July 4th is a favorite time for people to book their Myrtle Beach vacations. It’s a great way to enjoy the summer at the beach, and with all the local holiday events, it’s no wonder tourists from all around choose to make the Grand Strand their Fourth of July destination.

There will be July 4th celebrations all up and down the coast this year. Broadway at the Beach will have face painting, patriotic music and fireworks from July 2 to July 4. Market Common will have music, children’s activities, and fireworks from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm on July 4. Surfside Beach will be having live music, moon bounce, concessions, and a fireworks display at Surfside Pier from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Head to the Murrell’s Inlet Marshwalk area at 5:00 pm for the 26th Annual July 4th Boat Parade.

There’s been a lot of new attractions added since last summer! Now is the perfect time to try out the brand new waterslide on second avenue in North Myrtle Beach, or head down to Myrtle Beach to see the new Market Common shopping complex. Freestyle Music Park, at the site of the old Hard Rock Amusement Park, is also open for business with a rollercoaster and lots of amusement rides.

There are several area movie theaters for those who like to enjoy a movie during the holiday. Myrtle Beach Mall (aka Colonial Mall) in North Myrtle Beach, Coastal Grande Mall, Broadway at the Beach, and the new Market Common all have great theaters. Right now, there’s a movie out for everyone. This summer’s Star Trek movie is still in theaters and has been getting rave reviews. There’s also Disney/Pixar’s Up for the kids, Terminator and Transformers for action fans, the comedies Hangover and Away We Go, the tearjerker My Sister’s Keeper, and the horror thriller Drag Me To Hell.

Finish it all off with a live show at the Palace Theatre, go shopping at Tanger Outlets, or finish off a round of golf at one of our championship courses. Enjoy your holiday at Myrtle Beach!

The world’s largest inflatable waterslide is now set up between 1st and 2nd Avenues South in North Myrtle Beach. The addition was set up last Friday and is already making a “splash.”

Known as “The Hippo” by the manufacturing company FreeStyle Slides, this slide is 36 feet tall and 180 feet long.  The charge is $3 per ride or riders can purchase an all-day wristband for $20. Tickets are located at Ocean Park, which is located at 2nd Avenue South street end.

The Hippo is located close to a some of CondoLux’s North Myrtle Beach vacation rentals such as The Ashworth, The Verandas, and Ocean Bay Club.

Being a bit out of the ordinary, my wife and I decided to take a helicopter ride.  We saw the sign while passing the Myrtle Beach airport, and said “$20 for a helicoptor ride….. WHY NOT!?”    Well, we have good and bad news.

The good news is, we had fun! I can’t remember where were were headed, but we just finished looking at some Myrtle Beach condos along the Ocean Blvd when we drove by and decided to give it a try.  We actually had the ride back when tourism season wasn’t so bad, so we only had to wait 10 minutes to get on the “chopper”, which was alot smaller than we thought it would be.

We took a look at the map they had on the wall to plot which course we wanted. (You get alot of different choices, check em out here.) We went for the one right above the “cheap” one. I had been watching the “chopper” (sounds cooler than helicoptor) take off, and it seems like the $20 ride only lasted maybe 2 minutes, if that. They took off and landed VERY quickly.  SO, if you are going to do this, go for at least the Pavilion Tour if you can spare the cash. With that one, (the one we picked) you did have time to relax and soak up the scenery before you landed again.

Enough blabber. So we were up in the air, I was taking pictures with my camera phone and having a blast. You always see the guys in the movies with the huge ear-muff speakers on… well… you need em!  It is VERY loud up there. And of course, they have speakers and microphones so you can talk to each other and the pilot as well.  You got an EXCELLENT view of all the Myrtle Beach real estate out there. You fly right along the coast so you see all the condos, as well as all the land and some residential neighborhoods as well.  It does feel weird though, definitely not like flying in an airplane. It more or less resembles flying in a tin can.

