Myrtle Beach in the Off-Season: Family Friendly Activities!

Disclaimer: Our family received complimentary admission to these attractions (minus mini-golf) in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and that of my family.

Myrtle Beach in the Off-Season: Family Friendly Activities!

Are you planning a trip to Myrtle Beach? Have you considered visiting Myrtle Beach in the off-season? Wondering what family friendly activities there are?

Our family has been to Myrtle Beach twice now. The first trip was for Spring Break 2016 and our second trip took place in December 2019.

Heading to a beach on the mid-Atlantic coast in March or December aren’t the most opportune times for “beach weather”, but we had some gorgeous, sunshine filled, 70 degree days and we were all together which made it a perfect trip. Plus, the timing of both trips took us places that were warmer than home in Central Illinois. 🙂

After making the 14+ hour drive, we got settled into our hotel with a good nights sleep. The next morning, we got breakfast in our belly, and then we had to get our toes in the sand so we took a walk on the beach! Not a bad way to spend December 26th for us midwesterners! The water was way too cold to go much further than your ankles, but it was gorgeous.

The boys enjoying having the freedom to take off their shoes, run and collect seashells. It was a perfect low-key day, but we had some exciting things to come.

Alabama Theatre

Since we were there just after Christmas, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see a Christmas show. We chose The South’s Grandes Christmas Show at Alabama Theatre! They are located in North Myrtle Beach at Barefoot Landing and provided an excellent show for people of all ages!

We chose the 7:30pm show on a Friday night. That is usually around the time we are starting the bedtime routine with our kids (ages 9 and 7) so I was a little worried about it keeping my boys entertained so they wouldn’t fall asleep, but they really did a great job. The show ran about 90 minutes long and had a great mix of performances with a lot of traditional Christmas songs that my kids recognized. They also had a song where they invited the kids to the stage! This is absolutely a show I would recommend if you happen to go during the holidays.

Follow Alabama Theatre:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach

We have been to other cities with Ripley’s attractions, but we have never been to their aquariums. Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach is a perfect venue for anyone who loves sea life! My boys loved the hands-on exhbits. They were able to pet horseshoe crabs, stingrays, a hammerhead shark and jelly fish! The staff was really informative and helpful, too. My oldest son really wanted to pet the horseshoe crab, but he was so nervous. The staff member picked it up and let him pet it and then turned it over and told him all about it.

They also have a number of live shows that take place during their operating hours. We saw the diver interaction in Rainbow Rock. There was a speaker outside the tank telling us everything that the diver was doing inside the tank. It lasted about 15 minutes.

After the diver interaction, we went through the Dangerous Reef where we stood on a belt that took us through a tunnel to see many of the marine animals.

Follow Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SkyWheel Myrtle Beach

If you read about our previous trip to Myrtle Beach, you may recall that we road SkyWheel Myrtle Beach back then. Well, we did it again! This time, we decided to experience it at night. What a cool view of the city, boardwalk, and beach!

The SkyWheel is almost 200 feet high and your ride lasts 10-15 minutes (four revolutions). Each gondola is fully enclosed and temperature controlled so you never have to worry about being too hot or too cold…good news for us since we were there in the winter!

Follow SkyWheel Myrtle Beach:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Rockin’ Jump

Before we headed out of town and started our long car ride, we made a stop at Rockin’ Jump! If you are familiar with and enjoy trampoline parks (we are!), you will love this one, too.

Each park seems to have it’s own unique features and Rockin’ Jump didn’t disappoint. We were there for two hours and got to experience everything from the jump arena and dodgeball (my boys favorite!) to the warped wall and ninja course as well as wipe out, the fidget ladder, and slam dunk zone.

The staff was super friendly and it wasn’t so packed that you couldn’t do everything you wanted. It’s a great indoor option if the weather isn’t cooperating or you just need to get away from the sun and beach in the warmer months.

Follow Rockin’ Jump:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

As I mentioned in my previous post about Myrtle Beach, there are A LOT of options to play miniature golf. It is one of the “must do” things while you are there. We actually played three different courses during our short trip!