Pop-ups outnumber hybrids at Myrtle Beach

[JonesFamilyJayco]

We just returned from our first beach camping trip at Ocean Lakes Family Campground in Myrtle Beach SC //www.oceanlakes.com .  I was surprised to see that pop-ups outnumbered hybrids by a lot.  We still came in a very distant third to the big-rigs, but I feel that the pop-up campers were well represented!  

The campground by far met and often surpassed my expectations.  The grounds and facilites were clean,in good working order, and plentiful.  We loved the swimming pools, beaches, minature golf, and most of all, our own golf cart (rental).  The only down side to beach camping was all the sand (this sounds silly since we were beach camping!).  It was impossible to keep our feet clean and sand out of the camper.  

Lessons I learned on this trip include:

1.)  Screw in stakes and strong come-along straps are necessary equiptment to secure the awning. Copied from my TT neighbor.
2.)  I need a larger camping mat! (or maybe two)
3.)  A/C I added this winter was worth every penny, but may have been fine with Coleman's 9000btu Polar Cub-We never had to go above low cool and the 9000btu could run better with a generator)
4.)  Solar covers work and with little to no shade, they are needed-also works as a good "gutter" to prevent canvas from soaking with A/C run off. This was nice at time to close the camper.
5.)  Even with 4 nights of beach camping, you need to stay longer
6.)  Change the porta-potti often (We keep it in a collapsable tent under the awning
7.)  I can do just fine next time with less stuff (esp. with our small camper)
8.)  It is GREAT to not have to leave the campground to have fun-No traffic worries the whole time!  
9.)  I want a screen room with a floor (but needs to be easy to set up and take down.  Pah-Que'?, maybe)
10) Rent the golf cart; makes life so much easier!

Please include your beach camping experiences and tips.  Thanks!

[byrdr1]

.
 
Lessons I learned on this trip include:
 
2.) I need a larger camping mat! (or maybe two)
5.) Even with 4 nights of beach camping, you need to stay longer
8.) It is GREAT to not have to leave the campground to have fun-No traffic worries the whole time!
10) Rent the golf cart; makes life so much easier!
 
Please include your beach camping experiences and tips. Thanks!

I agree with all of these.
Answers to:
 #2 I have bought 3 camping mats for use at Ocean Lakes. we have only camped there  1 Easter(april)& 2 Thanksgivings(november) so we had a heavy dew each morning, without all the mats and the 3rd one so we could get to the paved road. You will track all kinds of stuff into the camper. (sand and that fine black dirt).
#5 this is any time you go camping it just never is enough time for the finer things in life...
#8 the kids love Ocean Lakes as much as I/We do. We could use the outdoor pool this past Easter break, but November is indoor pool only..
#10 aint it the best with a golf cart...I was one of those who thought only a lazy person would want a golf cart, boy was i wrong.. That place is so large you need one just to get around. So you dont have to drive your car..and it is fun to ride around and check out everybody elses rigs looking for mods?
 
Did you eat at the ice cream store? we did about every day..
Bathhouses are the best I have seen at about any where we have stayed.. Maybe RJ's Ranch's new one was up there...
We will only go back to Ocean Lakes for our Myrtle Beach campin' trips. Next years vacation will be Ocean Lakes.. We made the mountians this year and we stayed wet most of the time. So we will try Ocean Lakes next year. We have made plans to go Ocean Lakes over the Thanksgiving holidays this year with us finding the must prefect camp site and booking it for June 2005.
Plans liek this must be made in advance so that you can get a camping site.
i am glad you had a great time at Ocean Lakes..
randy

[JonesFamilyJayco]

I added some photos of our Myrtle Beach camping trip to "My Camping Photos" for my webshots account.  I also have a couple of new photos from this weekend in Boone and Grandfather Mountian, NC.

http://community.webshots.com/user/kaaljonesfamily

[tlhdoc]

It sounds like you had a really great time.

[JonesFamilyJayco]

It was the BEST!  Even though it was some extra work at times to keep everything together for a family of 4 in an 8 foot PU, it was very much worth it.  My children loved the park and I really liked the family oriented nature of the campground.  So many young families and every one we met was nice.  I hope we can go back for a longer stay next year.