Columbia, SC
Capital of South Carolina and only 1 hour drive from Florence!About Columbia:
As the capital of South Carolina, Columbia has a cozy downtown area and is a great college town with a lot of neat shops and restaurants. Only 1 hour and 15 minutes from Florence, this is a great day trip to take to seek out wonderful restaurants and visit kid-friendly museums.
Suggested Family-Friendly Activities in Columbia, SC
- Edventure Children's Museum It's a very large museum made just for kids! This is no ordinary Children's museum. If you get an annual membership from Edventure, it included unlimited entry to this main Columbia location, the smaller Hartsville location and the smaller Myrtle Beach location too. Admission for children under 2 is always free. (http://www.edventure.org)
- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden (also known as 'Columbia Zoo') With seasonal events like Boo at the Zoo and Lights before Christmas, family visits here at Riverbanks Zoo are super special. They also have a large kid-centered water park in the gardens! The animals all look very happy and are well taken care of. Waterpark in the gardens is free with your zoo tickets. Free entry for babies under 2 years old.(https://www.riverbanks.org)
- Dine in downtown Columbia - With many great Southern restaurants like Blue Marlin in downtown or a unique ethnic restaurant like Menkoi Ramen house, you can treat your family's tastebuds to many options the capital offers.
- Attend a major fair or festival. Check the City of Columbia's calendar for upcoming fairs and festivals happening in Columbia throughout the year. The biggest fair here is the South Carolina State Fair, which takes place every year in October and brings Carolinians from all over!
- Shop at Columbiana Centre At the Columbiana Centre, they have a lot of stores that Florence doesn't have and also an indoor playground that is free for little kids to play near the JCPenney department store. Portraits at the JCPenney Portraits center inside the department store here are professional and affordable so take advantage of it and knock out some Christmas portraits out of the way while you're doing some shopping. Address: 100 Columbiana Cir, Columbia, SC 29212
Myrtle Beach, SC
Popular East Coast Beach and only 1.5 hours drive from Florence!About Myrtle Beach:
Myrtle Beach has dozens and dozens of amazing seafood buffets!
As one of the most famous beaches on the East Coast, Florence is lucky that it is only an hour and 15 minute drive away to reach a large seafood buffet. During the most busiest seasons, it can get very crowded and traffic can be jam packed. I recommend going to Myrtle Beach when the spring breakers and the college kids are just returning back to school from summer break, while the weather is still nice and warm. If you like the big commotions, do come during their high seasons!
Suggested Family-Friendly Activities in Myrtle Beach, SC
- Myrtle Beach boardwalk Right along the beach is Myrtle Beach's large boardwalk that has many shops and restaurants that you can visit on foot! They also have a big ferris wheel that you can't miss and other attractions for the whole family!
- Go to Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach. About a couple miles from the boardwalk is Broadway at the Beach, which is large shopping complex with a lot of attractions, rides, restaurants and bars. You will never run out of things to do here. You can also have the kids feed the fishes along their bridges over water. You can also enjoy fireworks in the evenings there during the summer months! Check out the Broadway at the Beach fireworks schedule.
- Ripley's Aquarium
Located at Broadway at the Beach is Ripley's Aquarium, which is a great and popular place to visit in Myrtle Beach. They have special seasonal events year round and sometimes offer special rates. Every Veteran's Day, they usually offer free admission to all active and retired military personnel with proof of military ID; and extend discounts to their family members. Babies under 2 years old always gets free admission. Address: 1110 Celebrity Cir, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
- Play mini-golf! There are so many mini golf courses (putt putt) in Myrtle Beach and some are even free at resorts during your stay! Make sure to check out what kind of amenities the hotel you're planning to stay at will have. Lazy pools and mini golf are both great amenities that you can find at many hotels and resort in Myrtle Beach.
- Dunes Village Resort (resort with indoor waterpark!) Dunes Village Resort has the only indoor waterpark in all of Myrtle Beach! Those staying at Dunes Village Resort are allowed unlimited usage of their waterpark during their stay. They have two towers and each tower has their own water park! We've stayed at Dunes Village Resort a few times and we really enjoyed all of our vacations here. The little ones can enjoy the 1 foot deep kiddie pool that's made just for toddlers in the water park area.
Besides the water park, they also have an outdoor playground area for the kids right in front of the beach and many resort activities for the whole family. The view from their restaurant is spectacular. Dunes Village Resort is usually sold out during the popular summer months so you
would need to plan months in advance to secure a room.
- Play at the beach, of course! With famous warm waters during the hot season, Myrtle Beach is a great place to let your kids get their feet wet and play some frisbee on the sand. Relax on the beach with some sandwiches and soak in the sun! I recommend buying a beach tent to give the kids some shade when they need a sun break.