If your vacation isn’t complete without a thrill, Myrtle Beach has you covered. While you can find plenty of places to relax on the Grand Strand, you can find just as many places for thrills and chills – check out these Myrtle Beach amusement parks before your next room or suite at Dayton House:
Family Kingdom Amusement Park
Family Kingdom is a coastal icon and one of the most popular amusement parks in Myrtle Beach. As the name suggests, this park is fun for the whole family – from a section of the park just for kids to the big coasters fit for teens and adults, there are nearly 40 rides at Family Kingdom. One of the most well-known Family Kingdom rides is the Swamp Fox, a wooden coaster constructed in 1966 whose track takes riders as high as 72 feet in the air.
Tips for Visiting Family Kingdom
Admission to Family Kingdom is totally free. Guests can purchase individual ride credits, or go for a wristband that gives you all-day access to the rides. If you don’t use all of the ride credits you purchase, you can use them on your next visit – they never expire! Stay and play all day, or come and go with the purchase of a wristband. Tasty food and refreshing drinks are available for purchase onsite.
Family Kingdom is a seasonal amusement park in Myrtle Beach, with an operating season that follows the tourism peak in the summer. The park is open from early April through September, though exact dates vary.
Myrtle Waves Water Park
Myrtle Waves is the largest water park in the area and one of the largest in South Carolina. This Myrtle Beach amusement park features over 30 water slides, a 330,000 gallon lazy river, South Carolina’s largest ocean wave pool, two play areas for the kids, and more. There is a picnic area available just outside of the park’s main entrance where guests are welcome to enjoy a picnic lunch, or head inside for a tasty meal at Island Cafe or Sharkey’s Snack Shack, serving up park classics like hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, pizza, chicken tenders, and more plus ice cream desserts.
Tips for Visiting Myrtle Waves Water Park
Tickets to Myrtle Waves can be purchased online or onsite, with certain ticket types only available in person. Myrtle Waves is a seasonal water park in Myrtle Beach that is typically open from early May through mid-September. Season passes for 2025 go on sale on Black Friday 2024.
There are multiple types of cabanas available for rent at Myrtle Waves. From the well-appointed Luau Lounge to casual poolside cabanas, all cabanas include bottled water, souvenir cups, and discounts on food and drink.
Guests can stay and enjoy the park all day, or come and go as long as their wristband stays on. Locker rentals are available to minimize guests having to come in and out of the park and maximize time spent having fun!
WonderWorks Myrtle Beach
WonderWorks Myrtle Beach blends fun and education in their whacky “upside down” building at Broadway at the Beach. There are over 100 hands-on exhibits to enjoy, including a roller coaster simulator and an adventure area with a ropes course, laser tag, and more. Blow human-sized bubbles in the Bubble Lab, experience zero gravity in the Astronaut Training Gyro, feel hurricane-force winds, and so much more while discovering the science behind it all at this thrilling Myrtle Beach amusement park.
Tips for Visiting WonderWorks Myrtle Beach
There is an indoor/outdoor cafe at WonderWorks, offering sandwiches, snacks, pizzas, and more. The cafe seats 100 and isn’t limited to WonderWorks patrons, but is available to all guests at Broadway at the Beach.
It typically takes between 3 and 4 hours to tour WonderWorks, but guests are welcome to take as long as they like. The last ticket is sold one hour before closing. There is ample free parking available at Broadway at the Beach where WonderWorks is located.
The Fun Plaza
The Fun Plaza has been serving Myrtle Beach for over 80 years. This large arcade is home to a great blend of vintage and modern games, from skee ball and water shooting games to Call of Duty and more. Tickets won are loaded onto a card to keep prize exchanges seamless and easy, adding to the allure of this seaside amusement park.
Tips for Visiting The Fun Plaza
The Fun Plaza is located on the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, one of the Grand Strand’s most popular places for shopping, dining, and entertainment. Plan to spend a few hours exploring the boardwalk!
Broadway at the Beach
Broadway at the Beach is one of the most popular places to visit in Myrtle Beach, offering some of the best dining, entertainment, and shopping opportunities in the Grand Strand. Home to icons like WonderWorks, the Pavilion Park Fun Park, Ripley’s Aquarium, the Pavilion Park Action Park, TopGolf, and more, this entertainment complex offers just as much food and shopping as it does fun – with nearly 50 restaurants and over 80 shops, groups often spend an entire day exploring Broadway at the Beach.
Tips for Visiting Broadway at the Beach
There is ample free parking at Broadway at the Beach, nearly surrounding the entire complex and concentrated near higher-traffic areas like Ripley’s Aquarium and WonderWorks. Map out where you’re likely to end your day and park nearby.
Broadway at the Beach hosts all kinds of events throughout the year, from Halloween trick or treating to 4th of July fireworks and various times in between. The fireworks at Broadway at the Beach are a Myrtle Beach tradition – check out their event calendar and plan a slightly later evening out to account for the fireworks and traffic leaving afterward.
When it comes to thrills in this coastal town, there are plenty of Myrtle Beach amusement parks to choose from. From iconic wooden coasters and bumper cars to roller coaster simulators and laser tag, the opportunities for fun are endless – and with a home base at Dayton House Resort, you’re just minutes from the most exciting attractions Myrtle Beach has to offer.