):
Myrtle Beach State Park and Brookgreen Gardens. Really, nothing is that far in Myrtle Beach anyway and
on my travels during the winter, off season, there's no traffic to tie up my ability to zip from one
place to the next. The holiday season isn't just about Christmas and New Years for me. It's also my
birthday and I'm heading next to celebrate at one of my old stomping grounds, Broadway at the Beach,
(07:46):
a shopping, dining and entertainment complex complete with theaters, Topgolf,
Ripley's Aquarium and more. I used to dine here often with my mom growing up in Myrtle Beach.
Today I'm seeing what's new, checking out a place called The Hangout, a family-friendly dining
and entertainment venue that's extra special for birthday celebrations.
(08:07):
I sit down at one of the big white tables in the large restaurant to get the lay of the land at
The Hangout from my server. Since this is your first time, we do a lot of fun things here so we get
you guys dancing on top of tables, moving and grooving. We do that especially if it's your birthday as well
so I hope you're ready for that. We have a two-story slide that goes down right into our gift shop
with a whole lot of fun things there. We have a sand pit outside, we have a foam pit that goes off
(08:32):
every hour underneath the rainbow out there so bring your kids, bring whomever, they have a great
time. We have an arcade outside as well but that's depending on weather and amount of people and all that
kind of stuff. But other than that, we have non-alcoholic slushies and mocktails for the kids. We have
slushies with alcohol for the adults as well and we have a signature cocktail here called a shark
attack, which has Malibu, blue Curaçao, pineapple juice, a little bit of sour mix, grenadine and a
(08:57):
little surprise but I don't want to ruin the surprise unless you're gonna get it you know so
we'll check it out then all right. It sounds good. Cool. I feel like we have to do a shark attack.
Do you want to do a shark attack? Yeah, why not? Yeah, let's try it. Yeah, for sure.
I'm already having way too much fun when my shark attack cocktail arrives, complete with a rubber
shark. I dance on my table and eat delicious fried pickles and savory wings, before trying out the slide
(09:24):
and heading outside for the foam party. To keep the party going, I'm moving into dessert territory.
Back in downtown Myrtle Beach, Lilianna Vazquez runs The Dolly Llama, a decadent dessert shop where
Bubble Waffles and ice cream combine with candy toppings for a world of sweet. So it's a combination of
(09:45):
waffle, decadent waffles and ice cream? Yes. So who doesn't like waffles and ice cream? We have Belgian
waffles, bubble waffles, so we have different options but you can build your own so you can
get very creative. That's gonna be your art. This is the art district, right? So it's matching
perfectly. It's a mix of ice cream and art. Exactly. I put on my creative hat and have way too
(10:10):
much fun enjoying the ultimate cookie monster ice cream mixed with oreo crumbs, kinder bars,
chocolate sauce, whipped cream, wrapped in a bubble waffle cone and it's turning both my mouth and
Evelyn's teeth blue. Evelyn travels with me to produce Travels with Darley. She is an excellent
(10:31):
producer with a PhD. They're, they're blue. Well then you better stop eating. We have great people on our team but we also have a lot of fun together.
I'm not one to not eat dessert before dinner if the opportunity arises, but we're ending our
(10:52):
adventures in Myrtle Beach at 1229 Shine back at another popular shopping and dining location,
Market Common. Dod Steele Smith II sits down with me at the bar in this southern seafood
restaurant housed in a former air force building that's been revitalized. We're starting with coconut
shrimp with an Asian style cilantro lime sauce and oysters Rockefeller. Really fantastic.
(11:17):
Yeah, it's like one of the most ordered items I would say, especially at a raw bar we get a lot
of orders for the Rockefellers, they're delicious. It's garlic butter with Parmesan cheese, spinach and
bacon. Ooh. Yeah, it's good, it's on point. That sounds, okay, I'm gonna, while these are, try it while it's hot. Okay. Get on in there.
Evelyn we'll save one for you. Yeah, it's really good. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. 1229 Shine works to make
(11:41):
their menu accommodating to people who may have food sensitivities. We pride ourselves in being, having
gluten-free options for anybody that has either Celiac or other kind of, you know, gluten intolerance or
allergy. We make that with the rice flour for the gluten-free options. If you come in you get to
have the fried items as well. Mmm. This is great. Mm-hmm. See how it's like crunchy, it's not. It's crunchy but
(12:09):
it's tender and it doesn't taste like there's a ton of breading, like you're talking about.
