The first cool morning on the Grand Strand arrives without ceremony. The humidity thins out overnight, the sea oats behind the dunes stop leaning so hard, and by the time the sun clears the water the air has a dry edge to it that was not there a week earlier. Families who have been coming to Cherry Grove Beach for twenty years know that morning. It is the one that makes everybody start talking about pumpkins.

Fall along this coast is a strange and wonderful hybrid season. The ocean is still warm enough to swim in through most of October, the rental rates drop, the crowds thin, and the same week you are collecting shells at low tide you can also be riding a tractor wagon out to a pumpkin field. Horry County and the Brunswick County farmland just over the North Carolina line are genuinely agricultural places, and they open their gates every September for exactly this reason.

Apples are a different story, and this guide is going to be honest about it, because a lot of what gets published about apple picking near Myrtle Beach is simply wrong. There is no apple orchard within two hours of the beach. Not one. What there is instead is a real, rewarding mountain road trip and a shortcut that most visitors never hear about. Everything below was verified against the farms’ own websites and published calendars in September 2026, and where a farm has not posted its dates or prices, this guide says so rather than guessing.

Why Apples Do Not Grow on the Carolina Coast

It is worth understanding the reason, because it explains the whole shape of fall around here. Apple trees need a long, genuinely cold winter rest before they will set a decent crop, and the coastal plain does not deliver one. Clemson University’s horticulture extension is blunt about it: the conditions that suit apples in South Carolina exist west and north of the Fall Line, in the Upstate, and the Coastal Plain is not suited to the crop. Late spring frosts catch the blossoms, and the heat and humidity that make our summers what they are also make fungal and bacterial disease pressure unmanageable in an orchard.

So when a travel site tells you about apple picking near Myrtle Beach, it is either sending you four hours inland without saying so, or it is repeating something nobody checked. The nearest commercial orchard of any kind is in York, near the North Carolina line, roughly two hundred miles from the sand. The famous orchard country around Hendersonville is about five hours each way.

What the coast does grow, and grow well, is pumpkins, sweet potatoes, corn for late-season mazes, collards, and cotton. That is the harvest you can actually reach from a rental at Ocean Drive in under an hour, and the farms that grow it have built some of the best family days on the calendar around it.

The Closest Pumpkin Patch to the Beach

You can walk to this one from a good stretch of the south end. Trinity United Methodist Church at 706 14th Avenue South in North Myrtle Beach has run its pumpkin patch for years, and the church has posted its 2026 plan: the truck unloads on Saturday, September 26, and the patch then stays open through Halloween, Monday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m. Proceeds this year go toward a new children’s playground on the church grounds.

There is no admission and no corn maze and no tractor ride. What there is, on a lot two blocks off the ocean, is several hundred pumpkins on pallets under live oaks, volunteers who will help you carry the big one to the car, and late afternoon light that photographs beautifully around six o’clock. For families staying in the Crescent Beach and Ocean Drive sections, this is the twenty-minute version of the whole tradition, and it is often the one people remember. The church office can be reached at (843) 272-5236 during the week.

Indigo Farms: Mountain Apples Twenty Minutes Away

Here is the shortcut nobody tells visitors about. You cannot pick apples near the beach, but you can buy the same mountain fruit the orchards sell, roughly twenty-five minutes from Windy Hill, at a working farm market just over the state line.

Indigo Farms Market sits at 1542 Hickman Road NW in Calabash, North Carolina, on land the same family has farmed for generations. The on-farm market runs year-round on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Come fall, the produce board turns over to mountain apples brought down from the North Carolina high country, along with cider the farm presses itself, chestnuts, shiitake mushrooms, and the cool-season greens that grow beautifully in Brunswick County sand.

The farm also opens part of its acreage for pumpkin patch activities in the fall, though it has not published specific 2026 dates, hours or pricing. Call 910-287-6794 before you plan a trip around the patch itself. For the apples and the cider, the regular market days are enough, and a jug of that cider in the refrigerator of an oceanfront rental is about as close as the coast gets to an orchard morning.

Stump Hill Farms, Ash, North Carolina

Thirty-five minutes inland from the beach, past the last of the golf courses and into tobacco and soybean country, Stump Hill Farms at 2030 Ash Little River Road opens on Saturdays only. The farm has published its full 2026 calendar: September 19 and 26, then October 3, 10, 17 and 31, each day from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., weather permitting. Note the gap. Stump Hill closes on October 24 because of the Brunswick County Fair, which is the kind of detail that ruins a Saturday if you find it out in the parking lot.

Admission is $15, children two and under are free, and first responders and military get in free with valid identification. That single ticket covers the tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch, the critter cart, the kiddie corral, a corn pit, a jumping pillow, a very large pipe slide, an obstacle course, swings, soccer pool and gaga ball. Gem mining costs extra, and there is a food truck along with ice cream and shaved ice on site. There is no corn maze here, so if the maze is the point of your day, aim elsewhere. Questions go to 910-231-0044.

