Azaleas in bloom still ?

Thanks to those who responded on my previous post about an April 7-12 trip to see the spring bloom. I%26#39;ve managed to rearrange my calendar to make it a week earlier if that will help ensure better garden viewing -- as my 80yr. old Mom is really counting on this ! What%26#39;s currently blooming, and do you think it will hold on for March 30-April 3? Hoping especially for dogwood and azalea...

Azaleas in bloom still ?

The azaleas look fabulous right now. Sure, I think there will be plenty of blooms left March 30. There still are plenty of camellias in bloom and the Lady Banks roses are looking wonderful.

In front of my house I%26#39;ve got about 6 extra large ';fringe flower'; shrubs - I said to my husband today (who is unfortunately colorblind) that it looks like red fireworks in the yard. The negatives - we can%26#39;t keep the pollen out of the house! (of course we%26#39;ve left the doors open all day since the weather is so perfect) The pollen comes through the screens. I have so much pollen I could put it in bags.

Here%26#39;s a secret treasure in Charleston to really notice - Charleston flowerboxes. You%26#39;ll be amazed at the care that people take in blending color and texture. To most people it%26#39;s probably just ';background noise'; but I think it%26#39;s a highlight. Enjoy!

Azaleas in bloom still ?

Culture, you would not believe how many pictures of flowerboxes I have from Charleston!! They will be absolutely beautiful the first week of April - I also peek through fences and get beautiful pictures of gardens - Charleston is the most beautiful city in the world to me!

Hmmm, so what is starting to bloom now? dogwood, crab apple, lilac ? I%26#39;m in Indiana, and we%26#39;re just seeing the daffodils up about 3in. so far. Snowflakes today is making me anxious for visit to warmer climate!

Saw a phenomenal dogwood in full bloom today. First one of the season for me. Peach blossoms are still in bloom, as are pear trees and some of the varieties of magnolias. A good number of camellias still hanging on; azaleas look positively photogenic.

Oh wow! here in suburbs of Philly we have crocuses in bloom and daffodils are just starting to bud! what will be in bloom April 20th of so, do you think?

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South Carolina

My family and I will be traveling to Myrtle Beach in June. I%26#39;m researching hotels in the area. I would like to stay in a nice hotel, moderately priced. When I think I%26#39;ve found a hotel, I check trip advisor reviews and then I%26#39;m turned off by what I%26#39;ve read. Any suggestions on hotels. I%26#39;d like to be in walking distance to some of the attactions. Thanks, cat

South Carolina

I am having the same issues. We have stayed at the Sea Island Inn for YEARS. Now it is Island Vista -larger and rebulit from the ground up. We love it there. The food is great and the rooms are large and clean. However, it is very over run by guests and seems too large for us now. The front desk service is not good and the bellman situation is bad. We are looking for a hotel or Inn that offers some type of good dining on site in a smallish setting- clean and very nice. Good beaches that are wide and uncrowded. Hopefully we can get some ideas together. We were thinking about the Sanderling Inn in Duck NC but have read bad reviews about that too.

Good luck and any ideas helpful!

Thanks.

Directions to MB coming from Michigan

I am less than a week to our trip to MB, and just finalizing our driving route.

We have decided on coming down I-77, but wanting to know what is easier once we get thru Virginia.

I have a Delorme GPS and it wants to have me get off I-77 at I-74, then onto Hwy 52, Hwy 40, south on I-73/Hwy 220, SR 38, and then onto 501. Since we are staying at Ocean Reef Resort (7100 N. Ocean Blvd.) our GPS then wants us to take the Conway Bypass (Hwy 22)then down Hwy 17.

I have seen a few posts saying to stay on 77 to either Charlotte, or even further to Columbia area and then head back east to get onto 501.

If I take the original route, is there signage pointing us in the right direction? Or will we really need to keep our eyes open for the Hwy changes. Our GPS is thru our laptop and it may be in use thru out our trip for movie watching by the kids.

Any tips is greatly appreciated. Anyone else heading down next week? Long range forecast shows low 70%26#39;s! It%26#39;s 31%26#39;F here right now, can%26#39;t wait to get away!

