My Myrtle Beach Vacation: Day 2, The Market Commons

This is a continuation of a Travel Series of my vacation to Myrtle Beach.  To start at the beginning go HERE.

 Our second day of vacation was a off and on rainy day.  It rained early in the morning, then it cleared up, then it rained again most of the afternoon.  Due to the rain, we decided to go shopping thinking we could duck in and out of stores in between rain showers.  I had seen pictures of The Market Common prior to our trip and it looked so pretty I wanted to check out.  What better thing is there to do on a rainy day?

We lucked out on the rain as it cleared up and we were able to enjoy our time at The Market Common rain free until after lunch.  I was so grateful as it was such a beautiful place filled with gorgeous flower gardens to explore.

The Market Common is a upscale village with retail shopping, dining, a movie theatre, a large public square and lake, and also residences.

My absolutely favorite part of The Market Common weren't the stores but the flower gardens.  Wow! I felt at times as if I were in a botanical garden and not a shopping district.  This village puts together some amazing flower displays.

There were so many water features.  And aren't these roses gorgeous?  We don't see roses in my neck of the woods until June or July, so this was quite a treat.

There were so many benches and old wooden rocking chairs in the streets of The Market Common.  They provided plenty of opportunity to sit and enjoy the beauty surrounding you.  I grabbed a latte at Starbucks, and just sat and enjoyed my brew in a rocking chair.  It was so relaxing.

Many of the streets of The Market Common are paved in bricks and lined with palm trees and large Terra cotta pots.

Above all the stores are apartments for rent.  How cool is that?  You could shop, eat, see a movie within a few feet from your home?

I loved the design of The Market Common.  The building styles and colors are so pretty.

The stores are a nice mix of both high and low end, so people of all income levels will find something for them.

But as I said earlier, my favorite part of The Market Commons was the gardens.  They were so pretty, and manicured to perfection!

 This beautiful clock was at the entrance to the retail area of The Market Common.  On the other side was a large expanse of lawn with another water feature and the lake (sorry, no pictures of that).  In this area  the village holds public events like outdoor movies/concerts.  On the day we were there, people were practicing for a Viking Ship boat race that weekend.

A kind man saw us oohing and ahhing over all the flowers and taking pictures.  So he stopped to talk to us about The Market Commons and things to do in the area, and then he offered to take our picture.  We appreciate the kindness of strangers so much when we travel.

 It seemed everywhere I went in South Carolina I smelled the beautiful aroma of Jasmine.  This is a flowering vine that does very well in this climate.  We cannot grow this in Wisconsin, so I was quite envious.  Oh, the scent, it just permeated the air!  I especially loved how they trained and trimmed this jasmine vine to form an arch.

Have I convinced you yet to visit The Market Commons just to see the flower gardens even if you don't like to shop?

Here is another view of that amazing jasmine archway.  You can also see a close up of the residences above.

My husband and I were so excited to see a Charming Charlie (yes, he loves Charming Charlie's cause he loves to buy pretty trinkets for me....especially if they are inexpensive).  We especially loved the design of this one.  Aren't those pink doors pretty?

 Another gorgeous flowering vine we saw a lot of while in South Caroline was Wisteria.  I think Wisteria is my favorite of all flowering vines.  I just love their pendulous blooms and the scent is amazing!

There are so many amazing restaurants in The Market Commons.  This was one I was tempted by because I loved the decor and I was curious to taste some Southern food.  But it was pretty pricey and we were worried about spending a lot of money on food we may not like because we're from a different region and have a different palette.

So we stuck with what we knew and went to California Pizza and we were glad we did.  I got a Mediterranean salad with hummus and pita bread and hubby got a pizza.  It was soooo good we went back for dinner another day and got the same thing!  The Market Common was only a short drive from our hotel.

After lunch, it rained again so we decided to see a movie.  Apparently everyone else had the same idea for the movie theatre was packed for a Monday afternoon.  We saw "The Case For Christ".  I have to put a little plug in for this movie because it was so good!  Even though I am a Christian I normally don't like Christian movies because they are either too cheesy, poorly made (bad acting), or not true to the bible.  This movie however was none of those things and was the best Christian movie I ever saw.  It's based on a true story of a Chicago Tribune reporter who was so upset that his wife became a Christian that he set out to prove the bible false.  In the process he discovered that he couldn't prove Christianity false and he became a Christian himself.  The acting in this movie is so good!  And I loved the realistic relationship of the husband and wife.  I never found it cheesy either, it was just so raw, real, and beautifully done.  But be prepared and bring your tissues!  It's a tear-jerker!

Well I hope even if you are a not a shopper to visit The Market Commons.  It's not that big and you could walk the streets of the village in a hour or two.  It's the perfect place to go for dinner if you've been sight-seeing elsewhere during the day.  I would love to see it at night too when it's all lit up.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

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