Myrtle Beach for Families

A local mom's guide to family fun in the Grand Strand

My Myrtle Beach Favorite: Chicken Fingers

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I have a nicely refined pallet but everyone loves a good chicken finger every now and then. If your kids are anything like mine, it’s more like every now and ALWAYS! We’ve done the leg work and are happy to reveal where to get the best Myrtle Beach chicken fingers.

One of my daughters has tested every chicken finger from Cherry Grove to Pawley’s Island and there’s clear winner. Even the adults in our family agree!

Texas Roadhouse Grill, locally located in the parking lot of Coastal Grand Mall on 17 North, takes the title of best Myrtle Beach chicken fingers, hands down. The chicken is full breast fillets that are hand-breaded and fried golden brown.

They come plain or buffalo-style, with two sides. The buffalo-style isn’t overwhelmingly hot, which I love. My favorite sides are the huge onion rings and fries. Not the healthiest meal to be had in the Grand Strand, but definitely a treat!

The portions are HUGE. You can easily split an order, or go during lunch and get the smaller portion at a great price!

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My Myrtle Beach Favorite: Eggs Benedict

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Crab Cake Eggs Benedict, Sea Captain's House

When I have time to give the meal attention to detail, breakfast is my favorite, hands down. So when a restaurant puts together something with a fun twist, I’m alllll over it. That’s how the restaurant lands itself firmly on my list of favorites.

I find there are two types of Eggs Benedict lovers – the purists and the thrill-seekers. My husband is a purist. I’m not. While I love a nice, traditional plating of this traditional breakfast feast, it’s that twist that jacks me every single time. And the twist in what I’m about to describe makes all the difference.

My favorite is the Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict at Sea Captain’s House in Myrtle Beach.

The restaurant sits oceanfront at 31st Avenue. Once a literal house, now a popular restaurant, this historic establishment offers cozy seating areas, indoor dining with a view, and covered patio dining. Perfect for all seasons, it’s homey with amazing food and service.

The last time we visited, the sky was gray, but the view was no less mesmerizing. This is taken on the patio, which is my favorite spot to sit. It can be a little chilly if it’s really cold outside, but typically it’s very comfortable, even in the summer.

So the food… imagine traditional Eggs Benedict, just kicked up a few nautical notches. Instead of an English muffin, the foundation of this dish is a…ready for this? A fried green tomato. Be still my southern heart! Next on the tower is a crab cake. And not crab cakes that are mostly filler. These mothers are stuffed with succulent, sweet crab and they make me happy.

The next two layers are what qualifies this dish as a EB – poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. Isn’t it beautiful?

But I’m weird and like to cut it all up so the favors combine and sauces (yolk and hollandaise) coat everything. This could be a product of having old brothers who, when I was younger, would mix everything together? Who knows…but this is how it goes down when I order this masterpiece of a breakfast.

While I don’t have a picture of it, my close second favorite breakfast item at Sea Captain’s House is the Seafarer’s Omelette, which is PACKED with seafood and cheese – which isn’t usually a good combination, but it works and it’s delicious!

You can see the full menu here, which includes a breakfast buffet. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner and I wrote about our previous experience here. Enjoy!

Do you have a Myrtle Beach favorite? Doesn’t matter what kind of food, I’ll try it! Leave it in the comments!

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My Myrtle Beach Favorite: Salad

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This dish has been a longstanding favorite in our family. Available at California Dreaming, just south of 544 on Highway 501 in Surfside Beach, the California Dreaming Salad is what good dreams are made of. I’ve had it no less than 10 times and I’m working on another 10.

The first word that comes to mind is fresh. This salad’s foundation doesn’t start with prepped, bagged lettuce. While I’ve never been in the kitchen while it’s being prepared, but judging by how it tastes, it’s all hand cut.

In the salad is topped with tomatoes, onion, shaved turkey and ham, amazing cheddar cheese, and my favorite, sliced almonds. As you’d imagine, you can have it topped with any variety of dressings, but there are two standouts.

