Hard Rock Park update & review

[CedarPoint6]

So as not to take over SeaWhippet's topic with a review I've my own, I've started a new topic! If you read CoasterForce, this is the same thing as over there, but I thought some people over here might be interested in the review!

 

If you have any questions or anything, let me know! Thanks!

 

 

Recently, I had a chance to visit the park and talk to some of the management as well as tour the park and ride the rides.

 

See photos from around the park HERE.

 

While I was there, Maximum RPM tested its ferris wheel lift for the first time.

See the video here!

 

Park Review

 

Outside of Dubai, it’s rare to see a theme park get built from the ground up. Hard Rock park is a 400 million dollar investment and is the U.S.’s newest theme park. Located right near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the park is hoping to draw some of the over 13 million tourists that visit Myrtle Beach each summer. Hard Rock Park is the world’s first rock and roll themed park and is an affiliate of the Hard Rock restaurant chain. Planning began for the park in 2001 with talks for developing the area around the then unused Ice House Theater . Jon Binkowski, now the park’s Chief Creative Office, owned the Ice House Theater and was looking to develop a small carnival style park around the existing lake. After talks with several people, he was introduced to Steve Goodwin (now the park’s Chief Executive Officer). They worked together to develop the park into what it is today. Divided into the entrance area plus 4 sections with rides, the park surrounds a lake in the center of the site.

 

Entering through the main gates, guests are greeted with Spanish architecture. On the right, a candy and coffee shop. On the left, an 11,000 square foot gift shop. Passing under a bridge with a mural displaying the creation of rock music, guests stroll down a giant guitar shaped path terminating on a lookout point over the lake. Directly across is the giant Gibson guitar monument, which stands on a base that houses a Gibson guitar dealer. The path from the entrance area leads to Rock and Roll Heaven on the left and Cool Country on the right.

 

Continuing into Cool Country leads to the first of the park’s rides and restaurants. This area has a Southern U.S. feel with wooden buildings and some vernacular architecture. Rockabilly Barbecue is the largest restaurant in the park and features several different styles of barbecue sauce from regions across the country. The Ice House Theater that started it all is also located in this section. This large building existed before the park was built and currently holds an ice stunt show set to country music songs. All the park’s shows are quite good, although this one was the best in my opinion. The skaters did some excellent tricks and while I’m not a fan of country music in the slightest, it was an enjoyable show. Out in front of the theater is Wilson, a cow statue that interacts with guests through a microphone and can spray water and do a number of funny antics. Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane is the major coaster in this section (see the review below). The ‘evil hands’ gripping the station are a great touch and are really well made. To speed up on load times, no bags are allowed into the stations, although the park provides lockers with the first 2 hours free. These are conveniently located next to the major rides in the park. Next to Eagles is the Heavy Metal Graveyard full of scrap metal artwork and a more peaceful place for people to go for a break.

 

Leaving Cool Country, guests enter into the Born in the USA section. First up is Fort Binkowski, an interactive place for both kids and adults. For an upcharge there’s a rock-climbing wall and ropes course. There’s also a large wooden play structure for kids located inside the area of the Slippery When Wet coaster. This is the centerpiece of the fort area and a draw for riders and spectators. This whole section, while lacking in true ‘rides’ is full of interactive features designed for kids. Across the path is Shake, Rattle, ‘n’ RollerCoaster, the park’s smallest coaster. Nearby are several small carnival style rides that many people thought were brought in as a last minute bolstering of the ride lineup. In fact, the rides are permanent additions to the park with fencing and theming going up. These rides were not intended to open with the park, but instead will open later in the summer with a theme to be announced soon. While I had my doubts about these rides before visiting the park, they do look quite nice and will likely lead the way to growth in this area in the future. Farther back into the USA section is the Great Meals Diner with only the letters ‘EAT ME’ lit up. Across the path is the main stage for Hard Rock Park where all the major concerts will take place. With seats, the amphitheater can seat 8,000, although once removed, 10,000 can fit into the area, spilling back onto the path and creating an interesting mix of concert and park. In front of the amphitheater, a shortened Statue of Liberty stands, sporting sunglasses and a lighter in the raised hand. Further back into the rear of the section is a brightly themed area with midway games like “Whac a Boy Band” (specially designed for the park). Garage Jam is an indoor play area with thousands of foam balls, many air cannons, and other structures. The walls and floor are made of a material to help absorb sound and reduce noise from the air cannons. The USA section is one of the larger areas in terms of area, although it lacks any larger rides beyond Slippery When Wet. This section seems to be more about the gaming and play areas then rides. The British section, however, will fill that void.

