Hard Rock pricey but 'whole lotta' fun

MYRTLE BEACH — It probably won't take long for this place to get crowded, especially when the hordes from up North start arriving for summer vacation.

Tyrone Walker
The Post and Courier

Riders watch a Led Zeppelin video before heading out on the thrill-packed Led Zeppelin — The Ride, Hard Rock Park's signature roller coaster.

Hard Rock Park, a $400 million rock-'n'-roll theme park off U.S. Highway 501 in Myrtle Beach, has been partially open since mid-April and "officially" since May 9. But last Thursday, it felt more like Ghost Town on the Strand than the newest theme park in America. There seemed to be three times as many staffers at the 140-acre park as there were guests.

But Charleston.net videographer Geoff Marshall and I weren't complaining, especially on a sunny, breezy day out of the office. We practically had the run of the place.

After a relatively pricey sandwich and fries lunch ($9), we beelined it to the park's mac-daddy roller coaster: Led Zeppelin — The Ride.

With no crowds, we walked right to the front to wait for the ride to start. As with much of the park, the ride is as much about rock history as it is about the ride itself. An enclosed waiting area starts with a short history of the rock band Led Zeppelin. As concert footage starts, the walls surrounding you turn into an image of a concert scene.

After a six-minute flick is done, the doors ahead open and you walk into a Zeppelin airship structure and get into the roller coaster. As it starts, speakers in the coaster seats crank up Led Zep's "Whole Lotta Love" as the coaster pulls out of the airship, straight up 15 stories for a phenomenal gut-in-your-throat drop, followed by several corkscrews and turns. The whole ride lasts two minutes and, like most roller-coaster rides, leaves you wanting more.

Video

David Quick gets out to the new Hard Rock theme park that's just opened up in Myrtle Beach Watch »

With no lines, we go back two more times, enduring two more replays of the Led Zep story and G forces that left us dazed and confused for the next hour or so.

For amusement-park ride junkies, however, Led Zeppelin — The Ride may be the only adrenaline rush in the park.

Hard Rock Park, it should be noted, is more of a theme park. There are plenty of other rides and even roller coasters, such as Maximum RPM, which was not open last Thursday, and the Eagles Life in the Fast Lane, but Hard Rock Park's strength lies in its consistency of theme: rock music grouped loosely into the genres of Rock 'n' Roll Heaven, British Invasion, Lost in the '70s and Cool Country.

It will certainly satisfy most mainstream rock fans of all ages.

"The atmosphere is wicked (good)," says 24-year-old Beth Morgan of Alexandria, Va., who was visiting with her boyfriend, J.R. Heater. "They definitely succeeded in creating a park for rock fans. ... It's rock history."

Rock 'n' roll threads its way through the park from its rides to its architecture, restaurants, stages, shops, kids activities and an ambitious schedule of performances. Attractions are dedicated to single bands, performers or entire genres of music, such as the Eagles roller coaster, Kids Rock! State Park climbing wall and the Heavy Metal Graveyard.

A small water park, Reggae River Falls, features a massive bucket overhead. Water pours into the bucket until it's full, then dumps the water, causing a spectacular gush of water over those below.

The cleverness of the park's designers shows not only in its signature landmarks, such as a massive Gibson Les Paul Sunburst guitar rising above a centerpiece lake, but in its details. For example, at Reggae River Falls, songs piped throughout the park are simultaneously converted into a steel drum version in speakers in the park. The Eagles roller coaster is boarded inside a barnlike structure. As you wait for the ride, the silhouetted images of rats running are projected onto to a wall ahead of you.

Hard Rock Park also seems to walk the fine line of balancing the "sex-and-drugs" aspects of rock with a family-friendly environment, as hard as that may seem. Sexy "palace guards" greet those entering a British Invasion-themed section of the park that includes the Magic Mushroom Garden kiddie ride and Nights in White Satin — The Trip, perhaps my second favorite attraction (Led Zeppelin — The Ride is hard to beat).

Tyrone Walker
The Post and Courier

Hard Rock Park's signature roller coaster takes you 15 stories high and loops six times at 65 mph, all set to Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love."

Nights in White Satin is a 3-D psychedelic journey through the Moody Blues song on a two-person chair that takes you through the indoor attraction. Images shoot out at you and appear in midair. At one point, the chair spins and a giant smoke ring is shot into your face. Very cool. And you certainly don't have to be in an altered state of mind to enjoy it.

One of the major downfalls of the park is its price. It's $50 per person, including children, that includes admission to most rides and attractions.

I talked to one family, two 30-something parents with two young kids from Chicago, after an ice show they described as "so-so." The father whipped out the receipt for admission — $217 — and nodded with disappointment. The mother noted that they had to pay $5 more for the kids to climb on the Kids Rock! State Park climbing wall.

The father added, "In Chicago, we have Six Flags Great America that is twice as big and only costs $35 per person."

But when it comes to vacation, many people ignore price.

Six women, all related, were on their first-ever, all-girls family trip to Myrtle Beach and made Hard Rock Park their first stop. They think it will be a hit, in part, because it offers something for everyone, including "watching the guys in Speedos" at the Malibu Beach Party show.

"I like that there's more to do than just rides," says Nicole Grimes, 21, of Genesee, Pa. "This is much better than your typical amusement park."

IF YOU GO

Tyrone Walker
The Post and Courier

Palace Guards Jennifer Hooks and Kathryn Borshak provide both British flair and sex appeal at the entrance to the British Invasion section of Hard Rock Park. The section includes the London Cab Ride, Queen's Head Pub and the Maximum RPM roller coaster.

Hard Rock Park, the world's only rock-'n'-roll theme park, has opened in Myrtle Beach off U.S. 501, near Medieval Times and the former Waccamaw Pottery outlet center.

GETTING THERE: From Charleston, take U.S. Highway 17 to S.C. 544 (Dick Pond Road) toward Conway. Take S.C. 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) north to Myrtle Beach. Take the Myrtle Beach Exit.

COST: $50 per person. Children ages 3 and under are free.

HOURS: The park opens at 10 a.m. and has various closing times 6 p.m.-1 a.m. (Consult the Web site). From June 7-Aug. 31, it will be open 10 a.m.-1 a.m. (the next day) every day.

ATTRACTIONS: Roller coasters (Led Zeppelin — The Ride, Maximum RPM, Eagles Life in the Fast Lane, Shake Rattle 'n' Rollercoaster), shows (Roadies Stunt Show, Malibu Beach Park, Country on the Rocks, BMX Rocks), kids activities (Reggae River Falls water park, London Cab Ride, Magic Mushroom Garden, Kids Rock! State Park climbing wall and ropes course), food (Amp'd coffee shop, Taste of Paradise tiki restaurant, Rockabilly BBQ and The Cod Piece Fish 'n' Chips) and band performances (George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic on May 23, the Eagles and Moody Blues on June 2-3, respectively, and Sister Hazel on July 4).

MORE INFO: hardrockpark.com.

Reach David Quick at 937-5516 or dquick@postandcourier.com.