Plans in place for North Myrtle Beach amusement park

Property owner wants to build up nearly-empty lot with old-time family amusements; could be fully operational by next summer

By: Rusty Ray | SCNow
Published: April 15, 2009

Old-time family amusements could be on the way to one piece of prime real estate in North Myrtle Beach.
H.G. Worley, owner of the Ocean Drive Beach Resort, wants to work with Wild Water and Wheels owner Mark Lazarus to bring in old-time amusement park rides like a ferris wheel, a carousel, and even a small roller coaster, and place them on his property in the block between Main Street and First Avenue South.
The plan is to have the rides open by August, and to use that month as test run of sorts.
Lazarus said customers would only be charged per ride.
"If they want to come and just walk and look around, they can," Lazarus said.
Benny Visan operates the beachwear store right across the street from the property.
He said he wondered how long it would take to bring in some sort of attraction to the nearly-empty lot in the block.
"(It) can really do well for tourists here," he said.
But Visan worries that one issue could hamper the park's success on a very local level.
"The question is going to be: where are these people going to park?" he said. "If they can find a solution for that, then most definitely they should go for it."
Lazarus expects zoning amendments to go for a first reading before the North Myrtle Beach Planning Commission on May 5th.
If all goes well this season, Lazarus and Worley hope to open the park for next tourist season in May 2010.