You’ve earned your time on the beach. Between the sun on your shoulders, the sand between your toes and the life-mending rhythm of the surf in your ears, there is value in scaling back your to-do list to almost nothing.
But many travelers get eager for something else after a couple days of complete tranquility. There’s a growing trend toward taking something home from vacation in the form of a new skill or just some self-discovery. And for guests at North Beach Plantation, a range of Grand Strand businesses make it easy for visitors to expand their culinary genius, put some paint on canvas for the first time or find their deeply buried inner writer.
Maybe you’re hankering to be a barbecue pit master someday (and really, who isn’t?). Or perhaps you’ve always wondered why hardly anyone makes their own croissants. Horry Georgetown Technical College (Grand Strand campus in Myrtle Beach) offers a lot of answers for you in the form of hands-on cooking instruction. Check the schedule for classes on making tortes, handmade pasta, and the deeply held barbecue secrets of brisket, Boston butt and baked beans.
Frustrated by all the DIY sites that show you how to effortlessly produce attractive, usable crafts from that mythical pile of relics in your mythical barn? Instead of creating a heap of regrets at home, you might want to sign on for an AR (Anders Ruff) Workshop in Myrtle Beach instead. Providing easy instruction and all the materials you need, the workshops send you home with a piece of on-trend home décor. Options include rustic wood plank signs, canvas pillows and wall hangings, and more. You can take a regularly scheduled class or book a group project. Think Girls’ Night Out. Either way, you’ll feel a whole lot better about The DIY Experience.
Perhaps the rest of the crew wants to stay back and enjoy the beaches and shops while you venture out to become the Latest Big Writer Nobody’s Heard About. Yet. The 2018 Pawleys Island Writers' Conference – with workshops such as “Making a Scene” and “Who Are These People, Anyway, and Why Are They Doing These Awful Things?” – might be your big changeup. Held about an hour south of North Beach Plantation, the conference is slated for Oct. 26-28. You’ll want to register ASAP.
There are also those on bucket-list conquests. The Myrtle Beach area is the perfect place to take that long-planned surf lesson. And while few will ever achieve the perfect swing, golf in Myrtle Beach is a popular pastime that can evoke a series of “aha” moments for the student – or at least send you home with a better plan of attack.
If the waves have been calling, don’t let your significant other “teach” you how to surf. That’s a proven formula that can seriously cool off a beach vacation. The folks at Kokopelli Surf Camp offer lessons in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, and they’ve guided many a first-timer onto the waves, be it in a group or private setting. If you want some hands-on learning about the environs, Kokopelli also has kayak and paddleboard tours that take you into the beauty of Hog/Waites Island or the salt marshes and canals of Cherry Grove.
And then there’s the matter of your swing. Listed by Golf Magazine as one of the top 25 golf schools in America, The Classic Swing Golf School at The Legends Resort in Myrtle Beach sends you home with the tools for a better game. Special schools include several three-day ladies-only programs, corporate clinics and lots of not-too-expensive options for private instruction.
After taking your skills and/or knowledge to the next level, head back to your comfortable accommodations at North Beach Plantation to rest up for another day of adventure and learning on the Grand Strand. Book your getaway at North Beach Plantation today!
