There’s a fine line between becoming a legal adult and a real adult.
Careers. Spouses. Kids. Chaos. It changes a person’s priorities.
Amid the self-reflection of how to keep bettering yourself, everyone is subject to the mid-life crisis. Priorities and hobbies changes. Maybe you start reading up on World War II a lot. Or you get really into star gazing. Or head back to college for a master’s, simply to see if you can. Or maybe your once-a-month golf rounds turn into weekly to bi-weekly ones.
It’s totally normal. And you’re not alone.
Myrtle Beach is one of those places where your new-found infatuations can live and breathe as your loved ones roll their eyes and accept your weirdness. Because self-discovery doesn’t stop once we hit a certain age. Let’s see if we can’t help you check a few of them off your list while you’re in town for your golf vacation.
BUDDING BREW MASTERS
No matter what we’re doing, imitation is often the best sign of flattery. With that in mind, exploring Myrtle Beach’s brewery scent has become a non-local’s favorite activity.
From Crooked Hammond Brewery at Barefoot to Black Drum Brewing at Kingston Plantation to Grand Strand Brewing or New South Brewing in downtown Myrtle Beach to Tidal Creek Brewhouse in Market Common to Southern Hops Brewing Company in Murrells Inlet, the Grand Strand is home to no shortage of in-house beer vendors who decided there was more here than the standard domestics.
The best part about all of them is how open they are to crafting not only great brews, but cost-effective ways to try them without going 16 ounces at a time.
Beer flights are an excellent way to sample multiples at the same time. Grab your buddies, pick one close to you and let your taste buds soar.
PHOTOGRAPHY ISN’T SIMPLY FOR THE BIRDS
Two birds with one stone isn’t simply a casual saying. From Huntington Beach State Park to Myrtle Beach State Park to the Atlantic Ocean and even our 90 or so courses, photographers have been, um, flocking here for decades to document our outdoor scenery and wildlife.
After all, not every community offers this type of range.
At Huntington, you can walk alongside either way of the oversized marsh lands on the primary entryway and snap pics of alligators, cranes, seagulls, turtles and anything else that makes its way into the overflow pocket.
At Myrtle Beach State Park, the trails wind through woods known for various reptilian species, deer, raccoons and even red foxes.
A few steps onto any of the piers jaunting into the Atlantic can provide great views of oversized schools or fish, dolphins and the occasional humpback whale or shark.
And our courses are jam-packed with birds such as falcons, eagles, egrets and the massive ospreys that nest there.
At any of the above, you won’t have to look very hard to get the image you’re seeking.
RUN, FOR FUN
We’re going to let you in on a little secret even some avid runners don’t understand.
Myrtle Beach’s sea-level elevation (or lack there of) is a boon for those who love to strap on some Brooks or Nikes or Asics and take a ground approach to seeing some new sights. That means significantly less stress on your aging knees and hips, but also your lungs and heart. Theres’s a reason the Myrtle Beach Marathon is a high-value qualifier for Boston.
As such, the Grand Strand has continue to grow into a dynamic runner’s paradise with plenty of cool spots to stretch those legs and explore by foot. For our money, we’re going to give you three really strong locations.
Market Common – Designed with foot traffic in mind, the live-work section at the south end of Myrtle Beach includes oversized running/walking/biking paths around its centralized lake, plenty of room during non-peak hours through the shops and restaurants and even more running paths outside the core area that span neighborhoods, woods and everything in between.
The Hulk – Aptly named because of its rare elevation changes ranging up to 80+ feet, The Hulk was initially laid out more for bikers but at times changes its feel more toward runners and joggers. It’s open dawn to dusk every day and located mere minutes from city limits on the eastern edge of Carolina Forest. This isn’t for the faint of heart, but the experience is eye-opening, especially for trail runners.
Ocean Boulevard – While we probably wouldn’t recommend slipping down the primary corridor of the boulevard during peak evening hours (you’ll get hit by a car or have to fight through too many people on the sidewalks for your comfort), a jog north or south of the hustle and bustle of it all is oddly relaxing. Maybe it’s seeing people on vacation, the hotels or the quieter stretches that helps the mood.
SOMETHING MORE PERMANENT
Myrtle Beach still has some relatively antiquated zoning restrictions for tattoo parlors, so most of them are all located on Seaboard Street between U.S. 501 and Joe White Avenue.
Yes, we’re talking about tattoos.
As youngsters, too many of us fear the needle, worried we’ll regret it one day or it’ll look horrible over time. We can’t do much to assuage your fear of a stick, but cover up and replacement tattoo businesses are thriving for a reason. If you ever decide you’re not a fan, it’s not as if you’ll require an amputation.
For those of you looking to add some ink, Myrtle Beach has you well covered (see what we did there?). One additional benefit of those zoning restrictions for the customer is that the individual parlors are in direct competition with each other.
That means a better price point for you, sure, but more importantly, a higher quality of work. The artists working here now are head and shoulders above the ones from two decades ago. It adds up to a cleaner product by a sanctioned and licensed artist.
If this is your bag, or you think it might be, give AG at Triple Threat a call and thank us later.
