Hard rock park?

I had planned on a family vacation next year to Myrtle Beach and going to the Hard rock park. My kids really enjoy Williamsburg, not for the history but for Busch Gardens and Water Country. I read over the weekend that Hard Rock filed chapter 11. Though they do expect to open next spring. I assume with high gas prices and the economy the way it is not many people did that much driving this past summer. My question is how does the Hard Rock park measure up to Busch Gardens and coming from NJ is it worth the extra distance to travel to instead of going back to Williamsburg. Thanks.

Hard rock park?

Definitely plan a trip to MB, but not for Hard Rock Point. You can read much on this forum that leads me to believe it%26#39;s kinda lame, especially in regard to rides.

If I were you, I%26#39;d seriously consider Kings Dominion in Richmond. Good park.

Hard rock park?

Thanks for the reply, We have done Kings Dominion and really enjoyed it. Looking to try another park this year something that will combine a beach vacation for my older daughter with an amusement park for the younger two. I think i will most likely still give MB a shot this summer but was wnderig if the HR compared to other parks.

Yes, that%26#39;s a tough combo to find. I%26#39;m just counting the minutes until CoasterMeister weighs in on this topic. Until then, try this great Google map of USA theme parks to explore your options.

Don%26#39;t discount smaller, less commercial parks. Many of those can give you a great day of ride enjoyment that%26#39;ll rival any of the the big parks.

Oops. Here%26#39;s the link to that map.

www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/200704/326/

Wow. Forget that last map. This one is far better and seems to include any park that%26#39;s worth a day of your time:

coasterimage.com/mapindex/map-north-america-鈥?/a>

namato1- Being from NJ I assume you are aware of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. There are also several small, quaint seaside parks along the Jersey Shore that we have enjoyed. I can%26#39;t say the Jersey Beaches are impressive though.

HRP is no comparison to Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens in my opinion. While HRP did some things right they missed the mark on price point. A gate admission of around $30 would have been about right for what they were offering.

You didn%26#39;t mention the ages of the younger kids in your family but I would suggest Family Kingdon in Myrtle Beach can provide a good time for the entire family for an evening and at an affordable price. The have a good mix of rides for adults and kids including the famous Swamp Fox coaster. An armband is around $23 and covers all but the race cars.

MB has a lot to offer in various shows, miniature golf, dining and shopping.

Thanks Coastermeister, being from Jersey we do Six Flags all the time and like to try other parks for vacation. My children are 8,11,15 and love roller coasters. Sounds like we will give MB a try this year.

namato1, For what it%26#39;s worth, we tried something new this past summer and it was better than we expected. We visited the west coast of Michigan and it was great. You can enjoy the crystal clear water of Lake Michigan, great beaches and experience some of the most impressive sand dunes you%26#39;ll ever see. Such a pleasure have the beach experience without saltwater. We%26#39;ll be going again next summer. Same distance as going to Myrtle but totally different.

Along the way we also made stops and hit 3 different amusement parks. A great vacation. You can check the park map to see what%26#39;s available, but I know for sure you%26#39;ll find this park just 5 miles inland from the shore:

http://www.miadventure.com/

And you%26#39;d also be driving right by the coaster mecca:

http://www.cedarpoint.com/

Perhaps this is something to consider? Message me if I can be of any help.

If HRP opens next year and you decide to go I would suggest not going early in the morning. Other than the rides there is nothing else to do until late afternoon when the entertainment gets started. Unless something is very different from this past season I wouldn%26#39;t expect to see any crowds in 2009 either. I%26#39;m betting not many people will be willing to take a risk on a seasons pass for 2009.

By the way- We were in Ocean City, MD this summer as well and thought it was interesting. We like the small seaside parks that places like that offer but again can%26#39;t say we thought much of the beach itself. I%26#39;m glad we went as it%26#39;s a real piece of Americana but not a place we would go to again for a long time. I don%26#39;t think things change there very much.

Coaster, we considered going to OC next year for vacation. However, my kids, and myself, all wanted to go back to MB since there is still so much there that we did not get to do. Maybe someday we will get to OC, but after your post, I am sure it will be towards the bottom of our list. We like the ocean down south too much now.