It's very light, fried flavor. 1229 Shine is not just a restaurant but also an entertainment venue.
Their outdoor space has bands on Friday nights, shows movies, welcomes people for trivia night,
(12:31):
a kids' bash and more. And if you're looking for it...the name, does the name have significance for shine
because it's a very happy name. It's like shine. Well, it's, it's actually, and I thought maybe it was,
before I started here, I thought maybe they named the restaurant Shine because of the oyster shell,
the shine on an oyster shell, but it's actually, we're on Shine Avenue. So 1229 Shine is our address.
(12:52):
Pretty straight forward. Easy to find, right? Just another great place in Myrtle Beach where nature,
entertainment, celebrations and food combine for a winning vacation. Whether you're traveling
back to the beach for the umpteenth time like me or visiting for the first time, you'll find
something fresh and fun along the Grand Strand, where classic and new combine.
(13:14):
I'm Darley Newman and if you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and stay tuned for more
adventures across the USA and into Quebec and beyond in this season three of The Travels with Darley
podcast.
Planning a trip to the beach?
(00:02):
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has more than 60 miles of sandy beaches to explore,
thousands of restaurants, and a whole lot of hotels,
but with all these options, planning a trip to the beach may seem overwhelming.
Let me help you out.
I grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and I'm excited to share some of my favorite
classic locations mixed in with new locales I've recently tested out on a trip home for the holidays.
(00:27):
This podcast combines those retro and new flavors to share travel tips that take you on location
to experience places I recommend you seek out on your adventures along the Grand Strand.
From a surprising nature escape, to where to celebrate special occasions, like birthdays,
to delightful dining and dessert. Let's dive into Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
(00:49):
It's the Travels with Darley podcast, where traveling with locals means you get an authentic
take on a location and truly learn something new.
I'm starting at Myrtle Beach State Park with ranger Ann Wilson.
You drive off of the main highway and you come into this beautiful maritime forest.
(01:14):
Maritime forest. And it's unexpected when you're seeing mini-golf courses and pancake houses
and it's like a little oasis. It is a little oasis and what I love about it is we are the only
maritime forest in Horry County that's open on a daily basis to the public. Yes, you do have to,
(01:35):
you know, charge an admission fee to get in but there's no other maritime forest directly on the beach
that you can access as a citizen day in and day out. There's two other places but you have to
have special permission to get into them and so this place is so valuable even though it's tiny, you know,
we need that respite. We need that for our mind, body and soul. You mentioned it's small. What is the
(01:57):
size of the park? So Myrtle Beach State Park, it's a small 312-acre park with one to two million visitors
a year and we were the first state park in South Carolina to open in 1936. What are some things that
people enjoy doing when they come to this state park? What I have found through the years is everybody
(02:19):
has their pockets of the park, you know, some go to camp and they stay a lot in the campground and
probably walk the same path to the beach. We have our people that come in at 6am, go to the same
parking spot, get their dog on a leash, walk to the beach, walk, come back. Fishing from the pier,
there's sunset strolls, there's the camping, taking walks in the woods. I've been here a long time
(02:42):
and now and about the last five years, I'm having people that came as kids to the programs I taught, and they're now,
they're now coming back with their kids or I've graduated college or I'm getting my masters and so
they're bringing, you know, the second generation is coming back that I have seen. That's pretty
(03:02):
cool to be a part of their memories. Ann is making me tear up a little. I can see that being a part of
this park and this community over the years has meant so much to her and I love that because
isn't it all what we want in life to find purpose in what we do, how we live and who we interact with?
