The Abandoned History of Hard Rock Park/Freestyle Music Park | Expedition Extinct

Join us on Expedition Extinct as we look at the unfortunate fate of a park that operated for less than two years. Hard Rock Park or later Freestyle Music Park in Myrtle Beach South Carolina was built from scratch and later abandoned.
We will see you next time on Expedition Theme Park.
expthemepark
www.patreon.com/expeditionthemepark
Special thank you to John Binkowski
Intended for educational purposes
Video Credits -
Night In White Satin - The Trip - • Nights in White Satin ...
TEA Talk - • 2017 TEA Summit Day 1 ...
Select Images Credit - themeparksushi.com/
In The Loop -
• Hard Rock Park Opening...
• Freestyle Music Park (...
• Abandoned Freestyle Mu...
Jr Win - • Myrtle Beach Drone View
DiscoverMB - • Hard Rock Park Bohemia...
Chris Duran -
• Hard Rock Park Constru...
• Hard Rock Park - Eagle...
• Hard Rock Park Bohemia...
• Hard Rock Park July 4t...
• Maximum RPM! Hard Rock...
Sean Flaharty - • Hard Rock Park - Augus...
AndySchinitz - • Hard Rock Park
gcpeanut - • Hard Rock Park
GTNPRoductions21 -
• Country On The Rocks A...
• Malibu Beach Party Sho...
Jason Kitchen - • Talking cow at Hard Ro...
gardencitystud2008 -
• Shake rattle n rollerc...
• magic mushroom ride at...
Philaahzophy - • Reggae River Falls at ... \
bjfan1992 - • led zeppelin roller co...
jorgefelix2329 - • led zeppelin concert o...
Chuck Mull - • Hard Rock Park Opening...
xpressva - • Our Day at Freestyle M...
Coaster101.com - • Monstars of Rock - Fre...
FreeStyleMusicPark - • CSI: Live At Freestyle...
FAB Luxembourg - • Video
The Carpetbagger - • Abandoned Theme Park -...

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

Interested to know what Hard Rock Park/Freestyle Music Park looks like today? Take a look at this update photo report from the location. expeditionthemepark.com/2020/06/freestyle-music-park-abandoned-photo-update/

[@JWParkerPhDDDiv]

fun fact Hard Rock International is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida since 2007

[@LordoftheEagles]

All these vids youve made and stories told, there is always a mega corporation and lawsuits and loans. But there's always some dude/gal at the forefront of it with a vision to create a spectacular place of pure enjoyment and they always end up a complete afterthought when the park has been mixed up like a bowl of soup at the final stages.

[@brianmorrison4865]

it's gone, a FedEx hub sits where it was.

[@CBright7831]

"If you're coming for a ride park , to ride all of the cool rides - the biggest, the tallest, and the fastest - then that's not us." That's a great way to sell your rides to the public.

[@YouKnowWhereYouWentWrong]

They DID have one terrific looping coaster. But the "Eagles" themed coaster was just ok. The other Coaster themed with the little convertible cars was fun, but more like a kiddie ride. The last and final year it was open I went with a friend (we had season passes that were honored from the previous operators) we rode that little coaster probably ten times in a row and never had to get off it and get back in line - that's how small the "crowds" were. No one waiting in line for anything. The place was practically deserted.

[@chrish931]

@@YouKnowWhereYouWentWrong Yep I think they knew there was no way on the state wide level that they could compete with Carowinds or Six Flags over Georgia both known for having multiple fast coasters, so they tried to sell it as something unique instead.

[@adamw116]

Actually I suppose he was trying to stress that the place was fun, but different then the average amusement park because of its music theme.

[@playboymaxim]

@@chrish931 Don't forget Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg a few miles up the road LOL

[@thedevilsadvocate5210]

The should have had a giant DJ turntable that just spun you right round like a record right round

[@Mokujo]

"How do we save this failing park?" "Remove everything that made it unique and cool!"

[@MagCynic]

What a shame this park didn't make it. It seems like a really cool concept. Perhaps in a different time this park could have been huge.

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

Exactly.

[@aphoticphoton]

Personally i think if it was built in 2016 and beyond......It could have worked since now some people are having second thoughts on universal or disney but then again it all goes back to location

[@ToastyMcStrudel]

MagCynic it never was very nice there was trash everywhere the rides were almost always shut down and it was just not as nice as the videos make it out to be

[@qteeppodcasts3639]

The only problem with this park is that it was priced like Busch Gardens but it was half the size... maybe even smaller. I loved this park, I had annual passes... but the people who made this park thought it was bigger than it actually was.

[@theswig2339]

MagCynic this couldve saved rock music today

[@eadlynjune]

A karaoke cue line is the best idea I’ve ever heard and I have no idea why this isn’t everywhere.

[@Iburnyoudie]

Is it though? There's some bad karaoke and tourism can be a very mixed bag.

[@idaliscastro2276]

@@Iburnyoudie I don’t think the point of karaoke is for it to be “good”. I’m almost certain it’s be fun and enjoy the shared love of music. If people don’t want to do karaoke they don’t have to. I personally think it’s an awesome idea instead of standing in long boring que lines

[@trulyAmatulHaqq]

"We will grow with the market" Market: * immediately crashes *

[@pika23]

Too bad they opened at such a harsh economic time

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

Yeah, the timing just wasn't good with every part of this

[@jamesklatt]

However, Carowinds which was at that time was under its first season with Cedar Fair greatly benefitted and opened major rides like Intimidator in 2010 and Fury 325 in 2015 transforming it from regional park to internation destination.

[@CEWThree]

If they'd waited 5 years, tops, it probably would have been a solid success. But having your initial idea for the park in late 2001, then opening said park in 2008... they just got the worst of it, timing-wise. No one was going to risk their money in tight economic times on an untested park.

[@bobbyglendinning2406]

I’m a Myrtle Beach resident and I watched the park get built and get removed. The park was okay to visit, but there was very little appeal to try something again after you’ve done it. After a while, you were just board and ready to leave. The location wasn’t the greatest imo, built behind the old closed up Waccamaw Pottery mall.

