South Carolina Archives - Laughing Lindsay

Myrtle Beach Shopping Guide

February 11, 2026 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

When I was planning my trip to South Carolina last year, I wish I had encountered a Myrtle Beach Shopping Guide. So, I thought I would post my own.

Myrtle Beach Shopping Guide

If you enjoy shopping, then Myrtle Beach is an ideal travel destination. There are loads of little shops along the beach. However, there’s also two outlet malls and two different shopping/entertainment districts. Given the popularity of those four locations, I’m going to focus on highlighting their differences to help you narrow down where you might want to spend your money and time.

Tanger Myrtle Beach – Hwy 17

The first place I want to discuss is the outlet mall on Highway 17. It was our top priority for shopping because it has a Disney Outlet! We love to hit up Disney Outlets to get discount park merch. We also liked that it had a Vera Bradley outlet. Unfortunately, on our visit the Victoria’s Secret store here was a regular one, not an outlet store. Additionally, this outlet mall seemed a touch nicer than the next one.

Tanger Myrtle Beach – Hwy 501

After striking out at the VS at Hwy 17, we headed over to the one at 501. As of spring 2025, the Victoria’s Secret at this outlet mall was a real outlet store with lots of discounted merch. This mall has a lot of overlap with the above outlet mall. However, it felt like it was more spread out and there were more crosswalks where you had to watch out for traffic.

Barefoot Landing

Barefoot Landing is a shopping/entertainment district in North Myrtle Beach. During our first trip here, they were in the process of building it. So, it was nice to re-visit it and see it completed. It’s a nicely themed, classy place to do some shopping and relaxing. It’s nice to sit and look out at the water. I also recommend grabbing a bite to eat at Blueberry’s Grill! We really enjoyed our breakfast here one morning! We also grabbed a couple of ornaments to remember this trip by at the Christmas Mouse!

Broadway at the Beach

Broadway at the Beach is another shopping/entertainment district. However, it’s in Myrtle Beach proper. As such, it is definitely more family friendly. We started our day here by visiting the Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach. There’s also a Pavilion Park Fun Park that has lots of amusement rides for kids to enjoy. So, if you are looking for something to entertain the kids while you shop, this is a great option!

Where should you go shopping in Myrtle Beach?

While there are lots of other little shops you can visit in Myrtle Beach, I think these are the four main options. I hope I’ve given you enough information to help you decide which places you should visit on your vacation. Where do you like to shop in Myrtle Beach?

24 Hours in Charleston South Carolina Guide

September 17, 2025 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in April, my mom and I spent 24 hours in Charleston, South Carolina! So, I thought I would outline what we did in case someone else in wondering what they can do with a short amount of time in the Holy City.

24 Hours in Charleston

As I mentioned in my Indigo Inn review, we added a night in Charleston on to our trip to Myrtle Beach. It was also our first time visiting. So, we looked at lots of different activities and restaurants before deciding what to do and where to go. We ended up picking the things that were of the most interest to us and tried to stay in a hotel near where the stuff we wanted to do was located.

Charleston Tea Garden

We began our visit to the city by going to the Charleston Tea Garden. I’ve already written a whole Charleston Tea Garden Guide detailing our experience there. However, suffice it to say that we enjoyed it and found it to be fun and educational. I will say it’s ideal for folks with a car as it’s not really located in Charleston proper. Also, you need to devote time to getting there and back.

Charleston Carriage Ride

After checking into our hotel, we headed over to Old South Carriage Co. for a carriage tour of the historic area. We booked this carriage ride online ahead of time to ensure we didn’t miss it if they sold out. I don’t know if it makes a difference or not, but they did place us in the front of the carriage ride. There are several companies in the same area offering a carriage ride and they have divided up the city into areas so that the carriages aren’t all in the same area. So, you can repeat the carriage ride and potentially see something new each time.

It was so nice to sit down and learn about this historic area. Everyone was free to ask questions as we went too. So, it’s truly a unique experience that I highly recommend. It was also the perfect way to begin our stay here as it gave us the lay of the land.

Rainbow Row

Rainbow Row refers to a block of houses that are brightly colored. It’s often featured on merchandise or other images of the city. We rode over to see them, just to be able to say we saw them. I took a few pictures and then we headed back up the road. It’s not necessarily a must-see experience, but it is nice to say you’ve been there.

Foodie Paradise

We had a difficult time deciding where to eat because there’s a plethora of options! Virtually every corner has a highly rated restaurant. We ended up eating at Hyman’s Seafood for dinner. Lots of famous folks have eaten here over the years and their picture is up on the wall to prove it! I enjoyed my lobster and shrimp roll.

