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Myrtle Beach is an older town with rather touristy areas.  The independent hotel that our team stayed at cannot be recommended - well, well past its prime and not what we would have chosen on our own.  Still, the ball fields are great - soak up the experience at the fields.  You may be better off sticking to established chain hotels or even getting a room off the beaten path.  It sounded like the hotels and restaurants around the golf courses (further away) were nicer.  The boys won't care - they will enjoy the games and the time together.

The best game times are the evenings, when it is cool.  During the day, even the early morning games can get very warm.  The upside was that the players were provided with beverages in the dugouts.  Spectators should come prepared.

Plan to spend some time by the ocean - the views are spectacular.

Last edited by ILoveBaseball04

Is your son doing one of the college spring break events?  My son's team played there last year.  I had never been to Myrtle Beach before.  I made the mistake of renting a condo in NORTH Myrtle Beach.  It was gorgeous, right on the ocean and reasonably priced.  Based on the street address, I THOUGHT I was staying 10 minutes away.   I was 15 miles from the ball fields and it took over half an hour to get there.   There was one night the guys in his class and parents all went out to dinner.  It was tough getting from the ball field, back to my condo to shower and change and then back to the restaurant in time for dinner.  Don't make that mistake!

Very familiar with MB as my son went to college there.  VA_Mom speaks the truth but I would like to add a few things.  Downtown Myrtle Beach where the arcades and museums are is the oldest part.  Many of the hotels and places to stay in that section of town are rundown and old.  North Myrtle is newer and the accommodations are much nicer as she pointed out.  Maybe a compromise here might be to pick a North Myrtle location that is closest to the ballpark.  We played a Ripken tournament the summer before last and loved it.  We stayed in North Myrtle and it was 8 to 10 minutes from the park depending on traffic.  Luckily for us, our team stayed in the same general area so we did not have the same problem as VA_Mom getting to team dinner activities on time.  Perhaps see if your team can pick a North Myrtle location.  Our team sent out a list of possible places to stay that were all in the same general area so the kids could hang out on the beach when there were no games going on.  Loved the Ripken experience.  Broadway at the Beach is a nice place to walk and visit.  The best part is relaxing on the beach and having a fun time at the ballpark. 

We did a Triple Crown national tournament there 12+ years ago with my middle son.  Loved the baseball facilities near Coastal Carolina University, and my boys played well that week.   It turned into a family vacation as many of my kids national tournaments did.

We stayed in Myrtle Beach (seedy), and I regretted it.  I wish I had stayed in North Myrtle Beach, but I didn't know any better at the time.  My wife reminds me from time to time about the slummy condo we stayed at.  When you have a large group of 13 year old boys, it turns out they can find a lot of things to get into near a beach.  We had 5-6 of them disappear (including my son) for some time only to be found in a hotel hot tub with 5-6 13 year old girls.  My advice would be to stay in North Myrtle where it is nicer, safer and they can be less adventurous. 

BTW...Lots of golf courses in North Myrtle if you have some free time.

JMO

Maybe a stupid question?

I really don't care about the beach. I live 10 miles and less than 20 minutes away from the beach at home. Seeing another beach isn't a need on my list.

I am interested in watching the baseball...but also not going broke doing it.

Is it possible to get a better hotel deal if you are willing to go inland and west away from the coast? I'm fine being 30 minutes or so away from the field. I drive all the time and a 30 minute drive is like a short warm up for me.

Son did a different tournament in Myrtle Beach (did the Ripken one in Maryland, and highly recommend).

We stayed with another family in a condo at Barefoot Landing in North MB, which is not ocean front.  There are many.  I actually found a mis-print deal for $79/night for a 4 bedroom on a third party travel site. 

There is so much to do besides going to the beach.  Many people vacation there.  The year we took our boys for a week for vacation, we stayed in a condo, oceanfront, and went to the beach 3 times.  There are minimal waves....MB doesn't have the undertow that the VA and NC beaches have.

I would think you would get a better deal away from the oceanfront. 

@Francis7 posted:

Anyone have any tips on the actual Ripken facility?

The bleachers weren't very large.  I brought a chair and sat it in for most of the games.  There is a concession stand with the standard hot dogs and burgers.  You could bring in your own drinks/food.   They had a store with RIpken Experience merchandise.

This year, I'm staying at a condo on one of the golf courses, River Oaks.  It's 3 miles from Ripken.  The price was cheaper than being oceanfront.  Since I haven't been there yet, I cant' comment on the accommodations.

There is a Costco and Sam's Club close to Ripken if you're a member of either of those - they both have gas.

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