[@chrish931]

@@jamesklatt Yep, plus everybody in both North and South Carolina knows about Carowinds, I'm from Charleston and was living there at the time the park opened and I didn't even know it existed until I heard it was closing down and being sold. Plus it didn't look like nearly as good of a park for rides as Carowinds is, but being only an hour and a half or so away from Charleston metro vs five to six hours for Carowinds maybe it could have gotten some people to go to hard rock instead but no advertising means most of us in Charleston had no idea it was open. Not to mention Myrtle Beach is a party beach, it has some nice family type attractions but it's really a drinking and partying type vacation destination. Honestly I was much more saddened to here the Pavilion closed even though it was a much more basic park, but it was on the beach and was there when I was a kid, so it had sentimental value.

[@noonespecial5681]

I paid a visit to my grandparents in Myrtle Beach in 2009 and they surprised me by taking me to Freestyle Park. I was skeptical on the way there because most Myrtle Beach area entertainment I would describe as tacky, and I figured this place would be kinda lame. I was honestly shocked by how amazing our experience was - I remember the ticket prices being very cheap because they had gotten some kind of deal (common for senior citizens down there.) The rides were a lot of fun and the lines weren't long - the live shows (ice skating, etc) and the 4th of July fireworks display were awesome. When I went back to visit them in 2011 I was looking forward to going again, but was shocked to learn the park had closed. Thank you for making this video. I am so glad I got to visit this park, even if it was in it's second year coming off the hard rock brand. It's a very special memory of my grandparents, both of whom have passed away, and I will fondly remember it as the one time I rode a roller coaster with my grandmother.

[@creatrixZBD]

Great memory, thanks for sharing 🙏🏽🌈

[@xpressvasoftball]

Tickets were 2 for $20 that year for everyone - at least when we went. We went both years and really enjoyed it.

[@mattluvet]

I moved there in 2013 and I couldn't understand why it was such a popular vacation place. Then when I found out the Roller coaster that I saw in the skyline wasn't operating (Zepline was still there abandoned) I couldn't understand it even more. The traffic was insane in the summer and I couldn't understand what all these people were doing.

[@susanlong772]

There was no advertising on the most obvious place - rock radio stations. Even though I live in NC, by the time l heard an ad for this park, it was about to close.

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

Yeah they thought they could get by without and didn't have any money left

[@susanlong772]

@@ExpeditionThemePark That was a big mistake. Thanks for the video.

[@TheBaldr]

I lived less than 2 hours away, been to Myrtle Beach several times and probably would have gone, except I had no idea this had existed.

[@pulaski1]

I'd have gone, as I am not that far away, a couple of hours drive. I saw news reports about it opening, and figured that it would be around for years, probably getting bigger and better each year. I was wrong. :(

[@YouKnowWhereYouWentWrong]

I live in the area, that park was a disaster from the get-go. We were given season passes when they opened for my Birthday, and we went about three weeks later, thinking we'd give them time to iron the kinks out. The "Water Attraction" with water skiers doing stunts. Not open. A full half of the rides. Not open. The large sit-down restaurant. Not open. But you can believe they were pushing the merch and the bars. There were no children's prices (imagine taking your 3 year old to a small theme park and paying $50 plus to get them in) and no 'group sales' rates. The hospitality managers in the area were 'treated' to a presentation and told 'the Brand Name sells itself, we don't offer any discounts' - I know this because I was there. The billboards on the main highways in maybe a hundred mile radius only had "Hard Rock Park" on it - no location, not even the city name! It opened in May and was supposed to be open through Halloween. They closed the first week of September. The folks that bought the park for pennies on the dollar tried to re-brand it as "Free Style Music Park" - what a STUPID name. To their credit, they honored the season pass holders from the year before. But again, the large sit-down restaurant was not open. And still, no kid's pricing or group rates. It was a beautiful park, but it was VERY small, and certainly not worth paying well over 50 bucks to get into. The only real draw was that awesome looping coaster. We went probably 5-6 times in those two years and I rode that coaster probably 50 times - there were never any lines, the park was never crowded. And the second year, you guessed it, it closed early they closed up shop. The economy played a part in its failure, but some company like Disney or Six Flags could have bought it out, waited a few years to actually complete it and made it work. You should see the site today. It's over-grown with weeds, a few stray metal buildings here and there. Rides dismantled were sold on. Sad, really. That Led Zeppelin themed coaster was incredible. Sorry to rant, but like I said, I live in the area, and there is a hugely successful locally owned amusement park down by the ocean that's like the old school places where you can walk around and buy tickets just for the rides you want to go on, or you can buy an "All Day" wristband for unlimited rides. It's been there for over 50 years. It has the only wooden roller coaster still in operation in the state, and has a water park. So yes, a well run amusement park CAN be successful in Myrtle Beach - I know people call it the "Redneck Riviera" - but the area is not some slum that people avoid.

[@moonshapedabsolution]

*10 minutes after watching this video: On steam, reinstalling Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, ready to run a park called Myrtle Beach

[@DirtyBallsPodcast]

Poor Myrtle Beach. they lost this, the pavillion, the big hard rock cafe pyramid, planet hollywood, WE MUST PROTECT FAMILY KINGDOM. All the charm and big striking cool roadside visuals are being taken away

[@jacquie195]

My family got an annual pass for this park and it didn't disappoint us. We were shocked that such a detailed park would open in our hometown. The rollercoasters were beautifully designed and the shows were entertaining and quite original when it opened. The firework show alone was really lovely. I still remember walking through the British Invasion area saddened that so few people came to this park. Of course it was all a mess... the timing and apparently management. I truly believe it may have survived if it opened now as Myrtle Beach tourism/city population has boomed. My teenage self had a camera and a youtube channel where I had a pov on pretty much every ride and a lot of the theming.... but copyright would always take it down. So sad that I deleted that channel because it gave an insight into what the park was really like in those days. Thanks for the memories!

[@qteeppodcasts3639]

You really NEEDED the annual pass for it to be worth. Regular prices were a bit high for one visit but after we got our annual passes we felt it was worth it. took us 45 minutes to get there so we just went every other weekend and the pass paid for itself.

[@byronclifton8869]

Alda Hazel is my favorite KZbinr!

