Beaches & Bunkers

The recent wild  fires that have consumed over 20,000 acres in the North Myrtle Beach area will soon be just a vision in the rear view mirror. Many families will be rebuilding both homes and lives after the wrath of Mother Nature. For those families, we offer our empathy and our hopes that they will be able to take this misfortune and turn it into opportunity! As we approach the 10th anniversary of a fire that consumed virtually everything we owned, we can feel the pain of those who have lost years of memories and possessions. Those who have suffered loss will be resilient and life will continue….differently…and likely better! Out of ashes come castles!

We wanted to take a moment to update everyone of what effect these fires may have had on our home in Myrtle. The good news is…..there is no bad news! This is not to say that there were no tense and suspenseful days waiting to see what new turn the fires would take. The closest that any flame ups from the fires came to our neighborhood was approximately 3 miles or so…..far too close for my comfort! Given the normal prevailing wind direction in the area, there appears to have been even very minimal smoke and debris issues in the neighborhood. Oddly enough, Highway 31, which ends just a mile east from our condo remains closed as of this evening, mainly due to smoke and limited visibility. At the height of the fires, most of the activity was in the Highway 31 area around the Barefoot Resort which flanks both sides of 31 in the North Myrtle Beach area.

Many of the effects of these fires ended up far from ground zero. just a day or so after the fires began, our son Matt, who lives on Oak Island and works at St James Plantation, some 40 or so miles north and east of the central fire activity, was blowing  ash and debris off the the greens on the golf courses at St James. Oak Island itself has been experiencing the effects as well.

What you can see here in these 2 pictures is the ash land debris that has traveled aloft from the wildfires and then settled in the ocean off the coast of Oak Island, only to be washed ashore by the tides.

The good thing is….none of this will have any harmful effects on the people or the environment. Just as Mother Nature brought it and discarded on the beach, She will take it back out the ocean to be dealt with over time.

The map below will give you a pretty good idea of thescope of the wildfires and just how close they did come to our neighborhood. We never really felt threatened, although there were a few days that all we were listening to was the live MB police and fire scanner channels and the streaming video from WMBF TV in Myrtle Beach. That, with word from some of our neighbors down there as well as our son Matt, at least made us feel a little more comfortable about the situation.

Even today…nearly two weeks after the fires began and after they have been categorized as 100% contained, the area still experiences the effects of the fires: Tonight again, many roads will be closed due to heavy smoke cover from the still burning embers throughout the area. The major north/south route along the Strand, Highway 31 will have significant closures over night as the winds settle and the cool air aloft prevents the warm, smoky air from rising, limiting visibility to just a few yards at times. Highways 22 and 90, both important east/west routes into and out of Myrtle will also face closures overnight. This is expected to continue for some time yet until all remnants of the fires have been completely extinguished. Luckily…the beaches remain accessible and clean!

Basically, at this point everything is OK and we’re anxiously awaiting awaiting everyone’s vacation this summer! We would like to take this opportunity to give a big Thanks! to all of you who have chosen to stay with us this year, either as your first time or your return visit! As always, please don’t hesitate to touch base with us with any needs that you may have for your vacation, We’ll do whatever we can to accommodate your needs!

Gerry & Pat Monaco

May 5th, 2009 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The temperatures are rising….the boards are coming off of the windows….fresh paint is on the shutters….all the signs that Summer is getting set to return to Myrtle Beach! Here are some sure signs that summer’s just around the corner:

Myrtle Beach Speedway ready for season

The 52nd season of racing at Myrtle Beach Speedway will take the green flag tomorrow! While a struggling economy has changed the way many people live, Myrtle Beach Speedway General Manager Bill Hennecy said he is expecting a solid turnout of cars and trucks to compete on Saturday nights at the 0.538-mile semibanked oval.

Over the years, Myrtle Beach Speedway has been the training grounds for some of NASCAR’s biggest stars including Dale Earnhardt Jr. (former late model stock car competitor) and Jeff Gordon (former Busch Series track record holder). All four generations of Petty’s and all three generations of Earnhardt’s have taken a green flag around the .538 mile asphalt oval.
Myrtle Beach Speedway is hands down the best value for the entertainment dollar in town. No where else on the Grand Strand can you watch live racing action and see the future stars of NASCAR every Saturday night. In addition to the weekly racing schedule, they hold several major events during the year including the year ending Seneca 400 weekend in November.

