My family and I traveled to Myrtle Beach last month, and we all survived! I say this in jest, mostly because trip planning became more tedious than it needed to be. It wasn’t just my family of 5 that went, we also traveled with my mother in law and two nieces. My sister in law also met us there for a few days. I hadn’t been to Myrtle since before kiddos, so of course, I wanted to research things to do. My MIL just wanted to sit at the beach all day with a book and relax. As lovely as that sounds, it’s just not uber practical for an 18-month-old. My research turned up plenty for teens, top spots for couples, even best ice cream for littles. What it didn’t highlight was my need to humor 5 kids from 13 to 18 months. So I dug a little deeper. Then, I found it, my place for all… Brookgreen Gardens!
Brookgreen Gardens is located in Murrells Inlet, SC and is equal parts zoo, museum and lush gardens. A cool fact is that Brookgreen Gardens is one of the few institutions in the United States to earn accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, as well as being designated a National Historic Landmark and being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Literally, each one of us found something fantastic that we loved. My youngest had the most fun at the zoo and in the Enchanted Storybook Forest, where there were fantastic playhouses based on nursery rhymes and children’s stories. My 6-year-old loved the Children’s Discovery Room where he dug for fossils, met a turtle nose to nose and created recycled artwork. My 8 year old loved they had a Brookgreen Detectives Booklet with clues for her to answer throughout our journey. My 12-year-old niece squealed when she read there were mythological statues and took the map to lead us to the golden Dionysus. The 13-year-old was blown away when she realized the grounds were a former plantation and enjoyed finding all the history of the original family she could find. My mother in law said she enjoyed the history lesson on the pontoon boat ride. I have always been a fan of butterfly gardens and Brookgreen Gardens has a beautiful house. Also, seeing so many lush gardens had me jealous! I’m also a huge fan of mossy oak trees and they had a huge walkway of them. Hubby enjoyed the temporary installment of Ribbit art, with all things metal frogs that were fun and whimsical.
And that my friends is how you make a party of 8 extremely happy in one visit. Since Brookgreen Gardens is about 9,000 acres, it’s pretty tough to see it all and do it all (we sure tried though!). With your admission ticket, you are able to leave and return for seven consecutive days, how awesome is that? Make sure if you’re headed to South Carolina, to add Brookgreen Gardens to your MUST SEE list!
*Disclaimer* I have received promotional products for this post. This post probably has affiliate links which support our children’s growing appetites!
I have always wanted to go there. The pictures look so beautiful, but we never have the time.
Wow – i learned something new today!
I hope to get to Myrtle Beach one day soon. I have a friend who lives right near the beach, that would be great to wake up to!
I’ve never been to Myrtle Beach before. I like that these gardens have something to entertain everyone. Looks fun.
Brookgreen Gardens looks amazing!! Thanks for the review!!! I have never been there before and look forward to adding that to my bucket list.
I would love to go to Myrtle Beach with my family! Brookgreen Gardens sounds like a must-see!
oh my gosh, i will be visiting this spring and this looks great! have never been there!
I have always wanted to go to Myrtle Beach. I can’t wait to check out the Brookgreen Gardens
I have been to Myrtle Beach more times than I can count but have never been to Brookgreen Gardens. But from now on it will be at the top of the list as it looks like a great place for all!
We are spending a few days in Myrtle Beach for a much needed vacation. I will check this out!
I volunteer at the botanic gardens here in Denver and always love to see other ones. Lots to see and do there.
Thank you for the tip, i never know what to visit when i visit new places. Love your pictures with your post, it makes me want to go there ! Looks beautiful with a lot of fun things to do.
Several family members are planning to go to Myrtle Beach next summer. This sounds like a wonderful place for them to visit. Thank you for this post and review.
Carol L
I vacation in Myrtle Beach every year. I’ll have to check it out next summer.
Looks very fun. I will have to see if I can go there next time I visit my aunt.
This looks like so much fun!
I would love to see Brookgreen Gardens. I’ve had a couple of friends that have been there and they told me to put it on my bucket list because pictures don’t do it justice.
It looks like ya’ll had a good time for everybody! It’s so hard sometimes to go places and keep everybody happy! Looks like a great place to visit!
This seems like a neat place. Was it affordable for a large family?
For me, I saw it as multiple excursions in one ticket, so I feel it is. Plus, if you’re staying in the area and have the opportunity to go back within the week time frame, it’s fantastic!
I have been to Myrtle a few times but didn’t know about these gardens. I def want to check it out next time we visit!
We should check this out.
It’s so odd,mew traveled past myrtle beach dozens of times, but we’ve never stopped to check it out.
Maybe, we should.
It really is worth it. Definitely not the typical hustle bustle of Myrtle. You can stay as long as you’d like, go multiple days, and find something for everyone 🙂
Nice
I’ve been wanting to take a trip to Myrtle Beach, and I’m hoping I’ll be able to real soon. I will definitely visit Brookgreen Gardens when I do go.