Myrtle Beach offers plenty of fun beach activities such as boating, surfing, fishing, scuba diving, kayaking, jet skiing, parasailing and windsurfing. The crystal blue waters provide a great playground for water sports. While staying at one of the excellent South Myrtle Beach rentals, take a chartered sailboat, a banana boat ride or a fun, dolphin watching tour.

Anglers have opportunities to catch big fish. Myrtle Beach has numerous quality fishing charters. You can also fish on a fun party boat. Near-shore fishing happens from the Little River Inlet out to about five miles offshore.

The deep sea fishing charters depart from the Cricket Cove marina and travel to deep sea/offshore fishing grounds such as floating weed lines, ledges and artificial and natural reefs. Bottom fishing opportunities happen all year long with peak seasons for larger fish from November through March.

Have a great time horseback riding along the sandy beach. Horseback riding is a great way to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Tourists report it’s a lot of fun. Some people ride horses along Murrells Inlet, south of Myrtle Beach.

Although Myrtle Beach is not a world-class surfing location, it does have a surf culture and occasionally some excellent waves. The creek mouth near the Holiday Inn has slightly better waves than the rest of the area.

If you want something fun to do while staying at one of the superb South Myrtle Beach vacation rentals, take a sailing charter. The adventurous types can rent and operate a sail boat or take sailing lessons. Some of the boats anchor at Bird Island for swimming, shell hunting and surfing. It’s a popular location.

There are plenty of fun beach activities within easy reach of South Myrtle Beach vacation rentals.

Chosen America’s #1 Best Beach in the 2011 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards, North Myrtle Beach has been repeatedly recognized for its gorgeous beaches; but vacationers will also find plenty of fun things to do off the beach. Named a great family vacation destination and most affordable U.S. vacation by U.S. News & World Report, North Myrtle Beach has also won accolades as a top beach town and best boardwalk from National Geographic, Smarter Travel and Travel + Leisure.

When you’re not playing on the beach or relaxing in one of our delightful North Myrtle Beach vacation rentals, enjoy these top 5 North Myrtle Beach attractions:

• Go on a wildlife safari at T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station and get up close and personal with African wildlife. Kids will love the live performances and you’ll learn a lot about these amazing animals. You can even get your picture taken with a tiger!
• Alligator Adventure is one of the most popular attractions in North Myrtle Beach. Check out the King of Crocs and albino gators. Schedule your visit so you don’t miss the alligator feeding or exciting reptile show.
• Take the family for a game of miniature golf at Lost Treasure Miniature Golf. This fantasy mini golf course offers two challenging courses. Kids will love the train ride to your tee-off point.
• Go horseback riding at Inlet Point Plantation Stables. Great tour guides, great fun and great pictures. If you’re an experienced rider, sign up for an early morning beach ride. The views are breathtaking.
• Have a great meal, shop for souvenirs, watch the birds and ducks or take in a show at Barefoot Landing. Designed to resemble a fishing village, the Landing is the place to go for shopping, dining and entertainment.

Plan your North Myrtle Beach vacation now with iTrip.net!

This week iTrip is featuring its Almost Heaven vacation cottage, located in the popular Cherry Grove area of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. If you’ve been thinking about taking a North Myrtle Beach vacation with a large group of people this cottage is for you! The cottage, situated along the salt water marsh, is just a short walk from the pristine beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. You can actually do some fishing from the spacious deck. You can’t do that at most vacation cottages!

The four-bedroom two-bath, air-conditioned house accommodates 15 people. One of the bedrooms features a king-size bed, while the other bedrooms each have one full-bed and one twin-bed. The cottage also has two pull-out couches. It’s a great place for a family vacation of for a multiple-family vacation or even for a group of guys who love to fish and have fun at a beach.  The cottage also conveniently includes two showers down below for rinsing after a fun day at the beach. View more amenities for Almost Heaven.

The spacious cottage’s glassed in sun-room is a great place to have meals and relax. Enjoy beautiful sunsets from the upper deck. After cleaning your big fish on the lower deck’s fish cleaning station make a tasty fish dinner in the full-kitchen. The vacation rental also includes a TV and DVD for times when you feel like relaxing in the spacious living room.

North Myrtle Beach is a great place for water sports. If you enjoy golfing, play a round at the superb Tidewater Golf Club, known as the “Pebble Beach of the East,” it’s within easy reach of North Myrtle Beach vacation. The area also features other notable golf courses. Family entertainment and great restaurants are nearby.

