Exploring The ABANDONED Hard Rock Theme Park

Today we're venturing into a dream. One that was poised to bring rock and roll to a Hard Rock branded theme park. After spending $400 million building a massive theme park, failure was not an option. However after poor timing and low attendance right after opening, the park filed for bankruptcy just months after opening. After another failed attempt to re-open, Hard Rock Park / Freestyle Music Park was abandoned in 2009. I wanted to find out what remains and even my expectations were blown away by some of the items we found. I hope you enjoy this very special video.
Opening - 0:00
The Mall - 01:45
The Dark Ride - 05:21
Discarded Art - 11:56
The Archives - 17:22
Walking Main Street - 22:33
Wasteland / Final Thoughts - 28:32
My documentary - www.closedforstorm.com/
Patreon - / brightsunfilms
Join my discord - / discord
Twitter - / brightsunfilms
Instagram - / brightsunfilms
Joined by my friends from White Lake Productions -
tinyurl.com/3jf8r8cs
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BrightSunFilms 2021
Presented in 4K
Music -
No Fortune by America
License ID: 3OA2JXBMgVK

[@genericname_]

I know you shouldn’t take from abandoned places, but that concept art needs to be saved

[@zackschilling4376]

Vandals will just destroy it, I vote for taking it and preserving it.

[@SonicBoone56]

@@zackschilling4376 agreed

[@pyrogaming2500]

Why not take the things that could get destroyed by vandals.

[@GusHamberg]

EVERYTHING in those archives deserves to be preserved!

[@wesselwichhart7036]

This

[@chperezjr]

This guy isn't just another urban explorer, these are almost documentaries

[@295g295]

That is because Bright Sun shares this with us Yt viewers.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@295g295 I know. He's amazing. There's guys like that producing TV quality material and Urbex smashcrews like us *completely busting the crap* out of any shit we can find! Oh well, it takes all sorts, I suppose.

[@mattg01]

I'm still waiting for a collaboration between Bright Sun Films and The Proper People, that would be so awesome!

[@daveotuwa5596]

He wouldn't've done the explorations south of the border without his very own valid passport. Exploration without the requirement is deemed somewhat similar to illegal immigration.

[@Shundi879]

While I normally enjoy watching these videos, especially for abandoned theme parks, seeing the discovery of blueprints and contracts and all kinds of other documents took it to a whole other level. It’s amazing that is all there. That all deserves to be preserved somewhere

[@MeMeDaVinci]

My grandfather was an architect in NYC//NJ and brother is in the Midwest. Somebody worked long and hard to create on paper and reality someone's vision. Sad to see the effort has gone to waste. If it were me, I'd back up the car and haul the art and paperwork out. Finder's keepers.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@MeMeDaVinci They got paid to do it. That was their reward. And they saw it get built. Things get created and destroyed all the time. Destruction is good. It paves the way for the new. We should destroy more old stuff and build more new stuff!

[@eerielakeerie]

the part i find absolutely insane is all those licensing agreements. i dont know why but that really sticks out to me. i can’t believe how much paperwork and concept was left behind and is likely now gone forever. even though that stuff may not have had major historical value in the wider culture, for hobbyist and enthusiasts of Hard Rock, of those bands, or of theme parks, they could have had major value.

[@becj1857]

it’s insane how many important documents are just….. sitting there 🤯

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

IK dude, man I am kicking myself for not going further into that mall. I would have spent HOURS in there looking at this stuff

[@jxchamb]

I spent a lot of time with the video on pause reading as much as I could. Love seeing stuff like that.

[@TanTan-hr7uq]

Facts

[@MeMeDaVinci]

The concept art is valuable. If it were Disney, it'd be worth thousands. Leaving this behind proves they just walked away from the responsibility.

[@CYMotorsport]

19:35 $1,000,000 and most didn’t even know it was a Gibson smh. That whole contract segment was absolutely incredible

[@TheAnimeist]

No kidding. If the Hard Rock Cafe was going to be a hit, you think Gibson would be paying the cafe to allow their name on guitar. Not the other way around.

[@Lhansmeyer33]

Even the prices they were paying the performers seemed crazy! No wonder it closed so soon! Seems like there wasn't a lot of thought put into expenses...

[@txmmymai3175]

I miss your vid

[@3xfaster]

Scrappers: “Ooh, some copper here…” Jake: “ZOMG CONTRACTS & BLUEPRINTS!!!”

[@namelessgrace6319]

Yes! 😁😁😁

[@dbarden89]

This one hits different because I was there when it was open in 2008. It was a very well designed park but between the recession, location, and theme it was a disaster in the making. I remember being stunned with how empty the park was when I visited. It’s a shame the Knights in White Satin ride couldn’t be saved. Great video as always!

[@craigcromer3931]

That place was a flop from the get go but the art work should be saved

[@questionmanga3963]

That ride was great. We rode it so many times that day.

[@JK-gm6kk]

Absolutely love how excited Jake gets, going through the park. When creators are passionate about the stuff they cover, it always shows in the best possible way, and is infectious

[@BrightSunFilms]

I’m sure in this video more than others you can tell how excited I was haha

[@paisan8766]

I think it’s a little cringe

[@allcapsROB]

@@paisan8766 whatever dude.

