There was a boardwalk that led from the Avista pool deck, across the dunes, and down to the beach. So my first priority as soon as I got checked in, was to get out on that sandy beach, and go for a walk beside the ocean. (Since I live in the "land locked" state of Arkansas, my opportunities for seaside strolls are minimal!)
As I turned towards the city park, that connects the beach to the street called Ocean Drive, I noticed an open-air pavilion, with a sign indicating that this was the location for Sunday morning church services. Since I enjoy visiting churches in new locations whenever I am away from home, I made a point to return the next day to take them up on their invitation to "Come as you are, leave as you Should". And what a blessing it was to go there the next morning to not only be fed spiritually, but they provided coffee and donuts!
Later in my exploring, I made my way down to the Cherry Grove Pier, shown in photo below. This popular landmark was built in the early 1950's and has weathered many hurricanes. It was remodeled and lengthened in 1999 after Hurricane Floyd.
These wading birds provided a nice foreground to frame the sun, as it sinks below the horizon in Myrtle Beach. For those interested in the origin of city names, I can tell you that the name is in recognition of the area's abundant shrub, the Southern wax myrtle. It came about around 1900, when a contest was held to name the area, which was being called "New Town". It was incorporated under that name in 1957.
The group I was with, each had their forehead temperature checked (as shown in photo), before we boarded the bus that was used to transport us around the area. All of us wore our masks the entire time, except when eating. There was hand sanitizer on the bus, throughout the hotel property, and at every attraction/venue we visited. The trip was planned so that as many of our activities as possible could be done outdoors. The tourism partners that are working to make Myrtle Beach as safe a place as possible started a movement to educate the public and tourism-related businesses on what could be done to lower the risk of disease transmission. Folks were able to take a pledge to carry out the suggested guidelines, and each of the participants on this tour was provided a cloth face mask, indicating they had taken the pledge to visit responsibly. You can read about their efforts on their website, www.GreaterGrandStrandisOpen.com .
The first attraction we visited was Brookgreen Gardens (www.brookgreen.org), which has the largest outdoor collection of American figurative sculpture in the world. It was established on the site of 9 former rice plantations.
Although the gardens are open year-round, there are certain times of the winter season, when the Gardens sparkle with outdoor lighting installations, such as the one below. The arching walkway provided by ancient live oak trees in the garden, are covered with vertical "strands" of lights that make the place seem magical. It is , in deed, a "grand strand" of twinkling lights, that is a delight to walk through!! In 2019, due to the pandemic, the days of operation were extended, so that more folks could enjoy the gardens, in spite of reduced capacity restraints issued through public health mandates.
The arrangement of the lights in the installation below reminds me of an angel, with the center triangle being the body of the angel, and the triangles of either side, being the wings of the angel.. The reflecting pool below the lights makes the scene especially poignant.
Another outdoor activity was strolling through the shops of Tanger Outlets (www.TangerOutlets.com). For those who did not want to have their meal or snacks inside, there were ample seating locations in the outdoor, tropical-themed public areas.
At the entrance to Tanger Outlets was this fountain, and a statue called "Happy Girl". I loved the uplifted hands body language on "Happy Girl", because it is the same gesture I am making on my profile photo at the end of the blog, along with the phrase: The Hebrew word for praise means "Hands upward toward God."
Another fun outdoor activity we did was riding go carts, and a photo of the multi-level, curving track is shown below, and their website is www.funatthetrack.com .
I very much enjoy driving go carts, and a nice feature of these go carts is that they were electric, so there were no nauseating gas fumes to deal with! The photo of me below, was taken by the kind employee, who helped get me safely buckled up into the driving position.
Photo below shows yet another day, and another opportunity to see the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean, from my amazing accommodations at Avista Resort! As you may know, since the pandemic started back in March, most lodging properties are no longer entering guest's rooms on a daily basis, rather upon request only. This reduces the risk of cross-contamination between guests and housekeeping personnel. This posed no problems whatsoever for me, and listening to other participants on the trip, they also did not mind this change. Each of us indicated it was a bit "freeing", because we did not feel we had to "tidy up" the room before we left, knowing housekeeping personnel were not going to see our messiness!
How is this for a view, while having a delicious breakfast, at yet another seaside resort we were able to tour??!! This is a photo from where our group drove down the road a bit, to the Island Vista Resort (www.islandvista.com).
One of the features of this resort that I cannot remember ever seeing back in Arkansas, was a "zero entry" swimming pool. Notice how one end is extending into the stone deck. No need to "jump" when accessing this relaxing amenity! The property gets its name because it is the only oceanfront hotel for nearly a mile in either direction, in Myrtle Beach. If you go to their website, you can see an aerial photo that explains their pandemic motto, "Where social distancing comes naturally"!