Saturday Night Local Racing Schedule (all times approximate) 

Pit Gates Open at 1 pm

Rotating practice throughout the afternoon

Grandstands open at 4 pm

Qualifying for Late Models and Super Trucks Approximately 5:00

Race time 7:30 pm

Heat Races, Super Truck/Late Model Warm-ups, followed by Main Events.

Photo Courtesy of Google Maps

Myrtle Beach Speedway is .538 mile in length with a seating capacity of 12,000 plus. 

Local Divisions

NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock Cars

Super Trucks

Limited Late Models

Street Stock

Mini Stock

Speedway Ticket Pricing - Saturday Night Local Racing Events

All Seating is General Admission

Adult $12.00

Kids 10 and under Free

2009 Schedule

April 2 Thursday Night Practice - All Classes

April 4     Opening Night - Late Models, Super Trucks, Limiteds, Mini-Stocks, Street Stocks

April 11  Late Models, Limiteds, Mini-Stocks, Street Stocks

April 18 Super Trucks, Limiteds, Mini-Stocks, Street Stocks

April 25 Late Models, Limiteds, Mini-Stocks, Street Stocks

May 2   Super Trucks, Limiteds, Mini-Stocks, Street Stocks

May 9 Off Weekend - Support Darlington

Hard Rock Park Readies To Reopen……(just not so Hard and not so Rock!)

The good news is…The Park is Reopening!!….and hopefully before Memorial Day!….the better news is…indications are it will be a much more user friendly park! The year-old theme park will have a new name when it opens by Memorial Day under new ownership, officials said Thursday. FPI MB Entertainment, which bought the $400 million park out of bankruptcy for $25 million, said a new name would be announced within a week. "It’s a new name, so the identity is not there," said John Stine, the director of sales and marketing for the park. "The con is re-establishing the identity going forward, but we’re very positive that we’ll do that in a very expeditious manner based on the support and the cooperation that we see within the community."

The park also appeared to be backing off a solely rock ‘n’ roll theme. Stine said the new name would have a musical orientation and that the park would have an emphasis on rock ‘n’ roll but also include other musical genres. Two roller coasters named after Led Zeppelin and The Eagles would also be renamed, Stine said.

The good news….the reopening will provide a much needed stimulus for a sagging local economy. Up to 1,000 jobs will be created and offered first to former Hard Rock employees and then to the general public. More good news…some new rides will be added; admission prices plan to be much less than last year; season passes from last year will be honored and locals will take advantage of discounted admission prices!!

Hard Rock never was nor probably ever would have been a true “theme’ park on the scale of the Disney parks, but it can serve to be a viable entertainment option in an area that thrives on entertainment. Let’s hope that the new owners market the park for what it is, not something it never can be. And lets hope they support the local community for without them, they will definitely be between a rock and a hard place!

Myrtle Beach State Park Means Fun For Families!

The Myrtle Beach State Park celebrated its second annual Park Palooza, even with statewide budget cuts hitting the park. Amanda Taylor, the park’s assistant interpretive ranger knows the affordability of events at the park is just what people are looking for in this ailing economy. With a park admission price of just $4 for adults and free for children 5 and under, it’s the ideal choice for a fun family day at the beach!….and it’s not just the beach!

Myrtle Beach State Park was developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal Program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The program was designed to provide employment during the Great Depression while addressing national needs in conservation and recreation. The CCC was instrumental in the development of many of South Carolina’s state parks. A number of buildings built by the CCC in the 1930’s are still in use at this park.

• Admissions: $4 adults; $2.50 SC seniors;
  $1.50/ child age 6-15; Free for children 5 and younger.
• Office Hours: M-Fr 8am-5pm; Sat-Sun 11 am-5pm
• Days and Hours of Operation: Daily 6am-10pm, March through November
  Daily 6am-8pm, December through February

Here’s a sampling of some of he activities offered at the park. For more information, click here.

April 3rd, 2009 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

All Myrtle Beach Vacations are NOT the same! We discovered from interesting information recently regarding what it will cost you to rent a Myrtle Beach condo for your next vacation. We needed to try to find a suitable rental for a prospective guest of ours who we could not accommodate due to an availability issue.

Let me preface this by saying that this in no way is meant to demean any property owners, management companies or the rental units themselves. We would almost never even consider comparing ourselves and our condo with any others in the area. We do this merely to try to educate and remind everyone that when searching for a vacation rental, make sure you get ALL your costs, fully outlined before you commit to your reservation.

