Tim Barnes

If you are planning a trip to Orlando, you already know that Orlando is the Family Fun Capital of America. What you probaly do not know is that the theme parks are just the beginning. Since the 1970's, Orlando has spent the time since creating a vacation destination that offers something for everyone.

Theme Parks and other Attractions:

Orlando has it all when it comes to Family Fun.

Hard Rock Park was billed as the beginning of great things to come in Myrtle Beach. A savior to a vacation spot that had seen dips in tourism during the summer months of the past couple years. Myrtle Beach had been on its way to phasing out bikers and bike rallies to make room for family vacationers in May and October, making a weekend pilgrimage to the beach and a day at the Hard Rock Park an affordable possibility.

Recently, scientists from the United States went to Honduras to conduct experiments with people swimming with dolphins. They found that the interaction between humans and dolphins in the water can relieve tension, alleviate stress and even eliminates moderate and mild depression. Yes, you heard me; just hanging out with Flipper can improve your health and make you extremely happy.

Orlando is the "Fun Capital of America". With theme parks and attractions on top of attractions, sometimes really cool experiences get missed. To make sure you get the full capacity of your vacation, these are a few possibilities for people who want to combine learning with their entertainment.

WonderWorks:

Touted as a laboratory once operating in the Bermuda Triangle but relocated to Orlando via tornado, even the external appearance lets you know that this place is different.

With over 60 miles of sandy beaches along the Myrtle Beach Strand, there are always options. Choosing the perfect atmosphere for your perfect beach experience is different for everyone. There are clutter free beaches. There are beaches built for mingling. There are historic beaches. There are beaches that allow privacy. There are beaches just footsteps away from your hotel.

Ripley's Believe It or Not has been the cornerstone of Ocean Boulevard for three decades. Time has brought diversification and the Ripley's Franchise in Myrtle Beach has created even more avenues of family fun and stretches down the block and out to Broadway at the Beach. There are a gaggle of adventures to be had at one of the various Ripley attractions.

The Grand Strand of South Carolina has always been known for its miles of beach, stretching down the coast. Thousands of tourists come to the beautiful beaches of the Carolinas to put their toes in the ocean and spend their days lounging in the sun and playing in the sands. What few of these tourists know about the Grand Strand is that there is another side, a darker side.

The South Carolina Coast has been fertile ground to grow the legend of pirates. With a rich trade history, these colorful characters roamed up and down the beaches of South Carolina snatching riches and looking for the perfect place to hide their booty. There was no shortage of hiding places with the coast's inlets, inland rivers and marshes - who knows how many Dead Man Chests, are yet to be discovered.

There are a couple of ways that families set off on a vacation. Some look it like another form of work - the drudgery of loading up bags or packing up a car and driving or flying long distances with one clear-cut focus...your destination. Perhaps, there is more to a vacation than the finality of a destination. Perhaps, the vacation's success lies not in getting there, but more, how you got there or as the saying goes.

Because there is plenty to see along the interstate if you just keep your eyes open.

As the trees wiz by, going seventy-five miles an hour on the interstate, do we ever stop to think, what is on the other side of those trees? What is down those roads behind the exit signs? Well, the phenomena of roadside attractions have been around since roads, perhaps even since cart paths.