[@rollercoaster24]

The coasters are okay... lol

[@JamiePohlOA]

Our band used to travel from Florida to play at The Whammy Bar every few months. During our breaks we’d ride the Led Zeppelin coaster (Unfortunately we could do this, because the attendance was so low we could fit it in). That ride used “Whole Lotta Love”, and they timed the first drop perfectly with the music. It was such a neat theme park, and the way the music blended into a different style of the same song for each section was great. It’s such a shame this place didn’t make it. It was a smaller park, but it had a really good vibe.

[@stevenikazy2943]

Just the brief clip of coaster and the Zepelin tune gave me goosebumps.

[@jimtheedcguy4313]

Every coaster needs to be timed to a zeppelin song!

[@nicolevaughn2008]

@@stevenikazy2943 same !! I was like what and now its 2020 and this is the absolutely first time I ever heard if this place. Would have just gone for zeppelin coaster no doubt

[@eleciachumley4662]

A guy from my yoga class at Coastal was in a band that played at the Whammy Bar alot, too!

[@annamarie8292]

I loved the led zeppelin coaster!! Whole lotta love...

[@charlottehanna4339]

I visited it when it was still Hard Rock. I'd just graduated high school, and we went as a celebration. Everyone's tickets were 50 bucks, and when we rolled up, the parking lot was completely empty. We didn't think they were open. Got in, there are pictures somewhere with me and my brother at the free air guitars stand. No lines anywhere, Maximum RPM was down. We just sat on the Led Zepplin ride and rode as many times as we could until we wanted to ride something else. This was...June of '08

[@charlesintune]

i also graduated high school june of 08 and i went down to visit! very early on we went on almost all the rides i wish i would have taken more photos but the few i had are treasured

[@visitmyhometown3181]

As a resident of Myrtle Beach for 22 years I’ll tell you all the one main reason it didn’t make it. No Water Park. Had they built a Water Park as planned people would have flocked there. None of the other Water Parks closed during the recession but an off the beach location in 90 plus degree heat and no water is not a successful model.

[@YouKnowWhereYouWentWrong]

I've been here since 1991 and I agree %100. Look at Family Kingdom down by the beach. Open for over 50 years and still going strong. They opened their (admittedly small but still fun, and ocean front) water park ten or so years ago and it's still packing the crowds in. Hard Rock Park was a missed opportunity all around.

[@fyrfyter33]

The biggest downfall is it was too far from the beach, not family friendly and bad timing. They opted to close and demolish the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park at the same time the economy tanked. That lot sat vacant for many years. I have no idea if anyone ever developed it. Had Hard Rock Park been constructed in that area closer to the beach, it would likely still be in existence today. My Dad lived in Little River for many years. We went there both when it was Hard Rock Park and Freestyle Music Park. Rides were decent, but the location was awful. Busy 501 right near it and a very busy Outlet Mall across 501. Nothing else was family friendly about that area. I am pretty sure the Hard Rock Park T-Shirt still hangs in my closet. I just can't bring myself to get rid of it.

[@barrett8637]

Agreed!! They didn't have near enough shade provided. Reggae River Falls was a good start, but a full on set of pools and slides would've made it.

[@aintnolittlegirl9322]

Do people really pay to go to a water park when there's an ocean right there? That's the biggest water park in the world!

[@visitmyhometown3181]

aintno littlegirl yes. And the water park right on the beach at Family Kingdom does well.

[@OutdoorsWithShawn]

Took longer to plan and build than it was open

[@sethsmith2161]

There was no hardrock càfe inside?!?

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

Nope!

[@choo_choo_]

There was one right down the road. It was an Egyptian style Pyramid with cool theming throughout. That's been demolished about a year ago, and now there's just a normal Dave & Busters there. HRC moved buildings (basically next door), but it lost a lot of its charm.

[@brianaarnold9118]

Haha....oversight is a mfer

[@scrambled5948]

Expedition Theme Park that's like having a universal park without any lazy screen rides!

[@bumblebee4me4ever]

Thomas not a train What the fuck they tore down the Pyramid?!?! Omg! I have so many good memories of visiting there! Granted I haven’t been to Myrtle Beach in 6+ years (family preferring Charleston) but reading this makes me sad! *Nooo!*

[@StuartNewsom]

One of my biggest regrets in my theme park life is not going to Hard Rock Park in the debut year. I still think the concept has legs, but it was drowned by a lot of bad timing in the original run.

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

Yeah, it could of been a major player today if it had got past those first few years

[@ToastyMcStrudel]

it wouldntve mattered management was too bad

[@TombstoneChris]

Well why don't you purchase the abandoned lot and bring it back to life and reopen it man

[@justdontcryplease4818]

ChrisS82 Cost... that’s why lol

[@luigi7834]

@@TombstoneChris Because he doesn't have the money

[@kylev.1163]

I remember when I went to Myrtle back in mid 2008. Went to Family Kingdom. I remember when we were leaving we saw Hard Rock Park, looked like it was open but we really couldn't tell. We hadn't seen any signs, no billboards, had virtually no idea of its existence but we knew right when we saw it that we regretted not going there instead; and we would have if we knew anything about it. I think Hard Rock didn't do a good enough job marketing all that they had established there. This park had so much potential, and they had done so much even on a tight budget that it was beyond impressive. If they marketed this better, and drew some profit, surely they could have had appearances by classic Rock & Roll legends playing venues at their park. Seriously; a Bohemian Rhapsody fireworks show? Who wouldn't want to see that?

[@linux_doggo]

I would've loved to visit this.

[@ImJustAFen]

Hai proto! I'm also a proto sometimes

[@westwardeggplantstudios9715]

Same here, it would have been so cool.

[@juliagoodwin3461]

Me too... I hate missing out on these kinds of things. What a let down...

[@phishinstrumentals3655]

I went twice, once in 2008 and another in 2009. It’s so surreal to see videos of it abandoned

[@MeeZyStudioZ]

It was amazing when it first opened as Hard Rock Park!! Freestyle Music Park was trash tho...

[@marcussheen]

This looked like such a great park, but it seemed everything conspired against it. Such a sad story, and crazy that its fate was essentially sealed after less than one season

[@missybarbour6885]

Now I NEED to see a Bohemian Rhapsody fireworks show

[@MPlegos]

It was epic and cost way too much money to do every night like they were doing. It ended with a dude on a jet ski driving around the lagoon while another guy was flying a kite with fireworks on it behind him.

