Hard Rock Park: The Rise And Fall Of A Rock Legend

Theme parks have always been a staple of the leisure and entertainment industries for centuries across the world. However it is also a fact that running a park comes with many challenges.

Some succeed and some don't.
Today we are going to look into a park that was somewhere in the middle of that, having a very short life, running for only one season, but with so much potential!

Its time to look into the rise and fall of Hard Rock Park...

In The Beginning: 

A plot of land was found by Myrtle Beach (MB), which was set to be a big enough space to hold a theme park.
The idea of having a theme park in MB was a seemingly profitable one, due to the fact that MB was a highly popular vacation destination, which,  in the spring and summer could attract up to 19 Million Visitors, a year!

Clearly a theme park within this tourist heaven would be ideal!

So Fantasy Harbour was created, concepts were drawn and plans were pitched.

However money was limited, the park needed a significant operator or IP to attach themselves to the park. But with major parks being not too far from the area, many of these operators and brands, were not interested.

Then Hard Rock was contacted..

So through an exchange of emails and a sudden re-think. The creators came up with Hard Rock Park.
Luckily one of the creators of behind the park, had previous connections within Hard Rock's business team, as a result of this, they were able to pitch the idea to the heads of the company.

With more concept art being drawn up and so much excitement, the project was green lit by Hard Rock and the construction process began.

The Park: 

So the park was created, but what did it look like? What was the layout? what shows and attractions could be found within? 

Well lets take a look... 

The park followed a classic layout. 

An entrance plaza, filled with stores, coffee shops, info points and a bridge that some what resembled a similar style to that seen at Disney. 

The bridge acted as a sort of mask, blocking the view of the rest of the park, until you pass through it.

This is what is known as the curtain effect, it was originally used within the Disney parks to hide the view of the castle from the outside. 

While Hard Rock Park didn't have a castle, it did have a giant Gibson guitar! 

Once through the bridge the park was sprawled around a lake, in a standard circular layout, with that giant Gibson Guitar as the centre piece for the park. 

Starting from the left, let's walk around the park. 

First was Cool Country.  An area themed to all things revolving around country music.

The Key ride here being ' Eagles - Life In The Fast Lane' a Vekoma mine train coaster. 

With impressive theming and soundtrack to match, this ride was the crown of this area. 

 

The key entertainment here, was a popular Ice skating show, featuring great set pieces and choreography all set to a rocking country beat. This show actually was so popular it won awards that year! 

 

Continuing our journey around the park, once you exited Cool Country, you would enter...

Rock & Roll Heaven! 

This was the feature land of the entire park!

It was pristine, beautifully maintained and was home to the premier attraction. 

Led Zeppelin - The Ride. 

This was the park's huge 150ft B&M Coaster, with some impressive elements, such as a vertical loop, zero g roll, and a even cobra roll all wrapped up in one experience! 

you could perhaps pit this coaster against the ever popular Hulk at universal's Island's Of Adventure, but thats a debate for another time! 

Once through here, we cross the bridge, over the lake, to....

 The British Invasion. 

Inspired by the musical greats form the UK, this area featured, some flats, shows and awesome theming. 

However, unlike the other areas in the park, it had two feature attractions. 

First was Maximum RPM, a family coaster by Premier Rides, that featured a Ferris wheel lift hill. 

The other was Nights in White Satin. This was an impressive dark ride themed to the famous British group Moody Blues. 

The Attraction was based around having 'A Trip'. 

Developed and Produced by Sally Dark Rides, this was the most ambitious attraction of the park. 

The next stop on our tour is Lost In The 70s. 

This is an indoor area featuring cafes, restaurants and a few flats, this perhaps was the least impressive of all the areas, however I'm sure it was a nice retreat from the blistering heat of the summer sun in MB. 

Finally we come to 'Born In The USA'. 

This was another large area of the park, featuring a Jr coaster, some flats and the infamous statue of liberty! 

It was also home to the park's inverted hanging coaster by Premier Rides, 'Slippery When Wet'. 

A interesting take on a classic glider, providing great views of the park and the coastline! 

So there we have it, a quick tour of the once great park. Unfortunately however things didn't end on such a rosey note for this park... 

The Fall Of Hard Rock Park: 

So with so many good areas, theming, award winning shows and fantastic attractions, why did this park fall into despair? 

Well unfortunately it was down to simply that 2008 was a very hard year. 

The park had rising bills and debts, with less crowds coming to MB, due to the financial dip within the year. 

Within Just 4 months of the park's opening, they started to make cuts, ending shows and dropping ticket prices. 

But unfortunately this still didn't help. 

Finally within the later part of 2008, Hard Rock Park, filed for bankruptcy. 

Hard Rock, dropped the licence and branding, including any association to the park. 

The heads of the company, had no option but to close it's gates for good... 

In the years after, the park was bought out in an attempt to salvage what was there. 

Hard Rock Park was re-named as Freestyle Music Park, the rides and attractions still lived on, but with none of the previous branding or band references. 

However, even this only lasted for a short time, as Freestyle Music Park closed down, towards the end of the season in 2009. 

The park still lays abandoned today, and is a sad reminder of what can happen within the theme park and immersive entertainment industry. 

Overview:

I know I didn't cover everything, and was slightly brief on the nitty gritty details, however this article is intended to be an overview of the events that occurred and the content of the park itself.

From one enthusiast to another, I highly recommend you take a deeper look of your own, there is a load of information out there, including some great youtube videos. It really is a remarkable story! 

But for now, thats my take on it! 

Did you ever get the chance to visit Hard Rock Park? Do you think Hard Rock could ever make a theme park comeback? 

Leave a comment below, or find us on our Insta @coastersamblog

Keep your eyes peeled on our socials and website for more upcoming articles this week! 

Until Next Time, See ya! 

Sam x