[@nrnoble]

yep, on par when they find one-eyed Willie's long-lost pirate ship in The Goonies. :)

[@romeoslover817]

Could not have said this better.

[@larrywt656]

You stumbled on a goldmine with all the architecture designs, conceptual art, contracts and photos.

[@RNCHFND]

Why goldmine? Its interesting but what can he do with it?

[@wendyokoopa7048]

@@RNCHFND libraries would love it

[@beyonddisturbed]

Yes, seriously the one thing I kept saying while Jake was going over all those was "take it"

[@harrismd8005]

I was thinking the same thing. With as many people that have broken in to vandalize the place they never looked to see there were things there they could have made big bucks on like blueprints! Of course only idiots are into vandalism so the wouldn't know how to read a blueprint to use it or know it's value!

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@harrismd8005 It's confidential information which needs to be burned or otherwise destroyed.

[@VicD843]

I live 3 miles from this site. My sons and I frequently visited and explored this abandoned theme park. We've been in every building and on the roofs of a few of the structures. Many great memories, souvenirs, and pictures! We were lucky to take one last tour of this place before they razed it about a year ago. In its place now stands new distribution warehouses. Sad story. Great video!

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

Did you smash up any crap while you were there? No harm done to have some fun before it gets demo'd

[@marcussmith4913]

@@PreservationEnthusiast I take his silence as VicD probably committed a murder there. We should visit the site with cadaver dogs. Ive seen this on youtube a lot lately. Lots of murderers out there.

[@Techlevel1534.]

You did take some of the rare documents and photos right ?

[@hiker64]

As a historian, it would be so hard to explore and not try to save all of the things like architectural plans, photos, ephemera, and frankly it would have been hard not to snag those rid vehicles for some use later.

[@Ryyi23]

Time to plan a heist!

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@Ryyi23 It has all been demo'd. You should have gone in there and busted up some crap while the going was good.

[@shimmerofadiamond]

Y'all have LITERALLY... Hit the jackpot with aaaaallllll the information they left behind... information that most likely would have never ever been public otherwise.... My goodness well done!!!!

[@RNCHFND]

"Jackpot", why? I mean, it's interesting but not exactly valuable

[@shimmerofadiamond]

@@RNCHFND it's not really about the price that I see, a "jackpot" isn't always about money. Like those hand drawn pictures, hand drawn blueprints, all the color schemes, contracts, used and unused ideas... Things like that they've never had access to that the rest of the world probably would've never gotten from just... The internet lol the people who had it didn't value it, but for the concept of this video... It seems pretty priceless... But that's just am opinion 😌

[@Ron4885]

Oh yes. I could easily spend a week going through the place. Fascinating Jake. Love it. :)

[@lumi6945]

BRUH ALL THE INFO SHOULD BE IN A MUSEUM SOMEWHERE

[@kristinak6092]

@@RNCHFND actually, theme park drawings and especially ride vehicles to collectors are very valuable....even reprints go for 20 bucks on etsy. They make for great wall decor

[@susanmiller4159]

$400 million dollars for seven months. And a big pile of trash within 12 years. How many contractors never even got paid. What a collosal waste all around. Great video!

[@sinisterisrandom8537]

Sadly you gotta blame corporate and the corrupt company that changes the name to freestyle.

[@map3384]

That corporate recklessness was a sign of the times. No one saw the real estate/housing collapse just around the corner. The good times stopped abruptly.

[@susanmiller4159]

@@map3384 It was a terrible time to be in business. Our company (not real estate) was only four years old and we ended up putting our life savings into it to keep it going. We are still in business today but there were no bailouts for us so we will prob never retire.

[@brianskibbs8235]

Myrtle Beach got hit real hard during the recession. I know lots of places did to but it was just one of those cities that seemed to get hit harder than others. It's like starting restaurant months before Covid lock downs started. Just unlucky.

[@snoopy_90s]

I think about this story often. It actually made me really sad when I watched how much passion and effort was put into this for it to last so little. This story I think will permanently live in my brain.

[@DestroySteve]

You do such incredible justice for the people who built, maintained, worked and planned these monuments. Moments and memories were created there, it’s awesome to see what’s left when all you have is the memory.

[@BrightSunFilms]

That means a lot, thanks!

[@loribrim5945]

I remember crossing over the bridge at Waccamaw when Hardrock was being built and my parents saying that park will nvr make it. When you traveled to MB it seemed like one way in and one way out for miles with slow moving horrible traffic. My family visited MB several times a year. We nvr stopped at Waccamaw otw to Myrtle it was always otw home because traffic getting in and out was horrible and finding a parking spot took several laps. It wouldn't have mattered if my siblings and I cried , made promises to eat our greens, keep our rooms cleaned, stop fighting with one another or promise to keep our grades up. Lol there was absolutely no way our parents would have made that drive to and from Hardrock in all that traffic with one way in and out. If someone would have watched the traffic pattern closely they would have known it was a horrible idea.