Charleston City Market

The Charleston City Market is a historic landmark. First established in the 1790s and stretching for four city blocks, it’s a must visit. There are countless vendors to visit and you can easily spend hours here. We started our morning here and I got Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit for breakfast. Then, we did some shopping before heading home. I think it was the perfect way to end our quick trip to Charleston.

24 Hours in Charleston

Charleston is a place that I’ve been wanting to visit for a while. So, I’m happy I was finally able to see what the hype is all about. It’s a relaxing place with lots of good food. It’s a city I hope I can return to someday. Have you ever visited?

Charleston Indigo Inn Review

July 30, 2025 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in April, my mom and I stayed a night at the Charleston Indigo Inn. I didn’t see too many reviews of the hotel prior to our stay, so I thought I would post one.

Charleston Indigo Inn

After staying three nights in Myrtle Beach, my mom and I made our way over to Charleston for the first time. Having never visited before, we weren’t sure what to expect from the Holy City. However, I was pretty sure we wanted to stay in a central location in the historical district. That’s what lead me to the Indigo Inn.

Traditional Two Queens Room

For this trip, we booked a traditional two queens room for a rate of $286/night. The mattresses were pretty comfortable, although the bed frame was pretty high off the ground. As such, it was a touch difficult for my 5′ 2-3″ mom to get in and out of. It was doable, but she had to stretch.

The other issue with the room was the tiny bathroom. As in, you had to back up against the toilet in order to shut the bathroom door. Basically, if you have mobility difficulties, this may not be the room for you.

The Location

I will say, this was the ideal location for our one night stay. It was walking distance to everything! I intend to do another post at a later date on spending 24 hours in Charleston. However, we were within a short walk to a historical carriage ride, several good restaurants, and the Charleston City Market.

The Amenities

The Indigo Inn has a couple of added perks for staying there. For starters, they serve cheese and wine in the lobby in the evening. They also serve a nightcap of milk and cookies. Unfortunately, we had a busy schedule and missed both of those offerings. My mom grabbed a bottle of juice at the continental breakfast the next morning. I would say the breakfast was somewhat minimal. I wanted to try Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit, so I didn’t grab anything from the hotel. However, I think it’s really nice they offer these extras to guests.

Indigo Inn Pros

Location – This was my top reason for staying here. It was central to everything we wanted to do. We were able to park our car and just walk around the city.
Peaceful – This inn was peaceful and a welcome break from the bustle of Myrtle Beach.
More affordable – Charleston can be an expensive place to visit. This was one of the more affordable places we found.
Complimentary snacks – It’s nice they offer afternoon cheese and wine with nightcap milk and cookies. The breakfast is enough to get you out the door and on your way.

Cons

Small bathroom – The bathroom and shower were really small. Also, there wasn’t any body wash.
Tall beds – These wouldn’t be ideal for shorter/older/younger folks.
No free parking – Although, I think this can be an issue in Charleston in general. There’s convenient on-site parking, but they charge you $25/night.

Is the Charleston Indigo Inn worth it?

I think the Indigo Inn is a great choice for a visit to Charleston! It’s the perfect location for exploring the city by foot. Plus, it has comfortable beds and tranquil vibes. Have you ever stayed here?

Homewood Suites Myrtle Beach Grand Mall Review

July 10, 2025 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in April, my mom and I spent several nights in South Carolina. Due to the weather, we decided to head down a day early and booked a single night at Homewood Suites Myrtle Beach Grand Mall last minute. This hotel had some good things and not so great things about it, so I thought I would review it.

Homewood Suites Myrtle Beach Grand Mall

We booked this hotel the day before we arrived as it was a last minute decision to head down early. We opted to save a little money by not staying directly on the beach since it was just for one night. We paid $278.30 (including taxes using a Hilton Honors discount) for a Saturday night in early April. We liked that it was located away from the hustle and bustle of the beach given that it was a Saturday night. However, it was relatively close to other points of interest.

This place smells nice when you first enter. It has a nice, beachy vibe as you would expect from a hotel at the beach.

Double Queen One Bedroom Suite

The nice thing about this hotel is that every room is a suite! We enjoyed the extra space found here. There was a kitchenette area and living room! The bedroom could be closed off from the front living room by closing the door. It was nice to have the extra space to spread out, even if it was only for one night. The TV did have limited channels, much to my mother’s dismay.

Unfortunately, the beds weren’t that comfortable. My mom had some back pain the next day and suspected it came from these mattresses. I felt ok, so I’m not sure if it was the mattresses or not. There’s also poor lighting in the bathroom itself, so the shower was a little dark for my liking.