I don’t even want to mention the name of the management company listing the property….it’s not really important because I know they are a very reputable company that has been around for quite some time. I can tell you that the unit we looked at was at Tilghman Shores in N Myrtle Beach, mainly because of the proximity to our condo. We are familiar with this complex and it is indeed a very lovely area, even closer to the beach than we are. You could probably even walk to a nearby beach, although not transporting a great deal of extras. We’re about a 6 minute drive to Cherry Grove Beach. You make the call as to how much the trade off is worth.

Here’s what we found….very much to our surprise. We chose this particular unit because it was listed as having a 25% savings. Evidently, the discounted saving was included in the price quoted.

Again, this is not an attempt to show that our condo is somehow better than theirs. It isn’t quite an apple to apple comparison. It’s more an effort to show you that what you think you may be paying is not necessarily what you will pay.

One more point to consider. We are not in the rental property business, therefore our motivation is going to be significantly different from those who are relying on an investment property for income. We do not own an investment property; we own a condo near a beach we love and visit as often as possible and ultimately where we will live. When you choose to share our condo, you deal with us and us only. We understand what it takes to make a vacation a memorable one and we make every effort to ensure that your stay with us is truly a memorable one! We rent our condo so that other families may come to enjoy what we enjoy so much and hopefully, make some friends in the process!

Stop by and take a look at some of the sights and sounds from many Myrtle Beach vacations.

*At your option, you may decline the insurance and not be subject to the insurance premium. Declining insurance may be done, in writing, using the reverse of the reservation confirmation we send you, or by writing to us via fax, email, or post, a letter that includes the reservation number, reservation name, and clearly indicates that the vacation insurance is to be declined for the reservation. Declines are subject to our receipt thereof at least thirty days prior to the arrival date on the reservation. If vacation insurance is declined, but later desired, it may be added to the reservation no later than thirty days prior to arrival. Vacation insurance coverage is subject to our receipt of the premium for the insurance and to the terms of the policy (and only those terms). Reservations made less than thirty days prior to arrival will not include vacation insurance.

March 13th, 2009 | Category: Myrtle beach vacation condos, Vacation condo rentals | Leave a comment

Tough economic times got you down?…….Spoiling your vacation plans?

Here’s a GREAT opportunity to come down to Myrtle Beach this Spring or Summer courtesy of one of our partners, hotpads.com! With our competitive rates and a thousand dollars from HotPads, you’ll probably end up with money in your pocket on your way home from your best ever Myrtle Beach vacation! Take a look at our listing on Hotpads by clicking here. and click on the contest picture below to enter to WIN!

Good luck to you and see you at the beach!

Greetings from HotPads!

With all the talk of the down economy and bailouts permeating the news, we here in Washington, DC have decided to do a little bailout of our own: a $1,000 Renter Bailout!

$1,000 Renter Bailout

Who: This $1,000 sweepstakes is open to everyone- renters and non-renters alike!
What: A grand prize of $1,000 will be awarded to one lucky winner to help with rent, your mortgage… whatever!
When: Enter between now and April 14th for your chance to win $1,000. The drawing will be held April 15th, 2009 and the winners announced on HotPads.com and HotPads Daily!
How: Entering is easy! Just click here to enter! Remember to share with your coworkers and friends!

Enter Now!

Thank you for your continued support of HotPads. If you have any comments, suggestions, or tips, please don’t hesitate to contact us- we thrive on feedback!
Sincerely,
The Team at HotPads.com

March 11th, 2009 | Tags: Myrtle beach vacation condos | Category: Beaches, Myrtle beach vacation condos, myrtle beach | Leave a comment

Since we’ve been focusing so much on the Oak Island/Southport area, we thought we’d pass along our choice for one of the best places in the area for food, drink, relaxation and spectacular views. More importantly….it won’t set you back an arm and a leg! It’s a little difficult to find the Dean End Saloon & Fish Factory, but it’s well worth the effort. The restaurant sits right on the Intracoastal Waterway in the long shadow of the Oak Island bridge. It’s just a beautiful setting with a marina, condos and a handful of small shops just at the end of Fish Factory Rd.