She's affecting lives upon lives here and that's a treasure that not everyone thinks about when they see
(03:27):
or interact with a park ranger. We have cabins that were built by the Civilian Conservation
Corps who helped develop our park in the 30s. So there's so many different things that people do where
or even just, you know, reading a book under a live oak tree, how nice is that? We have shelters
that you can rent or first come, first serve and there's been lots of reunions and get togethers
(03:48):
and parties and weddings and lots of different things that happen here. People also come to see the
unique landscapes and vegetation offered up by the park. As we get closer to the beach, the soil is
gonna change, gonna go to sandy, sandier things and these animals and plants are gonna have to
be able to handle a lot of the salt and the salt spray and things and so your trees are really gonna
(04:10):
change as you get closer to the beach and you can kind of see that. We call it salt spray pruning
that it'll just be kind of look sculptured. I had a kid once tell me it looked like broccoli trees
and if you see it, you'll go, oh, for sure. We have a lot of people ask us, you know, how long it takes us
to trim all those trees and we have 20 billion things to do and that's not one of them. So it's the salt
(04:32):
spray coming in and really stressing out the tree so it gives them this nice sculpture look that
you're only going to see right on the coast which is kind of neat. I like that the broccoli trees. Mm-hmm.
Yeah. It's perfect. That's very cool. From the mind of a fifth grader. I love it, yeah. Just down the road from
Myrtle Beach State Park, I'm staying at The Ellie Beach Resort, a large resort right on the beach
(04:54):
that has a sort of southern charm. I noticed when I checked in they gave me a bracelet to go get
free hush puppies. That is. Be in Myrtle Beach and in the south without having. That's when you know you're in the south.
That is correct. Greg Hussar sits down with me in a sunny room overlooking the beautiful
white sands that Myrtle Beach are so well known for. So we are on the south end of Myrtle Beach Proper
(05:20):
and we sit on about 30 acres here on property and then we abut Myrtle Beach State Park so we,
so instead of being sandwiched in between lots of high rise properties, you know, we sit right
next to a maritime forest, which is beautiful at the state park. So people can walk up or down the
(05:42):
beach and then get to the state park and enter in and enjoy that as well. That is correct, actually if
they start at the top of our property and go to the end of Myrtle Beach State Park it's actually
about a mile and a half. Okay, that's nice. That they can stroll on the sand. Mm-hmm. It's perfectly perched
for great photos and to watch the various fishermen seeking to catch saltwater fish like mackerel, flounder
(06:06):
and sea trout. So it's a thousand feet out and that is of course an official amenity of the resort. We
own the pier. When you check in, you can go out and you can do a day fishing pass or just enjoy the walk.
Other amenities draw in family travelers, as well as wedding parties, bachelorette groups and other
adults seeking to get active on vacation. So we have six pools. Wow, okay. We have sand volleyball,
(06:31):
we've got bocce, we've got horseshoe pits, cornhole, ping-pong, pool and then of course because we're
in Myrtle Beach, we have an 18-hole miniature golf course that is complementary as one of the resorts.
Can't be in Myrtle Beach without putt-putt and miniature golf. I love it. That's like one of my favorite things.
Yeah. Yes. But many people stay this resort because of its location. 'Cause we are situated kind of south
(06:58):
of the main center, we're near everything but not right in the center of it so it allows people if
they want to go to downtown and experience the boardwalk all that kind of stuff it's under 10 minutes.
Ellie Beach Resort is close to the Myrtle Beach Airport, as well as great shopping and entertainment
venues like Market Common and Broadway at the Beach. It's also close to natural areas like
(07:21):
Myrtle Beach State Park and Brookgreen Gardens. Really, nothing is that far in Myrtle Beach anyway and
on my travels during the winter, off season, there's no traffic to tie up my ability to zip from one
place to the next. The holiday season isn't just about Christmas and New Years for me. It's also my
birthday and I'm heading next to celebrate at one of my old stomping grounds, Broadway at the Beach,
(07:46):
a shopping, dining and entertainment complex complete with theaters, Topgolf,
Ripley's Aquarium and more. I used to dine here often with my mom growing up in Myrtle Beach.
Today I'm seeing what's new, checking out a place called The Hangout, a family-friendly dining
and entertainment venue that's extra special for birthday celebrations.
(08:07):
I sit down at one of the big white tables in the large restaurant to get the lay of the land at
The Hangout from my server. Since this is your first time, we do a lot of fun things here so we get
you guys dancing on top of tables, moving and grooving. We do that especially if it's your birthday as well
so I hope you're ready for that. We have a two-story slide that goes down right into our gift shop
with a whole lot of fun things there. We have a sand pit outside, we have a foam pit that goes off
(08:32):
every hour underneath the rainbow out there so bring your kids, bring whomever, they have a great
time. We have an arcade outside as well but that's depending on weather and amount of people and all that
kind of stuff. But other than that, we have non-alcoholic slushies and mocktails for the kids. We have
slushies with alcohol for the adults as well and we have a signature cocktail here called a shark
attack, which has Malibu, blue Curaçao, pineapple juice, a little bit of sour mix, grenadine and a
(08:57):
little surprise but I don't want to ruin the surprise unless you're gonna get it you know so
we'll check it out then all right. It sounds good. Cool. I feel like we have to do a shark attack.