View photos, pricing and availability for this amazing vacation cottage on iTrip.net!

Photo: Barbara Bergwerf

Tomorrow, Charleston vacationers will have the opportunity to witness a truly amazing and heartwarming event. After 4 months of recovery in the Sea Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston, McClellan the sea turtle will return to her home in the Atlantic Ocean. At 1 p.m. on Friday, October 7, 2011, the adult female loggerhead will be released at the Isle of Palms County Park in Charleston, South Carolina to begin her journey home. The public is invited to join sea turtle rescuers in celebrating McClellan’s remarkable recovery. McClellan’s fans will want to arrive early to get a good view of the release and a good parking space (county park parking fees apply).

Joining several other rescued sea turtles, McClellan arrived at the South Carolina Aquarium’s famous Sea Turtle Hospital in late June. The 228-pound giant had suffered traumatic injuries while entangled in a crab trap rope. One of the loggerhead’s flippers had been amputated during her struggle to free herself, and she had lost a portion of her shell from repeated propeller strikes. McClellan’s brave fight quickly captured the hearts of Charleston vacationers and residents. All summer long, visitors to Charleston’s Sea Turtle Hospital have watched the massive loggerhead’s difficult rehabilitation as experts put her through her paces, preparing McClellan to return to the wild. On Friday, fans and well-wishers will gather at Isle of Palms County Park to cheer the final step in McClellan’s remarkable recovery.

A visit to the South Carolina Aquarium and Sea Turtle Hospital is a highlight of any Charleston vacation. Just a short drive from luxury Charleston vacation rentals, the aquarium is located at 100 Aquarium Wharf at the edge of historic Charleston Harbor.

To visit the aquarium and Sea Turtle Hospital and explore Charleston’s many historic sites and beautiful beaches, book your Charleston vacation on iTrip.net today.

This week iTrip.net is featuring the Grand Strand Resort III, located in the coastal resort city, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. North Myrtle Beach is one of the major tourist towns along the Grand Strand. If you’re seeking one of the comfortable and affordable North Myrtle Beach vacation rentals the Grand Strand Resort III condo is it! The air-conditioned, one-bedroom condo also has a pull-out sofa, so it sleeps four.

The condo is just across from the wonderful North Myrtle Beach. On the way back from the beach stop at the Tiki bar, located near the beach access. Molly Darcy’s Irish Pub, featuring fun and food, is also nearby. 

The comfortable condo, located in a classic sub-tropical beach community, is a great place to relax after a fun day at the beach. The very affordable Grand Strand Resort III condo gives you much more space than a typical hotel room; enjoy the living room instead of everyone sitting on a bed.

Beach condos are the preferred choice of many vacationers. The cost of meals is significantly lower when compared to staying in a motel and always having to dine out. Make some tasty local dishes. The condo’s attractive full-kitchen makes it easy to cook meals and grab a snack whenever you feel like it. The condo also has a TV and a DVD.

Myrtle Beach vacation rental homes are within easy reach of the area’s 60 miles of wide, soft sandy beaches and the local amusement and water parks. The city offers exciting nightlife and live entertainment theaters. Golfing enthusiasts enjoy the great golf courses. The area also has fantastic deep-sea, salt-water fishing.

View photos, more amenities, availability and pricing for the Grand Strand III Resort.

When you need a beach break or an unusual cloud burst chases you indoors, spend a delightful afternoon shopping at one of Myrtle Beach’s two award-winning and very unique shopping complexes. Charlotte’s Best Magazine named Barefoot Landing the Most Beautiful Shopping Destination in the Carolinas and chose Broadway at the Beach the Top Tourist Destination in North and South Carolina. Both venues offer exciting entertainment, first-class restaurants and world-class shopping and are located just minutes from Myrtle Beach vacation rentals.