[@rgs8970]

I can't believe that paperwork is so well-preserved considering that it was just left there with no consideration. I mean entropy will get it all in the end but y'all saw it in this in-between moment. Thanks for this amazing video

[@Prof_Jeff]

In a way it does seem amazing that paperwork somehow stays preserved like that. However, after watching many seasons of "Mysteries of the Abandoned" on cable, I am not surprised. There are so many locations around the world that were abandoned in the '50s or '60s, and items remain intact to this day despite being left exposed for decades.

[@warrenmason1582]

@@Prof_Jeff it's because the buildings that are abandoned become tombs in a sense. Barring any damage to building integrity then most things will stay preserved due to lack of movement

[@SmokeyChipOatley]

The guys’ reaction to the lobster tail segment was absolutely hilarious and wholly unexpected… which adds to the absurdity in turn making it 10X more hilarious. Not sure whose idea that was or if it really was as unplanned as depicted but I got a kick out of it regardless so kudos either way. I love unexpected throwaway gags in otherwise non-comedic content

[@jim5k]

Couldn't have said it better myself

[@RavenFilms]

Was it a reference to something? It felt like an inside joke I wasn’t privy to.

[@TheFirstBubbaBong]

He is just pointing out the fact he has an eating disorder to all his friends. It's like a cry for help.

[@A_Clark]

Yeah, the lobster gag set the tone. Great metaphor. Great episode.

[@dclxvi.tattoo]

It was soo good 😂

[@MrSkate714]

Hi everyone, I'm probably late but I was on vacation in Myrtle Beach this past week and thought I'd check out what was left of Hard Rock/Freestlye Music Park. Sad to say there was nothing there. Absolutely everything has been demolished. The only thing still standing is the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament. I had no idea what to expect going into it but I was shocked to see nothing was left. No signs, buildings or anything. Thought I would share this. I remember going to Myrtle Beach previous years as a kid and always seeing that big white rollercoaster and I knew something was always off about that area because by then the place had already been abandoned but I just didn't know that as a young kid. This year is the first time in a while I've been down to Myrtle Beach and it's the first time I didn't see the rollercoaster on my way in. Sad to watch this video and learn everything. Hopefully one day it could make a return bigger and better than ever!

[@bizarrelovesquare]

Yes! I was 12 or 13 when the park was built (didn’t get to go to it, but I know a few classmates who did), but even after it closed, my sister and I would always look for the rollercoaster when we’d go over the bridge going into Myrtle Beach. The most recent time, it was gone! I’ve been interested in abandoned places for years, yet I never heard anything about them preparing to demolish the park.

[@fireboygamer]

I believe they're turning it into a massive FedEx complex

[@ryvill2943]

Half of the land was purchased by FedEx to put in a brand new warehouse

[@iamjamieq]

@@bizarrelovesquare The roller coaster (which was super fun, by the way!) was sold to a Vietnamese amusement park.

[@dude2499]

This must be so cool to not only go through an old park BUT to also come across old documents detailing everything behind the scenes in development!

[@BrightSunFilms]

It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done!

[@ericteneyck8691]

The ceilings and roofs have fallen in, but the canvas awnings over the ticket booth are still intact! Incredible! All those records, artwork and plans should be preserved by someone, college library, museum, somewhere.

[@wendyokoopa7048]

I agree

[@jwagnermail]

Why? If the owners of the place didn't care about preserving the records, why should any one else do the work? Preservation space is not free, the work to save (or digitize) the records has to be paid for. There are lots of people who think "stuff should be saved", but are they willing to pay for it?

[@fanatic26]

Why preserve a half a billion dollar mistake? There is nothing of historical value there it was just a failed theme park.

[@Pauleh123]

@@fanatic26 with that attitude, why save history at all? Failures are history too, and we can look back at major corporate failures to learn lessons for the future. While I'm not sure a museum would be interested in most of the stuff there, I'm sure it has a home in private enthusiast collections, or scanned and put on archival sites.

[@fanatic26]

@@Pauleh123 Because we have finite resources to store things and a failed theme park is not culturally significant

[@CarleyWatsonJP]

Was there in 2009 with my boyfriend, now husband. He's from Myrtle Beach, and just seeing the entrance took me back. All I can remember is going on the roller coaster about six times in a row! So excited to see this video, how trippy.

[@Bernie3000]

Congratulations on your eventual marriage and continued successful marriage!!

[@Wikkler]

27:22 "Look at the roof, it's completely gone! How does that even happen?" 27:46 "It's hard to believe that this amount of water damage is even possible." Jake seems to have forgotten that this is on the Atlantic coast, which is prone to hurricanes. I don't know for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that's a large factor: a few Cat 1s have gone over Myrtle Beach since this park's closing.

[@Kaylin_h]

@Psittacosaurus Feel dumb bc I was wondering how bad the construction had to be for all that damage to happen just really since 2009--being from Mich I forgot abt all the storms that would have battered it over the years!

[@mindwarp42]

Sad thing is that the building codes for SC would normally take that into account. Myrtle Beach has definitely been hit by multiple hurricanes since the park closed, although I don't remember how badly the Grand Strand was affected by the 1000 Year Flood that wrecked the Midlands in the late 2010s (I know the Lowcountry came through it better than the Midlands, because we're used to it flooding when you sneeze in places).

