Activities fun and holiday fare abound In Garden City and Murrells Inlet!

Just because summer has come and gone doesn’t mean your vacation has to be over! In fact, the Garden City Beach area remains a draw for visitors throughout the year!
Temperatures are often still in the 70’s all the way up through December (we’ve definitely had our share of nice, warm Christmases!) and the nights are pleasantly cool; no snow shoveling and plugging in our cars around these parts! And this time of year offers not only less traffic and a quieter, more peaceful atmosphere, but plenty of specials and discounts are available on everything from house rates and golf to entertainment, dining and shopping in Myrtle Beach. There is also a great amount of holiday fare for the whole family. Some of the most popular Christmas shows include the Dixie Stampede Christmas Show, the Alabama Theatre and of course, the Carolina Opry Christmas Show. Holiday activities also abound at the Market Common, as well as the Palace Theatre, where this year, the 12 Irish Tenors will be performing from November until January.
For those of you looking to stay on the south end, Murrells Inlet offers activities and restaurants galore. Anyone who has vacationed or thought about vacationing in Myrtle Beach, Garden City Beach or Surfside Beach has probably heard of Murrells Inlet, the "Seafood Capital of South Carolina." Located a short 2 miles south of Garden City Beach, Murrells Inlet is a treasure trove of history, restaurants, quaint shops, and a variety of water sports and activities. Of course, being the Seafood Capital means lots of seafood, everything from fresh local fish and shrimp to steamed oysters and raw bars.
One restaurant certainly worth mentioning is Lee’s Inlet Kitchen, which has been an Inlet staple since 1948. Owned by the fourth generation of the family that originally started the place, the food is known for its quality and variety. Fried, broiled, blackened, and grilled seafood, the award winning she crab soup, and of course hushpuppies and honey butter round out the menu.
Another can’t miss feature of Murrells Inlet is the Marshwalk. The Marshwalk features 7 different restaurants with great water views, fantastic night life and live music, and on any given night there is something happening at one or more of the restaurants, particularly on the weekends. The Marshwalk is great for strolling along on a pleasant afternoon or evening and enjoying the view with a refreshing drink. Much like the variety of food the Marshwalk offers (seafood, steaks, sushi, gourmet and bistro and burgers and sandwiches, to name a few) the live music acts also vary. Some of the local favorites include Painted Man, a funk and soul group, Who Shot JR? a quirky blend of classic rock and modern classics, Act 2, a great acoustic band, Tru Sol, Ros Bonghi reggae, and Hot Sauce and Villanova, to name a few. Be sure to check the kicks section of the Sun News to see which nights the bands are playing. See you at the beach!

Review of the brand new Freestyle Music Park

On June 30th, my family and I visited the newly redone Freestyle Music Park (formerly the Hard Rock Park) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was to celebrate my 10 year old brother's birthday, and ironically, the only other time I have ever been was for his birthday the previous year, when it was still the Hard Rock Park; needless to say I was curious to see the improvements they had made to the new park.

The first (and rather substantial) difference is that of the admission price. You still have to pay to park, which I feel is somewhat unnecessary, but apparently most parks do this and it was only 6 dollars, so I'll let that slide. The admission price however, is vastly different. When it was still the Hard Rock Park, the biggest complaint was the admission price of $50 dollars for adults, $30 for children, which most people felt was entirely too high for what the park offered, and I agree. Paramount and Six Flag theme parks usually only charge around $25 for admission, and frankly, they offer much more than Hard Rock ever did, so the previous price was just too much, and is part of the reason the park failed. However, the group in charge of the Freestyle Music Park have wised up and are now offering adult admission for $25. They are also running specials at the end of the summer, where admission is only $17.99, which is great.

A soon as we got into the park, we headed to the left, which is a portion of the park called "Myrtle's Beach" formerly known as "Rock N Roll Heaven." The improvement alone to the archway you walk under announcing the name of the portion of the park is substantial. Rock N Roll Heaven featured a Grateful Dead theme of roses and skeletons staring down at you, whereas now it simply reads Myrtle's Beach in innocuous, bright colors. I always thought the Rock N Roll Heaven was neat, but I can see where it would not appeal to all, especially not young children.