Galloway Farm and the Maze Craze

If the maze is the point, drive to Hallsboro. Galloway Farm at 372 Artesia Road runs Maze Craze, now in its sixteenth season, and the corn maze covers more than fifteen acres, which the farm bills as one of the largest in southeastern North Carolina. The 2026 season runs September 26 through November 7. Saturdays are 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. with last admission at 7:30, Sundays are 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. with last admission at 5:30, and Tuesday through Friday visits are by appointment.

General admission is $15.27 including the ticketing fee and is good for any Saturday or Sunday of the season. A season pass runs $37.00. Children under two are free, active military and veterans are admitted free at the door, and parking costs nothing. Beyond the maze there is a kids’ fun maze, tractor and train rides, giant slides, dirt mountain, a log walk, animal acres, giant chess, disc golf, cow patty putt-putt and two flower fields. The last two weekends of October bring Maze Craze After Dark at $18.37, when the maze opens at night and the rest of the attractions close.

One honest caveat: Galloway does not advertise a pumpkin patch. Come for the maze and the rides, and buy your pumpkin on the way home. The drive from North Myrtle Beach runs a little over an hour through Whiteville, and it is a pretty one in late October when the cotton is open.

Thompson Farm and Nursery, Conway

Forty-five minutes up the road at 100 Brickyard Place in Conway, Thompson Farm has been in the same family since 1845, and the fall festival it runs on the property is the biggest operation in Horry County. Weekends only, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with each weekend given a theme. The 2026 calendar opened with Hometown Heroes on September 19 and 20, followed by Grandparents Weekend, Baby’s First Pumpkin, Touch a Tractor, Princess Power and Superhero Spectacular, a Halloween helicopter candy drop on October 31, and a final day on November 1.

Tickets in 2026 run about $17 per person including fees, with children two and under free. Be careful with older listings that still show $15, which is an archived price from a previous season. A separate VIP Adventure Pass at $25 bundles barrel cart rides, gem mining, target paintball and face painting, which otherwise cost extra.

What you get for the base ticket is a six-acre play area with more than twenty attractions, including an eighty-foot slide, a jumping pillow, mini zip lines, a giant corn box and a tire playground, plus a six-and-a-half-acre corn maze, hay wagon rides, a petting zoo with more than thirty-five animals, food trucks, and the pumpkin patch and fall market. Reservations are handled online and weekends sell out. The farm answers at 843-236-1400.

Southern Palmetto Farms, Aynor

Aynor is farm country in a way the beach towns are not, and Southern Palmetto Farms at 2601 Garner Road makes the most of it. The 2026 fall kickoff lands on Saturday, September 26, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and the season then settles into Saturdays from 10:00 to 6:00 and Sundays from 2:00 to 6:00 through the end of October. The published weekend lineup includes Grandparents Weekend on October 3 and 4, Pumpkin Palooza on October 10 and 11, a homeschool day on October 13, Barnyard Bonanza on October 17 and 18, First Responder Harvest Weekend on October 24 and 25, and a Halloween Spooktacular on October 31.

The farm advertises more than twenty activities: a corn maze of five and a half acres, a cotton maze with a picker slide, the pumpkin patch and a smaller magic pumpkin patch for little ones, tractor wagon rides, a barrel train, farm animal alley, pig racing, jump pads, trike tracks and a farm-scene investigation game. October also brings haunted house and haunted trail attractions after dark, which are not aimed at young children.

Southern Palmetto sells all ticket options online and does not publish its admission price on its website, so call 843-421-4686 for current pricing rather than trusting a number you find on a listing site. One more correction worth making, since it circulates widely: there is no church pumpkin patch at this address. The Aynor address belongs to the farm. The First United Methodist patch people are thinking of is in Conway, at 1001 Fifth Avenue.

Worth the Longer Drive: McLeod Farms

McLeod Farms in McBee, known across the state as Mac’s Pride, sits about two and a half hours inland in the Sandhills, and it earns the drive for one reason: you actually pick the pumpkin off the vine here rather than choosing it off a pallet. The 2026 fall season runs October 3 through November 7, with Saturday hours from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday and Tuesday through Friday from 1:00 to 5:00, and closed Mondays.

The combined corn maze and pumpkin patch ticket runs $12 for ages ten and up and $10 for ages three to nine, free under two. Pumpkin patch alone is a $4 wagon ride with pumpkins sold at ninety-nine cents a pound, and there are u-pick flowers at $12 a cup. Worth knowing before you go: McLeod is a peach operation, not an apple one. The caramel apples at the concession stand are made with mountain fruit brought in from elsewhere, and nobody at the farm pretends otherwise.

