What do you do when your kiddies decide they don’t want a traditional Christmas? You plan a staycation of course! A staycation is a vacation within driving distance from your home. Medieval Times – Myrtle Beach, SC is a little over a two-hour drive from our home in Fayetteville, NC making it our perfect staycation destination. Yet how did we get here?
It all started one afternoon in early November when my three youngest Kiddies came into our bedroom and announced they didn’t want presents this year for Christmas. Whaaat? TMy mouth just about dropped. Did I even hear them right? No presents?!
No Presents?
It appeared they had come together over the past few weeks for some sort of Kiddie ‘meeting of the minds’ and decided that all wanted to go somewhere as a family instead of our traditional presents under the tree Christmas.
The thing was they had no idea where they wanted to go apparently, all the details were up to me. No pressure, right? But let me tell you when Kiddies say no presents for Christmas, you listen!
More Moments
Is Christmas still Christmas without presents? I know it sounds silly but I actually asked myself and my Hubby this question. I mean as a Christian I know Christmas is about Christ. That’s now what I mean. Somewhere along the way, our Christmas turned into lists of ‘things’ to buy instead of moments to make as a family.
With this small request, our Kiddies were giving us a huge reminder. But now we had to figure out how to make it happen. I was determined to find a way to make this Christmas special and that started with the where.
Memories
It was 8th Grade. We were heading to our graduation field trip loading onto the bus to go to Medieval Times, MD. We were 12 and super excited based when our teachers said we could eat with our hands so yeah – it was amazing!
A couple years ago I had the chance to meet Red Knight, Blue Knight, Falconer, and Lord Chancellor while attending BlogHer17. Can you tell I was excited?!?! Little did they know I was having flashbacks to my first Medieval Times experience . . . my 8th-grade memories of sitting in the stands cheering for our Knight came rushing back.
Medieval Times was something I needed to do again! After chatting with the folks at that booth that I realized we had a Medieval Times less than 3 hours away from where we live in North Carolina. Medieval Times, SC could be our perfect staycation destination.
Medieval Times
If you know me you know I love a great lanyard. Yep, I said it – I Love Lanyards. I save them all whether it be from a blog conference or family trip.
When I saw that we could purchase Medieval Times, SC tickets through our local MWR at a discounted rate with a free VIP Royalty Upgrade I jumped at it.
The Royalty Upgrade Includes:
- Priority Castle Access
- VIP Seating
- Priority Seating Access
- Cheering Banner
- VIP Lanyard*
There were two date options that would fit our Christmas staycation: December 24th and December 25th. I was shocked they offered a Christmas Day show and grabbed up our 6 tickets immediately!
Now that I had our tickets it was time to figure out where we would stay and what else we could get into during our visit to South Carolina.
Suites Please
We are a large family. This means normal hotels simply don’t work for us. Finding a hotel that can accommodate a family of six without forcing us to dip into our savings isn’t always easy – until now.
During our summer vacation in Florida, we stayed at Hampton By Hilton Inn & Suites. It was perfect! So when it came to booking a place for our Myrtle Beach staycation I knew they would be at the top of my list. Oh, and did I mention my Kiddies one Must Have for the trip was an indoor pool?
- Complimentary Breakfast
- Free WIFI
- Kitchen (microwave, fridge, and sink)
- Large Bathroom
- 2 Double Beds
- Pull Out Couch in separate Living Room Area
- Indoor Pool*
Not only was the Hampton By Hilton Inn & Suites in North Myrtle Beach less than 20 minutes the South Carolina Medieval Times but it had everything we wanted and needed to make our stay great!
Myrtle Beach, SC
Tickets – Check! Room – Check! The only thing left to do was get there. I knew our tickets were for Christmas Day but we wanted to be sure we had a bit of time to explore Myrtle Beach and simply relax. With that in mind, we decided to head out on the evening of the 23rd and return on the 26th.
A short ride later (less than 3 hours) and only half a tank of gas, we arrived at the hotel. Thanks to Hampton By Hilton’s late check-in options we were able to get to our room, unpack and relax until our fun started the next day.
The next day was Christmas Eve. I was so happy we hadn’t planned anything because it gave us the freedom to simply BE. We woke up around 8 am to grab breakfast downstairs and then decided to head down to the beach and explore.
The beach was literally a 5-minute drive from the hotel. We parked and walked along the shore. Despite it being December the weather was beautiful. Not to hot not too chilly. The beach was nearly deserted and we were able to collect seashells, write a Holiday wish in the sand and simply enjoy each other as a family.
After the beach, we decided to head back to the room for movies and pizza. The perfect end to our Christmas Eve.
VIP Royalty
It was Christmas morning and we woke up as if Santa had knocked on our room door! We spent the morning eating breakfast and relaxing. Once everyone was showered and dressed in our Ugly Christmas Shirt best we headed over to the Medieval Times Castle for our 5 pm show. A short 15-minute drive from the hotel we arrived at 315pm. Doors for the show open at 345pm which gave us time to exchange our MWR Ticket Vouchers for tickets and get our lanyards – Yay!
