Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Myrtle Beach Pavilion 1993

I just might shed a few tears while writing this week's SBS, and it has nothing to do with pregnancy hormones. (No really, I swear!!) It's just that my family spent many a summer vacation at Myrtle Beach while I was growing up, and thinking about the loss of the Pavilion still tugs at my heartstrings. But...Life goes on. Let's take a look at this historic landmark during its happier days in 1993.

"Twice the Thrill"? Why, whatever did they mean? Perhaps they were referring to the two brand new water attractions--Hydro Surge and Typhoon Plunge--which made their debut in 1993. It was twice the watery thrills and twice the thrills in general, from a wet/dry perspective. But that's not all that was new at the Pavilion in '93.

As you can see, the Pavilion Amusement Park had just undergone a major expansion. In addition to the new water rides, they had also added a race track and a second children's area. If that artwork is to scale, these additions effectively doubled the size of the park. The Pavilion I had grown up with was...well, all grown up!

Moving from the new to the improved, the park's Haunted Inn dark ride was also celebrating its grand reopening as the Haunted Hotel following a multi-year renovation effort. The retheming looked nice and all (and I'm sure the updated ride experience was equally impressive), but I'll always associate this ride with its original facade. You know, the one with those bony skeleton fingers sticking out of it!

I concur: The Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park was "family fun", even before the great expansion of 1993. Here we see its former location, in all its oceanside glory. Personally, I always felt that the Rainbow afforded the best view of the surf. But if that wasn't up your alley, there were plenty of other rides and amusements to pick from. It was nice to go back, if only for a few paragraphs!