America 2015: Day Twenty-Seven (25 August 2015)

Rollin' down a backwoods, Tennessee by-way,
One arm on the wheel.
Holdin' my lover with the other,
A sweet, soft, southern thrill.
Worked hard all week; got a little jingle,
On a Tennessee Saturday night.
Couldn't feel better, I'm together,
With my Dixieland Delight.

                                                                                                    - Alabama

Tuesday 25 August

Our first full day in Myrtle Beach was a spectacular one. After breakfast, we headed up to Splashes Water Park, which sits right on the sand – and there are panoramic views of the entire beach from the top of the highest slides – and features a half-dozen really fun water slides, plus a lazy river that winds around the park as well. Our accommodation is literally about ten minutes’ walk, if that.

Splashes is owned by the same people who operate the amusement park across the road, so you can get a two-park combo ticket for unlimited rides for $37.00. The best news is that there was hardly anyone around, so we didn’t have to wait in any queues. Some of the slides were in fully enclosed tubes, which means you can’t see where you’re going at all, and others were open-air, with great views of the beach.

 

Although a storm rolled through mid-morning, it didn’t last for very long, and the sun was back out again about twenty minutes after the first rain drops. I gather this sort of weather is pretty much the norm during summertime, and it hardly matters if you get wet given how warm it is. The temperature here is forecast to remain in the low thirties for the rest of the week, which is perfect.

A few blocks up the road from the water park is the Second Avenue Pier, which features a restaurant and bar that sit above the actual pier, a few flights of stairs up, with amazing views everywhere you look. Oh, and the food is amazing, too. The giant seafood basket of popcorn shrimp filled me up completely. I hate leaving good food behind on my plate, but servings in this country are so giant, it seems to happen more often than not.

 

 

It’s nice to be so close to the beach, close enough that we can walk back through the wash of the surf and into the hotel via the pool. Even though school has gone back, there are plenty of people still here, so I can’t imagine how hard it would be to get an inch of sand for yourself during the peak summer period.

Tonight was so much fun. The Family Kingdom Amusement Park has a bunch of really great rides – including a wooden roller coaster that’s been operating since the 1960s – and a figure of eight go kart track that features karts painted up like NASCAR machines. They’re pretty zippy, and a lot of fun with nine or ten cars on the tight track. The log flume ride was also fun, and the views of the Atlantic Ocean from the ferris wheel was memorable, too.

 

 

The most fun thing, though, was the blaster boats – basically, a water version of dodgem cars, where you drive a small boat around a pool, bumping others, and using the built-in water cannon to thoroughly drench people. I’ve never seen such a ride before, but it should be everywhere! So much fun! Everyone gets off the ride absolutely sopping wet, and we were no different. Not that it matters on such a beautifully warm evening.

 



 

Family Kingdom was a great end to a great day!