Family Kingdom Amusement Park is a seaside amusement park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Located on Ocean Boulevard, in the heart of Myrtle Beach, the amusement park has 37 rides for adults and children of all ages, including thrill rides, family rides, kiddie rides and go karts. In 2007, TripAdvisor ranked it at number five on its list of the top 10 amusement parks outside Orlando.In business for more than 40 years, the park has the 2,400 foot, figure eight Swamp Fox wooden roller coaster, which is one of only 122 wooden roller coasters operating in North America and ranked number 10 on About.com's list of the top 10 most underrated roller coasters in North America. In 2016, American Coaster Enthusiasts marked the 50th anniversary of the Swamp Fox by adding a historical marker. The Swamp Fox was also declared a historic structure by the city in March 2017.Other signature rides include O.D. Hopkins Log Flume, Great Pistolero Round-up and the Giant Wheel.Family Kingdom's "Giant Wheel" has round open gondolas that take riders to a height of more than 100 feet where they get a panoramic view of Myrtle Beach and the Atlantic Ocean. For 19 years, until 2011, it reigned as the highest Ferris wheel in the stateFamily Kingdom is one of the few remaining free-admission parks in the U.S. There is no admission price to enter the open park. Ride tickets can be purchased independently. Wristbands that entitle patrons to ride all day are available. The park provides free entertainment such as clowns, magicians, jugglers, stilt walkers, face painters and balloon sculptors. Family Kingdom Amusement Park is located on both banks of historic Withers Swash. The swash is a point where a natural stream meets the beach and ocean, and through which tides flow. Much of the surrounding area was part of a 66,000-acre king's grant to Robert Francis Withers in the early 1700s, who operated it as an indigo plantation overlooking the swash.