[@missybarbour6885]

Dope.

[@ReidGarwin]

Not everybody has the money Disney does :(

[@TitanLRV]

I saw a fireworks show at La Ronde were they did an homage for Queen so they just played their songs and when they played Bohemian Rhapsody it was truly glorious.

[@carminecdinoproductions]

Missy Barbour HELL YEAH! Bohemian Rhapsodies!

[@indycoone9027]

It went from a respectable brand personality of Hard Rock into a tryhard "Fellow Kids" nightmare of an independent brand with zero recognition. The 2008 financial crisis was an obvious factor in its demise, but departing from an established brand seems like suicide.

[@MPlegos]

The second group that came in was sorta clueless. They were foreign and for sure didn't understand our economy.

[@PlanetPeebles]

I got to go to Hard Rock the summer it was still called Hard Rock, when I was in middle school. One thing no one seems to mention is that the majority of the back side of the park was paved entirely as blacktop. The rides were incredible but the only real takeaway my family had was how incredibly HOT the park was. In the summer when it was already 90+ degrees out, the blacktop was nearly sticking to our shoes, and made any part of the park that wasn't shaded unbearable. I still imagine a dark ride like Moody Blues would KILL somewhere in a place like Vegas, with a more adult audience.

[@alexa.910]

Visited this park while I was in high school for a field trip. Honestly had a mostly good time. Bohemian Rhapsody themed fireworks show, huge Zeppelin roller coaster, trippy Moody Blues ride- I genuinely enjoyed it for the most part, and there was barely any wait for any of the rides. It had a lot of potential, but I’ll admit you could tell something was off while there. Basic things were are also very expensive- a bottle of water was almost $7. You could tell the park was hurting financially. The lack of crowds was also off putting. Wish I could remember more, but this was over 10 years ago. Kind of wish it was still there. Were it open today it likely would do well.

[@dylandog518]

I always wanted to go

[@mrWendybird]

"I'm not smoking anything, I swear" With an email subject like that, you just _know_ the message is gonna be good, one way or another. I've read up a bit on this park, and it looked pretty awesome. I was most fascinated by Led Zeppelin/The Time Machine, since I've always loved B&M's coasters. Shame it failed, as I think a music-themed amusement park is quite original, creative, and 200% enjoyable.

[@davtdv2925]

Hi

[@eadlynjune]

I relate to that.

[@alskndlaskndal]

As a music and theme park fan, I can't believe I never heard of this! I wonder if the concept was just too limited for a general audience, but it definitely looks cool. I wonder if anyone besides Disney and Universal will be able to open a major theme park anymore.

[@zazakoolaid]

I went to the park once. Loved it, but man it crashed the economy of the area with how much money was dumped into construction. I honestly feel like it was just a way to launder money and get tax breaks for job creation. Too bad.

[@SavannaFiegl]

Crazy watching this because me and my family had season passes to the park since it was only a mile away from my house. I was 8 when it was built and I’m 21 now...all there is left is an empty lot with some buildings still up. I would love to go back and watch the country ice show ):

[@STSGuitar16]

I actually visited with my family while it was Hard Rock Park. I was maybe 9 or 10 at the time, but I remember truly enjoying my day at the park. Although I remember the food not being great (we had some overpriced, low quality pizza at lunch), I remember the theming being pretty good even though I didn’t know a lot of the music that was being referenced at the time. The Nights in White Satin ride was incredibly unique and still sticks out in my memory today as being just a weird experience all around. I remember being creeped out by the whole nature of the ride, yet seeing nothing scary at all. The Led Zeppelin ride was fun and we did it many times, but the pre show was a longer-than-necessary clip of the psychedelic noise-making part of Whole Lotta Love, which kept us from going back multiple times to ride again. Maybe it was just my young brain, but that pre show had to have at least been five minutes or more, nearly as long as the ride itself. The Ferris wheel roller coaster, as were all the roller coasters, was an enjoyable experience that also beckoned multiple rides if the wait time was low. I don’t remember any of the shows we saw so I can’t really comment on them. All in all I remember being sorta disappointed that the park was shutting down, as we usually go to a beach close enough to Myrtle Beach every summer and surely would have visited the park again. I had a pretty good experience at the Hard Rock Park and wish that it was still around to add something else to the Myrtle area. Too bad it didn’t work out.

[@thenolanmaggio]

I was the same age and had like the same experience there lol.

[@ToastyMcStrudel]

myrtle is pretty depressing i dont know why people choose but hey if you enjoy it somehow come on down

[@STSGuitar16]

@@ToastyMcStrudel We usually stay at Ocean Isle, NC or Cherry Grove area. Definitely not Myrtle, but close enough for a day trip there.

[@barrett8637]

Re: Led Zeppelin, The Pre-show was twice the length of the ride, and if you use a wheelchair like me, you bypassed the entire show. Bummer.

[@qteeppodcasts3639]

The people that built Nights In White Satin are more than willing to build the ride again. I've talked with them and it was one of their favorite rides to design.

[@AudreyMealiff]

This park and its history really interests me. It was such an opportunity missed and the timing was so unfortunate.

[@Viking_Luchador]

I can't believe no one has tried to recreate it

[@sleepink.]

Didn’t know I could get this sad over a theme park. I remember seeing all the news about this when I was younger and thought it was so cool. Then I didn’t see anything about it until this video. It’s really is tragic seeing something that people worked so hard on being forgotten so soon

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

Yeah :(

[@Mahatmanaranja]

I worked on this park for over a year. There was a lot of fantastic art work, and it's nice to see footage of all this stuff. I heard much of the original themed elements were destroyed or thrown away when Freestyle Music Park took over. Such a shame.

