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Airports / MYR / Airport News / Airport Restaurants / → All Tags

$118 Million Means a 'Nacho Hippo' for Myrtle Beach Airport

The airport down in Myrtle Beach is going through a little bit of a terminal renovation and expansion, and we’re excited to learn that they’re already focusing on some new airport dining options. It won't just be national favorites and brand names either, as they’ve called on some local restaurateurs and businesses to bring unique options to travelers heading to and from town.

Bubba's Fish Shack and Nacho Hippo—great names—are just two of the new restaurants that have local outposts in addition to their new home at the airport. Expect plenty of BBQ this and that, as well as fried seafood, burgers, and sandwiches from Bubba’s. Over at Nacho Hippo there should be lots of frozen tequila beverages, but the plan is to also put an international spin on the traditional tacos and nachos. Sounds like a great airport watering hole if you ask us.

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Sports Travel / Running / Airports / Airport News / Events / Active Travel / CAE / → All Tags

Do Some Actual Running on a Runway Next Saturday in South Carolina

Now that fall has finally arrived and the temperatures have dropped to jacket-wearing weather, we can all finally get back to doing what we love most: sitting on the couch snuggled in a blanket getting active outdoors! Your next chance for a very unique sport experience is coming up soon however, so start planning for a weekend in South Carolina.

On Saturday, October 29, South Carolina's Columbia Airport (CAE) will shut down its runway to airplanes and open it up to runners for the second annual 5K Runway Run and 1-mile "Wing Walk."

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Airplane News / Boeing 787 Dreamliner / 787 / Boeing / Airline News / Airplanes / → All Tags

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner's Interiors Will Be Filled with Southern Hospitality

In our obsession with the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, we’ve been mostly focusing on its exterior and construction, but some of the coolest stuff is going to happen on the inside. And when we heard about that cold weather test, we knew there was no place we’d rather be than inside an airplane with that new cabin smell.

Boeing is sending some of its troops down south to just outside Charleston, South Carolina to get things rolling on the airplane’s interior. A spot for the new plant should be picked out this summer, and it will be responsible for making and assembling all the parts that are to be installed in the new birds by next summer. They will be working on stuff like the overhead bins, so let’s just hope they can squeeze in a few extra inches of room—we hate it when our wheels are like a centimeter too long.

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Beer Travel / Drinking Travel / Beer Festivals / Festival Travel / Events / → All Tags

Where Is Next Weekend's World Beer Festival?

We’re only about a week away from the World Beer Festival in Columbia, South Carolina. All About Beer Magazine has been putting on festivals like this for several years, and even though most hop-heads don’t travel across the globe to attend, the organizers do a great job of having plenty of libations from around the world. We’ve attended their offerings in North Carolina before and definitely think it’s worth your time.

There’s going to be at least 250 different beers for everyone to sample, and they’ll be coming from craft brewers, microbreweries, and even breweries that have enough cash to advertise during the Super Bowl. We’re happy that Anheuser-Busch is attending the festival, but we’re going to have to pass on the Bud Light Golden Wheat—thanks anyway.

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Porter Airlines / Airlines / Airline News / New Routes / → All Tags

Porter Airlines Is Looking To Expand...To Myrtle Beach?

We kind of knew that Porter Airlines would be eyeing new routes, but we expected that they’d be looking somewhere in the northern part of the US or elsewhere in Canada. Well we were wrong and the airline is looking to head south in search of warmer weather and Waffle House. Their shortlist for new routes now includes Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, among other destinations in the US.

Apparently there hasn’t been an official decision or announcement, but according to the head honcho at Porter, Robert Deluce, his company is in “serious discussions” with some places in the US. Besides the tourist traps of Myrtle Beach, the little airline that could also has its eyes on Washington, DC and Philadelphia. It looks like they want to expand before Air Canada Jazz restarts service on their home turf.

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What Recession / Political Travel / → All Tags

Public Servants Lead Charge Back To Expensive Travel

This week we were treated to the riveting story of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, who used state funds to meet his lady-love journalist in Buenos Aires. Sanford told his staff he was on a much more modest jaunt to the Appalachian Trail, which indicates that maybe he had a shred of shame about the whole business, but in the end, he said, "Well, it's not like I have any presidential ambitions, right?" Last year's luv guv Eliot Spitzer opted for the more budget-friendly train tickets and D.C. hotel accommodations, but those were different times.

Sanford's not the only one who feels the world has turned around enough to allow for gleeful spoiling at taxpayer expense: The Detroit Free Press reported that the trustees of the city pension fund spent $380,000 on travel last year, and then tried to cover it up when the paper sued for records. With 21 trustees, that's an average of $18,095 per person, although one trustee, Ronald Gracia, spent $105,000 of it alone, including an $18,600 trip to Hong Kong.

