Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, SC
The Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was a major attraction for the city. It was even voted the number one family attraction in Myrtle Beach by the Travel Channel. This great park was approximately eleven acres and operated as a pay per ride facility. The the owners of the park recently announced the closure of the Pavilion despite many community efforts to save it. Over the park's 58 years of service and entertainment, it featured more than forty rides. Through the years, the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park transformed from a small local hangout to a major tourist destination. The Pavilion weathered hurricanes and other natural disasters and continued to rebuild. What started off as a simple pavilion evolved into great regional attraction with the addition of a permanent circus in 1950 (the circus was previously a traveling circus until it was bought out by the Pavilion). During the following decades, the rides and entertainment at Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park snowballed. Concession stands and rollercoasters enjoyed a surge in numbers as the amusement park owners traveled the country looking for new and exciting ways to improve their community spectacle. The owners of the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park announced that the park would be shutting its doors for good. Despite major disapproval from the community, the park concluded its last ride shortly thereafter. The publicized final season brought more visitors to the amusement park than in its entire history. Although a select number of guests were selected to participate in the "Last Ride," the community continued to support the park.