[@HeatherGannoe]

@@mindwarp42 I lived less than a half mile from this park for a few years. We had a lot of hurricanes come through, but in particular, 2016's hurricane Matthew did a TON of damage to the area.

[@NutcrackerGaming]

That section in the mall was indeed burned down by an unknown arsonist in 2019. I live near that area and believe me there was so much cooler stuff you missed in the burned down section, the entire dark ride was intact pre-burndown as well as more office space with more papers and even a shirt store with majority of the shirts still there. It was a shame that it did burn down, the rest of the park used to have cooler stuff as well but most of it has been stolen or destroyed over the years.

[@GR1MRACER]

The Nuka World DLC hits different

[@Daisho_EFX]

Word 🤙🏽💯

[@carboncopy7924]

Less ghouls and raiders that expected. 6/10 need more ghouls

[@bunnyonabunwithagunnicepun5689]

Couldn't have said it better myself!

[@baroncalamityplus]

Its interesting how accurate Nuka World decay looks.

[@skepticalbadger]

@@baroncalamityplus For 20 years, sure. Not 200.

[@greatcurve]

as a huge music nerd i probably would've Loved this park, and i'm devastated as an artist seeing all the passion and work that went into something like that and having it be so short lived. you did an amazing job documenting it

[@generalshadow9027]

Guys…..all of this stuff needs to be saved….it can’t just be left to rot and vandalized

[@202supra]

The way you flip from present to back then on certain spots is amazing. Amazing work!!!!

[@yoyomarie7697]

It's amazing how much money big businesses waste! The unsold items could have been donated. And it's amazing how many valuable documents were left behind! Some of the papers should be worth money.

[@ChristionGirl45]

Jake sounds like a giddy kid on Christmas day. During most of this video. Which is why I love his videos! 😄

[@faithaliciouslove]

It's so sad this park opened at the height of the recession because it really has some of the best themes and details I've ever seen

[@TheCriminalViolin]

I feel like the cost cutting and the lack of regard for all their history, property and IPs shed the light on how obvious it should have been that it would inevitably collapse and fail quickly. It shows strong neglect, lack of care and bad business ethic of those who owned and ran it. And the fact that even the next two ownership group chose to just leave all the history, IPs, and other property there to rot away proves they are no better with it. It is sad.

[@jxchamb]

Thanks for the timecodes but when it comes to your videos, there's never any skipping.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you!

[@sashizakura9124]

Jake, I FINALLY got the chance to rent your documentary! I'm in Japan, where, of course, it's not available, but I finally was able to get service going that would get me access to the US versions of all of the streaming sites, so I could finally see it! Yay! Fantastic work, I loved it! Keep up the pro magic, man! :)

[@s.gabriel2853]

I’m in Japan too and I’ve been meaning to watch Closed for Storm for a while now. 😆

[@sashizakura9124]

@@s.gabriel2853 I hope you get the chance to see it, it's pretty great! :)

[@homunculusSZN]

Honestly, this is my first video of this dude. Really great work. It’s way better hearing someone discuss stuff on the spot and not just have a powerpoint going on during the video.

[@wariodedede]

I just found this video and a flood of memories came rushing back. I was 11 years old when the park opened and I have, on my fridge, a picture of me and my family in front of a giant sand sculpture of Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, and Elvis Presley that was at the entrance of the park. I remember very little about the park except for the names of the different sections of the park like "British Invasion" and the huge Led Zeppelin coaster. It's so sad thought that so much was left behind, and uncared for by the creators, but at least those papers are still intact!

[@Tazzer88]

This has got to be one of the most, if not the most amazing thing I've seen through this channel. I was absolutely dumbfounded to see how much was left behind, an absolute treasure trove for a park that never truly deserved its fate. I would've been so tempted to try and save something from that collection, especially the original art, but sharing it with us all is definitely the next best thing.

[@jediknightjairinaiki560]

I'm of the same thought. Let's meet up and go on an adventure.

[@JsmovieGuy]

Those "architectural drawings" at 13:25 are actually of Jurassic Park and a small portion of Toon lagoon in Islands of Adventure, though I'm not too certain why they would be here.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Oh wait WHAT! Haha how did I not notice that??

[@someguy9778]

Probably the same company designed Jurassic Park.

[@Wesrl]

@@someguy9778 probably why it ended up failing I mean if you can design a park for dinosaurs you probably can’t for humans

[@pretzelrides3748]

There we’re actually 3 mall buildings in the original “Outlet Park Shopping Center”. What killed the mall was the construction of the new bridge over the inter coastal waterway. It made it extremely difficult to get to theMall for over 3 years and tenants started leaving. I worked in the K.B Toys outlet store when it was just one of 4 stores left in one building. Even then it was both surreal and spooky being there.

[@KittyCatS1021]

What I want to know is why did they leave all that concept art, blue prints, layouts, and agreements behind? I would have thought some executive would have taken it or managers or someone.

