Growing up as a child, the most common vacation that our family took was Florida beach vacations.  My Mom loved the beach, so we did many vacations there.  We repeated several trips to St. Pete Beach and I have many fond memories from there.  But we did visit other beaches.  I remember going to Myrtle Beach and Virginia Beach also.  

         When I married Kathy, we traveled to Seabrook Island, SC for our Honeymoon.  She had been to Kiawah Island with her “adopted” local family that she met when she moved to the Cincinnati area.  South Carolina beaches are very different from Florida beaches.  They don’t have the white sand, but they become very large at low tide and hard enough to ride bikes.  They have a more residential feel than the hotel-lined beaches of Florida.  I gained a great appreciation for these South Carolina beaches with relaxing bike rides while enjoying the beautiful natural surroundings.  

         After we had kids, we tried Hilton Head Island for the first time.  It provided that great South Carolina beach experience, but also added an element of family friendliness.  I still remember spending evenings listening to Greg Russell children’s shows under the big oak tree at Harbor Town.  He had a hilarious perspective and understanding of family travel that adults loved while he entertained their children.

         It has been awhile since we have been to the beach.  It is probably one of Kathy’s favorite vacations, but the kids wanted more action. In an attempt to compromise, I took the family to Myrtle Beach one year.  We spent one morning at the beach (which Kathy loved) and the kids were done.  On to the local parks and attractions.  Needless to say, Kathy was bummed. That being said, we have done theme parks and big cities most recently.  Now my mission is to get Kathy back to a beach somewhere.