Child-free couple at the #1 family campground: Ocean Lakes Family Campground, Myrtle Beach, SC

So far, Season 5 had taken us all the way to the southern tip of the east coast, and now we were on our way back north. The goal: get back to New England as soon as campgrounds started opening for the season. This would give us the flexibility to RV the region before the summer crowds poured in. We had a long to-do list to tackle up there, including checking on our land and getting items out of storage that we left behind in order to get out of winter weather quickly.

Staying at campgrounds up there would be fine, but what about our home-bases? We were still without an inverter, which meant we needed 50amp electric hookups to run all the appliances we need, including our air conditioners. May can already produce hot temperatures in the north, so we needed to be ready. Unfortunately, our land in NH has no utilities, and our home-base in MA has limited electric because we don't want to put a strain on my parents' system. Things would be much simpler if we had our inverter and could use our solar to its full capacity. Ideally, we'd use our home-bases as the primary parking spots and then supplement them with campgrounds. This saves us money and allows us more flexibility of when we go where.

We hoped our inverter would come around the time of our service appointment in North Carolina, but that day came and went, and we were still waiting. We had reason to believe it would be shipped soon, so we decided it was worthwhile to stick around the Carolinas for a bit. We would rue the day we start booking it up to New England if the inverter actually came in a few days later. Best to sit on this one and see if we could get a definitive timeline for our install. We could think of no better place to hang our hats than Myrtle Beach.

Our last time in Myrtle Beach, we stayed at the state park, which was gorgeous and peaceful. This time, we opted for somewhere a little more lively. The area is known for its array of incredible RV resorts, and we had not yet stayed in one. We booked 4 nights at the biggest resort of them all: Ocean Lakes Family Campground in Surfside Beach.

This place really is big, big, big, and I mean BIG big. It might as well be its own town! It spans 310 acres and has 3300ft of shoreline. In addition to 859 RV sites, the resort has over 2500 annual leases, plus a few hundred shorter term rentals. They don't call it a mega resort for nothing! We knew this going into it, but when Anthony came out of the office with the map, I almost fell out of the truck laughing. We couldn't even hang it on our fridge without folding it!

Getting to our campsite was an adventure in itself. When we first entered under the giant archway (you can't miss it from Kings Highway!), we didn't even know where to stop. There were multiple lanes with no signage on where vehicles should park to check in. The office looked like a hotel desk, and after getting the giant map, we had to maneuver our way around several blocked lanes to get to the one open entrance lane. Then we proceeded to tow to the back corner of the resort, weaving through small roads of houses on stilts along the way. Despite having a pull-thru site, we ran into the age-old issue of the RV park: narrow roads and tight turns. We had to maneuver carefully and saw many fellow campers struggle throughout our stay. Thankfully, everyone seems aware of the tight squeeze, and we were all willing to move vehicles and lawn items, and lend a helping hand when needed.

In case you're wondering, yes, you can choose your campsite during the booking process. They try to make it as seamless as possible, allowing you to filter your preferences, including oceanfront. Their descriptions of the sites are also helpful, stating how many feet you are from the ocean, whether there are any obstacles, and what the parking pad size is. Most campsites have photos, and some even have video tours that at least show the row or section. Even with the preferences, it takes a lot of effort to weed through the hundreds of campsites. I had to enlist Anthony's help to read the map and let me know which sites were end-row. But we found one with a pleasure-side yard. This was in the 3000s, aka middle RV section, which meant a slightly longer walk to the beach and amenities, but we were very happy with our location. We were the last site before the section closest to the ocean and could easily get to the beach in just a few minutes' walk.

Our arrival day was rainy, but we squeezed in a little exploring so we could start getting our bearings right away. We knew it might take a few "orientation walks" to learn the lay of the land. At least we had the map!

Our first stop was, of course, the beach. Ocean Lakes has its own private sector of beach...technically. Anyone can walk along the shore to get there, but they don't have access to the resort's walkways. The beach was a great place to cloud-watch. Thunderstorms were definitely still on the horizon!

We left the beach and walked along the shore-side of the resort, where we found Sandy's Coffee and Creamery, the observation deck, and other cool amenities like lawn games, a basketball court, and a playground. The resort also hosts church services both indoors and out, as part of their vast array of events.

We left the RV sites and entered the neighborhoods. We could tell that most of the houses were rented long-term, often by entire families that wish to vacation near each other. We walked through the interior roads and came to some non-ocean water features, like canals and ponds. And then, the most spirited house of all: the Derby house. Decorated to the nines and hosting a party that we so desperately wanted to crash, but unfortunately I didn't have my large hat. Seriously, though, we have to wonder what this house looks like not during the Kentucky Derby. It's one of a few extra quirky homes at the resort. We also saw a Barbie-themed house.

