Nothing compares to a beach vacation. Myrtle Beach is one of the closest beaches to Ohio with an easy 10 hour drive from the Akron, Ohio area. The Travel Channel awarded Myrtle Beach as the #2 Beach in the USA for over 60 miles of sandy beaches and thousands of fun family activities and attractions to choose from.
We’ve made the trip several times and continue to be impressed by the pristine beaches, warm Atlantic Ocean water, and oceanfront lodging at Crown Reef Water Park Resort.
I received accommodations to facilitate this post. Opinions are my own.
My kids love to buggie board on the waves that crash onto the beach. We prefer South Myrtle Beach where the beaches are less crowded and there are life guards on duty in front of our resort, Crown Reef Water Park Resort. The life guards are on alert and post flags of caution if the tide is strong, etc. You can walk quite far into the ocean and still be in shallow waters, making it perfect for families with young children. 
You might even spy a mermaid upon the beaches of South Myrtle Beach, especially if my daughter is there! The sand is soft, clean, and perfect for building sand castles, digging, burying your legs, and sunbathing. 
Depending on the tide, you may find a lot of average amounts of sea shells. It stormed one night during our visit which left piles of seashells on the shore the next morning!
My son loves to catch sand fleas (that is what we call them, I don’t know what they actually are) and muscles. The boys enjoyed finding these little creatures and building a sand habitat for them during one afternoon.
Our entire family of 12 (minus my husband) made it in this photo of one of our days at the beach. We had such a fantastic time together playing in the sand, crashing in the waves, and visiting together. This is what lifelong memories are made of! 
All of the cousins were able to play together as well as aunts, uncles, and grandparents. The interactions that we all had with our own kids as well as nieces and nephews is like nothing that could have happened at home, in Ohio. The connections are stronger when taking a vacation together as a multi generational trip. My son had so much fun with his aunt buggie boarding in the ocean – this moment will be etched into his childhood memories forever. 
Staying at an oceanfront resort is the only way to go for a beach vacation, especially if you have children or are traveling with a larger group. We stayed at Crown Reef Water Park Resort, it is located right on the ocean so all you have to do is leave your suite and you are at the ocean – no driving, parking, etc. Plus, the resort offers on-site dining so you never have to leave the beach all day.
Crown Reef is also the only water park in Myrtle Beach, offering a fun place to get out of the sun during the heat of the day to ride water slides and swim in a pool or float down a lazy river. They have everything! 
A beach vacation to Myrtle Beach is what you make of it. If you stay at a place like Crown Reef Water Park Resort, you have everything you need for fun at the beach as well as water park fun. You can also travel out to enjoy thousands of fun activities and attractions including endless shopping, live family entertainment on the beach and inland at places like Ripley’s, museums, concerts, theaters, and more.
The beaches of Myrtle Beach offer everything a family could hope for in a beach vacation. You don’t have to travel far from Ohio to get to the each. Myrtle Beach is one of the closest beaches to Ohio.
There are many reasons why the Travel Channel awarded Myrtle Beach the #2 Beach in the USA, plan your trip now to experience why! Book a suite at Crown Reef Water Park Resort for an unforgettable beach vacation.
