Ocean-Side Amusement Parks May Be Thing of the Past
Families heading to the beach for a vacation often set aside at least one day to visit an ocean-side amusement park. For more than 100 years, Americans have embraced such places, enjoying their carnival atmosphere, thrilling roller coasters, high-flying Ferris wheels, sticky cotton candy, and mesmerizing merry-go-rounds.
While so-called “theme parks” have captured the fascination of ride fans and contributed to the demise of traditional amusement parks inland, beachfront amusement parks have managed to survive. Their very locations along the shore have guaranteed that patrons will stroll through their gates and keep them in the black.
But that may be changing soon.
Several factors are driving owners of beachfront parks to reassess their futures. It’s no secret that the value of beach property has escalated dramatically in the last five years, and, according to industry sources, revenues at amusement parks nationwide have gone down. The coming wave of retiring baby boomers looking for their own piece of the beach is expected to send land prices even higher. In addition, some beach town community leaders are actually supporting removal of ocean-side parks; they reason that new development could transition their downtown areas from a seasonal, three-month economy into a vibrant 12-month business center.
The popular seaside town of Myrtle Beach, S.C. is currently grappling with such issues. Nicknamed “The Grand Strand” for its spectacular 60-mile stretch of pristine Atlantic Ocean beach, it entertains roughly 14 million visitors each year. Located just below the North Carolina border, the town has two popular amusement parks, The Myrtle Beach Pavilion and Family Kingdom. Both parks are right in the heart of Myrtle Beach and front the town’s renowned Ocean Boulevard.
Family Kingdom, which boasts the biggest Ferris wheel in South Carolina, has been a fixture in Myrtle Beach since the 1960s.
The Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park dates back even farther and has been in operation since 1948. It is so popular among tourists and local residents that The Travel Channel once described the park as the “number one family attraction in Myrtle Beach.”
Recently the owners of The Pavilion, as it is called locally, rocked the Carolinas by announcing that this summer summer would be The Myrtle Beach Pavilion Farewell Season. The park will close forever this fall.
No formal plans have been announced for the park’s real estate, although one thing seems certain: whatever replaces The Pavilion will be structured to foster year round business and energize a downtown that is basically empty for nine months of the year.
Nothing that replaces The Pavilion, however, is likely to engender the tender feelings that the amusement park’s closing has aroused. After all, whole generations of teenagers can remember going to The Pavilion to meet and hang out. As the center of activity at the beach from the 1950s through the 1990s, The Pavilion allowed today’s grandparents, parents and grown kids to share similar experiences within their differing teenage decades.
In fact, Egerton Burroughs, the Chairman of the Board of Burroughs & Chapin, the company that owns The Pavilion was moved to tears when he announced the park’s closing. A great deal of careful, painstaking thought has gone into making the decision, he said. The Pavilion holds a rich tapestry of memories for us and for many people from many walks of life. I had my first job at The Pavilion and it is dear to my heart.
As one of the Grand Strand’s top tourist attractions, The Pavilion has been a source of good times and memories for families from all over the world. Many came just to enjoy the historic Herschell-Spillman Carousel that dates back to 1912. Of approximately 15 working Herschell-Spillman carousels in the country, The Pavilion’s carousel is one of the most elaborate and well kept. It features not just horses, but a menagerie of elaborately decorated animals including frogs, lions, ostriches, zebras, giraffes, roosters and even dragons. Its preservation has been ensured by specially-made metal doors that are lowered each night, protecting the carousel from the wear and tear of the ocean’s salt-filled air.
Still other visitors have been lured to the park by the sound of the historic Baden Band Organ that fills the ocean breezes with its rich sound. Built in Germany by A. Ruth & Sohn who hand-carved its ornate figurines and decorations from wood, the organ was first exhibited at the World Exposition in Paris in 1900. Later, it toured Europe on a wagon pulled by a team of six horses. At 20-feet long, 11-feet high, seven feet deep and approximately two tons, it has 400 different pipes, 98 keys and still operates with old-style cardboard music, most of which was composed more than 50 years ago. For generations of beach lovers, no stroll along Ocean Boulevard was complete without a stop to listen to the organ and observe its twirling ladies and cherubs playing cymbals, bells and drums.
History aside, the rides at The Pavilion come from every era. From the gentle “kiddie rides” to the scream-inducing Hurricane Category 5 roller coaster, The Pavilion always delivered the excitement and fun that it promised.
Over the years, the park became such an icon of Myrtle Beach that it became common for people to merely say “meet me at The Pavilion,” and know with certainty that they would have no trouble connecting.
So, it was no surprise when a public outcry followed the announcement that the 2006 season would be the last for the park. Some denounced the closing, while others sent the owners nostalgic emails. Many recalled meeting their mates there. Others recounted how it was where they learned to dance the shag, a dance performed to beach music born out of rhythm and blues. (The dance is so beloved by those in the Southeastern U.S., that South Carolina has named it their state dance.)
Stories about the closing of The Pavilion began to appear in newspapers around the nation and even in USAToday. The Pavilion staff was soon flooded with inquiries from many planning to visit the venerable old park one last time to spark old memories or to make new ones with their kids.
“I came here every summer with my parents and I want to experience the park with my own kids,” said Linda Palma of Fairfax, Virginia. “The Pavilion is a tradition for our family and this is our last chance to make lifelong memories there.”
The final day of The Pavilion will be celebrated with an exclusive day-long event on September 30. The “Last Ride Experience” will be staged, complete with all the cherished carnival foods, clowns and rides. Advance tickets for this event are already selling briskly.
Then, the park will go dark forever. After entertaining families for 58 years, its midway lights will dim, its kiddie rides will stop, and the cars of the Hurricane Category 5 roller coaster will be parked.
It will be a sad day on Ocean Boulevard and it will leave many people wondering which amusement park will be the next to go. Ocean-side amusement parks, it seems, are part of America’s past. But for anyone who has ever ridden the coaster on a balmy summer night and smelled the salt air mixed with the smells of popcorn and cotton candy, the memories will live on.
IF YOU GO (BOX)
Myrtle Beach, S. C.
Beach: 60 miles of clean, public beach
Climate: low eighties in the summer
Hotels: affordable to four star
Airport: Myrtle Beach International
Drive Time: Easy one-day drive from major NE and Mid-West Cities
Restaurants: 1200 from all-you-can-eat buffets to gourmet
“Last Ride Experience” Information: 843-913-5200 or www.mbpavilion.com
