When people think of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, amusement parks aren’t necessarily at the top of their to-do list. Many people think of the mini-golf courses, pancake houses, and generic beach stores on every corner that all advertise “EVERYTHING UNDER $5.99” (even though that’s never the case).

Sitting on thirteen acres of property on South Ocean Boulevard, just a short stroll from the Atlantic Ocean, is an attraction that warrants more than four percent of Myrtle Beach’s annual tourist traffic – Family Kingdom Amusement Park.

The Past

Originally opened in 1965 as Grand Strand Amusement Park, the park closed in fall of 1989 as Hurricane Hugo damaged not only the park, but the surrounding Myrtle Beach area as well. After remaining closed during the 1990 and 1991 seasons, the park was reopened as “Family Kingdom” in 1992.

Family Kingdom General Manager Donnie Sipes has been with the park since 1993. When asked about the staying power of Family Kingdom, Sipes attributed it to their “niche in the market.”

“We knew our market – families with children, and that’s what we stuck with.” Sipes said. “That’s what we gear our park around. When we buy a ride that’s what we look at. We ask if it’s going to accommodate a child with mom and dad. We have a good family attraction, and we cater to families, and that’s why we’re still hanging around.”

Family Kingdom is proud to bill itself as one of the few remaining seaside parks in the country. In a time where beachfront property can be considered at a premium, several park owners have decided to sell their property.

“We’re still here,” Sipes told us. “We’ve been competitive with the other entertainment venues around Myrtle Beach, and actually have competed against two other local parks; The Pavilion, and Freestyle Music Park.”

“The Pavilion originated in the 1950s, and they sold their property in the real estate boom – they were 10 blocks north of us on Ocean Blvd. They were a little larger than us and had a lot more resources but in 2006 they took their property and sold several of the rides. The land still sits vacant. We competed with them, and we competed with Freestyle (Hard Rock Park), and they closed in 2009.”

Led Zeppelin: The Ride/The Time Machine at Hard Rock Park/Freestyle Music Park has sat dormant since 2009.

The Present

Family Kingdom employs 30-40 staff year round, and 120-155 for daily park operations during the summer. During the summer months, the park opens at 4:00 pm Sunday-Friday and 1:00 pm on Saturdays, and closes between 10:00 pm and midnight each night. The park is cleaned nightly by a crew, and is ready to go every morning by 8:00 am.

“We pride ourselves on the cleanliness and maintenance at Family Kingdom, and we’re real picky when it comes to appearance and safety of the park.” Sipes said.

While admission is free at Family Kingdom, each of their 39 rides and attractions can be experienced by purchasing individual tickets for $1.15 each or an unlimited ride wristband for $26.95. Rides include smaller kiddie rides and family attractions as well several thrill rides, but Family Kingdom’s main goal remains focusing on an environment that appeals to families.

“Freestyle targeted older teenagers and young adults, and that’s why I think they failed. You’ve got to target what’s here, and Myrtle Beach is a family beach.” Sipes said. “That’s what we have here: family attractions. You don’t see anything really thrilling or scary; we don’t want anything like that.”

One of Family Kingdom’s signature attractions is the Swamp Fox Roller Coaster. Opened in 1966, this Philadelphia Toboggan Company wooden roller coaster features a figure-eight track design that covers nearly half a mile each circuit. As the coaster climbs to its peak height of 75 feet, riders are treated to a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding area.

The Swamp Fox features two trains, a red train and a blue train. The blue train was originally part of the now-defunct Shooting Star roller coaster at Lakeside Amusement Park in Salem, Virginia. Each year, one of the trains is refurbished, resulting in a “new” train each year for the Swamp Fox.

However, the Swamp Fox is not the only notable attraction at Family Kingdom.

Pistolero’s Roundup, a Mexican-themed dark ride, was the first interactive dark ride produced by the Sally Company, paving the way for rides like Scooby Doo’s Haunted Mansion at Kings Dominion and Carowinds, and Reese’s Extreme Cup Challenge at Hershey Park.

Family Kingdom’s carousel is an authentic Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel, and was the 87th built. The carousel’s horses are not the original horses, but rather replications of the originals. The Family Kingdom Carousel was originally located at the Asbury Park Casino in New Jersey, and is the “youngest” PTC carousel still in operation today.

Sipes’ favorite attraction is Family Kingdom’s Log Flume, which was purchased by the park in 1999.

“It gives you the ‘coaster’ thrill with a water attraction, and it’s a good, fun ride,” Sipes said. “It’s something I wanted in the park for years, and we finally had the opportunity to buy one in 1999. We made a good investment. It’s now one of our iconic attractions.”

Across the street from Family Kingdom is the park’s water park: Splashes. The water park is a separate admission, and features 10 slides, as well as a place to purchase beach activities like parasailing or banana boating.

The park’s newest roller coaster, Twist and Shout, was relocated from Magic Springs in Arkansas.

“It has a bit of a nostalgic theme with the cars and the style of coaster,” Sipes said. “The cars are themed to 1957 Chevrolets, and it fits into our theme perfectly.

The rides aren’t the only factor contributing into the nostalgic theme at Family Kingdom; the food plays a large role as well. Amusement park classics like hot dogs and french fries are available at many of the park’s concession outlets. Sipes is very proud of the park’s food offerings.

“We sell good quality food at the park, we don’t skimp on the quality,” he said. “Our hot dogs are quarter pound all-beef hot dogs, our hamburgers are one-third pound all beef hamburgers, our ice cream is the best butterfat content you can buy. Our onion rings and french fries are fresh cut and fried.”

Sipes also has his personal favorites of the Family Kingdom concession offerings.

“I love our fresh cut fries and the hot dogs. As far as sweets go, I love our funnel cakes,” he said.

The Future

Space is at a premium at Family Kingdom, which explains why Sipes’ office (along with portions of the park’s train ride and Antique Cars attraction) is located underneath the supports of the Swamp Fox. When asked about the park’s goals for the next ten years, Sipes told us more space was at the top of the list.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to acquire some additional property, and if we have the opportunity, it would be great if we had a parking deck,” he said. “That would create more parking, which is currently on Ocean Boulevard. We need parking, we don’t have enough of it around here.”

“A parking deck could free up some frontage on Ocean Boulevard, and we could potentially put some attractions there. We’d love to have 6-8 more rides in the park to bring our total up to 45 or so. “

Sipes thinks the future is bright for Family Kingdom Amusement Park, despite the continued competition from other Myrtle Beach attractions like mini golf courses and dinner shows.

“We’re in a great spot. We’re a great value family attraction, and everyone enjoys themselves when they come to Family Kingdom. We’ve hung it out, hopefully we’ll be here for the next 50 years.”

For more information on Family Kingdom, please visit the park’s website at www.familykingdomfun.com, or check them out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/familykingdom.