So whats the bad news?  For value, I give it a 3 out of 5.  At $40 per person for a 10 minute ride, I can’t say I would recommend that unless you have extra money to spend. And if you have a full family, forget it. You might as well go to the new Freestyle Music Park and spend a few hours.     Do I recommend the experience? YES! Definitely put it on your list if you have the money for it.

Only in Myrtle Beach, SC!

Looking for something to do in Myrtle Beach with the kids?  Well, we found the answer - a website dedicated to just kid-friendly activities.

Granted, Myrtle Beach lends itself to a family friendly vacation, but wouldn’t it be better to plan your trip knowing your agenda?  There is plenty to do in Myrtle AND North Myrtle. And there are even kid-friendly resorts with cool mini-water parks they can enjoy. All in all, there are plenty of Myrtle Beach attractions for kids.

Let’s see. Water Parks. Check.  Mini-golf. Check. Ripley’s Aquarium. Check. Of course, the beach. And plenty more for all age groups, from the little ones to the teenagers. (They would love Medieval Times.)

While you are checking out Myrtle Beach condo rentals for your next vacation, be sure to ask your reservationist of what kind of kiddie pools are at the condo.

Of course, check out the Myrtle Beach attractions for kids website as well at http://www.myrtlebeachkidsstuff.com/.

This past November, not only did the country vote a new President into office, residents of Myrtle Beach also voted and passed  a one-cent sales tax, to be paid by all consumers, tourists and locals, to fund facilities for education. This one-cent sales tax will provide funding for Horry County schools, Coastal Carolina University, and Horry-Georgetown Technical College over the next 15 years. One cent doesn’t sound like much. But 1 cent on the dollar equates to a 1 percent sales tax increase.

This local option sales tax will offset the property tax levied by the school district for debt service.  The tax will most obviously provide a revenue stream for building needs of local public schools and the two schools of higher education, Coastal Carolina and Horry-Gergetown-Tech, but will also provide opportunities for more collaboration between the public school system and the two  institutions of higher learning.

Specifically the local option sales tax will:

“Add a revenue source for debt service”;

“Rolls back debt service millage on all property including houses, businesses, vehicles, land, and personal property”;

“Generates over $1 billion for school facilities for K-12 public education and the county’s two post secondary schools”;

“Broadens the base of tax payers by allowing everyone, including non-residents, to help pay for school facilities”;

The impetus for this local option sales tax is multi-fold, but one of the main factors for adapting this new tax structure is the the accelerated growth of our local educational community. Of the 85 school districts of South Carolina, Horry County has sen the most rapid growth and is the third largest school district overall. Horry County schools have added 10,000 students in the past decade.  The anticipated growth rate would see 17,000 more students over the next decade and a half.

Coastal Carolina has seen similar growth and is currently the fastest growing four-year university in the state accounting for more than 60 percent of enrollment growth of all state-wide comprehensive  institutions of higher learning. Horry-Georgetown Tech is similarly the fastest growing two-year public university, almost doubling enrollment over the same ten tear span.

As with all tax proposals there are many points to be considered, questions to be answered, and difficult tax language to be understood. Here are a few FAQ’s:

What will this penny do?

The penny will allow an additional revenue stream allowing the school systems to retire existing debt for school construction and emerging building needs for the rapidly growing school system. Property owners will be relieved of some of the tax responsibility to provide for our educational system, allowing the masses of people who visit and vacation here along the Grand Strand the opportunity to contribute to these escalating costs.

How much money will the sales tax generate?

Current conservative estimates have this local option sales tax generating over a billion dollars for our growing educational system over the 15 year life span of the tax.

What will be taxed?

The one cent sales tax would apply to most all taxable goods and services that a consumer currently pays tax on at the time of purchase. Exempt from this sales tax would be groceries, gas, and prescription drugs. As well most weekly or monthly recurring payments like mortgages or rent, childcare and insurance are not subject to current sale taxes. This also means an additional 1 percent tax added to Myrtle Beach vacation rentals as well.

There are a few additional FAQ’s that you might want to explore in further detail in order to educate yourself about the new tax law that will go into effect next month. Please feel free to view the full PDF.