Tourism Talk | Myrtle Beach makes “trashy” list

Myrtle Beach made a national list as one of the Top 10 Trashiest Spring Break Destinations.

Coedmagazine.com, which targets the Spring Break crowd of 18 to 24 year olds, ranked Myrtle Beach No. 5 in its trashiest list, which is based on things the website says could possibly make a place “trashy,” including the numbers of Hooters restaurants, strip clubs, liquor stores and tattoo parlors, and whether a city has hosted a bike week or Girls Gone Wild.

“Abandon all your standards, forget the rules, and let it roll. Pound cheap booze, hang with loose women, maintain an ‘anything goes’ mentality,” the article states. “To help you achieve ‘next level’ Spring Breaking’, we’ve ranked the top 10 American Spring Break destinations by trashiness. Because in our minds, trashy = indecent and indecent = fun.”

The writer – who said he had been to Myrtle Beach twice for Senior Week - said south Myrtle, which he distinguishes as trashier than North Myrtle Beach, is run by the beach, Broadway at the Beach – though he refers to it as Broadway on the Beach – and strip clubs.

Pictures of folks partying follow.

Neal Lynch, the site’s editor in chief, told ABCNews.com: “Typically, people associate ‘trashy’ with things of poor quality, however we associated the word with enjoying guilty pleasures. Like reality television — but in real life, where you can have the most amount of fun with the least amount of money.”

Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea said the description on the website doesn’t match the actual experience, which he said is spread over about six weeks starting in late February.

“It’s one publisher’s perspective,” he said. “That’s not the way I would have ranked Myrtle Beach as a spring break destination. Realistically, we have a fairly tame spring break experience.”

There are ads for Myrtle Beach on the website touting 60 miles of pristine beach, a perfect view and time together.

Here’s who else made coed’s cut:

1. Las Vegas

2. Key West

3. South Padre Island

4. Daytona Beach

5. Myrtle Beach

6. Miami Beach

7. Panama City Beach

8. Fort Myers, Fla.

9. Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

10. San Diego

Campground association meeting in Myrtle Beach area

Nearly 100 campground leaders in the Carolinas will meet in Myrtle Beach next week to talk about trends in the industry, including dressing up campgrounds for Halloween and having special events to boost that fall, off-season business.

Two experts will share tips to members of the Carolinas Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds on how they can capitalize on Halloween by decorating their parks and organizing activities to lure visitors, a strategy that’s already been successful at some campgrounds and theme parks across the country, including a few in the Myrtle Beach area. Leonard Pickel, co-founder of Haunted Attraction Magazine and founder of the International Association of Haunted Attractions, will give tips to the campground leaders Tuesday.

The campground association’s annual meeting, at Lakewood Camping Resort, starts Sunday with a trade show and continues through Tuesday with talks about handling legal issues, increasing membership, maintaining parks and other topics. Paul Bambei, president and CEO of the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, also will talk about the latest trends.

The event is open only to members of the association.

Collecting diamonds

Five properties along the Grand Strand and one in Conway have earned AAA’s prestigious four diamonds.

North Beach Plantation made the cut for the first time, joining Mar Vista Grande in North Myrtle Beach, which has been in the four diamond club for two years; the Marina Inn at Grande Dunes, which has made the list for five years; the Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort at Grande Dunes, which has been on the list for seven years, and Divine Prime in Myrtle Beach, the only local restaurant to earn four diamonds. The Cypress Inn, a bed and breakfast in Conway, made the list for the 14th year.

The local properties were among 30 lodging providers and 14 restaurants in the Carolinas to earn four diamonds. They were honored last week during a ceremony in Charleston.

To get four diamonds, trained evaluators check out the properties anonymously, staying overnight in lodging properties or dining at the restaurants judging quality and service.

“AAA’s requirements for a Four Diamond rating are rigorous, and those that win it are among the best hotels and restaurants in the world,” Dave Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas, said in a news release. “Only 3.4 percent of the more than 58,000 annual inspections conducted nationally result in a Four Diamond rating.”

A property in Charleston has the longest run as a Four Diamond clubber in the Carolinas. The John Rutledge House Inn has been on the list for 23 years.