[@ecarter5336]

i moved to a town about an hour away from myrtle beach 2 years ago, just this year i discovered this place. it's very sad seeing this place abandoned and torn down the way it is. i explored the park with my best friend and it truly was an amazing place. it's sad that they closed down, i can only imagine how fun it would've been

[@rushtest4echo737]

Before the park opened to the public, I mentioned to my wife that we needed to visit ASAP before it went bankrupt. When we visited during first season, there could not have been more than 500 people in-park. Despite this, the park was open till 1 AM. I'm pretty sure the staff outnumbered the visitors. On a Saturday. In July. This park was constructed with a ridiculous amount of bravado and ignorance of the market they were in. It's literally an example of what not to do in theme park design and management (so much so that it's a case study). This park was an experiment for some industry professionals (who otherwise seem successful) where they were given free reign. Creatives and managers often compromise after butting heads. The creators of this park openly bragged about not being bogged down by such things like the "bean counters" and "pencil pushers" that fans often take issue with. That's a necessary process in this industry. The economic environment nationally and locally was not appropriate for the park. The branding wasn't appropriate. The ride selection wasn't appropriate. The pricing wasn't appropriate. The location wasn't appropriate. The expected attendance wasn't appropriate. Dedicating a massive amount of the park's budget to IP deals wasn't appropriate. Sex jokes, drugs, nudity at a park that had the overwhelming majority of rides built for the under 13 crowd wasn't appropriate. Who puts a $20 million B&M into a place that had less than $100 million for their entire ride budget? Who expects a park that's (way overpredicting) a few million visitors a year to operate from 9-11 during off peak and 9-1am during peak season? The staffing alone would have murdered them even without all of the other missteps. Not even Magic Kingdom (most visited park on earth with 50 times the daily attendance - really 50 times the daily in-park) maintains those hours. Just insanity. Not to pile on, but to say this park was "well themed" is quite generous. Much of the land theming was quite nice, but the rides were barely themed. Even Led Zeppelin had a passable queue, a very good preshow, and then zero theme on the ride. Honestly, the only well executed ride in the entire park was the fantastic Nights in White Satin. And that's rather damning when the manufacturer of that ride does it in-house as a turnkey solution (meaning the park creatives probably had little input). For the armchair imagineers out there- this is what happens when there are no accountants. This is what happens with creatives with no business savvy build and run a theme park without any oversight. I'll stop here, but there's an entire book's worth of park design/management rules that were ignored and an even bigger book of lessons learned.

[@UptownWatta]

You have very valid points... let me ask you this because ive always wondered this. Do you think the name helped kill it? Im a rollercoaster junkie and have been on more than 200 different coasters but im not a big fan of hard rock n roll or of the cheesy hard rock chain so i was never really inclined to go. If the rides were more impressive i may have but they had a run of the mill B&M so its like whatever. But I used to think it would just be filled with blaring rock n roll music. I wouldve probably gave it a shot if it was named freestyle originally... I think the name segregated it a bit

[@dogdayafternoon9551]

I went to this park during their first year. There were barely any visitors and some of the rides were AMAZING! Loved the Led Zep Roller Coaster and the "Nights in White Satin" dark ride

[@creepdotoh]

I remember going to Hard Rock Park when I was 8 and I loved it, and I remember the Bohemian Rhapsody firework show being so awesome

[@mowerdan8133]

Lived in Myrtle Beach when this was open. Watched them build it, did the backstage tour, bought annual passes, went a million times. Then the bad news in the Fall. But enjoyed it as Freestyle the next season. They honored anyone who had HRP annual passes. Was very sad when even THAT park failed. Watched the property sit idle with rumours of reopening. Then watched them dismantle the rides & tear most buildings down.

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

Small correction. While Maximum RPM was rebuilt at Sunpark in Vietnam it never ran!

[@CoasterDave]

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[@davtdv2925]

Please do a toys are us the video

[@CoasterDave]

@@davtdv2925 he only makes videos about theme parks

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

@@davtdv2925 That's a toy store, not an amusement park.

[@pulaski1]

@ Rachel Wilson - You need to check the "Company Man" YT channel.

[@lorihartman886]

We were at Hard Rock Park in July, like the other comments the parking lot was very empty.We had a great time and still talk about it. We rode the Zeppelin coaster several times with no wait. The buildup before the ride and the music timed perfectly made it one of the best experiences I've had on a coaster!! Such a shame, but glad we had the experience. We still drink coffee out of the Zeppelin and Hard Rock mugs that we brought home.

[@falkortechnologies8039]

Used to live in Myrtle Beach right after college. I was fortunate enough to go to this park when it first opened. I went twice more when it changed to Freestyle Music Park. Its a shame it didn't make it...it was a cool little park with a ton of potential - both for the Park and Myrtle Beach. Although I've long moved away now, Myrtle Beach deserves an amusement/theme park to compete with Orlando!

[@bradleyjohnson1702]

Made one trip to this park, man it was really fun my brother and I had a blast. We went back to myrtle beach a few years later intending to visit the park while we were there not realizing it was closed. I always wondered what had happened to it. Now I know.

[@chrisose]

Even without the 2008 crash I am not sure they would have survived. I've done several projects in Myrtle Beach since the mid 90's and successful ventures are designed to supplement the beach, not replace it.

[@sonimatic]

I saw a brochure for this park the first time I went to Six Flags Over Georgia, in one of our hotels. I basically begged my dad to go because of how cool Time Machine looked. We never went, unfortunately. I wish we did, I was tall enough, and unbeknownst to me it'd be our only chance to ever go. Shame.

[@riflyc]

I was lucky enough to visit this park when I was 9 years old during their first (and only) season as Hard Rock. I don't remember much of it, but what I do I remember incredibly fondly. I remember getting an airbrush tattoo in the entry plaza, the Heavy Metal Graveyard, and The Garage Jam play area, which had me scurrying around the lower level collecting foam balls for my father to shoot from an air cannon on the balcony above at unsuspecting guest who didn't know what they were walking into. I remember I was terrified on Nights in White Satin: The Trip, but so badly wish I could go back and ride it again. It truly was an experience. Myrtle Beach could just never sustain something as big as an amusement park, especially one as unique as HRP. I'm certain in another place, at another time, it would've been a hit.

[@ColinG943]

I would’ve loved that park as I’m a classic rock fan.

[@ToastyMcStrudel]

You know those cheesy German restaurants at Disney? Ya that's how authentic this park was like

[@azisles02]

Hard Rock Park would've worked, but it opened as the economy was starting to tank and I'm not sure that the other Park chains weren't on to something when they talked about Myrtle Beach not being a great area for a theme park. In another economy and nother location? It could've worked and been open still to this day.

