I just booked a summer vacation for my family. With my daughter turning 16 and in need of her own car, along with all the expenses that come with it, and with college tuition looming, we couldn’t really justify a costly trip this year. But we still feel that we need a fun getaway after a summer chock-full of softball tournaments. So we decided to revisit an old favorite beach destination: Myrtle Beach, S.C.

From our home in PA, it’s about 8 hours by car, part of which will hopefully be driven by our new driver to complete the hours she needs to get her license.

Now the problem I have is finding activities that we haven’t already done when she was younger. I tried to remember our previous trips and see things as they would be through the eyes of a teenager. Would she find the Aquarium interesting like she did when she was 5? Will she still enjoy going to the Alligator Adventure like she did when she was 8? Will the hike through Huntington Beach State Park to view alligators in the wild still be as exciting as it was at age 12? Could she still have fun with a boogie board at the beach? Or taking sunset strolls looking for little crabs in the sand?

I think part of the fun of revisiting a destination you’ve been to before is researching new experiences . . . and also going back to places that bring back good memories. I’m sure we’ll still go on that hike at the state park, and we’ll spend plenty of time on the beach, maybe just not with a boogie board.

— Tracey Cullen, art director