After meandering among the houses, we ended up in the central part of the resort, home to most of the amenities. This is where you'll find the Family Fun Center, complete with an arcade, restaurant, indoor pool, outdoor resort-style pool and adjacent waterpark, putt putt course, bike rentals, and more. Immediately, we could see that Ocean Lakes does amenities right. We've been to other resorts that throw a bunch of mediocre amenities in, just so they can advertise the quantity of offerings. Ocean Lakes is different. Their amenities are state-of-the-art. The arcade was on par with the best modern arcades we've seen anywhere. The outdoor pool felt like a true resort destination, integrated with the waterpark slides, lazy river, and splash park, and with enough lounge chairs to accommodate crowds of campers on those hot summer South Carolina days. We, however, were there right at the tail end of cusp season. The waterpark opened in the middle of our stay and was hardly used. But those who did use it got the waterslides basically all to themselves, so that's not a bad deal at all!

We weren't planning on enjoying any of the amenities yet, but no surprise, the arcade sucked us in. I did better filming my skeeball roll this time!

This was when we realized, getting our bearings here wasn't so difficult, after all! Ocean Lakes places their communal areas in exactly the right places – some near the beach and others in the center of the resort, right along the entrance and exit roads. We left the Family Fun Center and continued walking the road, where we came across the laundromat, Sandy's Meet N' Eat outdoor restaurant, and market.

In the back of this central communal area, we found the nature center, dog park, and dog wash station.

Before we knew it, we had explored until dusk, and so we headed back to our campsite, excited to actually try more of these amenities during our stay.

With our successful orientation behind us, we knew exactly where to go the next morning to get our day started right. We took Tanner and walked over to the cafe, which had recently opened for the season for coffee only (the ice cream stand would open later into the summer months). We grabbed a couple lattes and went over to the beach. You may be noticing that coffee walks on the beach are becoming a thing this season, and we're not mad about it. However, if you don't want to walk and drink, the cafe's patio was also very inviting.

This part of Myrtle Beach has an ordinance that allows dogs on the beaches at all times during the off-season, and before 10am and after 4pm from May 1 to Labor Day. We were there at the beginning of May, but at least in the Ocean Lakes section of beach, people seemed lenient about taking their dogs at all times. I didn't pay much attention to the time, but mostly walked with Tanner before 10am each day. We created a little morning tradition of a post-breakfast walk, feet and paws in the water. They quickly became some of my favorite moments with Tanner in his senior years. Our walks were short enough that he could take them with ease, and the beach was the perfect place to let him go at his own speed.

It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday for our first full day at the resort, so we opted outside for a lot of it. We took more walks, did some photo ops, and had dinner at the Meet N' Eat. We don't have a lot of negatives to say about Ocean Lakes, but the Meet N' Eat was the low point of our stay. You can order at the walk-up windows or at one of the kiosks, and we decided to be modern and try the kiosk. Only, after spending minutes putting our order in, we got an error message when we tried to pay. We didn't even know if the payment went through, so we had to get in line and wait to ask a worker. But as we got to the head of the line, they called out an order number that no one was claiming. We went over to see if it could possibly be ours, and after some awkward communication, learned it was. The whole situation ended up being a lot of effort for some very mediocre food, even for walk-up grub standards. They didn't even have salt and pepper!

We were nervous to try the other restaurant, Sandy Harbor Cafe, fearing it might be the same food. But when we found ourselves back at the Fun Center for – you guessed it – more arcade time, we decided to pop in for some nosh. This food was not the same as Meet N' Eat, and it was actually not bad at all! Still all-American grub, but well cooked and seasoned. If you want to dine at Ocean Lakes, this is the place to go. There is even a walk-up window so you can order your food from the pool area. That sounds like a good day!

There's no doubt that Ocean Lakes stands on its own as a destination. There's a ton to do in and around Myrtle Beach, but if you wanted to just come here with the family and never leave the resort, you absolutely could. It's also a great resort for all ages. Even though it's a "family campground" and definitely plays up the family vibe, we had campground neighbs younger than us, older than us, with and without kids, and even a lot of retirees. As two child-free adults, we felt free to tap into our inner children, but we also found activities suitable for our age. This place is a prime example of what can be accomplished when the management cares. After arriving, I sat down to peruse the welcome packet, which was almost as big as the map. The resort rules are pretty standard, except for a few that have been specifically imposed due to past experiences here. Those under 21 have a curfew so that they cannot galivant around the park unsupervised late at night. All ebikes need to be registered and there are strict rules for riding them and driving golf carts. And finally, the resort lists the different "seasons" of the campground, letting visitors know outright that, some times of year, the vibe might not be your thing. We stayed at Ocean Lakes at the very start of "red" season, aka party time, but things weren't crazy just yet. However, the "blue" season is definitely more in keeping with how we typically RV.

This straightforward approach to communication was surprisingly refreshing, as someone who has looked through many a welcome packet in her day. It shows that the management respects and cherishes the resort and invites all visitors to, too. With such a huge resort, things could fly off the rails easily, but here, everything felt like a well-oiled machine. It's no wonder Ocean Lakes boasts some incredible accolades:

• 7-time winner of National Mega Park of the Year by the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds/Outdoor Hospitality Idustry
• Top 1% of campgrounds in the Good Sam Travel Guide
• RV Life's winner of "Best of the Best" 2025

We're glad we got to experience it for ourselves in all its mega-glory. It takes a lot for us to forgo our beloved SC state parks, but we do not regret our choice to stay at Ocean Lakes. It's become our top recommendation for all our friends with kids who are looking for a great Myrtle Beach getaway in their RV.