[@ofclshn]

James King No it couldn’t. A theme park cannot compete with a beach for tourists

[@choo_choo_]

I actually used to pass this skeleton of a park every day on my way to work at, ironically, Hard Rock Cafe. While I don't work there anymore, I still live in the Myrtle Beach area and pass the park consistently. It's less of an eyesore now that the roller-coaster isn't there (so you'd never guess there was a theme park there), but that area is a place you don't want to be caught in at night. The whole area is sketchy. I always wanted to hop the fence and get some pictures, but there was a lot of talk about wild dogs taking over the park. It was apparently a big deal. I doubt anything will come of that area, it's pretty run down now. All that's left is a Medieval Times. Nowadays, all the park is useful for is a parking lot. There were talks of some Chinese company buying the land to turn it into some China themed park geared towards the Chinese tourists coming to America (because that's what they'd want to see when visiting a new country), but I think that fell through for all the obvious reasons.

[@Arksintho]

no wild dogs, just kids smoking weed lol

[@hypnagogue]

imagine going on the trip dark ride while ur on acid. that must have been insane

[@billmiller9332]

it was!

[@FranklinAude]

The most tragic story ever heard is and will remain that of Mirapolis Park in France which closed in 1991 and opened in 1985. It had big problems from its first opening day when fairgrounds arrived to pour nails on the outputs of autauroutes and began to fight against visitors and employees as well as half of the visitors had arrived with fake tickets. Results: the park had huge financial worries and the slightest attempt to attract visitors to the park ended with a powerful failure! If you want to know the saddest story of amusement park, Mirapolis holds the record! You should make a video! :D

[@ExpeditionThemePark]

I will look into it.

[@FranklinAude]

@CHICHI7 Yes

[@LeeGHThomas]

Wtf is up with the French? Didn't they show up to Disney Paris' opening day with fake tickets?

[@FranklinAude]

@@LeeGHThomas No no, they did not come to Disney Park with fake tickets. This is because in Mirapolis, it was just a few feullies of papers that were used to make the entrance tickets and therefore simpler to copy! x)

[@coydog7902]

Fight against the visitors? Mirapolis for smash ultimate!!!!

[@onescentaway]

They should of have just opened up as the Freestyle Music theme park. No licencing fees, royalties, etc. Especially for the Myrtle Beach area, as it would of have been the only theme park in the city. with roller coaster rides with no competition.

[@briancooney9952]

This was a cool park. I never saw it when it was open, however. Me and a few other people were responsible for removing the ride control systems to go with the rides to Vietnam. There were some cool rides there. Removing the Nights in White Satin ride was an absolute nightmare. The building had a leaky roof and lots of drywall partitioning. It had been closed up for a few years when i was there, and the entire ride area was full of black mold. We were all in there for a day, then all called out sick the next day because none of us could breathe. Used masks after that, anytime we were in there. Sadly, i don't think they installed any of that stuff from that ride in the new park. The Ball Pit was a funny thing. I have lots of pictures of signs saying "Place Balls Here" :D The mini cooper ride was the coolest thing i'd ever seen. They installed the ride at the new park but the control system never worked right, even from when the ride was new. So The company i worked for wouldn't reinstall the control system without a redesign, and the vietnam park didn't want to pay for that, so they scrapped it. There were a ton of stray kittens there. I wanted to take this one white one home so bad. It was adorable. But the cats and any of their hideouts were completely flea infested. There was this seriously stupid rent-a-cop working security there. The guy was convinced that i was stealing from the park. He searched my Jeep every damn day when leaving the park. It's a.... JEEP! Can literally see right inside the vehicle, but every day he'd give me a hard time. My boss and my other coworkers would just drive right by him and he didn't care. Then after being on the job for 2 months, one day he's randomly like "I don't want to see that jeep in my park ever again!!!" I only called him rentacop after that, which he did not like.

[@MechaMyth]

I'm so happy you talked about this park. I went with my aunt a few years before she passed from breast cancer. This park means a lot to me. It was so unbelievably fun.

[@lattecatcreations]

I live less than a mile from the abandoned park. Most of the park, besides rides and stuff, is still just sitting there. Even the entrance sign. So bizarre

[@jimthar17]

A damn shame. Looks like it was an amazing and unique park that had a lot of potential. Sad to see something like this go away.

[@brightfurys]

the entrance sign is genius !!!!! shame this is gone now. i wish i could've visited :(

[@metalgeezerdude]

My wife and I took our two daughters (16 and 13) to Hard Rock Park in August of 2008. My main memories are that there were not many people there. We rode all the coasters, including Led Zeppelin the Ride, which I loved. Nothing amazing about the coaster it was quite generic; but impressive for a brand new park. I do remember seeing some parents of smaller children cringing when “Whole Lotta Love” was playing and the point of the song where Robert Plant was in mid orgasmic moans. My impression was that HRP was not a very family-friendly park due to some suggestive music that was played. One great memory was in the British Revolution section. On the top of a roof was a stage and there was a two-piece band from England called “The Fab Two”. I believe they were brothers, one playing keyboards and the other drums. During their set they noticed my Beatles Let It Be shirt and gave a shout-out. All in all, there wasn’t much to the park and we ended up leaving after just a few hours. Certainly not what you would think for a day out at a theme park. I still have the Led Zeppelin the Ride hat that I bought. Amazing and sad how fast the park went under. I would have liked to see the LZ coaster go to another park in the states.

[@sethjones5250]

"Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start And I bet, then you exploded in my heart And I forget, I forget the movie song When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?"

[@brickman409]

Damn, I remember watching a documentary about the construction of this park on like discovery channel or the travel channel or something. I remember them showing the max RPM coaster, I thought it looked really cool. I had no idea they closed less than two years later.

[@KennaLovesGouda]

Omg i remember going as a kid and riding the rollercoaster OVER AND OVER AGAIN. The option to listen to 50's or 60's music was so cool

[@dropthrill]

I visited both years it operated. It was a great park and just had the perfect storm of bad luck. Myrtle Beach Pavilion closed not long before and a lot of locals seemed to resent HRP even though they had nothing to do with each other. It was also in an odd location and hard to drive to. Plus the VIP lounge had a half naked picture of Madonna in the men’s room. Gotta love it.