Pumpkin Patch Comparison Table

Drive times below are measured from central North Myrtle Beach and rounded up for real-world traffic on Highway 17 and 501. All dates and prices were confirmed against each farm’s own published information in September 2026, and seasonal details do change, so confirm before you drive.

Apple Country: What the Real Trip Looks Like

If you want to pick apples off a tree, you are going to the mountains, and you should plan it as a weekend rather than squeeze it into a beach week. The great cluster of Carolina orchards sits around Hendersonville, North Carolina, about five hours and roughly two hundred ninety miles from the Grand Strand. Henderson County grows the overwhelming majority of North Carolina’s apples, and on an October Saturday the ridgelines there smell like cider and wood smoke.

The Hendersonville Orchards

Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard at 170 Stepp Orchard Drive is the least complicated of the bunch and the easiest recommendation for a family arriving without a plan. It opened for the season on August 15, runs Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday to 6:00, and Sunday 10:00 to 6:00. There is no admission, no reservation system and no ticket. You pay for what you pick from twenty-six varieties across forty acres, with signs marking the rows that are ready and baskets supplied at the Apple House. There is also a five-acre corn maze, an apple cannon, a jump pad and wagon rides. The number is (828) 685-9083.

Sky Top Orchard has been a family destination since 1967 and sits high on Pinnacle Mountain Road in Zirconia, which most maps and most of the orchard’s own marketing call Flat Rock. Use the Pinnacle Mountain Road address so your navigation behaves. It is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and timed tickets booked in advance are the reliable way in because walk-up capacity is limited. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Fuji and a limited run of Jonagold have been picking recently, with Gala, McIntosh, Cortland and others available pre-picked. The cider doughnuts, the pizza kitchen, the bee train, the gem mine and the bamboo forest are why people come back. Reach them at (828) 692-7930.

Jeter Mountain Farm on Jeter Mountain Road runs Thursday through Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with the last u-pick wagon leaving at 3:30. The farm states plainly that a timed reservation is the only way to guarantee picking, and the variety list rotates weekly. It has grown into something closer to a full day out, with a smokehouse, a cider company, a coffee house, a bakery, an ice cream counter and live bluegrass on a very large covered porch. Grandad’s Apples N’ Such at 2951 Chimney Rock Road is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with a bakery running hot cider doughnuts all day, a corn maze, a cow train and a pumpkin patch from late September; note that u-pick there happens on select weekends rather than every day, so check before you count on it. The farm answers at (828) 685-1685.

Closer, But Check First

Three orchards sit closer to the coast than Hendersonville, and all three carry a caution this particular season. Windy Hill Orchard and Cidery at 1860 Black Highway in York, South Carolina, is the nearest orchard to the beach at roughly three and a half to four hours, and it grows a single heirloom variety, the Stayman Winesap. As of mid-September the orchard reported that extreme heat and drought had damaged the crop and paused new picking reservations, with the later-season fruit still uncertain. The farm stand and cider bar remain open with pre-picked apples, sweet cider, hard cider and cider doughnuts, Thursday through Sunday, which makes it a fine cider destination even in a hard year. Call (803) 684-0690 before driving.

Millstone Creek Orchards in Ramseur, about three and a half hours away, has sold out its ticketed apple-picking experience for the entire 2026 season. The Apple Barn is still open daily with pre-picked fruit and fresh-pressed cider, the doughnut window runs weekends, and October brings a separate u-pick pumpkin and flower event with hayrides. Carrigan Farms in Mooresville, close to four hours out, finished its September apples around the nineteenth and does not expect more fruit until roughly the tenth of October, when Evercrisp and Gold Rush come in. Its pumpkin picking opens October 3.

Other Fall Stops Close to Home

A few things that belong on a Grand Strand fall itinerary are not pumpkin patches at all, and they are better for it. Freewoods Farm on Freewoods Road in the Burgess community south of Myrtle Beach describes itself as the only African American living historical farm museum in the country, interpreting what Black farmers did with their first century of freedom between 1865 and 1960. It is a guided, educational place rather than a festival, with mule and traditional farming demonstrations, and its real seasonal draw is the organic sugar cane syrup cooked on site and sold in November and December. Tours are arranged in advance at 843-650-9139.

In Murrells Inlet, Belin Memorial United Methodist Church holds its Fall Harvest Festival and barbecue on Saturday, October 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. across its campus. In Surfside Beach, the United Methodist church there lists its annual Fall Festival on October 16 and 17, a boutique and vendor sale rather than a patch. Neither is a pumpkin field, and both are exactly the sort of morning that makes an October week here feel like living in a town rather than visiting a resort.

