36. Thrill Rides
The handful of thrill rides around the Grand Strand are not for the faint of heart, or for those who faint. They’re for a special breed of people — adrenaline junkies, risk-takers, those out to push the limits of things. Whether you want to zoom through the sky, go way up into the air in a small glass box, or ride an old-school rollercoaster than feels like it could come of the tracks at any moment (it won’t), Myrtle Beach has the perfect thing for the thrill-seekers among us. Whether you want to zoom through the sky, go way up into the air in a small glass box, or ride an old-school rollercoaster than feels like it could come of the tracks at any moment (it won’t), Myrtle Beach has the perfect thing for the thrill-seekers among us. To be clear, these rides cheat death. For some people, life is scary enough as it is and their feet are most comfortable on the ground. But for those who are willing to take the risk, the rewards can make for memories that last a lifetime.
Riders go up in pairs on this vertical journey into the air. Strap in, hang on, and prepare to be vaulted 300 feet into the air at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour before coming down and going back up like a bouncy ball. The Slingshot is also sort of controllable, so a team effort can spin the ride around in mid-air, adding to the dizzying effect. And there’s a camera mounted to the ride that shows the people back on Earth the priceless expressions on riders’ faces.
Not your ordinary adrenaline-ride, this giant two-ended propeller takes people around and around and upside down, reaching heights of 160 feet and speeds of 55 miles per hour. Like the Slingshot, a camera is attached to the propeller to capture the whole two minutes on video, which is available for purchase afterwards.
This old wooden roller coaster (one of only four in the state) is so famous that it has its own Wikipedia page. Built in 1966, The Swamp Fox is a rougher ride than the coasters currently being built, a 2,400-foot figure-eight-style track that takes riders up and down while reaching speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. Here’s a bit of local knowledge – the track gets faster at night as the old parts loosen up.
This new addition to the skyline is quickly becoming a Myrtle Beach landmark. At 187 feet, this mammoth Ferris Wheel is one of the tallest in the country (third, as of early 2015). Riders will not reach the speeds that they would on the other thrill rides, but this spin is more about the views from inside the glass-windowed gondolas as it ascends and descends in front of the ocean.
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