They are open 7 days a week for food and drink and they also have some of the best in local musicians performing out on the deck. They have quite an extensive menu sure to please almost every palate with:

• Appetizers like Cajun Crab Lumps-broiled jumbo crab lumps in a spicy Cajun imperial sauce, served w/ french bread and veggie stix.
• Chili Taco Salad-fresh greens, tomatoes, onions, olives, jalapenos, in a fried tortilla shell topped w/ our home-made chili and finished w/ shredded cheese,     sour cream and salsa
• Jerked Chicken-two breasts marinated and grilled in our own house-made sauce, serve over fries with a side of honey mustard
• “Dean End Cheese Steak-thin sliced beef, fried onions, jalapenos, choice of cheese, lettuce tomato & mayo on a fresh baked roll

….and not to be forgotten…an assortment of burgers, breasts, and quesadillas!

The icing on the cake is…..EVERY day is Specials Day!..with prices that can’t be beat!

Your map to great food & drink!

Powered By Cincopa

February 24th, 2009 | Category: Brunswick County NC, Oak Island, restaurants | Leave a comment

It’s always a challenge to find vacation activities that will please children and adults alike and won’t burn a hole in your pocket! A trip to Fort Caswell on Oak Island is sure to fit that bill! For only $3 per person, you can spend hours touring the grounds of Fort Caswell. If you’re a history buff…..the Fort Caswell/Southport area is rich in Carolina history!

Fort Caswell, is located at the tip of Caswell Beach at the mouth of the Cape Fear River to the south is the Atlantic Ocean and to the north is the Elizabeth River. Considered one of the strongest forts in the world when it was built in 1825, Fort Caswell originally covered 2,800 acres at the eastern end of Oak Island. It was the first thing constructed on Oak Island and its inhabitants were some of the first people to permanently settle on the island when it was still connected to the mainland by marshlands. Fort Caswell was built simply because Southport and Bald Head Island were havens for notorious pirates, including Blackbeard. Considering that this river highway stretched all the way to Fayetteville and ships were being pirated, Congress authorized the construction of a fort in 1825 to strengthen the area’s defenses.

The original fort was built at a cost of $473,402 and was fortified with both brick walls and large earthworks in a pentagonal design. Fortified with over 61 gun emplacements, it guarded the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and was a key in the defense of Wilmington an important port 50 miles upriver and, at the time, the state’s largest city. When the issue of secession was debated in 1861, it was seized twice by a group called the "Cape Fear Minutemen", who were subsequently ordered by the NC Governor to return it to the keeper of the fort, the only man stationed there by the US Army at the time.

Fort Caswell was such a formidable adversary for the Union, that it saw very little action during the Civil War. During the Civil War no soldier lost his life at Fort Caswell due to combat. Many soldiers did die however, from yellow fever, small pox, and other diseases. This is amazing since Fort Caswell changed hands between Union and Confederate forces four times during the war! When the supply lines were cut off to Fort Caswell after Fort Fisher fell to Union forces in January 1865 the Fort Caswell soldiers had to abandon their fortifications. However, before they did so they ignited the powder magazine with all the gun powder they had left and heavily damaged the fort, the citadel, and the surrounding earth mound fortifications.

On January 31, 1946 Fort Caswell was designated as a war surplus and assigned for disposal. The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina purchased the 250-acre fort from the government on September 1949 for 86,000. The remains of the citadel are still intact and are preserved by the Baptist Assembly of North Carolina, The N.C. Baptist Assembly at Fort Caswell is a religious retreat and conference center and is opened year round, with the exception of Christmas through New Year’s Day.

To access the fort, drive down Caswell Beach Rd, past Oak Island Lighthouse, and continue until you reach the guardhouse at the entrance to the Baptist Assembly and Fort Caswell. Only a limited number of guests are allowed on the property at any one time. You may have to wait at the guardhouse for a very short while….but it will be well worth your wait! Once you are allowed in, you can either simply drive through the property (without leaving your car) or if you want to tour the area by car and foot, you’ll be asked to check in at the office where you’ll pay a $3 fee and receive a guest pass for as long as you’d like to tour the property. There is also a very nice gift shop in the office building. Accommodations are also available for extended stays. Please visit the Ft Caswell website for more details.

We would strongly encourage you to walk throughout the property. Your kids will love wandering through the maze of hallways and rooms inside the fort, many of them hidden away under the earthen embankments. You can walk the shoreline facing out into the Atlantic on one side….watch barges, super tankers and freighters coming into the mouth of the Cape Fear on their way up to the state port or make your way to the inland side of the island for great views of the Intracoastal Waterway and Southport, NC.

