{"id":59165,"date":"2021-05-27T17:35:45","date_gmt":"2021-05-27T22:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coaster101.com\/?p=59165"},"modified":"2022-08-08T07:28:06","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T12:28:06","slug":"a-history-of-roller-coasters-in-myrtle-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coaster101.com\/2021\/05\/27\/a-history-of-roller-coasters-in-myrtle-beach\/","title":{"rendered":"A History of Roller Coasters in Myrtle Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the recent addition of The Funplex’s Fun in the Sun<\/a>, the newest roller coaster in Myrtle Beach, we got to thinking about the history of roller coasters in the area. While amusement parks have traditionally been an “afterthought” for many of the area’s 19 million annual tourists, and there aren’t many operating roller coasters in the immediate area today (just five!), roller coasters have actually been a part of Myrtle Beach’s entertainment offerings for 70 years.<\/p>\n

1951-1979: The Early Years<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As with any historical look back at Myrtle Beach amusement parks, the story begins with The Pavilion. If you\u2019re not familiar with \u201cThe Pavilion,\u201d it was an 11-acre Myrtle Beach amusement park whose roots dated back to the early 1900s. According to\u00a0MyrtleBeach.com<\/a>, the spiritual predecessor to the Myrtle Beach Pavilion was first constructed in 1908. This pavilion was a one-story, open-air wooden building that was part of the Seaside Inn property, Myrtle Beach\u2019s first hotel, which served as a gathering place for its guests. While this pavilion (and the pavilion that followed it) burned in 1920 and 1944, in 1948 the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park was officially built.<\/p>\n

The park’s first roller coaster was known as Comet Jr., and was built by the National Amusement Device Co. Not much is known about this wooden coaster, other than it was considered “pint-sized.” Alongside the other rides at the Pavilion, it thrilled riders into the late 1960’s before closing. Comet Jr. was the only roller coaster in Myrtle Beach for nine years, prior to the opening of a large B.A. Schiff Wild Mouse at the nearby Gay Dolphin Park, located just across the road from the Pavilion. The Gay Dolphin park was part of the greater Gay Dolphin Gift Cove, which featured a small gift shop, minature golf course, and several hotels. The Gay Dolphin has since evolved into one of Myrtle Beach’s largest gift shops.<\/p>\n

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According to RCDB, the Schiff Wild Mouse was the same model that was installed at multiple well-known parks across the country in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including Dorney Park, Cedar Point, Elitch Gardens and Quassy. The Wild Mouse closed in 1966 and was relocated to Folly Beach Pier in Folly Beach, SC. The closing of the Wild Mouse was just in time for Myrtle Beach’s newest (and currently oldest operating) amusement park, Family Kingdom<\/a> (then known as Grand Strand Amusement Park) to open, just about a mile to the south of the Gay Dolphin on Ocean Boulevard.<\/p>\n

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Grand Strand Amusement Park was the brain child of William M. Parker, one of three partners responsible for Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City, Florida. When it opened in 1966, the park featured one roller coaster, the historic Swamp Fox. According to the American Coaster Enthusiasts<\/a>, the roller coaster took its name from famous American Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion for his daring raids against British troops through the swamplands of South Carolina.\u00a0A Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters-manufactured design by legendary coaster designer John C. Allen,\u00a0 Swamp Fox features a figure-eight layout that takes riders through a half a mile of track. As the coaster climbs to its peak height of 75 feet, riders are treated to a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding area.<\/p>\n

Several years later, though the exact date is unknown (RCDB says 1968), Grand Strand Amusement Park opened a second roller coaster, Toboggan, named after the coaster model from Chance Rides, the ride’s manufacturer. Standing 45′ tall with 450′ of track, Toboggan only lasted at the seaside park for a few years, closing sometime in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

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16 miles north of Family Kingdom, another small amusement park would open around the same timeframe, and would have a small wooden coaster of its own. The Sun Fun Amusement Park was located in North Myrtle Beach, and its signature roller coaster, like Comet Jr. before it, was also a product of the now-defunct National Amusement Device Co. Originally open in 1970, the roller coaster went by a number of names according to RCDB, including the mostly generic “Wildcat” and “Coaster.” Those names aside, Sun Fun eventually went with a name that is among my favorite coaster names of all-time; “These United States.” Sun Fun park also operated a kiddie coaster for a few years prior to the park’s closing in 1986.<\/p>\n

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South of Myrtle Beach in Surfside Beach, the owners of Magic Harbor also had a few roller coasters of their own. While much of the specific early timeline of the park is unknown, the park went through several owners, including the ownership group behind Blackpool Pleasure Beach, who turned Magic Harbor into a British themed amusement park. Early roller coasters at the park included Black Witch, which appears to be a Galaxi-style roller coaster, and Caterpillar, a Wacky Worm. In 1975, Magic Harbor opened an Arrow Corkscrew coaster that operated at the park for a short time, before making the short trek up Highway 17 to the Pavilion, where it re-opened in 1978.<\/p>\n

1980-2007: Roller Coaster Boom, Real Estate Boom, Roller Coaster Bust<\/h3>\n

The opening of Corkscrew at the Pavilion in 1978 kicked off a series of new coasters in the Myrtle Beach area over the next decade, all coming to the Pavilion. Following Corkscrew, the park also installed an S.D.C. Galaxi sometime in the mid\/late-1980’s or early 1990’s.<\/p>\n

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Not much is known about the history of this roller coaster, as even RCDB lists its opening date sometime in the range of 1985-1994. It was thought to be moved to the park from Kings Dominion, after their roller coaster of the same name closed in 1983, but that information is inconclusive at this point. Galaxi would eventually close in 1997.<\/p>\n

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In 1986, the Pavilion added another roller coaster, Little Eagle, a family train-themed roller coaster from MACK Rides. Little Eagle was only MACK’s third roller coaster installation in the United States, and 15th coaster overall.<\/p>\n