Another very popular attraction we visited is called Broadway at the Beach. As you can see from the photo of the "upside down"-looking building below, it is not your typical horizontal line of storefronts! Broadway at the Beach is appropriately named, as it has a B R O A D array of activities available for both tourists and locals. For example, the building below is Wonderworks, an educational, entertainment facility, that is jam packed full of exhibits, to amaze and stimulate the minds of those who visit! If you want to glide across the water like a swan, you can rent one of the swan-shaped paddle boats!
There aredozens of retail shops to peruse as you stroll the immaculately cleaned streets of Broadway at the Beach. Likewise, several popular restaurants are available for guests to choose as dining venues. For a complete listing of all that is available here, visit their website at www.broadwayatthebeach.com
Our group had the pleasure of visiting Ripley's Aquarium, during our time at Broadway at the Beach.
Like all other similar establishments, capacity restrictions are in place, and timed entries are used to control the numbers of guests inside the aquarium at any one time. Since I once had the opportunity to spend the night within a circular aquarium space similar to the one in this photo, I inquired about overnight sleepovers for Ripley's Aquarium. Our guide told us this was a regular activity in pre-Covid days, and to check their website (www.ripleyaquariums.com) to find out the most up-to-date information on arranging a private event, such as an overnight. 
For those who are not afraid of heights, the Skywheel is a 187 foot tall observation wheel, situated adjacent to the boardwalk on Myrtle Beach. When it opened in May, 2011, it was the second tallest Ferris Wheel in North America, after the 212 foot Texas Star in Dallas. Currently, it is the sixth tallest Ferris wheel in the USA. The photo show the glass enclosed, temperature controlled gondolas, described as ballooned-out squares, of which there are 42. 
The developers of the Skywheel chose Myrtle Beach because of its new boardwalk, which has its northern end near the Ferris Wheel site. In 2012, the Skywheel was named the best scenic experience in South Carolina. Likewise, it gets my vote for best scenic experience of my 2020 visit to Myrtle Beach! A nice feature of the gondolas, is that they are made of non-reflective glass, which provides the best opportunities for photos of the exterior.
The Barefoot Queen is moored at Barefoot Landing, in North Myrtle Beach. It cruises both north and south of the marina, on the IntraCoastal Waterway, but not going into the ocean. The Intra Coastal Waterway is a 3,000 mile inland waterway, along the USA Atlantic Coast, and extending around the Gulf of Mexico. Part of it is natural features, and part of it is manmade canals.
The intracoastal waterway provides a navigable route along its length, without many of the hazards of travel in the open sea.
Our group took the sunset dinner cruise, and in addition to enjoying a delicious meal and lively music, we had some fantastic photo opportunities, as the sun set in the west, with a scenic bridge providing the foreground.
In addition to all the attractions I have shown photos of in this article, we also visited two of the many live entertainment shows that Myrtle Beach is famous for. We saw spectacular entertainment at both the Alabama Theater, and the Carolina Opry Both these venues have gigantic auditoriums, full of thousands of seats, but due to pandemic-related capacity restrictions, much of the seating is "roped off" to allow for social distancing between guests. I was trying to abide by the theater guidelines of no flash photography during their performances, but if you want to see some outstanding professionally-done photographs of their performances, visit their websites to be amazed! www.thecarolinaopry.com and www.alabamatheatre.com
Did you know that the word "shag" can refer to more than a type of carpet, or type of haircut??!! It is also a style of couples dancing (similar to Western swing) that is said to have originated in North Myrtle Beach! I think the city administration is proud of that moniker, as they have it painted on the water tower that sits in the middle of town!
Another definition for "strand" is "any of the parts that are bound together to make a whole". With tourism partners being bound together with the common goal of restoration, the "heart" of tourism can return! That is the interpretation that I am giving to this art project I observed on the Grand Strand---different "strands" (in this case, broken pieces of shells) working together as partners, to make something beautiful!
I intentionally framed the photo of the Cherry Grove Pier with the sea grasses, to emphasize the importance of those sea grasses. Those grasses, along with the dunes on which they grow and take root, play a vital role in reducing beach erosion.
Likewise, daily time reading God's Word, helps keep me from succumbing to "spiritual erosion"! So I was very thankful my room at the Avista Resort had a copy of the Gideon Bible in the bedside table drawer. If you go to the website of the Gideons, (www.gideons.org), you can read some amazing stories of lives being saved, and changed forever, because a lodging patron had access to a Gideon Bible in their guest room!This trip to the Grand Strand was all about being partners----those who want to travel, partnering with those who want to welcome travelers! So I am using a photo of my "partners" on this trip as the visual aid for one of my First Place for Health (www.FirstPlaceforHealth.com) memory verses: It says, "In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now." Philippians 1:4-5
I am very thankful to my partners at www.GroupTravelLeader.com and www.VisitMyrtleBeach.com for facilitating this fantastic trip to the Grand Strand of South Carolina! Even though the face masks are covering them up, this trip gave us MILES OF SMILES! Tricia
