A Birthday Trip That Tried to Be CalmâŚAnd Mostly Wasnât
This trip was supposed to be different.
It was my ex-husbandâs birthday, and instead of my usual âscheduled within an inch of its lifeâ itinerary, we tried something softer. Slower. More go with the flow.
Which sounds nice in theoryâŚuntil you realize I donât actually function that way.
But we tried.
Touching the Ocean Like It Was Sacred (Because It Kind of Was) and Letting the Day Unfold
We landed later in the day and went straight to the hotelâquick check-in, drop the bags, and immediately crossed the street to the beach like we were being pulled there.
The ocean at Myrtle Beach doesnât ease you in emotionally. It justâŚexists. Big. Loud. Constant.
We put our feet in the water, collected shells like we were suddenly marine biologists, and then made our way to lunch at LandShark Bar & Grillâwhich is where thingsâŚshifted.
A bird flew overhead and absolutely nailed my ex-husband mid-meal.
The manager came over, apologizing, offered us a free appetizer, and heâwithout missing a beatâgoes:
âItâs okayâŚshit happens!â
And honestly? That kind of set the tone for the rest of the trip.
Stingrays, Sharks, and Eels…Oh my!
If youâve never been, Ripleyâs Aquarium is one of those places that makes you feel like a kid againâmassive tanks, slow-moving sea creatures, and those glass tunnels where sharks and rays glide right over your head like youâre underwater with them.
My favorite part was easily the touch tanks. Thereâs just something about being able to physically interact with sea life that never gets old, and petting the stingrays was the highlight for me. Iâve always loved stingraysâtheyâre so smooth and calm, just gliding around like they have nowhere to beâand getting to actually touch them felt a little magical. The shark tunnel was pretty cool too, watching them move overhead like youâre in their world for a second, but I will always be a touch tank girl at heart.
After that, we headed back to the hotel for the night.
Why the Hotel Was Built Like ThatâŚUnfortunately
Night fell and suddenly everything made sense.
The weird hotel layout. The positioning of the bed. The structure.
Because outside?
It sounded like a full-blown street racing circuit.
Cars flying down the road all night, engines screaming like they had something to prove. Sleep wasâŚoptional at best.
Sunrise, Curiosity, and the Beautifully Bizarre
The next morning started like a postcardâsunrise spilling over the oceanfront hotels, everything glowing in that quiet, early light.
We admired our shell collection like weâd discovered treasure, then eased into the day.
We also went to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, which is basically a museum dedicated to all the weird, fascinating, and borderline unbelievable things in the world. Itâs filled with oddities, rare artifacts, interactive exhibits, and little pockets of âwaitâŚis that real?â around every corner. Youâll see everything from shrunken heads to bizarre art made out of unexpected materials, and somehow it all exists under one roof like a curated collection of human curiosity at its most unhinged.
What I loved most was how unpredictable it was. You donât walk through it in a straight line mentallyâyouâre constantly stopping, staring, questioning, and then immediately moving on to something even stranger. Itâs the kind of place where you lose track of time because every room feels like a different world. Some things make you laugh, some make you uncomfortable, and some genuinely impress you with how creative or obscure they are. Itâs chaotic in the best way, and it keeps your brain fully engaged the entire time.
The SkyWheel That Never Was & The Jellybean Spiral
We tried to ride the SkyWheel Myrtle Beachâyou know, the big, aesthetic Ferris wheel moment.
But no.
Apparently, our digital tickets werenât good enough. They needed to be printed like it was 2003.
So instead of riding the SkyWheel, we wandered.
And thatâs how we ended up in I Love SugarâŚwhich was a mistake in the most predictable way.
I built a mix of popcorn, Dr Pepper, and A&W jellybeans like I was conducting a science experiment. Walked out with probably a pound of sugar and zero regrets at the time.
We got back to the hotel, tried to utilize their business center to print out our tickets, then gave up and spent the rest of the night in our room, watching the movie Music & Lyrics and all of the tv show Gravity Falls, and eating Domino’s pizza and jellybeans.
Which honestly? Was one of the better parts of this trip.
Snow, Celebrities, and Upside-Down Buildings
The next day, we were faced with the weather we were trying to run from. We joked about bringing the snow down to Myrtle Beach with us. The uber driver was not enthused.
Despite this, we set out to Hollywood Wax Museum Myrtle Beach.
Exactly what it sounds likeâcelebrity wax figures, slightly uncanny, sometimes impressive, sometimes deeply unsettling. Youâll take photos anyway.
We headed to Broadway at the Beach and ate at Johnny Rockets (very âmain character in a 2000s movieâ energy), then made our way to WonderWorks Myrtle Beach.
Itâs the upside-down building youâve probably seenâinside is a mix of science exhibits, interactive experiments, and controlled chaos that makes you feel like a kid again.
Then off to Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show.
And thisâthis was the highlight.
Itâs a full pirate-themed dinner show: acrobatics, diving stunts, live animals, a full storyline split between two pirate crews.
The energy? Loud, immersive, slightly unhinged in the best way. Youâre cheering, eating, watching people flip through the air over water like itâs normal.
Also, Salty the Sea Lion absolutely stole the show.
It was the one moment where everything clicked.
Where the trip actually felt like it was working.
Lighthouse Light, Late Bites, and a Quiet Ending
We ended the day back near the beach, grabbing food at Stranded on a Sandbar, right under that big lighthouse-style structure on the boardwalk. It had that laid-back, salty air kind of energyânothing fancy, just good food, ocean nearby, and a place to sit and breathe for a second after everything weâd packed into the day.
After that, we headed back and settled in to watch John Wick. It was one of those simple endings that didnât try too hardâjust food, a movie, and letting the day close itself out naturally.
Delayed Departures and One Last Test of Patience
Leaving Myrtle Beach felt like the tripâs final little test. Our Uber driver showed up already irritated, like we were inconveniencing him just by existing. The whole ride to the airport had this tense, awkward energyâshort answers, attitude, the kind of silence that somehow feels loud. After a trip that was already a mix of good moments and âwhat are we doing,â it just felt like one more thing.
Then came the airport. Delayed flights, shifting departure times, that slow realization that youâre stuck in limbo with nowhere to be but there. You keep checking the board like itâs going to magically change in your favor, but it never really does. By the time we actually left, it felt less like wrapping up a vacation and more like finally being released from it.
Where Iâd Go Instead
I donât personally see myself returning to Myrtle Beach anytime soon. It wasnât a bad tripâwe had our moments, we made it workâbut it just didnât quite land the way I hoped it would.
Charleston, though? Thatâs the one that lingers. Thatâs where we should have goneâthe history, the architecture, the slower, more intentional energy. And maybe thatâs the real takeawayâŚsometimes you donât realize where you actually wanted to be until youâve already gone somewhere else.
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