Planning a Fall Week on the Strand

October is the quiet secret of this coast. Water temperatures hold in the seventies well into the month, the wind swings offshore in the mornings, and the beaches between Cherry Grove and Windy Hill empty out enough that you can walk a mile of sand and pass a dozen people. It is the best photography light of the year and the easiest parking, and it is when a rental sleeps eight for what a week in July costs for four.

The rhythm that works is simple. Give the mornings to the ocean and the afternoons to the farms, since most of the patches run until five or six and the drives are short. Families traveling with grandparents or several children tend to do better in a North Myrtle Beach oceanfront home, where there is a kitchen big enough to bake with everything you bring back and a porch for the pumpkins to sit on. Couples and smaller groups usually find an oceanfront condo the easier fit, close enough to the Trinity patch and to the Calabash market to make an afternoon of either.

One last practical note. Farm seasons turn on weather, and 2026 has already proved it, with drought thinning the apple crop in the Piedmont and sellouts closing u-pick dates that normally run into November. Call the farm the morning you plan to go. Every number in this guide came from the business itself, and every one of them would rather answer the phone than have you drive an hour to a locked gate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Dates, hours and prices in this guide were verified in September 2026 against each business’s own published information, including Trinity United Methodist Church North Myrtle Beach, Indigo Farms Market, Stump Hill Farms, Galloway Farm / Maze Craze, Thompson Farm and Nursery, Southern Palmetto Farms, McLeod Farms, Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard, Sky Top Orchard, Jeter Mountain Farm, Grandad’s Apples N’ Such, Windy Hill Orchard and Cidery, Millstone Creek Orchards, Carrigan Farms, Freewoods Farm and Belin Memorial United Methodist Church. Growing-region guidance is drawn from Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center publications on apple production in South Carolina. Seasonal schedules change with the weather; confirm with the business before traveling.

Family Kingdom Amusement Park: Myrtle Beach’s Seaside Classic Gets a Thrilling New Chapter

There is a particular kind of magic that only a seaside amusement park can produce — the specific combination of salt air, carnival music, the distant clack of a wooden roller coaster, and the smell of funnel cake drifting in off the ocean breeze. Most of the parks that once defined that experience along the East Coast have long since closed their gates for the last time. The ones that remain tend to occupy a special place in the hearts of the families who keep returning to them, year after year, because they carry something that no amount of corporate polish can replicate: genuine history, genuine community, and rides that have made real people genuinely happy for decades.

Family Kingdom Amusement Park at 300 South Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach is exactly that kind of place. Open since 1966 — the same year the Beatles played their final concert tour, the same year Star Trek first aired on television — this 13-plus-acre oceanfront park has spent six decades being exactly what families need it to be. It sits just steps from the Atlantic, just a few blocks from the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk, and firmly in the center of one of the most visited stretches of coastline in the American South. Admission is free. The rides are real. And in 2026, as the park marks its 60th anniversary, it is about to enter the most exciting chapter of its long life.

Whether you are based in a vacation home along the North Myrtle Beach shoreline or spending a day exploring the full Grand Strand, Family Kingdom is worth a dedicated trip. The drive from Cherry Grove Beach or Ocean Drive takes about twenty minutes on Ocean Boulevard, and by the time the Swamp Fox comes into view through the windshield, the kids in the back seat will already be awake and asking questions you cannot answer fast enough.

The Swamp Fox: A Wooden Legend With Ocean Views

Start here. Everything else at Family Kingdom radiates outward from this ride, and if you are visiting for the first time, the Swamp Fox should be the first thing you do before the sun gets too high and the lines begin to stretch. The coaster was designed by John C. Allen, one of the most celebrated roller coaster architects of the twentieth century, and it opened in 1966 — meaning it has now been rattling and roaring above the Myrtle Beach oceanfront for sixty years without losing a step.

The stats tell part of the story: 72 feet tall, a 62-foot first drop, 2,640 feet of all-wooden track laid out in a figure-eight configuration over the historic waters of Withers Swash — a natural stream that has met the ocean at this spot since long before there was a Myrtle Beach to speak of. The land beneath the park was part of a 66,000-acre king’s grant to Robert Francis Withers in the early 1700s, which means when you ride the Swamp Fox you are, in a very real sense, riding over the same coastal ground that a colonial indigo plantation once occupied. History does not get more kinetic than that.

The city of Myrtle Beach officially declared the Swamp Fox a historic structure in March 2017, and the American Coaster Enthusiasts placed a historical marker at the ride in 2016 to mark its 50th anniversary. It is one of roughly one hundred wooden roller coasters still operating in North America, and it has appeared on multiple lists of the most underrated coasters on the continent. What those lists tend to undersell is the ocean view. As the train climbs the first lift hill, the Atlantic opens up to the east in a way that stops arguments mid-sentence. Whatever you were debating with your travel partner before you got in the car disappears the moment that drop comes.

