Ah, the memories of Myrtle Beach.

A child searching for seashells during the day, waiting in crazy "cruisin'" traffic to get to the Pavilion at night and eating enough salt water taffy to send me into sugar shock. Of course, that was also the early 80's when tanning oil was king and fair-skinned red-heads didn't have a chance, so sunburns and hunts for aloe lotions were also a yearly occurrence.

But back to the beach.

Myrtle Beach has maintained a lot of the family-friendly charm it's always had. In fact, the Travel Channel recently rated it as the top family beach in the country. The Pavilion is now history, but other parks have opened and I'm sure are hoping to take on some of that clientele.

If you're looking for a beach front hotel, there's one in every size, shape and style to choose from. Many even bring the family in from the beach to the pool side where they have lazy rivers, mini water parks for kids, activities for the wee ones during the day so the parents get a vacation and of course, for those of us without kids, you can run to the sand and rent a couple of chairs and an umbrella from the lifeguard and escape into relaxation.

Looking for something to do away from the seashore?

The first thing that comes to mind for me is Putt-Putt. There are seemingly as many putt-putt courses in Myrtle Beach as there are churches is small southern towns. You can play indoor, outdoor, you can have special effects like crashed planes and erupting volcanoes or you can just take it easy on a classic course. If you don't like lines though, stay away in the evenings. Most of the better courses and back up in a hurry.

For rainy days - or just for the shopper in all of us - there are also a few outlet malls. There are two Tanger outlet malls in the area that are packed with a wide variety of stores. There are also boutiques scattered across the town that are fun to check out.

Also, Barefoot Landing and Broadway at the Beach offer lots of dining, shopping and entertainment options from Alabama Theatre and House of Blues to Ripley’s Aquarium and Palace Theatre.

And don't forget the golf. There are more courses to choose from than you would ever dream. I had to defer to my dad on this one because I'm not a golfer, but he makes a yearly trip each January to play with his pals, so here are his recommended courses:

• Pine Lakes
• Acadian Shores
• Legends
• Myrtle Beach National
• Possum Trot
• Azalea Sands

You can see a full listing of golf courses by visiting mbn.com or myrtlebeachgolf.com.

Have you worked up an appetite yet? I hope so because there are so many restaurants, you need a few months to try them all. My favorite lunch recommendation: Go to the Bagel Factory on North Kings Highway and grab a bagel sandwich to go. Take it back to the beach for your own private luncheon picnic. Walk down the block toward the beach and you can stop in for some ice cream or Starbucks along the way.

Looking for dinner? I recommend driving down to Murrells Inlet and going to Drunken Jacks. The restaurant sits on the water and you can go downstairs and enjoy a drink and music while you wait to be seated. You can't go wrong with any of their seafood choices and they offer a small salad bar with the entrees.

And I firmly believe that no trip to the beach is complete without crab legs! And the best way to buy them is on a buffet! Now, I've been going to the Original Benjamin's for years. My husband and I even introduced two of our best friends to the wonders of beach buffets here - and they found it both entertaining and tasty. But I must mention that another friend of mine - who is a low-country native, and therefore and expert - swears by Preston's. Given her taste-bud resume, I may have to defer to her. I plan to try Preston's next time I'm in the area.

If you want a more relaxed, smaller scale atmosphere, try Dirty Don's. My husband and I found this place several years ago. It's a great place to go, sit outside and have a po-boy and a beer.

Recommendations from others in the office:

• Carolina Roadhouse
• Pink Flamingo

There are also the chain staples that are popular in most citys and towns. For a full list of restaurants, check out myrtlebeachrestaurantnews.com.

Now for breakfast.

So, you're waking up after your first night in the hotel and you realize that the continental breakfast is over… or you're over it. No worries, MB has you covered. You'll notice while driving around that there are tons of pancake houses. All are pretty good, but I recommend the Plantation Pancake House. There aren't as many of them - and maybe that's why I like them better - I'm not sure really! But if you're not near PPH, you'll be able to find all the biscuits, gravy, pancakes and syrup you can stomach for incredibly low prices at any of them.

If you are heading out to Myrtle, visit the Myrtle Beach area Chamber for your FREE vacation guide.