Myrtle Beach is known for its sandy beaches and renowned miniature golf courses, but this South Carolina town also features an interesting mix of amusement rides. While several parks have closed over the years, the ones that remain offer an exciting mix of roller coasters, flat rides, dark rides, and water rides. So in this video, I will countdown the top 15 rides in Myrtle Beach. Before starting the list, I want to note that I have not visited the Splashes Waterpark adjacent to Family Kingdom.
I also have not been to WonderWorks, which has a few amusement rides, but I have ridden clones at other parks, so I’ll touch on them in this list.
15) Arooba Tooba at Myrtle Waves- This tube bowl slide features a fast and sizable initial plunge into the bowl. The bowl section itself isn’t too wild, but it does look cool since you’re engulfed on all sides.
14) Hook & Slice at Funplex- This little spinning ride from SBF Visa has some pep. Despite its small stature, the ride gives itty bitty pops of airtime at the apex on most rotations once up to speed.
And the visuals are cool too, given the ride’s proximity to other attractions.
13) Twist ‘n’ Shout at Family Kingdom- This Zamperla wild mouse has some of the best laterals of the genre. The hairpin turns in both the first and second halves abruptly slam you to the side of the car.
The drops on this one are super tame though, as they’re too shallow to offer any airtime.
12) Free Fall Cliff Dive at Wild Water & Wheels- The largest water slide at this water park is quite the rush. You get a little pop of airtime at the start of the steep descent and thankfully this body slide is pretty smooth.
11) SkyWheel Myrtle Beach- This scenic observation wheel is located near the water and the views are incredible. This is arguably the best attraction in town for taking in the sights. And if you’re an amusement park nerd, this place also offers great views of the adjacent Free Fall Thrill Park and Funplex.
Slingshot at Free Fall Thrill Park- I didn’t ride the version in Myrtle Beach, but I’ve ridden similar rides elsewhere.
I find these rides overpriced and the initial launch to be just ok, but the initial flip at the apex is quite the thrill between how quick it is and the visuals.
10) Up & Overboard at Funplex- This SBF Visa inverting pendulum ride offers a boatload of hangtime.
You hang out of your seat on each rotation. The swinging on this one is fairly slow though, so it doesn’t offer the positive Gs found on other versions. Rockin’ Ray at Myrtle Waves- This half pipe slide was closed for me, but I’ve ridden clones elsewhere.
These slides have a steep and zippy initial descent. It’s one of the best drops on any water slide. That’s followed by some mild weightlessness in the half pipe. 9) Log Flume at Family Kingdom- This Hopkins log flume is a pretty good water ride. The two drops are the stars.
Both give little pops of airtime and the first actually goes below ground level and has a speed hill afterwards. And the resultant splashes offer the perfect amount of wetness. The rest of the layout isn’t too scenic, but Family Kingdom did what they could with their limited land.
8) Fun in the Sun at Funplex- This SBF Visa coaster circles around the perimeter of the park. You have both spinning and hamster wheel cars, and this placement assumes you’re in the hamster wheel.
Specifically, the second one since that one rotates more than the other. The super bulky over-the-shoulder restraints are annoying, but they’re well-padded and the only headbanging occurs on the slow turns, so it’s not that uncomfortable. And then this coaster has plenty of rotations. You get a quick series of flips on the main descent and also while passing through the station. The flips offer good hangtime and are quite disorienting.
You get three laps as well, so this ride may technically break the inversion record for any coaster.
7) Mach Fun at Funplex- This SBF Visa tower plane ride allows the user to control how wild their experience is. Every car is given a toggle to flip your vehicle clockwise or counterclockwise. The rotation is slow, which creates some great hangtime. And you can even choose to stop your vehicle upside down for maximum thrills.
This is one of the taller rides at Funplex and, combined with its proximity to the other attractions, you get some awesome visuals throughout.
6) Turbo Twisters at Myrtle Waves- These 10 story tall body slides are powerful. You spiral downhill at a lot of speed. And the tight turns and helixes on the way induce some shocking positive Gs for a water slide. I would start to greyout, which is a rare sensation for this type of attraction.
5) Pistolero Roundup at Family Kingdom- This Sally Dark ride is super short, but it does a lot well. The ride features a different theme than usual and has plenty of targets. The figures are mostly 2D cutouts, but I love how certain targets reveal higher value ones. It adds a lot of reridability to the experience. Most targets work and the laser sights make it easy to aim.
And you have to love how quirky this ride is, given that it was built in a former Mexican restaurant, which I talk about in its own review.
4) Beast at Pavilion Park- This KMG XXL frisbee offers two different riding positions. You can either face inwards or outwards. I think the inside seats are better for airtime. But I think the outside seats are the superior experience.
You also get some floater airtime, but even more impressive are the centripetal forces pushing you outwards. It’s an uneasy feeling being pushed horizontally outwards into the restraint at such high heights. And the strong positive Gs on this attraction may cause your legs to go numb. I have a separate review going into more detail, but this is one of the best pendulum rides out there. Gyroscope at WonderWorks- I rode a very similar ride at Yesterland Farm and have a separate review on the ride, but this is an intense little flat ride.
Despite being no more than 10 feet tall, this ride had crazy sustained hangtime and laterals throughout. It was a super disorienting experience and the one at WonderWorks looks even more dizzying since it’s enclosed.
3) Speed XXL at Pavilion Park- This KMG pendulum ride is powerful. Once the arm gets up to speed, you consistently flip over the top. Some are faster and whippier while others are slower and loaded with hangtime.
The visual of being flung towards the ground never gets old. And this ride just feels powerful too, with its fast speeds and positive Gs.
2) Skyfall at Free Fall Thrill Park- This Soaring Eagle drop tower excels in both the visuals and thrills department.
The ride is brilliantly located by the beach, so it offers stunning vistas of the Atlantic Ocean and main strip. It’s one of the best views on any drop tower.
Then the plunge is exhilarating. It’s sudden and forceful, giving an amazing stomach dropping sensation plus a hit of airtime. And you are secured by just a seatbelt, making the experience even crazier. I have a separate review going into more detail, but this is one of the better drop towers out there.
1) Swamp Fox at Family Kingdom- My 2020 rides had this John Allen designed creation as a top 10 wood coaster for me.
This coaster had some powerful airtime despite having just buzz bars. My 2022 rides were still good, but the ride was running rougher and didn’t have as much power.
It was 20 degrees cooler, but by most accounts Swamp Fox didn’t run as well in 2021 either. The first half still had some great airtime, particularly in the back. The first drop had decent floater airtime and then the camelback, third hill, and far turnaround all violently catapulted me from my seat.
The return run had a powerful initial speed hill propelling me diagonally forwards, but the other hills were fairly tame. The final turn does have some strong laterals, though. Swamp Fox is still the best ride in town and a darn good wood coaster, even if my 2022 rides weren’t elite. So those are my top 15 favorite rides and attractions on Myrtle Beach. While the town may not be too strong in the coaster department, it does have a solid mix of rides to appease all tastes.
What is your favorite ride in town? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments. If you enjoyed this countdown, I’d appreciate it if you gave this video alike and you considered subscribing since there will be a lot more roller coaster and amusement park videos here at Canobie Coaster.
