Amusement Park News

Family Kingdom Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach celebrated the introduction of multiple new rides for the 2024 summer season. Six new rides were introduced, making the beachside-venue home to a total of some 35 rides in all, including its classic 1923 carousel, once located in Asbury Park, N.J., and its iconic wooden coaster, the Swamp Fox.

Two new rides were added in each category of ride experiences the park offers: family, thrill, and kiddie attractions. In the family ride category, Techno Jump provides riders with the sensation of literally being lifted off their feet as the wild car ride bounces along. Crazy Cabs is the other new family-friendly attraction, a ride that sends its guests spinning both counter-clockwise and clockwise via a motion-based platform that's positioned at an angle.

Thrill rides were also a part of new attraction mix. The Lunartic is a spin ride, on which riders experience a rotating base on two arms that also move up and down. The Vertigo swing ride provides an aerial experience that lifts riders to an impressive height of 100-feet and sends them spinning through ten revolutions per minutes.



Kiddie rides were not forgotten either. Park guests can now enjoy the gentle spin ride of the Kiddie Teacups, as well as the Samba Balloon ride, in which kids can spin their own balloon-shaped car up and down through the use of in-car controls, as the cars gently circle.

Family Kingdom president and co-owner Bill Prescott announced that “With the addition of six new rides and the timeless excitement of the Swamp Fox, we…[were] ready to create unforgettable memories for families and friends this summer…” He adds that the park was “thrilled” to start the season with the venue's “biggest opening weekend yet.”

As to the classic thrills of the Swamp Fox roller coaster, which made its debut in 1986, the wooden coaster features more than 2,400-feet of track, a 62-foot drop, and the ride offers superb ocean views from its apex, a towering 72-feet in height. The iconic coaster is a landmark, one of only 115 wooden roller coasters in operation through the U.S.

Family Kingdom spans 13 acres with 37 rides in all, including a popular go-kart attraction. While the new ride additions this year undeniably mark impressive growth for the park, it's the Swamp Fox that remains the biggest draw.



Also drawing crowds was Family Kingdom's locals and military special that continued through the end of the season, just after Labor Day. The discount allowed guests with proof of local residency and/or military identification to receive a 50% discount to the park, a $25-rate for all-day ride wristbands that are regularly priced at $55. Admission to the park itself is free, and ride tickets purchased individually are $1.15.

Prescott says that the park was “thrilled” to begin the season with its biggest opening weekend, with crowds continuing all summer. Prescott and local investors Debbie and ?Corky” Powers  only purchased the park two years ago, in September 2022. Previously, Prescott was known for owning other Myrtle Beach amusement attractions such as the Sling Shot Ride and serving as the registered agent for Broadway Amusement Rides, LLC, which manages rides at another Myrtle Beach location, Broadway at the Beach.
 
Family Kingdom wasn't the only amusement park experiencing change in Myrtle Beach this summer. The Funplex, another purveyor of family and thrill rides, boardwalk games, and dining choices also made a new addition for its summer season. But in the case of the Funplex, the new selection was not a ride, but an admission option for 2024, as the venue celebrated its fourth year in operation in South Carolina. The new admission choice was for a two-day unlimited ride wristband, joining the park's single-day and season pass wristband options. The park's senior operations manager, Devin Treat, says that 6-acre park's team, from the maintenance crew straight through to operations and dining staff, provided a “VIP experience” this year for wristband holders of all stripes. The park is open weekends through mid-September with a new $4 off-admission experience this month for groups of 15 or more; and a $5 off discount for local area residents.
Finally, at the beach city's Myrtle Waves Water Park, a new slide was introduced this year, Wild Water Racers. The ride was originally named the H20 Racer and was located at the now-shuttered Wild Water & Wheels Park in Surfside beach, which like Myrtle Waves and its sister park, Grand Prix Racetrack, was owned by Lazarus Attractions.



The mat ride pits four guests in a race against each other to see who reaches the bottom of the slide first. It is the first mat slide at Myrtle Waves. The water slide's appearance at this venue marks a welcome resurrection for the popular attraction. In addition to acquiring and renaming the ride, the waterpark expanded its cabana and shaded seating options.

The Myrtle Beach boardwalk itself also received a revamp: new planking, landscaping, and seating options debuted for 2024.