[@existinginaspace8347]

The fact they finished this whole park early and under budget still blows my mind. The people they had building this must have been absolute mad lads

[@DanknDerpyGamer]

Dude... IK about the unwritten rules that urbex folk have/follow regarding not taking stuff, but all those plans, concept art pieces, photos, etc ... that shit needs to be preserved. For real.

[@morgue.n444]

Seriously when it comes to historic stuff like that all that stupid “don’t take anything from places you’re exploring” sh*t is obsolete. You cannot come across original concept artwork and just leave it to rot and wither away in an abandoned park!

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

The National Roller coaster museum would LOVE to get their hands on it.

[@cudacore6237]

Some people have pointed this out, and I rarely comment, but I need to tell you how important these videos are. We are all here for such a brief period of time but a lot of us try our best to make really cool stuff, and while it's sad that things like this become abandoned it's important to highlight the work all these people did together. They made something amazing. The art you found, all the concept work, it shows that someone put effort into their life to make someone else's day more enjoyable. For it to all just be sitting there is a unique and interesting look into a world that used to exist, but because of this video we're at least reminded that it did. Thank you for your hard work too!

[@RememberTheOldies]

My grandmother lived right around this place (close enough that I think her house is in some of the aerial photographs) during its building and subsequent closing, and I was always fascinated by it, especially after the second park closed and it just stood abandoned for so long. I think it's actually one of the reasons I'm so interested in abandoned places, because I would see it every year or two (whenever we visited) and how it just got worse and worse every time we were there, and I always wanted to see inside. I was so delighted by your history video, and seeing this walkthrough absolutely blew my mind after wanting to see the abandoned park for so long. Thanks so much!

[@Adeadoornail7226]

I just got off a 11 hour shift and I sat and watched this entire video, worth every second. This is awesome, wish I had the chance to go there. Looks like it was awesome while it lasted.

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much! I know it’s not always easy to sit down and watch the entire video this long

[@meganmystical6840]

@@BrightSunFilms LOVE the long videos!!!

[@kuceracm]

Dude chowing down on the lobster tail he found sitting on a wall in an abandoned theme park is big goblin energy right there 😂

[@lindsaytaylor4365]

That had to have been staged, right?

[@sicooper4230]

@@lindsaytaylor4365 yes

[@I_Have_The_Most_Japanese_Music]

@@lindsaytaylor4365 those guys looked genuinely shocked tho

[@robertcamara1529]

I followed the construction and development of HRP for two years. A coworker bought a condo near Myrtle and we planned our family vacation to stay there and visit this park the summer of 2008. We loved it - spent two days riding the rides over and over again (Maximum RPM had just opened - broke down frequently, but definitely the wildest ride system ever!) and enjoying the most creatively-themed park ever created - at least at the time. My now-17-year-old still remembers the "trippy ride", Nights in White Satin - loved it so much we rode it 4 times. And women's faces over the urinals, the cow fountain shooting water from its udders, the neon Great Meals/eat me Diner? None of this would fly anywhere else now - except maybe Vegas. I'm sickened and saddened by how this ended. So much potential lost to financial mismanagement, poor market research, and hubris. I'm sure someone has done their MBA dissertation about this.

[@iamjamieq]

This was a cool video to watch, because I was one of the few who went to Hard Rock Park. My family visited Myrtle Beach in late August 2008, and we went because we love amusement parks. While I get that the park wasn't popular, it's a shame it shut down, as it was a pretty great park. The flagship ride, the Led Zeppelin roller coaster, was amazing! While it certainly wasn't the first roller coaster to incorporate music on-board, the timing of it was amazing. The Zeppelin song "Whole Lotta Love" was playing and it was timed so the end of the bridge section where the guitar comes back in heavy started when the coaster got to the the top of the hill. So the music crescendoed as soon as you went downhill into the loops. That was amazing! The Eagles train coaster also had music and played "Life In The Fast Lane" as you were zooming fast around the track. But my favorite ride by far was the Night In White Satin ride, which was later changed to Monsters Of Rock when it became Freestyle Music Park. As it turns out, "Nights In White Satin" by The Moody Blues is my father's favorite song ever, and also one of mine. The whole ride was a dark ride with lights, moving scenery, and even a couple video elements all designed around the feel of the song. And you wore chroma 3D glasses while going through it, so the entire thing felt like what an acid trip is usually portrayed to be like (no personal experience). We rode that two or three times, I believe. The rest of the rides were cool, but nothing super spectacular. But what the park had going for itself was shows! There was a Bohemian Rhapsody nighttime fireworks and laser show that was utterly amazing! Also, there was a Rolling Stones cover band that played a set in the evening at one of the stages around the park and they were phenomenal. The lead singer literally had moves like Jagger, and a matching voice to go with it. If he weren't in his 20s, I might've believed it was Mick himself. There was a county rock themed ice show that was super fun. Amazing music was being played throughout the park the whole time. And the park employees had great uniforms suited to the areas. For example, in the British Invasion area, everyone looked like they walked right out of London in the 60s. My siblings (I was 25 at the time, and they ranged from 12 to 27) and my parents all had so much fun. I would've gone back had the park not closed. The Freestyle Music Park rebrand didn't appeal to me as much, unfortunately, so I never tried going back when it reopened. It's a shame the park closed, but I'm glad I have the memories from my own visit.