Directions to MB coming from Michigan

All depends on driving style and which way you%26#39;d feel more comfortable.

The I 74/I 40/ I 73 route is aprox. 50 miles shorter than the longer I 77/I 20 route. But......

Fewer speed zones and route changes on the longer route. Actual drive times are very close to being the same.

Maybe half dozen route numbers on the shorter route. Won%26#39;t see any ';to beach'; signs until Cheraw, Darlington or Florence.

';IF'; you%26#39;re directionaly challanged (mean that in a friendly way), you might be better off with the longer route.

If you have good experience with the GPS you might be happy with the shorter route.

Have heard some reports from last few months. People with years of beach trips have been running their GPS on trips through the area. The new I 73/ 220 by-pass around Ellerbee isn%26#39;t on the GPS programs yet. Or however it works. Driving along the by- pass it shows on GPS as being off road......At least that how I understood the story.

Directions to MB coming from Michigan

Hi. I was recently doing the same search myself. For some good recommendations regarding routes, do a search on the forum for ';directions from Ohio'; or ';driving from NE Ohio';. Even though you%26#39;re coming from Michigan, they have good routes for the latter portion of the trip. Also, I had good replies you might want to look at under ';I-75 or I-77 from Michigan';. We have three weeks to go ourselves. Enjoy your trip!

(We%26#39;re renting a cottage near Traverse City in September.....looking forward to that trip, too!)

First time to Hilton Head

My husband and I want to come over to Hilton Head from the UK at the end of April. I%26#39;m quite confused about where to stay - we would like a really nice two bed villa/condo, not in a high-rise block, a short walk to the beach and lots of golf (the cheaper the better!).

We usually go to Sanibel in the quiet season and dont pre-book accommodation - we just go to a rental agency when we arrive and always have a choice of great oceanfront condos (having viewed them first).

Is that at all possible in Hilton Head - are there vacation rental agencies around? Or should we try and decide now and book? If so, what are your best suggestions?

I%26#39;d be grateful (as ever) for tripadvisor suggestions - you%26#39;ll see from my profile we never go anywhere in the world without using this site!! Many thanks.

First time to Hilton Head

During one week in April I believe there is a major golf tournament and housing is at a premium and you can%26#39;t get near a course. I do not know if I would wait til you get here -I would be uncomfortable. Since it is further north - the spring season is very popular and once June hits it is very busy for the entire summer. Beach is very popular here and the area is very different from Florida. We love it and look forward to coming every year although we choose the winter when it is not as crowded.

My guess would be is that if you go into the interent and do some emailing concerning properties during the time you want to be there and you keep coming up with opening then you should be good. Good luck and enjoy your time in one of our favorite places on the the coast.

First time to Hilton Head

SusieG: The ';major golf tournament'; the poster above was referring to is the Verizon Heritage Golf Tournament from April 14-20, 2008. It will be a very busy place then. I would avoid it if attending the tournament is not of interest to you.

I would not try to show up with bags in hand and try and rent a place. There are way too many rental agencies and choices and, for one, it would be so overwhelming and, two, you may not get what you want or the price you want to pay.

I would definitely start looking now. With the click of a mouse, you can see numerous places.

D in Muskoka.

Susie, I sent you a personal message. Good luck with your decision.

There are a number of rental agencies on the island. Some of which advertise right here on Tripadvisor. Two of the best are the Vacation company and Island Getaway.

Be Assured that our island restrictions limit the size of our buildings to 5 stories, so you%26#39;ll see no high rises here.

Several of our resorts Seapines, Shipyard, Palmetto Dunes, and Port Royale have golf courses as part of their amenities.

The best for beach access is Palmetto Dunes. They also have 3 courses. The courses were designed by , RT Jones, Fazio, and Hills. They run from a nice scenic walk (Jones) to fairly difficult (Hills).

Unfortunately April is the prime golf season here, so greens fees are at their most expensive.

Stan (hhiguy)

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Indigo Inn?