 

British Invasion is the second section in the back half of the park and has the most rides of any area. The major draw to this section will be Maximum RPM when it opens up. The current target date is June 2nd along with the Grand Opening of the park. In the back of this section, utilizing the old strip mall already existing on the site is Nights in White Satin: The Trip. This unconventional dark ride is very interesting, so be sure to check out the review down below. Exiting the ride leads into a large gift shop and then an indoor hall leading to Alice’s restaurant. The hall has a large blank wall to be signed by anyone and also has lots of record covers along the top. Next to that is the Pinball Wizard arcade, featuring tons of arcade machines, air hockey, and other games. Alice’s restaurant on the far end of the hall and arcade is a sit down eatery with table service for those wanting something a little more upscale then other park food in the park. The regular eatery in the in the British Invasion section is Carnaby Street Café with food like Fish n’ Chips and Steak and Mushroom Pie. This themed restaurant is centrally located in the area with indoor and outdoor seating. There are spaces for live entertainment including dancers. Next to the café is the London Taxi ride, the most intense of the non-coaster rides. Built by Huss, the ride is currently on the lowest setting and still provides a crazy and thrilling ride. Nearby is the All the King’s Horses Carousel, designed for the park. Behind that is the Roadies’ Stunt Show, 15 minutes of acrobatics and effects with a funny storyline to go along with it. The actors were very talented and did some very cool stunts. Other shops and attractions dot the section. The Punk Pit is an obstacle course of inflatables to bounce through. There are two sections, one for younger kids, and one for adults and teens. While not a large attraction, it’s incredibly fun to bounce around in. Continuing out of British Invasion takes guest across a large wooden bridge towards the Rock and Roll Heaven area.

 

The last of the 4 areas is Rock and Roll Heaven. As Jon Binkowski described it, if heaven for music lovers was a tropical paradise, this would be it. With bright colors and tropical foliage, this section of the park isn’t very large, yet still has a variety of things. Of course, Led Zeppelin: The Ride anchors this section. It’s the only ride in this area. The other major attraction of this section is the Malibu Beach Party show, a slapstick comedy show featuring many different songs. The show is incredibly cheesy and has about as many bad pans as possible shoved into 20 minutes, but I really enjoyed it and would definitely see it again. This show uses an existing section of seating and overlooks the park’s lake. It’s definitely worth a look if you have some extra time during the day. Directly behind the seating area is Reggae River Falls, a large interactive play structure with a big bucket of water continually filling and dumping. Across the path is Taste of Paradise Grill that offers a variety of foods and drinks with a tropical flare. Outdoor seating is conveniently located right across from Reggae River Falls so parents can enjoy a meal or drink will kids go play. And with one exit in and out of the play structure, parents don’t need to worry about kids getting lost. An interesting feature in this section of the park is the music. While all the sections feature theme-specific music, this area takes popular rock songs and covers them in a midi format along with a steel drum rendition to give the full tropical island feel. As strange as it sounds, it actually works. It’s certainly interesting to here something like Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” as a steel drum song. The last major feature of this area is the crafts bazaar, a large open space with room for local craftspeople and artisans to display and sell their work. The content here will likely change everyday so something new will always be happening.

 

While not in a section of its own, one cannot forget the Bohemian Rhapsody fireworks show. One of the original concepts of the park plan, this fireworks, light, and laser show is synched to the popular song. The show takes up the entire lake area, so there are great viewing spots all around the park. For a daily show, it seemed quite long and was of a very high quality. The coasters still run during the show, if you’re lucky you may catch some of the show from Zeppelin’s lifthill.

 

