Ohio Weekends > South Carolina > Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach is a special place for us to vacation with our extended family. We became engaged in 1997, returned with our first daughter in 2002, and returned again in 2005 with our second daughter. An unexpected guest during our 2005 trip was hurricane Ophelia. Although she didn't force us to evacuate, our vacation was sidelined with two days of heavy rain.

There are lots of restaurants on the Grand Strand. Adventurous travelers like us prefer to avoid chains in favor of local cuisine. Unfortunately, many of the restaurants on the Grand Strand are unremarkable and sometimes downright disappointing. However, one restaurant did not disappoint. We had a memorable meal at Villa Romana back in 1997 when we became engaged, and our return visit in 2002 confirmed that not much had changed. It was a delightful experience for our entire extended family; even Mamma came out to greet guests and perform the tarantella with the accordian player. Sadly, Mamma passed away in May 2005 before our Septebmer visit.

Our new find for 2005 was Donatelli's Steel City Pizza. On our visit, we ordered a giant calzone that was large enough for two people to share. Our kids loved the pizza boats. Skip the national chains that dot the Grand Strand and go for a slice of Pittsburg instead.

In Pawley's Island, we found Landolfis Bakery & Deli, with lavish Italian pastries. Next time, we'll be sure to be hungry enough for a pizza.

Our friends raved about The Parsons Table and our parents graciously gave us a "date night" during our vacation. The Parsons Table is located in a remodeled church and contains many stained glass windows from old churches throughout the southern United States.

La Belle Ami Winery was just north of our condo in North Myrtle Beach. The weather was bad, so the resident border collie, Bella, was in hiding. The winery offers wine imported from France, plus wines made from the Muscadine and Scuppernog grapes grown at the winery. You can taste several wines for a small free and we purchased several bottles to take home.

La Belle Ami Winery
1120 St. Joseph Road
Little River, South Carolina
(843) 399-WINE

The Beach Club at Windy Hill
3601 South Ocean Boulevard
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Holiday Inn Oceanfront
415 South Ocean Boulevard
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
(843) 448-4481

Donatelli's Steel City Pizza
3001 N Kings Highway
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
(843) 946-9800

Landolfis Bakery & Deli
9305 Highway 17 South
Pawleys Island, South Carolina
(843) 237-7900

The Parsons Table
Highway 17
Little River, South Carolina
(843) 249-3702

Villa Romana
707 S Kings Highway
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
(843) 448-4990

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