[@jeffburdess2237]

No need to give a skip menu…. Definitely watching the entire video.

[@matthewfield2958]

I visited here about 6 weeks after opening and I have to say it was fantastic. Led Zeppelin: The Ride was amazing as was The Trip. The whole atmosphere of the park was electric, everybody was happy and cheerful, the weather was glorious and there was a lot of fun to be had.

[@wendyokoopa7048]

I wanted to ride r.p.m I think it was that 🎡 lift element intrigued me

[@questionmanga3963]

Those two rides were great. I still have the video you could buy from the Zep ride.

[@PamelaNVirginia]

I was there that summer. It was an awesome park.

[@tminusnyc2915]

Thank you Jake, once again. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into the detailed historical descriptions of every aspect of the various locations.

[@ryeinc]

Jake this is absolutely incredible. I’ve been obsessed with HRP for a couple years now as I feel like it’s something I missed out on. I’ve read the history, watched the YT vids, purchased memorabilia on eBay, I even created a Spotify playlist based on what I heard in videos. I saw things in this video I’ve never seen before. Perhaps the thing I wondered the most was what remained inside of the old Nights in White Satin building. I got it here. Thank you for this, easily my favorite thing you’ve done. I think if you wanted to do another full length documentary, you’ve found your topic!

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

I went there during the second week of August, very cool to explore. Also I took one of those bags with the Freestyle Music Park logo on it, I am going to wash it and frame it. Sorry guys I couldn't leave a piece of history there to rot Edit: Fellow coaster enthusiasts we need to raid this place and save all those documents. That all needs to go to the National Roller coaster museum to be preserved

[@wendyokoopa7048]

I agree.

[@ericao5790]

I would love to be able to visit but it would break my heart. I was there in 2008 for an ACE event. The park was beautiful. But not enough to keep people busy the full day.

[@jediknightjairinaiki560]

Adam Smith - How'd you get in?

[@achtungbby]

Wow, this is one of my favorite abandoned videos you’ve ever done! I am an architect so seeing the piles of drawings and CDs blows my mind.

[@ryanvandy1615]

Its crazy to look at the google maps street view in 2008 where they were still building that rollercoaster, then to see it being dismantled just 6 years later in 2014. Looks like they tore down the mall too.

[@itistobewar]

I still remember the Moody Blues ride... there was a moment where you were left in this huge room with 360 views of fractals and other trippy stuff to the sounds of pan flute. Haven't experienced anything like Hard Rock Park, it was so so so unique and memorable.

[@rabidsmiles]

This park always fascinated me. The sign from the original walkway 'here we are now entertain us' always stuck in my brain for some reason.

[@wendyokoopa7048]

Nirvana

[@rabidsmiles]

@@wendyokoopa7048 oh I know...but the way the sign was on the building stuck with me

[@wendyokoopa7048]

@@rabidsmiles yeah. I wanted to visit this as hard rock for the ferris wheel lift coaster.

[@Shaoz049]

As someone who lives in Myrtle Beach, I can definitely confirm that this was awesome place that literally was a shameful waste on part of the city ;3;

[@shanesxe]

Myrtle Beach native here as well, I remember the park opening up my Senior year of high school and wanting to go so badly, but those ticket prices were simply unattainable for a single mother keeping me and my brother fed, clothed, and sheltered. I remember hearing that it shut down so soon after opening and it blew my mind how such an amazing park could just crumble so quickly. And then Freestyle happened and the place had just lost its luster. What an absolute fucking shame.

[@richardgrace4500]

@@shanesxe I mean it’s myrtle beach... I live an hour from there and haven’t been in YEARS because the whole area has turned into a dumpster fire that is completely unsafe and not family friendly at all... and Is in your own health and well being that you avoid south myrtle at all cost with all the gang violence and shootings that go on there... also really isn’t safe for anyone to walk around alone especially women (especially near the boulevard) and you definitely don’t do it at night with the amount of missing persons and kidnappings and attempted kidnappings that have gone on on a yearly basis and growing in number every year (odds are human/sex traffickers since myrtle beach is exactly halfway between Florida and New York which also explains the insane drug related crimes and issues the area has started having in the last decade along with a rice in gangs and gang crimes)

[@shanesxe]

@@richardgrace4500 still living in Myrtle Beach, can confirm. This place was never designed for the amount of tourism they tout, the amount of transplants that have flooded the housing market here, the infrastructure that's been so desperately needed and seemingly overlooked for the past twenty years, and the fact that you cannot sustain a tourist based economy when nobody wants to visit here for four months out of the year.

[@hannahmorgan8580]

I went here with my family shortly after it opened, I was just going into high school and I remember thinking how awesome it was that there weren’t a lot of lines. I went on the Led Zeppelin roller coaster half a dozen times and my parents bought me a hat from the Hard Rock Cafe shop. I was sad to hear it didn’t last but happy to see you make this video.