All in all, the park really blew away my expectations. The CEO made the point that this park isn’t trying to draw enthusiasts in. It’s not really a coaster park, but is instead something of an experience. A lot of people have complained so far about the lack of rides. I really didn’t see this. Sure, a park can always use another big coaster, but to me, the amount of stuff here seemed to be just right. What I liked about the park was that I didn’t have to rush. I didn’t feel like I had to run around, ride things over and over, and hurry to make sure I got in a full day. Perhaps some of that came down to the fact that the place wasn’t packed, but at the same time I feel that the whole atmosphere of the park was a lot more relaxed. Rather then come at you with “rides, Rides, RIDES!,” it seems that the park looked at more of the experience. Ride some rides, see a show, go do some of the interactive stuff. Interactivity was a really big thing too. All through the park were places to interact with other guests or things in the park. A fountain in front of Led Zeppelin plays Stairway to Heaven when you pass your hands under the water. Step in a phone booth in the British Invasion section and you may just get a call from a rock star. In my eyes, what could potentially be seen as a lack in rides is more then made up for by the little considerations that all come together to make the park great. In terms of atmosphere, I feel this place has some of the best. Of parks that I’ve been too, only Islands of Adventure and Disney can really match this feel and in some ways I’d say Hard Rock excels. It’s not my favorite park, but it’s a place I could easily see myself spending several days without really getting bored. The $50 entrance may be a bit steep for a newly opening park, but with concerts included, it seems like a lot of days the price would be fully worth paying. It’s good to see a park of this scale come to fruition, especially after the 7 years of planning that went into it. And while no one would give me a straight answer as to what’s coming next, I am told there is plenty of room for expansion and the next major attraction and show are already being considered. If you ever have the chance, make sure to check our Hard Rock Park.

 

Ride Reviews

 

 

Led Zeppelin: The Ride is the icon of Hard Rock Park when it comes to rides. Standing 155ft. tall, it’s the tallest thing in the park and the first thing most guests flock to after entering. Due to a nearby (and I mean VERY nearby) airport, 155ft is the tallest the ride can go, but it’s plenty big enough for the park. Occupying a narrow strip of land along one side of the park, the ride performs 6 inversions to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” Upon entering the queue line, guests can see variety of Led Zep memorabilia along the walls. Once in the upper room of the queue area, guests can choose whether to wait for the front seat or take other seats. You’re assigned to a number corresponding with your seat on the ride and also to a preshow room. There are 5 pre-show rooms to keep things moving, named after the 4 band members and the record company Swan Song. At intervals, the doors to the preshow room opens and guests watch a 5-minute video talking about the band’s popularity and featuring several interviews with the band members. At the end, a music video of “Whole Lotta Love” begins and guests hear the first several minutes of the song in here. After the preshow, doors open to the loading platform where guests go to their row they were assigned previously. Since the trains are already empty (thanks to a separate unload platform), the loading is quick. Another 20 or 30 seconds of the song is played in the stations as trains depart the zeppelin shaped station. Halfway up the lift hill the last part of the song kicks in and picks up right as the trains dive over the first drop and finishing as the trains hit the final brakes. The track was specially designed for the song in terms of length and elements. The ride itself is good. While lacking in the super intensity of the some of the early B&Ms, the ride is very fun and quite smooth. The trim brake before the zero g roll does grab a little, but doesn’t effect the first part of the ride. I was disappointed with how much the mid course brake run slowed the trains, but hopefully it might be loosened a bit in the future. It also seems to be at an odd position so late into the ride, but it makes for a great, uninterrupted first half. The preshow and theme really add to the quality of the ride, although enthusiasts may be a bit disappointed in the lack of ability to do re-rides due to the pre-show element. In terms of the park, this (along the Bohemian Rhapsody show) was the very first thing planned after the initial park concept. Led Zeppelin was CEO Steve Goodwin’s first choice for a band. He got his wish after 3 years of negotiations under the stipulation that the entire 6-minute song be played (giving rise to the preshow, in-station music, and ride music). As a signature ride, Led Zeppelin delivers—guests are blown away with the ride. With the closest park being Carowinds, for many guests this is the largest ride they’ve ever experienced. As the only proper ride in the Rock and Roll Heaven section (the other being an interactive water play structure), Led Zeppelin anchors the area and induces most people to turn left once inside the park to experience this ride first.

 

 

Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane began life as Midnight Rider when the park was first announced. Now that the Eagles have signed on, the ride runs audio of “Life in the Fast Lane,” specially recorded to match with the coaster. At it’s basics, Eagle’s is a mine train coaster. It has two lift hills and many helixes with few direct large drops. The ride was an absolute surprise, however, and is a lot of fun. It’s relatively smooth with minimal shunting back and forth and the ride is more intense then I expected it would be. Located in the Cool Country section, Eagle’s is themed to a sort of haunted saw mill. When I visited the park for the construction tour a month ago, it was described as being an abandoned saw mill where a biker gang lived until one day they were all murdered. Now they’re haunting the area and the large hands out front are supposed to be hands pulling the building down to hell. While I don’t know if the theme is apparent to that extent, the station and shop (which are one structure) do look like a sawmill on the inside and have a great feel to them. While I’d had my doubts to begin with, “Life in the Fast Lane” is a really good track for the ride and certainly adds to the experience. Once the foliage grows in a little, I think the ride will be even better. There are a couple interesting things with the ride as well including a fire feature at the end of the ride and several enclosures with snakes and scorpions in the gift shop after the ride. The trains themselves have comfortable seats and lapbars that do absorb a lot of the inherent jolts along the ride. This coaster is a ride not only for people that aren’t into the really big coasters, but also for coaster fans—in my opinion it had a lot of re-rideablitiy.