[@emmablanco378]

Such a sad story, it is a shame that it did not survive and that it just sits there abandoned. I guess it was just bad timing and lack of advertising. Great video Sam!

[@trevorrandom]

Never heard of this park before this very interesting indeed ☺

[@RistrettoReader]

I was a teenager when HRP opened and was hired to work the carnival games as my very first job ever. The Eagles played there live and I could watch and hear it from my spot. It was magical! It was so weird to me at that age that the park failed.

[@carminecdinoproductions]

I want a Hard Rock Park at the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, a new Hard Rock Park somewhere else in South Carolina, a Hard Rock Park in Southern California, and a Hard Rock Park in Las Vegas!

[@itsmandamade8751]

Carmine Crincoli I could see this park work in Las Vegas quite well imo.

[@detroitdiezel7856]

Good Luck!

[@pulaski1]

Hard Rock in Las Vegas, and indeed everywhere else west of the Mississippi (Texas, California, Vancouver, .... and Australia) is an ENTIRELY separate corporation, from the East Coast and European Hard Rock Corporation.

[@goalie2998]

Why?

[@shamelessnjc]

LtCol Pulaski that's not true. All of Hard Rock's properties worldwide are owned by the Seminole Indian tribe of Florida.

[@stevenikazy2943]

Fascinating story and nice drone work. The great recession killed a lot of dreams.

[@minners19]

What a GOOD idea!!! Looks like it was pretty cool! I think Vegas would be a great place for this!

[@JomasterTheSecond]

I've been watching a tonne more theme park videos than I should be, and I've definitely fallen down a rabbit hole... but I've decided to re-watch this vid of yours and I've fallen in love with this content.

[@jt8162]

I LOVE the entrance sign, "here we are now, entertain us!"

[@Steven0sborne]

I visited the park while it was still Hard rock. I still own the t-shirt and light up drumsticks I purchased while I was there. They’re now collectors items.

[@moonbunnychan]

South of the Border last time I was there was selling Hard Rock Park merch. I figure they found it in a warehouse somewhere or something. This was not all that long ago too, maybe 2 years at most.

[@jeffeffery8181]

21:40 Feels Bad. That was the most genuine intentions for a park and the damn place died

[@op3r4tic]

i don't know why I keep watching these. I keep getting excited halfway through about these parks and wanting to go, and then remembering it's expedition for a reason! Great video

[@andresmatt7326]

Lmao I was in Characters, and met Jon Binkowski. Very nice guy honestly, a little too ambitious and a little full of himself, but he definitely puts a lot of heart and soul into his projects from what I remember.

[@dabunnyman9133]

Sounds like it was a great park, might've been a mistake calling it Hard Rock as the restaurant chain started getting a bit of a ripoff rep.

[@TreadwellJay]

Moody Blues made a new recording of Nights in White Satin just for this attraction.

[@heru-deshet359]

What a freaking shame! I was there many years ago, going to hard rock cafe, the restaurants around the lagoon, the attractions, et al. Said I would go back with the family, but didn't. It's like the end of an era.

[@toeletsgo69]

I went with my family before the park officially opened. It was during a trial period, I was probably 16 at the time. The knights in white satin ride was truly sublime, and of course the led zeppelin coaster was one of my favorite coasters I've ever ridden. I still have the picture from the ride in my wallet to this day. The fireworks show at the end of the day was the icing on the cake. One of my favorite memories spent with my family. This could have been an amazing park had it stayed open and continued to expand. I'm lucky I got to experience it, but was devastated to see it go.

[@RistrettoReader]

Yes!! Bohemian Rhapsody! It was a great fireworks/laser show and I had never seen anything like it at that time.

[@TheVloggerDude2018]

I drove past this a couple of years ago. I remember it looked rock n roll but I didn’t know it was a hard rock park. I had a great look at some Of the coaster parts. Really cool idea but destined to fail. Rock n roll isn’t as big as it used to be

[@BobDaLoony96]

I’ve been waiting for this video!! I went to both iterations of this park when it was open and I absolutely LOVED it!!! I still have some merchandise with the Hard Rock Park logo and I cherish it because it’s gone. Thank You for such a fantastic video on a great part of my childhood!!

[@joeymaurath2422]

This was my favorite park. The attitude was awesome. After a single visit, I was ready to leave Florida and start anew to go work for the park the second year. Sadly, that never happened. Roadies stunt show, the Kiss Family Bears, Led Zeppelin, Nights in White Satin all were amazing. A few stand outs are not mentioned in this video. Garage Jam, was a multi-story foam ball playground. On my visit we found out it was a short cut from born in the USA to British Invasion. We used this "short cut" at least 3 times and every time it tooks us at least a half an hour to get out. It was just that much fun and as soon as you were beamed with a foam ball you just had to join.For those that mentioned that there was no Hard Rock Café inside, never fear the food was spectacular everywhere. Personal favorite was our dinner location. The sit down "Alice's Restaurant" of Arlo Guthrie fame. In the same plaza as Moody Blues the food was amazing and the service too. Great Meals was also a fabulous place to eat. The tongue in cheek name and sign made me laugh every time I saw it. Complete sophomore humor, but what more could you expect.Hard Rock Park also tried to teach you things too. Scattered throughout the park were small signs called "Riff Notes". These signs were quick little facts about the music industry. I tried to find as many as I could to read.The theme was great, the staff was amazing, at least 6 different locations to see live music everyday, great food. It was a sad day when I heard it was going to close. Only made worse when I heard it was gone forever.

[@jimmypawlowski6918]

To me, this is the coolest defunct park out there, and I really wish it was still around today

[@AJ17_]

I'm still sad I never got to experience this park. That Moody Blues ride looked totally insane and awesome. I visited Myrtle Beach several times in the late 80s/early 90s and always had a great time. Back then, there was an amusement park right across from the beach called The Pavilion Amusement Park, as it was across the street from The Pavilion live entertainment venue. Opened way back in 1948 and closed in 2006. It was a pay-per-ride type park, but they also sold wristbands for unlimited rides. They had a couple coasters, log ride, and lots of flat rides, including an indoor Scrambler ride (they'd run it in the dark and had flashing lights and blaring music during the ride cycle).

