Camping Confidential: PirateLand Family Camping Resort

One of the things we love most about full-time RV living is the freedom to bounce back and forth between the mountains and beaches. We thoroughly enjoy them both, and it’s great to have the variety throughout the year. After spending several months in the Western mountains, we decided to make the trek back to the East Coast to visit family and friends. We happen to have family near the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area, which gave us the perfect excuse to spend some time there!

Myrtle Beach is known for being a summer vacation destination with miles of sandy beach, tons of family-friendly activities, shopping, restaurants and fun attractions. It’s pretty much your typical touristy beach town, but the good news with that is that there are plenty of options when it comes to places to stay! And if you happen to visit in the off-season, as we did, you still tend to get relatively nice weather.

When selecting a campground, our one criterion was that it needed to be on or within a short walking distance to the beach. We are all too familiar with the loading and unloading process of schlepping all our beach items to the ocean, only to have to repeat that when we get back to the place we are staying. That process isn’t the most convenient or fun, so we wanted to be as close as possible for easy beach access. Plus, it certainly helps if you need to run back for more food or drinks, or if you forgot something or need to use the bathroom. With that in mind, we decided to stay at PirateLand Family Camping Resort, nestled right along the beach on the south end of Myrtle Beach.

The PirateLand Family Camping Resort is by far the largest campground we have visited. It’s practically a little town in and of itself. With numerous ways to stay, from campsites to vacation rentals, long-term seasonal sites to annual leases, there is something for everyone. When you first check in, you are greeted with a beautiful office that includes an on-theme pirate ship, concierge desk and package pickup area. Another benefit we don’t see often, but certainly appreciate, is a 24-hour guarded entrance and exit at the front of the campground.

When selecting your campsite, you have a variety of options. Be sure to check out the color-coded map online and call if you have any questions. You’ll notice the nightly, weekly and monthly rates will vary based on which site you select. We chose to be as close to the water as possible and even had a covered pavilion at our campsite. Being just a few yards away from the beach was exactly what we were hoping for to enjoy a quick morning run, evening walk and, of course, daytime fun!

Our family tends to sleep in, so we didn’t catch too many sunrises, but the sunsets were absolutely spectacular. We even had a few storms pass through during our stay, which made for some great beach walks searching for seashells and ocean life that washed up on shore. 

Besides the convenience of being close to the beach, there were also plenty of other amenities for family fun throughout the resort. We did happen to visit in the off-season, and unfortunately the massive pool area and lazy river were closed. But we did get to enjoy the indoor pool and hot tub. They often have scheduled indoor pool aerobics and outdoor pool activities scheduled seasonally. PirateLand also has a playground, basketball court and 18-hole minigolf course on-site. Additionally, you will find a robust camp store, laundromat, camp ministry, outdoor chapel and nine climate-controlled bathhouses throughout the property. The roads throughout the entire property are paved, which is nice for biking, walking or running through the resort. They also have an on-site golf cart rental service, which can be very helpful because the resort is huge! Oh, and Wi-Fi is included, too, which is always a plus.

PirateLand is also conveniently located just down the street from a grocery store and a few miles from Walmart, Target and the airport. It’s also about 20 minutes from one of our favorite places, Murrells Inlet, an area known for fresh seafood, fun restaurants, walking paths, water rentals, live music and tons of beach town fun! A few other areas to note are Pawleys Island, Brookgreen Gardens, Huntington Beach State Park and Charleston, which are all due south of the resort. If you head north of the resort, you’ll find several attractions and experiences like Topgolf, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, WonderWorks, Medieval Times and others.

But if staying at the campground is more your speed, PirateLand has you covered with plenty of beach access, fun in the sun, food truck visits and scheduled activities. During the summer months, each day is like being at summer camp, packed with contests, arts and crafts, specialty snacks, games, how-to classes, movies and so much more. Be sure to check out the activities schedule on the website to keep up with all the fun opportunities for you and your family to enjoy.

If you are looking for a fun place to stay along the East Coast beaches, we highly recommend visiting PirateLand Family Camping Resort in south Myrtle Beach!