 

 

Maximum RPM is the enigma of the Hard Rock coasters. It’s a unique system with a Ferris wheel style lift system with a traditional coaster layout afterwards. Right out of the station, 6-person cars shaped like Minis enter into the Ferris wheel system. They’re carried to the top before the wheel locks with the track and the cars are pushed out into the layout. The layout itself is on the short side, although what’s there seems like it will be a good ride with a steep first drop and some tight corners. The ride isn’t open yet as work continues on the ride and the on-board audio system. The park is hoping to have the ride ready for the park’s June 2nd Grand Opening. The wheel is powered by 4 motors, spinning the it clockwise. The 4 sections which hold the cars are free rotating to keep the car upright at all times. There is a gap of several inches between the track pieces, which will be bridged by a locking pin system. While the ride itself is quite interesting, the queue line is unique too. It features a karaoke stand where guests will be selected from the queue line to sing 2 minute segments of several songs including hits by Queen, Madonna, Elton John, and more. The station itself is themed to a factory, although the forms bear resemblance to the Battersea Power Station, famous for the Pink Floyd album cover. Each car will feature onboard audio from a number of tracks that switch throughout the ride to simulate a changing radio station. When it opens, MaxRPM is destined to be one of the most popular rides in the park, strengthening the British Invasion section.

 

 

Slippery When Wet was perhaps my biggest surprise in terms of ride. I've ridden Pteranodon Flyers at Islands of Adventure and both of Setpoint's interactive soaker coasters at Carowinds and Hersheypark. This Premier-built ride is definitely the best. First off, it was longer then others and seemed to have enough track to be a satisfying kids ride before adding the water features. The vertical lift hill is a nice touch and is fast enough to keep things moving. Block sections throughout the coaster allow for a high number of cars and tend not to slow down the ride in terms of speed. The ride itself was taken slightly faster then other coasters of this type I’ve tried—there’s a quick drop after the lift to get cars moving right away. What really sets this ride apart from the others of the type are the water systems. Rather then carrying water on board (which I imagine greatly impacts the weight and maneuverability, these cars feature a little green button that can be pushed at points during the ride to remotely trigger buckets above the path to dump on people below. Conversely, there are quite a large number of single and double barrel water guns to attack the cars. Along with that, there are fountains and a wall of water for the cars to pass through. In short- you WILL get wet on this ride. As a coaster enthusiast, there’s not much to get excited about with the ride. It’s still a lot of fun, but this seems to me something more of a ride for the kids. There’s even a play structure located under the ride—so interactivity all around. If you’re to technical things, the vertical lift is a lot of fun to watch (and ride!). The coaster uses two hydraulic pumps rather then one to ensure a more reliable ride. All in all it’s a coaster that I enjoyed riding, but enjoyed more to sit and watch the action.

 

 

The smallest of the coasters and from a coaster enthusiast's perspective, the least exciting. Still, the ride fills the quote for a solid ride that the little kids can ride and still be accompanied by their parents. It's a good starting out ride that could lead kids to try the bigger and faster coasters. There's even an onride photo. As for the ride itself, there's not much to complain about. It's smooth, has just barely enough of a layout with a fair amount of turns and speed changes to introduce some variety into the ride. What I liked most about S,R,'n',R was the train. Large and open, each seat had an individual lap bar and room enough that two adults could sit in one car without being an incredibly tight squeeze. The train looks to be about the same size as Oki Doki at Bobbejaanland in terms of width. The coaster fits into the Born in the USA section and has a beach theme. Under the track you'll find sand dunes and some plants that will grow in to provide a nice theme.