More Thrills: The Rest of the Ride Lineup

The Swamp Fox is the headliner, but Family Kingdom has built a solid supporting cast around it. The Log Flume is a perennial favorite — a winding water ride that climbs through the park before dropping riders down a water-soaked chute that provides exactly the right amount of cooling on a hot August afternoon. The Twist ‘n Shout is the park’s fan-favorite steel coaster, offering a different flavor of speed and movement than the Swamp Fox’s wooden rumble. And if you want to understand why teenagers gravitate toward the more extreme end of the lineup, the Vertigo Thrill and the Flip Side are worth a look.

The Flip Side seats riders on a boom arm and whisks them 40 feet into the air before swinging them through a series of rotations that leave you momentarily unsure which direction the ground is in. The Hurricane sends you around a hilly track at speeds that make the ocean breeze suddenly feel intentional. The Lunatic spins riders outward on long arms in the time-honored tradition of carnival rides that have been separating brave souls from their loose change since the county fair circuit was the closest thing to an amusement park most towns ever saw. Bumper cars round out the lineup for those who prefer their chaos to be self-directed.

The park also has go-karts — a detail that deserves its own sentence, because go-karts have a way of converting the most reluctant participant in any family group into the person who insists on going around one more time. All told, Family Kingdom runs more than 32 rides across its oceanfront acreage, with more arriving in 2026.

For the Little Ones: Family and Kiddie Rides

One of the things that makes Family Kingdom genuinely good for mixed-age groups — the kind of vacation parties where the oldest and youngest members are a generation or more apart — is the depth of its kiddie and family ride selection. The park does not treat younger guests as an afterthought. The Puppy Roll, the Tea Cups, the Choo Choo Train, the Kiddie Speedway, and the Samba Balloons give smaller children their own version of the full amusement park experience, complete with the lines and the wristband-checking and the moment of anticipation just before the ride begins that is the same whether you are five or fifty.

The Dragon Coaster is worth particular attention. It threads the line between kiddie ride and genuine coaster experience in a way that makes it the perfect introductory ride for children who are curious about what the bigger coasters might feel like, without committing to anything they might find overwhelming. A child who rides the Dragon Coaster in the afternoon and talks about nothing else for the rest of the evening is one who will be asking about the Swamp Fox before the next trip is over.

The Giant Wheel — Family Kingdom’s Ferris wheel — deserves a mention here as well, because it belongs to everyone. At 100 feet, it lifts riders above the rooftops and the palmettos and into a clear view of the Atlantic that stretches from the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk south toward Surfside and north toward Crescent Beach. It is a gentler experience than the SkyWheel a few miles up the strand, more affordable, and still absolutely worth the stop — especially near sunset when the light turns everything on the water gold. Stroller and wheelchair rentals are available inside the park for families who need them.

What’s New in 2026: The RMC Raptor Is Coming

If you follow the roller coaster world even casually, the name Rocky Mountain Construction carries weight. RMC is the Colorado-based engineering firm responsible for some of the most celebrated coasters built in the last fifteen years — rides that have transformed regional parks into destination attractions and generated the kind of social media buzz that used to require a theme park the size of a small city to produce. In November 2025, Family Kingdom announced at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando that an RMC coaster was coming to 300 South Ocean Boulevard. The coaster community reacted, in the understated parlance of enthusiasts everywhere, with considerable enthusiasm.

The ride is a custom single-rail Raptor model — the first of its class in the entire Southeast United States. It will stand 100 feet tall, nearly 30 feet higher than the historic Swamp Fox, and reach speeds of 50 miles per hour on a track layout designed exclusively for the Myrtle Beach park. The single-rail format positions riders in open-sided cars that move through sharp transitions and rapid direction changes in a way that feels fundamentally different from anything else in the Family Kingdom lineup. The park has offered one hint about the name: they are near the ocean. Given that the rides targeted opening window is late summer 2026 — coinciding with the park’s 60th anniversary season — the timing feels deliberate and apt.

Three additional new rides are also joining the roster this season. The combined effect of these additions is to position Family Kingdom not just as a beloved local tradition but as a legitimate destination for coaster travelers — people who plan trips around rides the way others plan them around restaurants or concerts. For families already coming to Myrtle Beach, it adds one more compelling reason to carve out a full day. For enthusiasts who have not yet added the Swamp Fox to their track record, the window to do so before the new coaster becomes the headliner is narrowing.

Food, Games, and the Boardwalk Next Door

An amusement park without funnel cakes is a philosophical failure, and Family Kingdom has no such problems. Concession stands throughout the park serve the full range of boardwalk food: footlong corndogs, chicken on a stick, cold lemonade, fries, funnel cakes, and the category of treats that vacation nutritionists have collectively agreed not to think too hard about. An arcade sits alongside the ride lineup, and midway games occupy the spaces between attractions in the classic tradition of every fair and carnival that has ever set up along a waterfront. The park also permits outside food and drink in certain areas, which is worth knowing for families traveling with young children who have specific dietary needs or strong opinions about their snacks.

