This week finds us in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where we did many of the usual touristy things people do in Myrtle Beach. We visited the beach itself, we went camping and we toured the Hollywood Wax Museum, including Hannah’s Mirror Maze and Breakout, a zombie-themed house of horror – all quite well done.
But the most crucial thing we wanted to do in town was go shagging. Myrtle Beach is the home of a jitterbug-style dance called the Carolina Shag, which originated in the 1940s when a bunch of white people started imitating a dance known as The Big Apple that was popular among African-Americans. And there’s no better place to go learn the Carolina Shag than at Fat Harold’s Beach Club, which has been popularizing the dance since 1962. “Fat Harold” was the late Harold Bessent, one of the owners of Fat Harold’s.
Every Tuesday, you can take a free introductory shag class at Fat Harold’s. Every Monday, you can take a beginner’s, intermediate or advanced shag class for 10 dollars. And every Wednesday, you can just drop in and do some shagging. While you’re there, you can partake of some of Fat Harold’s unique cuisine if you want – the menu includes a fried bologna sandwich smothered in onions and other condiments.
We attended the Monday beginner’s class, then stuck around to learn (or at least observe) a couple of more advanced steps. By the time it was over, we were so shagified that we kept shagging the next day on the beach, on Apache Pier, and everywhere we went.
Special thanks to the Hollywood Wax Museum in Myrtle Beach for providing the adventure.
world travel with a theatrical flair 