Garden City Beach, South Carolina

If the temperature is seventy-five degrees at eight o'clock in the morning and you are standing on the pier watching the dolphins and pelicans, you are in South Carolina. Just eight miles south of Myrtle Beach is the quiet relaxing atmosphere of Garden City Beach.

Because of the price of gas and high unemployment rate some of the deals of a lifetime can be had for hotel or condo rentals right now in Garden City. Staying at a condo or hotel for a week will save several hundred dollars over last year's rate or stay for a week for what three or four days would have cost you previously.

Your stay in Garden City, if you have kids, has to include a trip to Maze Mania. Each morning the maze is rearranged so there can be no cheating and you and your kids have to find your way in and out in a specified time to win a tee shirt. The maze is two and a half acres of wooden fencing and you can get lost in it, but it is so much fun.

Right next door to Maze Mania is Gilligan's Island Mini Golf. You can combine a package at a discount for both Maze Mania and Gilligan's Island and after you've completed the maze and had a snack on their observation deck, you can take the kids for a round of mini golf. Based on the television show it features thirty six holes with waterfalls, lagoons, cliffs, and palm trees and looks like you really are on an island.

Your vacation to South Carolina would not be complete without spending time on the Garden City pier. If you are a fisherman you can catch whiting, sea trout, and flounder, among others, and may even see some sharks or turtles. If you bring the kids they will have a great time in the arcade playing all sorts of video games while you relax on the pier. There is a snack shop where you can get a bite to eat and a gift shop that has rods and reels if you've left yours at home.

Another great place to visit while in Garden City is The Slick Track Family Amusement Park on Atlantic Avenue. It offers go-cart rides, bungee jumping, and many other amusements. It is a fun place to spend some time with your kids and you may feel like a kid yourself again.

Dining in Garden City will be a tough choice because there are several seafood restaurantsto choose from. I will not recommend where you should eat, but it doesn't seem to matter which one you pick because you will still have some of the best seafood in the world.

I have only touched on some of the great places in Garden City to visit while you're here but the one thing I have forgotten to mention is don't forget to spend some time on the beach.