I’m thinking today that maybe Thomas Etheredge’s amusement park idea wasn’t so hot after all.
According to the Associated Press, attorneys for Hard Rock Myrtle Beach Holdings LLC have filed for liquidation bankruptcy, eight months after the $400 million 55-acre amusement park opened. The park was the biggest single investment ever in South Carolina tourism.
Last month, the park was auctioned but no bidder who could pay at least the opener of $35 million, or about 9 cents on the dollar, emerged.
In the words of the immortal Yogi Berra, “It’s like deja vu all over again.”
4 Comments
I’ve heard, but I haven’t checked it out to verify it, but the word is that most, if not all, amusement parks are loosing money.
Too much entertainment on the tube, Internet and Xbox I guess.
In this economy, even the well-conceived parks aren’t doing well.
Not to mention the ill-conceived ones …
I believe that part of the issue with Hard Rock and most amusement parks is the admission costs. We were in Myrtle Beach the weekend they had a “soft” opening. The park was open from 6 pm – 11 pm (just 5 hours) and admission was $50.00 per person which was their regular daily rate)!
It is an awesome looking park with the great roller coasters visible from the highway…just like the industry says is important…but too many other choices in the area and the cost to take a family. We wanted to go to the park, but the cost just shotdown those plans. So it is much more economical to stay home with the kids and play x-box, etc.! Or if you take the kids on a vacation, choice of what to do, and the bang-for-the-buck comes in to play! I think Wild West is a done project. Too bad someone didn’t pick up Joyland and fix it up…makes me so sad to see it off of I-135 and thinking how this family fun park is dead.
Tell me a little more about the SC park. What was there to motivate such an excessive admission price?