jimmiemac02 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 I had the opportunity to go to Myrtle Beach this week and I jumped at the chance knowing one of my favorite amusement parks was nearby. Family Kingdom has gone through a few owners over the years but has stood the test of time and with the Pavilion now gone, it is the last major amusement park on the SC coast. When Hugo (a hurricane that caused a lot of damage in SC) hit in '89, it caused the park to close for a couple years. Fortunately the owners decided to rebuild the park and 2 years later it reopened. Notable rides at Family Kingdom include, Swamp Fox Coaster (a PTC Woodie), The Great Pistolero Roundup (a Sally Dark Ride), and a PTC Carousel. The park opens at 4pm most days since most people are enjoying the beach or the hotel pool in the morning. I arrived at the park right at opening and got my wristband ($27.95 plus tax), they also sell individual tickets. I never had to wait in line for anything, but as I was leaving, the park was getting crowded since everyone had just gotten done with supper. The park is very much like Knoebels in that it is a "free admission" park and that it is a small "quaint" park, it just lacks the "non-touristy area" charm that Knoebels has. Now onto the photos! When I arrived the park was pretty dead. I like this view. Swamp Fox got a nice new red, white, and blue paint job for it's birthday. Some really nice ejector air over the hills. The seats were not padded very well, so it made the ride very painful. From the time the train hits the breaks, it takes a full 90 seconds to bring the train to a complete stop at the unload platform. I'm not sure why they have the automatic breaking that way. Now for the park's other roller coaster, the Twist'n' Shout. This Zamperla wild mouse was relocated from Magic Springs and Crystal Falls. This one was quite slow even though it was not trimmed. I think Mack mouses are best. it looks like they took this backdrop right off a dark ride. I would have to say this is my favorite Sally dark ride that I have ridden. The sign of quality. How it made it to such a small park, I'm not sure. An overview of the midway. Can anybody guess where those magic bikes came from? You'll shoot your cactEYE out. (Pun intended) The Park has a nice PTC carousel. The unfortunate part is that the only original part of the ride is the top portion. All of the horses have a really bad paint job. I guess I'm just spoiled by the fact Knoebels painstakingly paints their horses. Detail The park is split over a body of water. I didn't realize coming in that it was this coaster's 50th anniversary. On a personal note, this was my first "adult" roller coaster I ever rode. Look at these high tech air gates! The train has buzzbar restraints and seatbelts. Why can't they be more like Phoenix??? Speaking of restraints, apparently the ride ops have to check your buzzbar and seat belt twice before dispatch. On top of that, one of the ops made me unbuckle my seat belt and undo the 1 twist that was in it. For all you control panel enthusiasts... The coaster still has its manual breaking mechanism in place but it is not used (more on this later) Nerd Shot Super enthusiastic ride ops here. Also of note, I rode this thing a few years ago while they were still using the manual speed control on the left and man, this thing was fast. Now they have replaced the manual control with automatic controls. Family Kingdom also has a nice train that runs around the park. This was my first ever log flume! It's a Hopkins flume and the drop in the back has an airtime hill. The Midway. The Swamp Fox. I had beautiful weather the day I was there. While Myrtle Beach may be a touristy place, you can still find places to relax away from all the noise. Thanks for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Great report! I'd like to check out the park and the surrounding area one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoBruz199 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 Great stuff! Â Swamp Fox looks really good for a ride that's 50 years old! Â As for the wild mouse, I do agree that the Mack ones are better, but my best one so far was probably Pakal (Now renamed Gold Digger) at Mirabilandia. That thing is very fast paced with some amazing laterals! Theming's alright, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jynx242 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 The paint job on Swamp Fox looks great!! I love a red, white and blue classic woodie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFOG1991 Posted June 24, 2016 Share Posted June 24, 2016 I absolutely love Swamp Fox. So glad this park has survived and seems to be doing well. Â As for the wild mouse, the most forceful one I've experienced is Wild Lightnin' at Lake Winnie. That thing literally tries to KILL you and I love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 I haven't heard about this place in a while, but I've long wanted to ride Swamp Fox, and it sounds like it's still plenty of fun. Shame about the particulars of the carousel, but that tiger/horse hybrid (I thought those were usually black and white and called zebras?) is kind of charming in its own special way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 Nice "Christmas Story" reference there, with Pistolero Round Up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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