 

 

Nights in White Satin: The Trip is the largest non-coaster ride in the park. It’s a Sally dark ride that delivers a full sensory experience through sight, sound, smell, and touch. Different from most dark rides, this features no targets to shoot at and no overload of many things happening at once. The ride was completely designed around the Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin,” with the effects synchronized right along with the music. The theme itself has a psychedelic feel, almost like a drug trip. Chief Creative Office Jon Binkowski jokingly called the ride that part of the 70s that you can’t remember. The queue line itself is an experience with mesmerizing spinning discs and lots of odd memorabilia. Partway through the queue you’re given 3-D glasses which bring out the fluorescent paint on the walls enhanced by black lights. The queue line also goes through a disorienting spinning tunnel that leads up to the loading platform. Trains depart in pairs and continue through the ride in that way. The experience even continues after the ride is over with the theming and 3-D effects continuing to the ride exit into the gift shop. As a whole, the ride is just hard to describe. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before—it had a bit of a ‘wtf’ factor to it. Don’t go here looking for a thrill ride or something to get your heart racing. It’s kind of an off-the-wall ride experience that’s fun in itself and a creative concept on the whole.

 

 

Enjoy the Review!

[Jhcbiinoc]

Thanks for posting such a detailed trip report and review as well as at lot more photos of the park. I really look forward to going here; I was supposed to go in May or June but it looks like my trip East is going to be in the Fall, so I may not be able to go until then. (I'd love to be able to see what they do for a Halloween event!)

 

Although I personally wish they had opened with more attractions/rides, I think this park looks absolutely fantastic and I wish they would get one out here in Southern California. Maybe it's just me, but they seem a little land locked on space (even vertically with the 150 foot height restriction) but they don't seem to have let that stop them from putting together a great park. From the looks of it, they could use maybe another high capacity B&M coaster, a water/flume ride and maybe some more flat rides, but I'm certain they have ideas for the future-they certainly have a good theme to work with.

 

It appears as if the concept is more based around the experience and rock and roll atmosphere than having a huge collection of rides; I get a real Universal Studios (a few really good rides and big shows and an emphasis on the whole package-food, entertainment, interactivity) feel to it.

[jarmor]

What!?!? No mention of "lost in the 70's" (well you mention the attractions but made it seem like it was all part of british invasion )

 

But on a serious note I really did enjoy reading this. But what I dont get lately is people calling this park "the first of it's kind". No matter what theme it might be it is still the bones of a regular, typical theme park. SO can someone please explain the "first of it's kind" thing to me because I really dont see anything that would make it that.

 

**disclaimer**

I am no way bashing the park just wanna get where people get the first of it's kind thing from.

[robbalvey]

^ Yeah, I don't quite get that either. I'm guessing that people are saying the "music theme" is the first of it's kind, but it's really not. Don't foget that was the original theme of Jazzland, and plenty of coasters have had on board audio or been themed to rock n roll in the past 20 years.

 

Even Dollywood and the defunct Opryland had a lot of music "themes" throughout the park.

 

--Robb

[DBru]

I'm guessing when people say this, they mean the first Hard Rock branded park. Implying that they believe there will be more Hard Rock branded parks in the future (which is most likely true).

 

Am I correct?

[CedarPoint6]

Yeah, they were always saying "The world's first Rock and Roll theme park", which I suppose is true.

 

One thing that is first of its kind is the onboard audio.

 

Storytime:

Other onboard audio systems use 12volt systems. Jon Binkowski (Chief Creative Office) wasn't happy with the type of experience that gave and wanted something more. The worked with several groups of people, inluding JL Audio who do high end audio for yachts and stuff. The result was a new 24 volt system which is able to keep the music loud enough to be heard with all the other stuff outside including the screaming. And they can certainly make it loud. When "Whole Lotta Love" kicked in on LZ's lift one time, I jumped as far as that restraint would allow... Jon said he was very pleased to have this system with it's higher quality and usability and said it's likely to become the new industry standard.

 

I may have missed some of that, but in short, parks were using 12 and now will likely use 24. Jon and I talked about that in an interview, which I hope to have online shortly!

[snoodog]

WOW! That was great. I would like to know which carnie rides are added in from a few weeks ago. Can a 6 ft 4 inch guy fit into S,R,n'R cars or the flitzer thingy cars. Also, I like the detailed descriptions of your TR. Awesome!

[CedarPoint6]

You should be able to fit into S,R,&R's just fine. They're nice and wide, like Oki Doki's trains. They seem to have taken special consideration into that.

 

The Flitzer is nowhere to be found, so you don't need to worry about that one! Don't know what went on with that, but it's not at the park.