Myrtle's Beach features a small water park, which kids will love, as well as a show about skateboarding tricks and acrobatics, a large improvement over the tired Malibu Beach Party that was there when it was Hard Rock Park. But of course, the main attraction of that area (and of the whole park) is the former Led Zeppelin roller coaster, now called "The Time Machine." The improvements to this attraction are definitely for the better. Instead of having to watch the same 10 minute introduction, featuring a montage of Led Zeppelin clips, there are music videos playing from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and 00's. And most enjoyably, you don't know which decade of music you will be listening to on the actual coaster until you are on it. This element of surprise, combined with the montage of music clips that blare forth the best hits of each decade as you ride the thundering coaster is great- we rode it 4 times and got a different decade each time. I mean, I love Led Zeppelin as much as the next person, but listening to "Whole Lotta Love" (which is the only song the coaster played previously) over and over again definitely took away from the experience. This is much better.

It's clear that the new Park has tried to focus much more on rides the whole family can enjoy. They have added a whole new section devoted entirely to childrens rides, called "Kids in America", a great improvement over the very minimal kid rides the park had before. There is a cute acrobatic show called "Flip 5 Live" that younger kids are sure to enjoy, as well as a small roller coaster, ropes course, swings and much more.

There are 2 attractions that definitely need some work. The Roundabout, a hybrid ferris wheel and roller coaster had a history of technical problems when it was Hard Rock Park and would lock down without being able to restart. Clearly the kinks haven't been worked out, because the ride locked up while we were about to get on it and they had to wait about 7 minutes for a technician to show up. The actual coaster was fun, but the technical issues made me hesitant to get back on it.

By far, the worst attraction is the "Monstars of Rock." Housed where the former "Nights in White Satin" was, this ride is truly awful, and a complete waste of time. "Nights in White Satin," based on the song by the Moody Blues, was actually a really interesting ride, with 3D psychidelic effects and cool visuals, although it was more adult than child oriented. The "Monstars of Rock" is a misguided failure. Basically, you ride through the dark and look at cardboard cutouts of "moster rock stars" on the wall. That's it. I've seen traveling 3rd rate carnivals put together better attractions. One can only hope this is temporary and that a better attraction is in the works, as the space has potential.

Overall, the park is enjoyable, and clearly steps have been taken to make it more accessible to all ages and all types of music and fun lovers. However, there's definitely that feeling of "well, we've done everthing in about 30 minutes, guess we need to start riding the same things over again." The park could do with at least one more large roller coaster like "The Time Machine" and probably at least 6 or 7 big rides to fill in the gaps. But kids will definitely like it, and it with the great specials they're offering, the Freestyle Music Park offers a nice addition to your Myrtle Beach family vacation.

Think you can't afford a Myrtle Beach vacation this year? Think again!

We know that in today's economy, savings are the biggest concern when considering where to take your family on vacation. At Garden City Realty, we understand the need to look at every cost and find the best deal, so we present this page to help you make an informed decision when choosing your vacation destination. Why? Because we know you and your family deserve a vacation the way it used to be, and we want to make that happen for you. You need to get away from the stress and noise of everyday life? There is no better place to do so than in Garden City Beach, South Carolina and here’s why:

Garden City and Surfside Beach are only 8 miles south of Myrtle Beach. That means you are close to all that Myrtle Beach has to offer, but still have the freedom to park the car and drive a golf cart, or take advantage of the activities that are within walking distance of your property. Garden City Realty’s amazing selection of beach condos and homes offer freedom you just can’t find in a hotel, like staying in and cooking with your family, instead of worrying about expensive dining out.

Garden City Realty’s rates simply can’t be beat. When compared with other beach vacation destinations, such as Virginia Beach or North Carolina’s Outer Banks region, there is no question that Garden City Realty is the best choice for savings.