The moment I saw Queen Doña Maria Isabella step out of the castle doors with The Chancellor and her Court to make the announcement that the doors were opening I knew this was going to be a Knight To Remember 😉
At check-in I decided to upgrade our tickets to the VIP Celebration Package:
- Priority Castle Access
- VIP seating
- Priority Seating Access
- Cheering Banner
- VIP Lanyard*
- Group Photo for Each Member of the Party
- Slice of Birthday Cake for Each Member of the Party
- Personalized Announcement During the Show
In addition to the lanyard and the perks of the Royalty Package, the Celebration upgrade gave us first-row seating, a group photo with the Queen and her court and cake! When we were handed our crowns we learned which of the 6 Medieval Times Knights we would be cheering for throughout the tournament. We were all excited to find out we would be cheering on The Red & Yellow Knight. My oldest Girlie and I were super excited due to the similarity in colors to a certain house we both love 😉
Now that we had our lanyards and crowns it was time to explore the Hall of Arms. Here you pick out Royal gifts, explore the museum of torture, see the Royal Falconer and his birds up close, select a drink from the full-service bar (21 and older) or simply sit and enjoy the grand medieval feel of things.
A Knight To Remember
Now before I go into the start of the tournament I think I need to take a minute to confess something. Everyone in our family wasn’t excited about our trip to Medieval Times. Despite the many efforts of both myself and my daughters my youngest son declared he was not going to have any fun at all at this Medieval Times thing.
Yet as we took our seats I watched his eyes as he took in the arena, the different section, the tables – all of it. The first thing he mentioned? Where’s the silverware! He was beside himself when I told him he would get to eat with his hands! Yup. I had him! Mr. Skeptic had become the loudest Red & Yellow Knight supporter in our section and this Momma’s biggest fan!
To say Medieval Times is just a show is not doing it justice. This is a tournament of honor, strength, and courage and let’s not forget the 4-course dinner fit for a Queen.
Queen Maria Isabella welcomes you to dine with her and her royal court. Always a generous host, the Queen has commanded her royal chefs to cook her favorite meal just for you.
Medieval Times’ noble guests feast on garlic bread, tomato bisque soup, roasted chicken, sweet buttered corn, herb-basted potatoes, the pastry of the Castle, coffee and two rounds of select beverages.
The excitement of a medieval expedition of beautiful horses, a royal falcon and 6 Knights battling for the honor of the Queen through jousting and weaponry is a night you will never forget!
I’m proud to report by the end of the night, my always skeptical son was not only full from his amazing dinner but cheering louder than any of us for our Knight and all the action happening in the middle of the arena. He didn’t want it to end and for me, our staycation destination to Medieval Times was officially a success!
Before We Go
On our last day in Myrtle Beach, we decided to pack up and head out to explore a few of the local spots before we headed back home. I mean ya’ll know how much I love local finds!
After a quick online search, we decided to head to Southern House of Pancakes. Less than 10 minutes from the hotel and in the heart of North Myrtle Beach this little yellow house had immediate charm. The menu is full of amazing home-style breakfast dishes from grits to buttermilk pancakes with a family feel plus a pretty amazing selection of Mimosas. Oh and guess what? Our waitresses’ name was – wait for it – Mimosa!!! 😀
The next time you’re in Myrtle Beach be sure to stop by Southern House of Pancakes and ask for Mimosa!
After breakfast, we headed over to Broadway At The Beach. I remember this boardwalk from when I visited with family when I was around 10. I have always wanted to return and we decided to take a few hours to simply walk and explore.
Broadway at the Beach is full of so many cute and unique shops, attractions, entertainment, and restaurants. After an hour or so we realized this is one place we need to schedule for a return visit. We already know we want to go back for:
- Ripley’s Aquarium
- WonderWorks
- Helicopter Adventures
- Hollywood Wax Museum and Entertainment Center
- Dragon’s Lair Mini Golf
Just to name a few! There are so many more you can find at BroadwayAtTheBeach.com and VisitMyrtleBeach.com. I plan on using them both to make our next staycation full of fun and surprises for the whole family.
Staycation Destination
As we drove back to Fayetteville, I started to think on the moments we made during our staycation in Myrtle Beach. I was amazed at how many moments and memories we were able to create in what was definitely a last minute decision to make new Christmas traditions.
What we loved . . .
- Getting away from our normal environment
- Making new family traditions
- Exploring new places
What we missed . . .
- At home traditions – we didn’t have a Christmas tree, decorations, ornaments, etc.
As you can see, the things we loved far outnumber the things we missed from having a traditional at home Christmas. So much so we are already planning our next Christmas staycation destination and a return visit to Myrtle Beach to finish exploring Broadway At The Beach!
Where’s Your Favorite Staycation Destination?
“Believe in yourself, your passions, and your dreams. Your voice is unique – build on that. Embrace what is different about you and make it your greatest asset!”
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