This hotel seems to rate very well here on TA. What type of place is it? Historic building or just plain hotel? Is this a better option than one of the hotels like the Holiday Inn or the Hampton Inn that are in the historic district?

Indigo Inn?

I believe the Indigo Inn is a restored building. While I don%26#39;t know if it would be any better than the Holiday or Hampton Inns (comparable perhaps), it is certainly located closer to the main part of town. We%26#39;re planning to stay there next month for the first time, and I%26#39;ll post my review when we do.

Best BBQ Joint? Best Seafood Buffet?

I%26#39;ll be in MB next week with a bunch of guys to get in some golf. We%26#39;re staying at the Beach Colony, which is beachfront between central MB and North MB. None of the courses that we%26#39;re playing are too far distant from the hotel.

Any recommendations for BBQ or seafood buffet that aren%26#39;t too far away?

Thanks mucho.

Best BBQ Joint? Best Seafood Buffet?

Little Pigs BBQ on 62nd Ave and Bypass 17, very close to Beach Colony, good bbq. I am not a fan of Seafood Buffets so I can%26#39;t help you there.

Best BBQ Joint? Best Seafood Buffet?

Does anyone have a menu or know what%26#39;s available at Little Pigs? I read a review saying they didn%26#39;t offer much beyond pulled pork. Thanks.

That%26#39;s fairly typical of North and South Carolina BBQ, and probably a good thing. Carolina BBQ is pork, so an extensive menu would lead me to believe it%26#39;s not authentic Carolina BBQ (that would be slooooooow cooked over usually Hickory).

If you are staying on that end of the beach, Giant Crab on Restaurant Row is a decent seafood buffet.

We always go to the Original Benjamin%26#39;s on Restaurant Row during our golf trips and family vacations.

Even for someone in the group who doesn%26#39;t like seafood, there%26#39;s a lot to choose from as far as beef, chicken, salads, soups, etc.

Look for coupons - in the myriad of booklets you%26#39;ll find in the hotel lobby - to save a few dollars.

As for BBQ, we like Sticky Fingers at Coastal Grand Mall but it%26#39;s a little south of where you are.

Kevin

Toronto

Know of any cool putt-putt courses?

Since I was a young girl it has been a tradition to play putt putt while vacationing in MB. Can anyone recommend a course?

Know of any cool putt-putt courses?

there are so many putt putt courses. Get a coupon book when you get here and see who is offering discounts. Most of them do. You can find indoor/outdoor courses, volcano%26#39;s, you name it.

Know of any cool putt-putt courses?

thanks for the advice!!

A lot of the courses honor their competitors coupons.

My ratings 1.Hooks

2.Dragons Lair

3.Atlanticus

4.Hawaiian Rumble

Also many more to choose from.

I%26#39;ve played a lot of different ones over the years. Some of my favorites I can remember are Jungle Lagoon, Captain Hooks and Professor Hacker%26#39;s Lost Treasure. Probably my least favorite was Mt Atlanticus. The volcano one was fun but I remember they had steam (mist) blowing out everywhere which made my hair frizz up, which I didn%26#39;t like!

There%26#39;s a mini golf place on the far south end of MB that I%26#39;ve been wanting to play.

thanks for all the advice! i%26#39;ll check all those out

My kids %26amp; I are huge mini golf fans. Two of our favorites were Dragon%26#39;s Lair and Mutiny Bay (if you like some special effects with your golf!).

Mutiny Bay sort of recreates a battle with Pirates attacking the island, cannons going off, cannonballs exploding in the water (big splashes). For tiny kids it could be a little too dramatic.

Dragon%26#39;s Lair is fun if you like a medieval thing, and when the Dragon comes out and breathes fire, hope you don%26#39;t have too much hairspray on!

But Myrtle has so many great ones...

We like Dragons Lair and Hawaiian Rumble alot. We also liked the Lost Treasure one and Mutiny Bay. Actually, I don%26#39;t think I have really been to a bad one in MB.

My husband and son love Captain Hooks, you can pay one price and play all day. The last 4 times we were in Myrtle Beach we stayed at the Breakers and Captain Hooks is in walking distance.

All these places sound great! Thanks for the input!

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