[@KellyAnn2390]

When yall walked into the old mall I gasped. I had no idea that was still there! My grandma used to adore that place and made a special trip every time we would go to Myrtle Beach.

[@locomadman]

Sooo… is the irony of the Hard Rock Park having the life of rock star (living fast & dying hard; homeless and bankrupt) hitting anyone else here? …No, just me then??? Yeah, I didn’t think that’d fly. Don’t get me wrong, the 27 Club is no laughing matter. Amy, Brian, Janis, Jim, Jimi, Kurt, Robert, and far too many others; so much talent taken from the world far too soon. That a place built to celebrate the spirit that they helped create with their short time on this earth didn’t last is tragic indeed. That anyone expected it to, however; now that’s ironic. “Let them all play again, in some other way, and let them be happy.”

[@sicooper4230]

Nah loco,you hit it right dude.

[@JacobHillSBD]

Something very ironic about how well painted that Goofy is. It's also sad to see that all that concept art is just littered across the floor. We're so spoiled by the idea of Disney concept art and mock ups being well preserved and on display, and yet here's Hard Rock Park's entire history, rotting within it.

[@detroitdiezel7856]

Goofy??

[@phantom_389]

Good thing you went when you did. I work for a trucking company here in Myrtle Beach and we are currently in the process of tearing it all down

[@Abears_]

I really appreciate how you got clips from when it was open. I been going to myrtle beach every year for vacation my whole life and I never even knew about this. I got married in 2008 and we went to the beach the year before right after my wife and I met and also the year we met and we didn’t even know about it. I love how we can use videos and pictures to go back in time

[@EllicottCity1]

Really nicely put together, Jake! It's been amazing to watch over the years & to see your hard work paying off😊

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much!

[@Unb3arablePain]

How sad, I went to that park right after it happened with my mother and we had a great time. Even then, it was empty and wondering as a school kid how it would remain open.

[@tombuck]

Architect handwriting is always so perfect. Those plans and drawings are incredibly cool🤯

[@robinbuckeye6841]

At 3:51 you show millions of cups left behind. There's absolutely no way I would leave that place without taking a few of those cups with me. That would be an awesome souvenir. Excellent explore!

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

The content that this channel creates is on another level. So great

[@sccarguy8242]

The archive was an Amazing find!!! It absolutely needs to be further documented!

[@hgbugalou]

I worked in room service for a hotel casino and we handled all the "riders" as they are called which are food and beverage orders for bands and entertainment. Some of the stuff we had in house but so much else of it, we would have to shop around town ahead of time to find. It got pretty crazy with some of the requests too. We would often have to bring dinner to the entertainers after the show too. Best tipper for dinner I ever had was Engelbert Humperdinck of all people who gave me 150 bucks. The worst was Kenny Rogers who gave me a $5 bill for a $2k+ rider plus dinner from our steak house.

[@nathanbrownmolotov8697]

I took my family to Hard Rock Park shortly after it opened. It was a beautiful park with some cool attractions. The Moody Blues dark ride, and the Led Zeppelin Coaster were my favorites. It got killed by the recession. Everyone stopped traveling, there were way too few guests, and it closed. It wasn't even open for 6 months. It was pretty sad.

[@elizabethmctaggart6695]

When I saw on your Instagram when you were exploring this and making a video, after making the video on the park, I got so excited because I knew this would be good. You've blown me away with Closed for Storm and now this one makes me excited too since it's like a mini Closed for Storm but on Hard Rock Theme Park. You're videos never cease to amaze me and this one makes me want to watch Closed for Storm again.

[@kevinp8108]

The video at the beginning was taken only 13 years ago in 2008 so why does it look like it was videotaped in the 1970's?

[@AUM_-po9sc]

Probably because no one bothered to bring something to properly record with.

[@larrywt656]

Most video being shot then was still in SD. HD was available, but MANY people still did not have HD TVs yet. SD didn't change very much from the late 70s until the late 2000s, so a LOT of it looks the same. Now that everyone is ingrained to watching HD, seeing SD from not that long ago seems like ancient history.

[@kriscook2423]

Abandoned park and abandoned mall? Jackpot, Jake! Dream come true. The only way this could get better would be an abandoned hotel attached. Thanks for taking us along. Your work is, as always, wonderful. Can't wait for more. I really wish that someone in the local government could save the art and plans. All that would be wonderful in a museum or even just archived in a library. It's history. I wanna cry.

[@guardezio]

It must have been so tempting to take some of those drawing and plans -- if only to preserve them and share them for the future. ...To be honest, it wouldn't actually surprise me if people did go to the park after this video and grab up some of the archives.

[@kakarotvegeta5095]

These abandoned videos always seems to amaze me how these properties are never redeveloped into somethig different.

[@richardburchett]

This park always fascinated me. I can’t think of another instance of an entire amusement park being shuddered while it was still essentially brand new.