If you haven’t had enough history yet and you have time….a ferry trip across the Cape Fear will bring you to Caswell’s partner of defense, Ft Fisher, not to mention the spectacular NC Aquarium at Ft Fisher. Click on the picture below for a slide show of some of the sights of Fort Caswell.

February 21st, 2009 | Category: Brunswick County NC, Oak Island | Leave a comment

Some surprisingly good news that might….just might resurrect the ‘Park formerly know as Hard Rock!” This would be such great news for the people of Myrtle…visitors to Myrtle and this suffering economy in general. It is so depressing to drive on the 501 over the ICW and see that entire area just slipping into wasteland!

News - Local Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009 Hard Rock Park finds buyer for $25 million.

Hard Rock Park may not be quiet for much longer.

 

According to bankruptcy court documents filed today, the rock ‘n’ roll theme park has found a buyer, willing to pay $25 million for the property, as is. The park’s purchaser, FPI MB Entertainment, has put down a $2.3 million down payment and is hoping to close the sale quickly, by Feb. 20 if possible. According to the asset purchase agreement, the price will go down $1 million if the sale isn’t completed by Feb. 20 and will continue to drop $50,000 for each day after Feb. 20 until the sale is closed. By Tom Murray / tmurray@thesunnews.com * Gallery Available Hard Rock Park Timeline * Read the motion to sell Hard Rock Park * External Link Full coverage of Hard Rock Park The new buyers are hoping to reopen the park quickly. The reason for the quick sale, according to the court documents, is that the buyers are hoping to reopen the park’s gates in a soft opening prior to Memorial Day — with a full opening that weekend. The sale must still be approved by the bankruptcy court at a sale approval hearing Feb. 17. Horry County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland said a group of individuals were behind FPI, though she declined to say whether any were local or whether she knew any of them prior to the court documents being filed. The corporation was created on Feb. 4 in Delaware, according to the Web site of that state’s division of corporations. It is registered to The Corporation Trust Co. in Wilmington, Del., a firm that helps businesses legally form corporations. Gilland said she did not know all the people involved in the corporation and declined to say whether any had prior theme park management experience. Gilland also said there had been informal discussions regarding assistance from the county and the state, though there had been no formal request so far. She said the county did not play a role in locating the buyers. "Because of the economy, this is even going to be better news than it would have been without the economy being so bad," Gilland said. "I feel like this will be a shot — just a real boost from a whole lot of perspectives. And that’s everything from jobs to tourism and all the related businesses." Gilland said she was confident the company would learn from the mistakes of the previous managers and make the park successful financially. She said it would have been dreadful had the park remained closed and its assets been sold off piecemeal. "That is a real negative for the word to get out that maybe Myrtle Beach couldn’t sustain a theme park, which would discourage anybody for years to come," she said. "To come back in and bring back to life what has died such an untimely, early death in a sense would be just tremendous PR for the beach as well as a huge boost for tourism." More details will be posted as they become available.

This story courtesy The Myrtle Beach Sun News – your local source for all the news that is Myrtle!

February 13th, 2009 | Category: Amusement parks, myrtle beach | Leave a comment

Fun things to do with kids around Myrtle Beach for under $10 « Shout About South Carolina Travel, Family Attractions and Free Things to Do

I just found this fantastic blog (click on the link above) with oh so many wonderful ideas for things to do not just in the Myrtle Beach area, but also some great finds throughout South Carolina as well as up into NC. In our troubling economy, it’s so helpful to be able not only to even take a vacation…but to have a ton of good ideas to help you plan a great vacation WITHOUT breaking the bank.

If you’re planning a Myrtle Beach family vacation this year, do yourself a favor and visit this blog now and throughout your vacation planning.

This could be YOU!!

February 13th, 2009 | Category: Beaches | Leave a comment

Fun things to do with kids around Myrtle Beach for under $10 « Shout About South Carolina Travel, Family Attractions and Free Things to Do

I just found this fantastic blog (click on the link above) with oh so many wonderful ideas for things to do not just in the Myrtle Beach area, but also some great finds throughout South Carolina as well as up into NC. In our troubling economy, it’s so helpful to be able not only to even take a vacation…but to have a ton of good ideas to help you plan a great vacation WITHOUT breaking the bank.

If you’re planning a Myrtle Beach family vacation this year, do yourself a favor and visit this blog now and throughout your vacation planning.

This could be YOU!!

February 13th, 2009 | Category: Beaches, Oak Island, Vacation condo rentals, myrtle beach | Leave a comment