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Fires / Flight 1549 / Myrtle Beach Travel / → All Tags

Flight 1549 Golf Trip Thwarted Again, This Time By Myrtle Beach Fires

We knew Myrtle Beach would be hot this season but we never anticipated this. A dangerous coastal wildfire ripped through North Myrtle Beach early Thursday, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands to evacuate from this beach community.

The blaze jumped the busy six-lane Coastal Bays Parkway on Wednesday, stopping not far from the Intracoastal Waterway. Firefighters were expecting the waterway to act as a natural firebreak, protecting the larger city of Myrtle Beach.

A gray-white smoke had engulfed restaurant row between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach on Wednesday evening. It looked like a winter fog, with car headlights and neon signs peeking through the haze.

Fortunately no one has been injured yet although the fires are predicted to get worse as the day goes on.

Also in danger are the area's numerous golf courses which are a heavy draw for tourists. And in a freaky "Final Destination" sort of twist, a group of six golfing buddies who were aboard the US Airways Flight 1549 plane when it crash-landed into the Hudson River in January were headed to Myrtle Beach this week for their annual trip.

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Theme Parks / Hard Rock Park / Freestyle Music Park / Roller Coasters / Amusement Parks / → All Tags

Myrtle Beach's Hard Rock Park Now Known As Freestyle Music Park

Just when we thought we’d figured out some cool things to do in Myrtle Beach, we get one more item to add to the list. The saga that has been the life of the Hard Rock Park continues, as the park as we knew it is no more. Thanks to a team of marketing geniuses, the park will return with a new name: Freestyle Music Park. Although the name hardly rolls off the tongue, the newish park is looking to get things rockin’ again by Memorial Day.

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Beaches / Myrtle Beach Travel / Tourist Traps / → All Tags

Five Cool Things to Do in Myrtle Beach, Seriously!

We've never totally understood exactly what makes Myrtle Beach so appealing. We’ve visited relatives there before, but never thought of making it our vacation destination as it always seemed a little cheesy, with a hint of spring break debauchery. And while we love the beach, we don’t need to spend time at the NASCAR Sports Grille—did they really need the extra “e” on the end considering the clientele? (Update: The Grille has closed.)

With so many other great (and classier) beach locations south of the Mason-Dixon line, like Hilton Head Island or the Outer Banks, is there something that Myrtle Beach has to offer that we’re missing? Apparently it's very popular. So we decided to take a look. After all, in this economy not everyone can afford to traipse around St. Barts. Here are five cool, not cheesy, things to do in Myrtle Beach.

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New Routes / Allegiant Air / Low Cost Carriers / → All Tags

Allegiant Air Continues Toward Domestic Dominance

Allegiant Air is keeping us busy with all their new route announcements. With their low cost model to vacation hotspots, it’s almost like they didn’t get the memo that the economic sky is falling. That’s fine with us, since we are more than ready to get out of here and take a quick break to somewhere warm. We don’t want to bore your with numbers, but they also just announced that their traffic was up almost ten percent when compared to February 2008.

Myrtle Beach is the airline’s newest destination, but to start, they’ll only be taking passengers from Tri-State Airport in West Virginia. The promotional rates will start at $39 each way, and they are offering service twice a week starting on April 30.

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Hard Rock Park / Theme Parks / Amusement Parks / Roller Coasters / → All Tags

Hard Rock Park Plans An Encore For 2009

Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach just won’t die, and that’s a good thing, since we’re still kind of bummed out that we missed it last summer. We last reported that the place was filing for bankruptcy, but it’s coming back—slowly but surely. The park recently went up for auction and was snatched up for a cool $25 million. The creditors wanted a little more for the park—like $10 million more—but they were happy to settle for a slightly lower price tag than getting no cash at all.

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What Recession / Isle of Palms / → All Tags

Posh Palms With A Pretty Price Tag

For many families, the question this year is not where to go on vacation, but whether. Popular destinations have sweetened the pot for those who decide to go -- take Disney World's free-nights promotion -- but not everyone. But hey, if you're going to drop a pretty penny anyway, why not go for a freaking mansion with a private pool? It's "only" $3000 per week (starting).

Make no mistake, this South Carolina coast 6-bedroom rental is freaking gorgeous. The verandahs! The wet bar! There's even Internet, supposedly, to keep us from enjoying the pool or beach beyond. But once you've splashed out for the house, you won't be able to afford to go anywhere.

Granted the posted starting rate of $2900/week isn't so bad if you take all 13 people the house supposedly fits -- if you were planning to buy hotel rooms for all of them. And with a full kitchen, you could save money on eating out. But with the vacation rental market in a severe depression, you could do better.

Related Stories:
· What Recession? Travel: Chris Noth in Hawaii With His Family [Jaunted]
· Tourist Trap: South Carolina is South of the Border? [Jaunted]
· South Carolina coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Homeaway.com]