Garden City Beach also offers tons of free and affordable activities:

• The Pier: a Garden City landmark, The Pier boasts an arcade and a homemade ice cream parlor. A great place for fishing, strolling or people watching,
  The Pier at Garden City offers nightly entertainmentat at the End of the Pier under the rain shelter. A variety of bands are hosted all summer long each night. Dancing and drinks from the bar allow a pleasant evening outside under the stars and moonlight for the whole family.
• The beach, fishing, surfing, shelling, boating, beach walking, crabbing and relaxation abound!
• Golf cart and kayak rentals: Park the car and see Garden City the way the locals do.
• Bike paths and nature trails, bike rentals.
• Huntington Beach and Myrtle Beach State Parks
• Murrells Inlet Marshwalk: Stroll along and watch the boats come into the marina or view the goats on Goat Island near Drunken Jacks
• Brookgreen Gardens

Call us today and start making your vacation dream a reality!!

Freestyle Music Park: Your vacation destination in Myrtle Beach

This weekend, on May 23, the Freestyle Music Park will open its doors! Beginning on Saturday and carrying over the entire Memorial Day Weekend, the Park will play host to several special promotions and giveaways.

Formerly known as the Hard Rock Park, the Freestyle Music park is billed as a music based theme park for all ages. Beginning opening weekend and continuing through May 31, all active United States military, Coast Guard, firefighters, police and emergency medical technicians will be admitted to the park free of charge with valid military or service identification.

This season will also see a reduction of ticket prices. All-day single tickets for adults will retail for $39.95. All-day single tickets for children, three through nine years of age, will retail for $29.95. Children two years of age and younger will be admitted free.


It's going to be interesting to see what changes have been made. We already know that the former "Led Zeppelin- the Ride" roller coaster (Which I can attest to is a really fun one!) has been changed to the broader named "Time Machine"and will feature a rotation of 5-8 songs from different decades. And even though I like "Whole Lotta Love", I think this is a wise decision, as it will appeal to a bigger audience, and you won't get tired of hearing the same song over and over again.

The Park’s features a new area called “Kids In America,” along with four new children’s rides, so there is bound to be plenty for the little ones, with rides, games, a dance themed area and an amazing live show called " Flip 5 Live" which consists of high energy singing, dancing and tumbling and features acrobats from the ages of 16-19. The show also encourages the participation of the kids in the audience. This is bound to be a hit for the younger crowd!

Be sure to check out the Freestyle Music Park, it can only add to your Myrtle Beach vacation!

Welcome to your Easter beach vacation!

Welcome to Exploring the Grand Strand, Garden City Realty's blog! Here you will find helpful tips, fun facts, ideas, events and happenings from people who actually live here! We can inform you of the most exciting places to see, the can't miss 'em attractions and reveal secrets only locals know...it's like a goldmine of Grand Strand information!

Still feeling the need to take a vacation over Easter week, but can't quite decide where to go? Well look no further! Garden City Beach is the perfect place to bring your family for Easter week. The 12th of April is soon approaching, but fear not! It is certainly not too late to take advantage of our beach homes and condos. In fact, there are many specials specifically for Easter week that are ongoing right now, some discounted as much as 20% off!! And with our beach homes and condos, you get freedom you couldn't dream of with hotels and resorts, like (and this is a BIG one) taking advantage of a full sized, fully equipped kitchen. Because let's face it, sometime you just can't take the family out to eat every night, and sometimes you just don't want to!

And why bring the family to Garden City Beach, you ask? Well for one thing, the temperature. I'm sure many of you in the northern parts of the country are sick of cold, wet weather, yes? I would be. Drag yourself away from the snow shovels, woolen mittens and coats and picture this: You and your family piling onto a golf cart and leisurely cruising down to the beach, or strolling down the pier in the sun, a gentle, salty breeze blowing as you watch fisherman reeling in shiny spot tail, eating homemade ice cream as you watch the beach kites dance over the houses. Then you sigh a sigh of contentment and think "Wow, I am SO glad we did this, this beach vacation to Garden City was a great idea!" and you wonder why you've never been here before.

Sounds nice, doesn't it!? And not only is the weather supposed to be great, but Garden City and Surfside Beaches offer plenty of Sunrise worship services on the beaches and area piers, where you can experience the sunrise over the ocean like you never have before, on Easter morning!

So what are you waiting for? Go check out the beach homes and condos for that perfect Easter week vacation. And feel free to subscribe and keep checking out this blog, where the locals will give you insight into the Grand Strand, and all that the area has to offer! Have a nice day!