The broader Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade runs just steps away, connecting Family Kingdom to the rest of the downtown oceanfront entertainment district. Broadway at the Beach — the massive lakeside entertainment complex with restaurants, shops, and attractions — is a short drive north and makes for a natural pairing with a Family Kingdom day if your group wants to extend the outing into the evening. In 2026, Broadway at the Beach is also welcoming Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Co. to its lineup, adding a new indoor-outdoor brewery and distillery with a beer garden and full-service bar for the adults in the group who have earned a quiet drink after a day of Log Flume and Dragon Coaster duty.

Planning Your Visit

Family Kingdom is located at 300 South Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach — about three miles from Myrtle Beach International Airport and a straight shot down the oceanfront boulevard from most points along the Grand Strand. The park is open seasonally, beginning in late March or early April, and runs through Labor Day Weekend. Weekend hours during the shoulder season typically begin in the early-to-mid afternoon; peak summer season brings expanded hours and seven-day-a-week operation. Check familykingdomfun.com for the current season calendar before you go.

Park admission is free — you pay only for what you ride. Individual ride tickets are available for purchase, with different rides requiring varying ticket quantities. All-day unlimited wristbands offer the best value for families planning to spend several hours working through the full lineup, and discounts on wristbands are periodically available through local coupon platforms. On-site parking is available nearby. Strollers and wheelchairs are available for rent inside the park.

A few practical notes worth keeping in mind: Family Kingdom’s evening atmosphere is genuinely lovely, with the ride lights reflecting off the ocean and the park taking on that particular glow that amusement parks have always had after dark. If you are visiting with very young children, morning arrivals before peak heat are easier on everyone. And if the RMC Raptor is part of your reason for coming, the ride is targeting a late summer 2026 opening — plan accordingly, and keep an eye on the park’s social channels for announcements as construction moves toward completion.

For those staying along the northern stretch of the coast, Family Kingdom pairs well with a full day on Windy Hill Beach in the morning and an early-evening drive down to the park once the temperature drops a few degrees. The whole thing — beach, lunch, park, boardwalk, dinner — fits comfortably into a single vacation day with the right planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Slime Kitchen Opens at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach — A Chef’s Unexpected New Venture

Published March 31, 2026 · Thomas Beach Vacations

From Fine Dining to Slime Making — A Chef Changes Course

Michael Donovan had his eye on a kitchen. The award-winning chef had been scouting locations across the Myrtle Beach area for months, envisioning a restaurant of his own — the kind of place where he could finally call every shot, from the menu down to the music. Then he stumbled across a listing for a kitchen franchise, and the trajectory of his career took a hard, gloriously unexpected turn.

It was not the kind of kitchen he had ever worked in before. No walk-in coolers. No line cooks. No sizzling flattops or prep lists. This kitchen dealt in glitter, not garlic. It was Slime Kitchen — a California-based franchise where families create custom slime from scratch using KitchenAid mixers, colorful bases, and dozens of scents and textures.

Donovan had never heard of it. But his 10-year-old daughter had. She had seen Slime Kitchen all over TikTok and Instagram, and she made the case with the kind of conviction only a kid who really, truly wants something can deliver. After consulting with his wife, Maria, the couple decided to bring the franchise to Myrtle Beach — and not just anywhere in Myrtle Beach. They chose Broadway at the Beach, the sprawling 350-acre entertainment complex that draws upwards of 14 million visitors a year.

This is the first Slime Kitchen location in South Carolina, and it sits near Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach, one of the Grand Strand’s most visited family attractions. It is also a business that has become a true family affair — the Donovans’ daughter and 12-year-old son are fully invested in the operation.

What Is Slime Kitchen?

Slime Kitchen is a hands-on, interactive experience where guests create their own custom slime from scratch. Founded in the San Francisco Bay Area, the franchise has been spreading across the country with locations in California, Oregon, Kentucky, and Lake Tahoe. The Myrtle Beach location at Broadway at the Beach marks the brand’s first expansion into South Carolina.

The concept is simple but irresistible, especially for anyone who has ever watched a slime-making video and felt the pull to try it themselves. Guests walk in, choose from a variety of slime bases, then layer on scents, colors, glitter, and textures before mixing everything together on a real KitchenAid mixer. The result is a stretchy, perfectly squishy creation that goes home with the guest. All materials are food-safe and non-toxic — something Maria Donovan was particularly proud to point out.

If you have spent any amount of time around kids in the last five years, you already know the appeal. Slime content dominates social media platforms, and the tactile, sensory nature of slime-making has turned it into one of the most popular hands-on activities for children and families. Slime Kitchen takes that internet fascination and gives it a physical space — a place where you can actually get your hands into it.

