Maybe even the world! June, 2023

One of the first things we noticed after we arrived in Myrtle Beach on June 19 was the proliferation of mini golf courses, at least 50! The history of mini golf dates to the 1930s here, about the time that it was taking off all over the nation. Driving up and down Kings Highway (Hwy 17), there seem to be one or two every mile.

These are not the basic mini golf courses that some of us played on as children, with a few small obstacles and turns to navigate. The courses in Myrtle Beach feature some elaborate themes, such as African safari, shipwrecks, Jurassic Park, Hawaiian villages, and more. You can see waterfalls (water dyed an unnatural shade of turquoise), erupting volcanoes , dinosaurs, pirate ships, mermaids and sea monsters.

The US ProMiniGolf Association sponsors several pro tours throughout the country, including a Masters Tournament. They even have their own team USA Training Center located in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The other thing we noticed was the number of candy and ice cream shops along Kings Highway. Sugar Life Ice Cream & Candy was founded in 2015, and has three locations. You can mix and match candies by the pound, find sugar related clothing, and sample one (or more) of their 32 flavors of ice cream. We did stop in one day, and I couldn’t even finish my ice cream – I never thought I’d say that!

Even better was Kirk’s:1890 Ice Cream Parlor which usually had a line out the door. Mark said the cherry was almost as good as Cherry Garcia. I thought the mint chocolate with hot fudge was one of best! Kirk’s has been around since the 1970s, and has two locations. They were recently named one of the 100 best ice cream parlors in the US by Yelp, coming in at number 23.

We are staying on the beach, just a couple of blocks from Kirk’s, and walking distance from Ben & Jerry’s – heaven! Called the “Grand Strand,” it covers 60 miles of beach, from Little River at the North Carolina border to Wynah Bay, about 35 miles south of Myrtle Beach. The term “strand” refers to the shore, and “grand” to the extent of this particular shoreline. The sand is almost white, composed of quartz and calcite from shells, and is very soft, easy to walk on.

We’ll be here for two weeks. It appears to be a good spot to relax and enjoy the sun and sand.