Overall, the room was more than sufficient for a one night stay.

Pros

Quiet – This hotel was located next to a mall. So, it was much calmer than a hotel on the beach.
Spacious suite – We enjoyed the extra space here. It would have been nice to use the kitchenette had we stayed longer.
Nice accommodations – The hotel is themed subtly with beach vibes and feels relaxing.
Relatively affordable by beach standards – It wasn’t a cheap night, but it wasn’t overly expensive given some of the rates we saw for this night.

Cons

Beds not the most comfortable – As I stated above, my mom’s back hurt the next day. I don’t know if it was caused by the beds here or not, but her back stopped hurting after we stayed at the Courtyard Myrtle Beach Oceanfront.
Poor lighting in the bathroom – If you have vision issues, then a dark bathroom might be important to note.
Limited tv channels – We enjoy watching tv on vacation and had a bit of a hard time finding something to watch here.

Should you stay at the Homewood Suites Myrtle Beach Grand Mall?

I think many families would enjoy staying here. The extra space would be appreciated by most travel groups. The kitchenette would be useful for those on a budget or those who just prefer to cook their own meals. It’s also ideal for people who want to visit the area without dealing with the people/noise/traffic of being on the beach. If you have back troubles, then you might not like the mattresses here. Other than that, it’s a pretty good hotel.

Charleston Tea Garden Review

July 8, 2025 By Lindsay Leave a Comment

Back in April, my mom and I visited the Charleston Tea Garden. I couldn’t find many posts or videos about it online. So, I thought I would provide a brief review as well as some tips for anyone considering a visit.

Charleston Tea Garden

After spending a few days in Myrtle Beach, my mom and I headed down the road to visit Charleston for 24 hours! One of the things my mom really wanted to do was visit the Charleston Tea Garden. In part because she works in a beverage bottling factory and also because we’ve enjoyed attending tea parties since I was a little girl.

It’s named after Charleston, but it’s actually located on Wadmalaw Island. So, it’s a good bit outside of Charleston proper. Thankfully, we had our own car and my mom drove us. However, there were signs about needing to making prior arrangements to get transportation back to wherever you came from since the garden is pretty far removed from the more populated areas.

Trolley Tour

It’s free to visit the gardens and try some tea. However, there’s also a trolley tour of the gardens that costs $16-18/adult. The website says you can save a few dollars by booking the tour online in advance, so that’s what we did. We ended up arriving a little early and they allowed us to move our tour time without charging anything extra.

The tour takes about 30-45 minutes as you are shown around the gardens. The tour does a good job of telling the history of the garden as well as giving general information on tea. Our guide was quick to point out that this is the only commercial tea garden in the United States! So, all of the tea you purchase from them is tariff free! You also get to visit the greenhouse during the the trolley tour. It was neat to see how they cultivate the plants to make other plants. My mom and I both really enjoyed and recommend doing the trolley tour.

Free Factory Tour

Following the trolley tour of the gardens, we headed inside for the free factory tour. Unfortunately, we were a little too early in the year to see any tea being processed. However, we were able to look at the equipment and watch videos depicting the process. It was really interesting to be able to see the tea being grown and then go inside to see how it’s processed. It’s a real start to finish experience.

Following the factory tour we visited the gift shop and tried various tea samples! I ended up purchasing two boxes of tea to bring home as well as some hand cream. I enjoy thinking about our visit when I drink the tea or use the hand cream.

Tips for Visiting

Book the Trolley Tour in Advance – Booking in advance saves you a little bit of money. Plus, then you are guaranteed a seat and don’t have to worry about it selling out.
Drive yourself – This is definitely a place to visit when you have a car or if you are traveling on a bus with a tour group. It’s apparently very difficult to get a ride share to leave the gardens.
Try the free teas after the tour – You will have a new appreciation for tea after the tours and it will feel much more leisurely after the tour. Plus, there’s no restroom on the trolley or in the gardens.
Arrive ready to learn – This is such a unique learning experience. Every employee is friendly and eager to answer your questions.

Should you visit the Charleston Tea Garden?

We saw at least one retiree tour group here. So, I think this experience is ideal for adults on vacation who want to learn something. Also, keep in mind the issue with transportation before deciding to visit. However, it was a wonderful highlight of our trip for my mom and I. We enjoyed learning about tea and its history. It ended up being a gorgeous day that made the visit all the more pleasant. Overall, I recommend a visit (and the trolley tour) to anyone with an interest in tea/agriculture/history.