The 10-Step Slime-Making Experience

Slime Kitchen structures each session around a guided 10-step process that walks guests through the creation of their own custom slime. It is part craft project, part science experiment, and part sensory adventure — and the whole thing unfolds at stations designed to make every step feel like a choice, not a chore.

Guests start by selecting their slime base from six different varieties. From there, they move through stations where they pick scents — everything from cotton candy to tropical fruit — and add color using dyes and pigments. The texture station is where things get creative: options include glitter in multiple sizes, foam beads, clay mix-ins, and specialty toppings that give each slime a completely unique look and feel.

Once everything is selected, guests use a KitchenAid mixer to combine the ingredients — a step that gives the whole process the feel of an actual kitchen. The finished slime is stretched, tested, and packed up to take home. Kids earn a diploma in slime culinary arts at the end, a small touch that adds to the experience. The entire session promotes sensory learning and creative expression, making it more than just a novelty activity.

Birthday Parties and Group Events

Beyond the walk-in slime-making sessions, Slime Kitchen offers birthday party packages that have already made the franchise a hit with families across its existing locations. The parties are hosted by dedicated staff members — referred to as Head Chefs — and include games, prizes, diplomas, and a special birthday slime cupcake for the guest of honor.

Two party tiers are available. The standard package includes one slime creation per guest, while the premium option allows each child to make two slimes from any of the six varieties. Parties typically run between one and two hours depending on the package selected. Group workshops are also available for school field trips, summer camps, and team-building events, making the Myrtle Beach location a versatile addition to the Grand Strand’s family entertainment scene.

Why Broadway at the Beach

The Donovans chose Broadway at the Beach because it was already a place their own family loved to visit. Located at 1325 Celebrity Circle in the heart of Myrtle Beach, the complex is South Carolina’s largest entertainment destination — more than 350 acres of shops, restaurants, attractions, and live entertainment venues surrounding the 23-acre Lake Broadway.

Slime Kitchen fits naturally into the mix of specialty shops and interactive attractions that define Broadway at the Beach. Families who visit Ripley’s Aquarium, WonderWorks, or the Hollywood Wax Museum now have another reason to extend their day at the complex. The location also benefits from Broadway’s free parking and its position as a stop on the Myrtle Beach Connector bus route.

For visitors staying in North Myrtle Beach who are looking for a rainy-day activity or an afternoon break from the beach, Slime Kitchen adds yet another option to the long list of reasons to make the drive south to Broadway. It pairs especially well with a visit to the aquarium or lunch at one of Broadway’s more than 20 restaurants.

Grand Opening — April 10, 2026

While Slime Kitchen has already opened its doors to guests, the official grand opening celebration is scheduled for April 10, 2026. The event will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony and is open to the public. The timing places the launch right at the front end of the spring tourism season along the Grand Strand — a smart play for a business that thrives on foot traffic and families in vacation mode.

Walk-ins are welcome at the Myrtle Beach location, and reservations are not required. However, weekends and holidays tend to see higher demand, so booking ahead through the Slime Kitchen website is recommended if you want to guarantee your spot.

More Family Activities Near Broadway at the Beach

One of the best things about a trip to Broadway at the Beach is that a single activity can easily turn into a full day. Slime Kitchen sits within walking distance of some of the most popular family attractions on the Grand Strand.

Ripley’s Aquarium of Myrtle Beach remains the anchor attraction, with its 85,000 square feet of marine exhibits, the famous 330-foot Dangerous Reef moving walkway, a penguin playhouse, and interactive touch tanks. WonderWorks offers an upside-down adventure with over 100 hands-on science exhibits. The Pavilion Nostalgia Park brings classic amusement park rides to the complex, and the Hollywood Wax Museum lets families pose alongside lifelike celebrity figures. For older kids, Backstage Escape Games provides immersive puzzle-solving challenges.

Broadway at the Beach is also welcoming several new businesses in 2026, including Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing Company, which will bring a distillery, brewery, beer garden, and tasting rooms to the complex. It is shaping up to be one of the most exciting years the entertainment district has seen in some time. For families visiting from Cherry Grove Beach, Ocean Drive, or Crescent Beach, a day trip to Broadway at the Beach is always worth the short drive.

Getting There from North Myrtle Beach

Broadway at the Beach is located at 1325 Celebrity Circle in Myrtle Beach, roughly 15 to 20 miles south of North Myrtle Beach depending on which beach section you are staying in. From Windy Hill, the drive is typically around 20 to 25 minutes. From Cherry Grove, plan on closer to 30 to 35 minutes depending on traffic.