An immense entertainment and shopping village built around a beautiful 23-acre lagoon, Broadway at the Beach includes numerous hotels; restaurants such as Hard Rock Café, Planet Hollywood and the world’s first NASCAR Café; an IMAX theater; Ripley’s aquarium; The Palace theater; fantasy miniature golf; an arcade; NASCAR SpeedPark; a baseball stadium; a water park; an amusement park; exciting nightlife and, most importantly, more than 100 fabulous shops, specialty stores and eclectic boutiques. At Broadway at the Beach, Myrtle Beach vacationers will find everything from designer fashions to souvenir gifts, home accessories to gourmet goodies – and everything in between. Always check BroadwayAtTheBeach.com for discounts and coupons before leaving your South Myrtle beach vacation rentals for a day of shopping

Built to resemble a quaint fishing village, Barefoot Landing in nearby North Myrtle Beach mixes nature with entertainment and shopping. Built on a 27-acre lake on the edge of the Intracoastal Waterway, Barefoot Landing was constructed over a marsh populated by turtles, herons and alligators, the first shopping complex to preserve the natural environment and integrate it with the human environment. Charming boardwalks connect more than 100 unique specialty shops and boutiques, delightful waterfront restaurants, and top-notch entertainment venues including the Alabama Theater and the House of Blues.

Find more iTrip vacation rentals at iTrip.net!

Steeped in history and oozing gentile Southern charm, Charleston, South Carolina is a delightful vacation destination known for its Revolutionary and Civil War history, architectural beauty, cultural arts and beautiful beaches. The city’s rich history is on constant display in its beautiful parks, charming streets, elegant antebellum homes and national historic sites, inviting visitors to explore and enjoy this graceful city. Many of Charleston’s most well-known outdoor attractions are free and just a short walk from beautiful our Charleston vacation rentals.

Many free outdoor activities provide a pleasant way to spend the day during delightful Charleston beach vacations:

Take a stroll through Battery Park and the adjoining White Point Gardens, two of Charleston’s most beautiful public parks. Located on the waterfront at the tip of the peninsula, the Battery provides gorgeous postcard views of some of Charleston’s most historic sites: Sullivan’s Island, the site of a fierce Revolutionary War naval attack that is commemorated by the white palmetto tree on the state flag; Fort Sumter where Confederate soldiers overwhelmed the Union-held fort to start the Civil War; and the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier which served with distinction in World War II and Vietnam and later as a NASA recovery ship.

Enjoy a self-guided art tour of Charleston’s French Quarter located between South Market and Tradd Street, Market Street and the waterfront. The area’s quaint cobble streets are a reminder of Charleston’s colonial days when French Protestants settled the area that now houses 30 exciting art galleries. Gallery maps are available at www.frenchquarterarts.com

Visit the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site across the harbor in Mount Pleasant. Pinckney was a principal author and signer of the U.S. Constitution. Visitors will learn about America’s “forgotten founder” and life on his 715-acre low country plantation, Snee Farm, 28 acres of which have been preserved. Interpretive trails and handicap-accessible boardwalks tell the story of 18^th century plantation life.

View more iTrip vacation rentals at iTrip.net!

A lot of people are unaware September 11^th is Grandparents Day. Start a new tradition or continue the tradition with a surprise vacation. Yes, there are a lot of great places you can take them, including Charleston, South Carolina.

If your grandparents are golfing enthusiasts they’ll enjoy the RiverTowne Country Club, an Arnold Palmer masterpiece.

The Magnolia Plantation & Its gardens, a 17^th century estate, includes some of the nation’s oldest gardens. The place includes a nature train, nature boat, an observation tower and more. You and your grandparents can visit the historic Fort Sumter National Monument; it’s where the Civil War began. The cruise to the island provides wonderful views. The historic Nathaniel Russell House, a grand Federal townhouse of Charleston merchant Nathaniel Russell, was completed in 1808. The beautiful interior includes elaborate ornamentation and a magnificent free-flying stair case.

The popular Sullivan’s Island includes great beaches and charming seaside neighborhoods and some casual dining venues. The island is treasured for its rich history, beauty and friendly atmosphere.

The Isle of Palms County Park is a favorite of those who enjoy Charleston beach vacations. It offers beautiful ocean frontage.

Downtown Charleston is within walking distance from tons of our Charleston vacation rentals. Your grandparents will have an enjoyable time visiting the art galleries and museums.

Your group can have a great meal at the Peninsula Grill, situated in the historic Planters Inn. The restaurant offers tasty regional cuisine. Hank’s Seafood Restaurant serves local seafood classics and innovative seasonal specials. By design, the restaurant looks like a 1940s Charleston fish house.

Your Grandparents will have a wonderful time in Charleston, South Carolina.