Do you want to do a shark attack? Yeah, why not? Yeah, let's try it. Yeah, for sure.
I'm already having way too much fun when my shark attack cocktail arrives, complete with a rubber
shark. I dance on my table and eat delicious fried pickles and savory wings, before trying out the slide
(09:24):
and heading outside for the foam party. To keep the party going, I'm moving into dessert territory.
Back in downtown Myrtle Beach, Lilianna Vazquez runs The Dolly Llama, a decadent dessert shop where
Bubble Waffles and ice cream combine with candy toppings for a world of sweet. So it's a combination of
(09:45):
waffle, decadent waffles and ice cream? Yes. So who doesn't like waffles and ice cream? We have Belgian
waffles, bubble waffles, so we have different options but you can build your own so you can
get very creative. That's gonna be your art. This is the art district, right? So it's matching
perfectly. It's a mix of ice cream and art. Exactly. I put on my creative hat and have way too
(10:10):
much fun enjoying the ultimate cookie monster ice cream mixed with oreo crumbs, kinder bars,
chocolate sauce, whipped cream, wrapped in a bubble waffle cone and it's turning both my mouth and
Evelyn's teeth blue. Evelyn travels with me to produce Travels with Darley. She is an excellent
(10:31):
producer with a PhD. They're, they're blue. Well then you better stop eating. We have great people on our team but we also have a lot of fun together.
I'm not one to not eat dessert before dinner if the opportunity arises, but we're ending our
(10:52):
adventures in Myrtle Beach at 1229 Shine back at another popular shopping and dining location,
Market Common. Dod Steele Smith II sits down with me at the bar in this southern seafood
restaurant housed in a former air force building that's been revitalized. We're starting with coconut
shrimp with an Asian style cilantro lime sauce and oysters Rockefeller. Really fantastic.
(11:17):
Yeah, it's like one of the most ordered items I would say, especially at a raw bar we get a lot
of orders for the Rockefellers, they're delicious. It's garlic butter with Parmesan cheese, spinach and
bacon. Ooh. Yeah, it's good, it's on point. That sounds, okay, I'm gonna, while these are, try it while it's hot. Okay. Get on in there.
Evelyn we'll save one for you. Yeah, it's really good. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited. 1229 Shine works to make
(11:41):
their menu accommodating to people who may have food sensitivities. We pride ourselves in being, having
gluten-free options for anybody that has either Celiac or other kind of, you know, gluten intolerance or
allergy. We make that with the rice flour for the gluten-free options. If you come in you get to
have the fried items as well. Mmm. This is great. Mm-hmm. See how it's like crunchy, it's not. It's crunchy but
(12:09):
it's tender and it doesn't taste like there's a ton of breading, like you're talking about.
It's very light, fried flavor. 1229 Shine is not just a restaurant but also an entertainment venue.
Their outdoor space has bands on Friday nights, shows movies, welcomes people for trivia night,
(12:31):
a kids' bash and more. And if you're looking for it...the name, does the name have significance for shine
because it's a very happy name. It's like shine. Well, it's, it's actually, and I thought maybe it was,
before I started here, I thought maybe they named the restaurant Shine because of the oyster shell,
the shine on an oyster shell, but it's actually, we're on Shine Avenue. So 1229 Shine is our address.
(12:52):
Pretty straight forward. Easy to find, right? Just another great place in Myrtle Beach where nature,
entertainment, celebrations and food combine for a winning vacation. Whether you're traveling
back to the beach for the umpteenth time like me or visiting for the first time, you'll find
something fresh and fun along the Grand Strand, where classic and new combine.
(13:14):
I'm Darley Newman and if you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and stay tuned for more
adventures across the USA and into Quebec and beyond in this season three of The Travels with Darley
podcast.
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