The fastest route is typically Highway 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) south to Robert Grissom Parkway, which leads directly into the Broadway at the Beach complex. Highway 17 is the more scenic coastal route and offers plenty of stops along the way if you want to break up the trip with shopping or lunch. Parking at Broadway at the Beach is free.

Plan Your Grand Strand Vacation

Slime Kitchen is just one more reason the Myrtle Beach area continues to add new experiences for families every season. Whether you are visiting for a long weekend or spending an entire week on the Grand Strand, staying in North Myrtle Beach puts you within easy reach of Broadway at the Beach and every major attraction in the area — while giving you a quieter, more relaxed beach experience when you head home at the end of the day.

Thomas Beach Vacations offers a wide selection of oceanfront homes and oceanfront condos across all four sections of North Myrtle Beach — Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill. Book your stay and start planning your family’s next Grand Strand adventure. Call us at (866) 249-2100 or visit northmyrtlebeachvacations.com to browse available properties.

Frequently Asked Questions

Big-Stage Entertainment

When thunder rumbles like a baritone and you’re hunting for spectacle under a roof, the marquee lights have your back. At Barefoot Landing, Alabama Theatre pours on live music, comedy, and holiday magic in a hall built for goosebumps. A few steps away, House of Blues Myrtle Beach keeps the beat with touring acts, gospel brunches, and that swampy-soul atmosphere you can feel in your ribs. And for a fresh spin on showtime, the new Greg Rowles Legacy Theatre brings polished productions and hometown heart to the limelight.

Pro tip from the porch: book seats early on weekends, then let the rain play background percussion while the headliners handle the melody.

Sip & Savor Indoors

Rain on the roof pairs nicely with something in your glass. Pull up a chair at Duplin Winery for relaxed tastings—sweet, Southern, and sociable—or wander the village pathways at Barefoot Landing, where shop doors swing open with candles, chocolates, and rainy-day treasures. If your compass points to coffee before curtain time, stroll Main Street for a treat at Melt (yes, the ice cream is worth braving a sprinkle), then settle in for the evening show without ever missing the sunset—because sometimes it’s best enjoyed through a window.

Family Fun, Arcades & Rain-Proof Laughs

Kids can smell cabin fever like pelicans smell a bait bucket. Duck into the neon nostalgia of OD Pavilion Arcade for skee-ball glory, air hockey showdowns, and a prize counter that’ll make a nine-year-old’s heart grow three sizes. Browse, snack, and wander under covered walkways at Barefoot Landing; it’s a low-stress way to keep little legs moving and spirits high. When the clouds lift to a gentle mist, the mostly-covered boardwalk paths make for easy stroller cruising and grandparent-approved pacing.

If the weather clears just enough for an animal encounter under shelter, the viewing areas at Alligator Adventure offer plenty of overhead cover between exhibits—call it “nature’s awning.” Either way, you’ll return to your condo with smiles, tickets, and a few new family legends.

Comfort Food with a Roof (and a View)

Rain makes comfort food even more convincing. Slide into a booth at Hoskins Restaurant on Main Street—serving since 1948 and still dishing out plates that taste like Sunday after church. For a dock-side vibe without the downpour, linger at Boardwalk Billy’s where the Intracoastal views are wide, the sushi and seafood generous, and the staff greets you like kin. Prefer your soup with a side of Atlantic panorama? Snooky’s Oceanfront pairs chowders and raw bar with waves you can watch through the glass while staying dry as a hymn book.

Those chasing a dress-up night will find white-tablecloth heaven at 21 Main at North Beach—order something that arrives sizzling, then toast the storm for making the evening cozier.

Stock the Condo & Cook In

Stormy skies are chef weather. Fill your basket at Boulineau’s—part old-school market, part local legend—and swing next door for the fresh catch at Platt’s Seafood. Back at your kitchen, steam oysters till they sigh open, sauté shrimp in butter and garlic, and serve it all with a view of the rain strolling down the balcony glass like it owns the place. Pro tip: a short, sturdy oyster knife makes you look wise beyond your years.

If you’d rather let someone else mind the flame while you mind the conversation, order to-go from Joe’s Bar & Grill and feast by candlelight as the weather does its soft-shoe on the eaves.

Plan Your Cozy Stay with Thomas Beach Vacations

Rain or shine, the smartest move is booking a place that feels like a second heartbeat—oceanfront when the sun comes back, spacious and snug when it doesn’t. Browse condos and beach homes across Cherry Grove, Ocean Drive, Crescent Beach, and Windy Hill with Thomas Beach Vacations. Choose a balcony for storm-watching, a big table for board games, and a kitchen made for gumbo on a gray day. The forecast may change, but comfort is something we can guarantee.

Questions about what’s open, what’s on stage, or where to park close to the door? Call our local team at (866) 249-2100. We’ll point you to warm lights, good stories, and the kind of indoor days you’ll brag about long after the sun returns.