Talk to Me Thursday: Our North Myrtle Beach Getaway with the Tangs
Hey friends, grab your coffee because today's Talk to Me Thursday is a good one — we just got back last Wednesday from the most refreshing, sun-soaked, memory-filled week at North Myrtle Beach, and I have to tell you all about it.
Here's the thing: it's been more years than I can even count since we've taken a true, designated beach vacation. Not a Disney trip (shocking, I know), not a quick weekend — an actual sit-on-the-sand, do-nothing-but-relax beach vacation. And this year, we got to do it with our framily, the Tangs — the same family whose daughters watch Lennon and who have become such a huge part of our village. Traveling with framily just hits different, y'all. It's the kind of trip where the kids run off together, the adults actually get to relax, and everyone leaves feeling more like family than when you left.
Let me walk you through the whole week, because it truly was one for the books.
Friday: Arrival Night
We rolled in Friday evening and kicked things off right with dinner at Rockefellers Raw Bar — so good. Nothing says "vacation has officially started" like a good seafood dinner. From there it was straight to Walmart for the big grocery haul to stock the house for the week. Not the most glamorous part of vacation, but a necessary one when you're feeding a crew!
Saturday: Sun, Shopping, and Soccer
Saturday morning we were up and at 'em for our first full beach morning — complete with the very predictable fresh sunburn (you'd think I'd learn by now). After some beach time, we did a little shopping at the outlets before heading to dinner at The Old Bull and Bush Pub & Eatery, an English pub, to watch the England World Cup game.
10 out of 10 recommend. I had the best fish and chips I have ever had in my life, and the energy in that place when England won was absolutely electric. We capped off the night with ice cream at Kirks — because obviously a good soccer win deserves a celebratory scoop. Just a totally unexpected, magical part of the trip.
Sunday: Divide and Conquer
Sunday we split up — girls' day for us, golf for the guys. My girls' day included a dolphin cruise, lunch, and shopping at Barefoot Landing, and it was the perfect mix of relaxing and fun.
That dolphin cruise deserves its own shoutout, honestly. It was truly so much fun, and every single one of us said we'd do it again in a heartbeat. If you're planning a trip to Myrtle Beach, I highly recommend checking it out — you can book the same catamaran dolphin cruise we did right here.
That evening we all came back together for dinner at River City Cafe, followed by a stop at the candy store because vacation calories don't count, right?
Monday: The Chill Day
Every good vacation needs one slow day, and Monday was ours. A lazy morning at the house, some beach time, a trip for Italian ice and a stop at the beach shops, then grilling out that evening followed by more time on the sand as the sun went down. This was honestly one of my favorite days of the whole trip — nothing on the agenda except being together (& experience Vacation Jesse - IYKYK).
Tuesday: Last Full Day
We lived it up on our last full day with morning beach time, lunch at Crab Catchers, and some shopping at Broadway at the Beach. Dinner was a low-key leftovers night, followed by one more round of evening beach time before we reluctantly started the pre-packing process. (Is there anything sadder than packing on vacation? I think not.)
Wednesday: Home Sweet Home
We had an early start on Wednesday — my husband did a photoshoot for the middle Tang daughter Shayna's senior pictures while I assisted, which, how is she already a senior?! Time is not real. After that it was final packing and hitting the road home, with our very necessary pit stop at Buc-ee's on both the way there and the way back. (No North Myrtle Beach trip report is complete without a Buc-ee's shoutout — that place is an experience all its own.)
The Recap
This trip was everything I didn't know I needed. Relaxing, fun, full of good food and better memories, and spent with people we love like family. We are already talking about when we can do it again — because once you experience a real beach week with your favorite people, it's hard to go back to not having one on the calendar every year.
If you're local to North Myrtle Beach or thinking about planning your own beach getaway, I'd say: find your framily, book the house, and don't overthink the itinerary. Some of our best memories from this week came from the days we had absolutely nothing planned.
Talk to me — when was the last time you took a real, unplugged vacation with people you love? I want to hear about it. Also for those that frequent this area, what are some of your favorite places to eat that we should try next time?
Real life, real magic, real rest. 🌊☀️
xoxo,
Katie
Thinking about planning a trip of your own — beach, Disney, or somewhere in between? Let's chat about what your next getaway could look like.