The first is the ranch. It’s homemade and filled with fresh chopped garlic. Oh. My. Gosh. The only downside is anyone’s desire to be near you for the next day or so. There’s a remedy, though. Have whomever you’re dining with eat it too. You cancel each other out and smoochability is quickly restored.

My absolute favorite salad dressing on the entire Grand Strand is my standard order with the California Dreaming Salad – the Warm Bacon Honey Mustard House dressing. It’s made in-house and is exactly as it’s described. Even better, the plating of this salad involved the dressing on the bottom, so as you mix, the coating is even. Deeeeelish!

Have a salad in the Grand Strand you absolutely love? One you order over and over again? Let me know where and I’ll try it out!

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UPDATED 2018-2019 Horry County Schools Calendar

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The UPDATED 2018-2019 Horry County Schools Calendar is available! Bookmark it now for easy access!

The hurricane wiped out the make-up days plus some. Below is the updated 2018 – 2019 Horry County Schools calendar.


Original source: Horry County Schools

 

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You don’t earn the right to wear a bathing suit, you’re just born with it

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Let’s let that title sink in for a minute, shall we? You don’t EARN the right to wear (and enjoy) a bathing suit. You are born with that right, no matter what your body looks like. No, really.

It’s bathing suit season, obviously. Should you be having issues with putting on or buying a bathing suit, hear me out.

bathing suit, bathing suit shopping
Photo: CogDog on Flickr

Please answer this question:

Do you enjoy swimming, tanning, sticking your feet in the water, or otherwise taking in a pool, lake, ocean, or backyard sunny situation?

Do you have loved ones (kids, significant other, friends) who enjoy those things and want you to join in?

Do you have a body?

Do you have access to a store that sells bathing suits, either brick and mortar or online?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you have the right to purchase and wear a bathing suit without shame or self-consciousness.

Here’s the thing. No matter your body shape or size the pool wants you to take a dip. It’s of no issue to the ocean if you’re young or old. The intracoastal waterway? It doesn’t give a flip if you’re wearing a one or two piece suit. The sand could not care one grain less if your tummy is flat. And 99% of the beachgoers around you don’t care either.

I’ve said it before. If you’re concerned about how you look in a bathing suit and this concern is so great that you opt out, go down to the Myrtle Beach State Park and park your chair in the sand for an hour or two. You’ll see every type of suit on every shape and age of body. And if you’re sitting there, sweating your cheeks off in jean capris, I guarantee even those who may get a raised eyebrow for choosing something less-than-flattering for their body type are still having more fun than you!

Here’s my deal. I’m overweight. But that’s MY medical issue. It has NOTHING to do with whether or not I enjoy a day at the beach with my family. Absolutely nothing.

I wrote this awhile ago and it feels like the topic is coming back year after year, but more loudly each time. Let me break it down for anyone who cares to listen. No matter how old or young you are, no matter the shape of your body or weight on the scale, you don’t EARN the right to wear a bathing suit. You’re born with it.

What the heck does that mean? It means I’m frustrated with women (though it’s men too) who are so uncomfortable with the thought of being in a bathing suit that they simply opt out.

I get it. We’re not all at our perfect weight. We’re not perfectly toned. We’re short, overweight, too tall, super skinny, have scars, freckles, stretch marks…whatever. EVERYONE has something they dislike about their body. Me 100% included. None of those things disqualify me from wearing and enjoying time in a bathing suit.

Want inspiration? Check out this awesome slide show that will have you cheering. Need more? Read about my favorite author, Jennifer Weiner, and her crusade to tackle body shaming last year. And if you still need more convincing, just trust me. I wouldn’t steer your wrong. You’re worthy of wearing a bathing suit just as you are. If anyone gives you a problem, have them come talk to me. I’ll set them straight.

Enjoy!

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