[@PrincessAshly]

So sad to see, it really looked like a great park. Terrible to see it try and start at such a bad time. If it had started at any other time and had better advertising at the start it would have been still here today.

[@tylergeorge43]

I visited it while it was hard rock park and loved it. I still bring it up every time i go to Myrtle beach

[@astro_karbowski]

My wife and I live in Charlotte NC and we drive down to Myrtle Beach quite often for a fun overnight trip, we walk around these grounds all the time and never really realized what it was. Cool video!

[@jamesanderson3160]

Awesome video brother! I actually went to the park back in 2008 and really enjoyed it! You should also check out the Pavilion Amusement Part in Myrtle Beach. It’s a really interesting extinct park with a lot of history!

[@fredl.7696]

I absolutely love the concept, too bad the park closed!

[@kookyinthecoconuts]

My family went to this place when it was open and had a blast, it's still one of the best theme parks I ever went to. The only advertisement we saw for the place was the billboards, and luckily my family took enough interest to follow them and go to the park! Thinking back it was not very busy with little to no lines for most rides. Loved every minuet though, especially the queue and ride for the Led Zepplin roller coaster. ALSO they had a water harp that when you ran your fingers through it it played stairway to heaven at the gates of the Rock and Roll Heaven area. There were all sorts of cool little details like that all over the park. It's so bizarre to have been somewhere that's now an official closed/abandoned location, trippy.

[@Pokemongal9]

I actually went to the park twice ! My mom and I loved everything the park had to offer and we still lament the fall of the park. It was an immersive experience and the rides were genuinely fun! I wish someone would pick this idea for a rock and roll amusement park back up and do something with it in a more lucrative time... the recession hitting as the park came out just was a nail in the coffin from the get go despite how put together the park was, the timing was all off... depressing...

[@PoseidonXIII]

Myrtle Beach does make a lot of sense for a theme park, tourism is big there.

[@doseofsoul]

Family Kingdom is still here,The Pavilion closed because Hard Rock Park opened.They threatened City Council and County Council with closure if they let the park open.....the city and county didn't have the balls to tell Burroughs and Chapin that they would cancel their tax exemptions when they threatened them..B&C has the most land down here.

[@ToastyMcStrudel]

@@doseofsoul family kingdom works because they actually know how to run a damn business, plus they have a water park and they're both built along the beach where people go no tourists comes inland besides locals there's a line here before it's just another town

[@thegodfather1560]

The Pavillion didnt close because of Hard Rock.. that was just a smokescreen. B&C had planned to close it for years to force oceanfront tourism inland to Broadway at the Beach. They also wanted to force the mom and pop oceanfront hotel to sell them their property for pennies. B&C is a scumbag company and Myrtle is as corrupt as they come.

[@Mark_Aaron]

As a resident of myrtle beach, I dont understand why we're so popular. All we have is shitty putt putt golf and the beach. Doesnt make much sense to me.

[@alexisw6764]

You speak the truth. 100% If it's not a B&C project it has a hard time getting green lit.

[@brteller]

It's really sad, this park fascinates me more than any defunct park. I got the pleasure of visiting it during it's very short peak the first July it was open. All the details were incredible, the rides were solid and it had so much potential if only given a few more years. It was such a bold concept, but even with the adult themes it had this charm. The locals really wanted this park to work and the customer service and employee interactions were all spot on. It never was going to work as Freestyle Music Park and if Hard Rock would of given the new owners a fair shot with the brand and it didn't have big corportaions fighting to shut it down. It would of done great, the park deserved more, the economy deserved better and the people behind this actually knew what they were doing. This park wasn't a "get rich quick" scheme, it was a park made with love and care to build something special that was almost perfect built at the worst time ever. I always wished it would be branded back to Hard Rock and get the credit it deserved, but no one wanted to rough the storm and everyone lost something special for it.

[@alyssamoser4012]

This makes me so sad. I've been there twice and I really wish it could have made it through those first few years. I had wonderful experiences and it's an all around nostalgic feeling. The rides were amazing and all of the workers were great. Great music and live performances plus amazing rides! Makes me wish I could go back one more time lol.

[@notpopeye]

A possible tie-in here with either Retail Archeology, Bright Sun Films Abandoned series, or Dan Bell's Dead Mall series.

[@AirtimeThrills]

I graduated college in 2009, I know how hard it was out there after the financial collapse. I bet if it were built 3 years earlier it could have survived

[@bltvd]

I like how they call it the “freestyle music” park without any reference to actual freestyle music! Where is Pretty Tony: THE RIDE?

[@jamesr5543]

I went as a 14 year old kid. I remember a BMI show at the park and vaguely a tennis ball shooting area for kids. The Led Zeppelin coaster was very fun and the park didn’t have crazy long rides. It had a few things pop up around it like concert venues and bars that I visited later on in my travels to dirty myrtle

[@danloosen8358]

There were many other issues thay the park had that led it down bankruptcy. The park was projecting attendance figures equal to or greater than the top Six Flags parks of the day, and while Mrytle Beach had thirteen million visitors, their blind faith that everyone would just show up ended up being their undoing. Parks with more to offer in large cities had trouble getting half their projections. Additionally, they spent money putting it together acting like 10k+ a day would be easy and assured, even with barely any marketing. When others would point out the issues, they were dismissed as not understanding the industry. It was doomed, and while it sure looked neat and I wish I could have gone, it's success would have ultimately been a bad thing for the industry.

[@JustOutnAbout]

Been waiting for this video!! I personally did not visit, as I didn't realize we had such a short time to do it in! Lol... But Cathy and her family did visit the opening weekend of Hard Rock park. Pretty cool info! ~Dawn

[@detroitdiezel7856]

Who is Cathy?

[@JustOutnAbout]

@@detroitdiezel7856 we (Dawn and Cathy) both do our KZbin channel. ~Dawn

[@Avacado_Official]

Thank you so much for making this video! I went to the Hard Rock Park when it first opened and adored it. It was a shame it was shut down :(

[@CC-tg6sb]

I had the chance to visit about 2 weeks before it closed. They were giving out discount coupons for $9.99 gate fee. We pretty much had the park to ourselves and rode everything. It was a well done park, just in the wrong location at the wrong time.