[@richardburchett]

@@momojmact Thanks, I guess

[@scrapbookaholic]

So sad! I lived in SC in 2008 and would’ve loved to have gone there but never knew it existed. The place has been hit by many a hurricane since. I love how you show images of what it is like now and then what it was like then right afterwards. Great work! 😀👍

[@Charismatixa]

AHHH, YOU WERE HERE!! I'm such a big fan. I'm a Myrtle Beach native.. I lived, literally, 5 minutes away from the park. I would drive past it daily. While I'm glad it opened up some new roads (I still drive past where it was daily, as I now live about 8 minutes from where it once stood), it was an eyesore after its death. Also.. it was so expensive, I never got to go. Even as a local.

[@gettyhike]

3:41 those old mall stores were used as warehouses, which is where i worked. honestly, besides all the boxes being strewn haphazardly it really isnt much different then when i worked there. it was part of a run down old mall so it was never in good shape to begin with. so surreal

[@oliverstemp9132]

Guessing it was always the plan to redevelop that area into a new ride or attraction very quickly. What a shame that never happened

[@gettyhike]

@@oliverstemp9132 yeah it was. that section of the mall didnt even have plumbing/power anymore. we ran 3 extension cables to our warehouse to run a small fridge, fan, and radio. they were all run down but functional enough for the time. its not surprising to see it all falling apart, thats what happens from a combination of hurricanes and no repairs.

[@BrightSunFilms]

I was wondering about the condition of when the park was actually open. What is the mall in bad condition at the time as well, was there mold?

[@gettyhike]

@@BrightSunFilms i would describe the mall as being in workable condition. It wasn't open to guests, and it needed and was getting repairs the entire time the park was open. no mold, as the mall was gutted prior to its use for HRP. this is the mall building that shares space for the dark ride. on one side of the mall the old units were used for storage and our park service warehouse. it had no power or plumbing, but was structurally sound. the other side of the mall building was used as the main administration hub for management and upper management. it had power/plumbing and was in much better condition. in the middle was the dark ride and some shops for guests, and the employee only area thrufare that had the costume designer room. let me know if you have any other questions, id be happy to answer them as best i can. i worked there from a few weeks before opening day until the day before final closure.

[@MeMeDaVinci]

Bad feasibility study...sucks when a place you worked goes out of business.

[@tinymittensdesign]

Jake, your excitement during this was so contagious!

[@TheCoasterGays]

I cannot get enough of videos of theme parks from you. Always so good and perfectly detailed. Been a huge fan for years now man.

[@mrsperry]

South Carolina native here. We went to this park right before they closed down. It was so empty. We had a good time, though. It was also a tradition to visit Waccamaw when I was a kid. It's sad that it ended up this way.

[@stevend3753]

I appreciate the time code links……not that I would skip even 1 second of one of your videos.

[@onekewlbraddah8460]

Fun Fact. As soon as this place closed trespassers started vandalizing the place. Myrtle Beach isn't what it used to be in the 90s.

[@map3384]

Nothing is what it was in the 90s. Super times.

[@cabellism]

When I was younger, me and the family used to come down to Myrtle Beach about every year. We was there for the opening for this, and another one. Can't remember the exact date, but we got to see Kevin Bacon perform on stage with his band. Was pretty cool.

[@DylanJ10000]

I’ve lived in Myrtle Beach for my entire life, and went to the park twice: once when it was Hard Rock, and once when it was Freestyle. I now work at Medieval Times, which is right beside the park. We have to worry about the many homeless people living in the former park when taking trash out during the evening. Quite a dangerous place nowadays ETA: Waccamaw Factory Outlets has also been demolished, as of the past month (January 2022) ETA: The entire park has also now been demolished. The FedEx facility is already well through construction (July 2022)

[@ryanjustice8328]

I was just about to comment about the demolition of the park, but I’ve stumbled where some homeless were living in there. Pretty sketch but it is gone now),:

[@joshuaayres8932]

The mall goes to show how quickly things went under and how much hope they had that they would succeed. Great video Jake.

[@ItsBBP]

I'd love to see all the concept art and architectual drawings scanned and preserved as a piece of history.

[@Vulpine407]

With the multiple hurricanes and storms that have gone up the East coast since 2009, it's not surprising to see the buildings in such a sad state. Indeed, I'm surprised there is that much left.

[@ScrewThisGlueThat]

Jake, My family and I were here at the park during the "Soft Opening" and it was a pretty cool place. Unbelievable to think several months later the park would be closing....

[@AvoidTIMtation]

All that stuff was left on purpose because they knew all these years later Bright Sun Films would discover it and give us this amazing video.

[@mandymorrow5473]

This could've been a great place under different circumstances.

[@Abears_]

I can’t believe it’s all completely demolished now. Only 6 months after you released this video and it’s all leveled

[@katieb.1184]

your excitement is contagious. I'm smiling so much

[@darthXreven]

I can't believe they left all their files and contracts and stuff LMAO!!

[@Kyle-Russell]

I can as it saved money by not putting it in storage

[@swan_kytiger]

Imagine the coasters still being there though that would be really cool to walk around

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

They got moved, the Mine Train, Vekoma junior coaster, and Led Zeppelin were moved to Vietnam and are operating today.

[@swan_kytiger]

@@AdamSmith-gs2dv i know they are but imagine them being left sbno at hard rock tho

[@taiofmine]

I would watch 4 hours of y'all just going through the archives in that dead mall