Myrtle Beach Pavilion - 2 seasons left?

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/sunnews/8357966.htm
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It would be hard to imagine Myrtle Beach without it's famous Pavilion Amusement Park. They would be simply ripping the heart out of MB in favor of some crappy retail complex. Myrtle Beach has survived every winter since 1948 with the Pavilion's seasonal operation. But it appears the 4 months that it is closed in the winter is simply too much to lose.

Hey, here's an idea!! Leave the Pavilion and tear down all those ugly 2 story motels that run parallel to the Hurricane coaster. They close in the winter too! JUST SAVE THE PAVILION!!

I'm glad I'm going there this summer. It might be my first and last time to ride the Hurricane.

Keep the saying alive, SAVE THE PAVILION!!

Oh wow that is so sad to hear. I pretty much grew up at the Pavillion, Family Kingdom, and the defunct Magic Harbor when my family visited MB almost every summer when I was growing up. My earliest coastering involved the Corkscrew, Galaxi, and Swamp Fox just down the road.

I can understand the city's concern for providing year-round tourist or shopping activities but to wipe out the Pavillion? This is just wrong.

I hope something else can be worked out. Granted I haven't been to MB in 14 years but I am sure there are ENOUGH retail outlets as there was at that time. WTF? What is next to go? Swamp Fox and the Family Kingdom? This is sad. Malls and shopping plazas are a dime a dozen. I think they should leave the Pavillion as is.

-Tina

*** Edited 4/10/2004 3:59:39 AM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

The city is concerned about increasing their tax revenues, period.Somebody has put it into their head that a strictly retail operation that is open year round will generate more income than a seasonal park, even though the Pavillion has a fairly long season. What they fail to realize is that business will be bad those months regardless what's there. Then the businesses will have to rely upon what they made during the summer to carry them through the winter. In other words , no real gain.

They will loose a lot of revenue and tourism dollars with the loss of Pavillion. That's my best prediction.

Shortsighted and stupid.

What is Myrtle Beach thinking? I understand that the Pavilion doesn't rake in money, but it is a landmark. I can see why they want to add a retail space there since Broadway at the Beach is doing great. However, I believe Myrtle Beach is adding a new huge mall and if they are going to add another retail space one of these three attractions will begin to decline in sales. Myrtle Square Mall's sales declined after Broadway at the Beach opened and I believe it has closed or will close. I don't want Broadway at the Beach or the Pavilion to close. *** Edited 4/10/2004 3:47:34 PM UTC by PKIBombers***

Sounds a lot like what happened with Opryland

I forget, was that a good move or not?(sarcasm)

At least there's a chance some of the rides will remain at the beach in the Hard Rock park. Just as long as Hurricane looses its current trains in favor of PTCs.

I have just returned from Myrtle Beach...was there for 8 days... and The Pavilion was thriving. I can't imagine MB without it. I agree that there are other areas around that could be sacrificed if need be, but why can't they just leave well enough alone. The Hurricane is a very popular ride and was non-stop the entire time I was there. Just let Broadway at The Beach, which is just down the road a short ways, continue to be the shopping/dining hot spot.

Ironically you could argue that the new soon-to-be Hard Rock Theme Park is a reverse situation. From what I understood, it is going to be situated on the site that the Waccama Mall(s) occupied. These malls are now indeed closed and grass is growing in the parking lots. I saw the map of the proposed theme park and it looks like it is going to be great! I saw one huge steel coaster in the picture, but can't even speculate what it is going to be. (The resorts and time share folks are using the theme park as a hot selling tool knowing that it is going to help draw people in.)

BTW...the Mad Mouse at the North Myrtle Beach Grand Prix Park needs some love. On the day I went, I think I was the only person to ride it and it's such a great coaster since the cars spin. It was in great shape...just needs some riders! If you are in the area, give it a try! (And don't waste your time/money driving the Formula 1 cars that are an extra fee.....80 mph in the straightaway my a$$!! Try 40 mph if the wind is blowing right.) The time is better spent on the Mouse. :)

Why not get rid of the beach and build retail space there. I mean, all that sand does absolutely nothing during the winter months anyway.

But once they were done removing the beach they'd have to rename everything. Myrtle Beach Pavilion would just be Myrtle Pavilion, etc. ;)

And without the Pavillion, its just Myrtle. And that doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me.

Hmm, the Pavillion is the unique attraction that draws people to that area of MB. There is retail all around. If i am in MB and want to go shopping, im not going to fight the traffic to that area of town to do it.....

If I want to go shopping, I'll stay in northern NJ. Not go to Myrtle Beach. Too bad the town doesn't understand that logic.

I agree coasterqueen, why get rid of it? My family used to go to Myrtle Beach a lot when I was a kid. I rode the coaster before Hurricane, whatever it was called. I think it gives people something else to do besides shop. There are enough retailers there already without adding more. Most are selling tourist crap anyway. Only thing I ever really bought and kept for a while was a beer bong. ;)

Get rid of the beach??? I hope you are kidding. That beach brings in 14 million tourists a year. I love the Pavilion, and I hope that it doesn't close because that would be a shame. It's been a tradition for me ever since I first went down there about 20 years ago. Many residents don't want it to leave either, and the Vegas style, upscale development that is planned hasn't been approved just yet. I also heard that they are exploring the possibility of moving the park. Such is the life of a seaside park. It's too small to draw on it's own, yet it's popular with the tourists, but for some reason people think that there just has to be another hotel and a Saks Fifth Avenue on the site. Hopefully the owners, who own other amusements in town, will somehow find a way to keep it alive. *** Edited 6/24/2004 8:51:57 PM UTC by D the Great***

Yes, I was kidding about getting rid of the beach!

Hey Lorrie, just curious as to where you saw the map at...I'm going down there in the (not too distant) future, and would like to hunt that down:).

I'm so against moving the pavalion. as I'v said before , they want to revitalize the down town becaue broadway and barefoot landing get all the families, if they'd just clean up the store fronts down town and get rid of all the perverse tshirts and pix and things, families would definitly go back down there and spend more $$$.

--clint, who is seriously considering a petition to keep the Pavalion alive where it is now!

^I support your save the Pavilion campaign.

SAVE THE PAVILION!

TeknoScorpion....I saw the map at two different locations, but I went about it the hard way. I visited some timeshare properties and they both had a copy. Plantation Properties had it on their bulletin board and Bluegreen Resorts has it in their notebooks to show you when they "talk" to you. It's basically just a drawing showing the proposed finished park with all of it's attractions, but the detail is great and that coaster really stands out. It was so rushed that I couldn't take in all of the details, but maybe there is some way to get ahold of the drawing since they both have it.

I can't help but wonder how big a draw another park in addition to Pavillion would be.