Flashback Friday: That "Miracle Mile"

Growing up, I spent every summer going to Myrtle Beach, SC. I know that's not a big shock, since we live so close. It's actually a huge vacation spot for a lot of people. We made friends there from places like Virginia, Ohio, etc.

My grandparents owned a condo down there at a place called Brigadune, and to this day, I can tell you exactly how to get there and which condo was ours.

[my granddaddy reading to me and my cousin Aaron, along with my uncle Clete.

Don't you just looove that furniture?? :)]

Anyway, something about riding down those streets lined with the tacky Wings stores and calabash seafood joints gets me all happy and excited about being there. Trying to decide which Putt Putt place we're going to go to this time, smelling the ocean in the breeze, heading to Piggly Wiggly (aka "the Pig") to grab the shampoo we forgot to pack, and stopping by the old Painter's ice cream stand after dinner... all of these mean summer to me. I've had some awesome memories made at Myrtle Beach; most of which I'll never be able to recreate.

But the one place that meant the most to me was a place called The Pavilion.
It was a seaside amusement park, complete with rollercoasters, log flume, arcades, the swings, and the infamous Catepillar and Hurricane rides. It even had a historic carousel that dated back to 1912.

On the really tall rides, you could see the ocean at night. It was gorgeous. Across the street was a nightclub for teens called the Attic... meaning you couldn't get in if you weren't a teenager. It was located on the "Grand Strand" which was always bustling with people. College kids riding around in the back of pickup trucks, usually making a lot of noise. Kids' eyes getting bigger as they approached the Pavilion. And lots and lots of music. This place entertained families for 58 years.

(I got so sick on this thing!)

It was actually featured (and sung about) in Kenny Chesney's "Anything But Mine" video. I was so excited when I saw it (he's my fav country singer), because he was able to capture the heart of Myrtle Beach.

What makes me so sad is that I won't be able to share this part of my history with Noah. In 2006, they closed the park, due to "financial instability". I heard there were plans to turn it into a parking lot or a hotel or something. It's still totally blank. Nothing's there. Just a big empty hole. They saved a few of the historic rides, like the smaller ones I mentioned above. But the rest, like the old Haunted Hotel and massive Hurricane roller coaster (that cost them millions to make) were demolished. There were petitions going around trying to save the place, people begging for them not to tear it down, but it didn't do any good.

Fortunately, I was able to go just one last time. It was bittersweet. Brad and I had broken up that summer, at that point I thought it was for good (story for another time). We had been before together, so it's not like I never got to go with him. I was offered the chance to go with someone else and their family, and I took it. And although it's still a sore spot in mine and Brad's history, we're both glad I got to go the year they were closing. I rode all of my favorites. I wish I could've ridden them all. I got to play at the arcades for the last time. And I got to sit at the already closed Attic building, trying to soak in every flashing light, every squeal from the rides, and the smell of junk food mixed with salty air. I hate that I couldn't go one last time with Brad, but it was still special for me to be there.
What I hate even more is that I can't show Noah. I can show him some of the rides I used to ride at the "Pavilion Nostalgia Park", but it's totally not the same.

I'm just thankful for the incredible memories I have of being there... with my parents when they were still married; with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins; with my little sister and the rest of my family; with my bff Kelly; with Brad when we went with some of our closest friends; and then the final time when I was with people I'll probably never see again. Each experience there is so different, but still so fun. I'm so glad I was able to be around for it and enjoy it for so many years.

Me with my cousin Elizabeth

Me and my daddy on the carousel.

Brad, me, and our buddy Ryan

To see what it was like in action, go watch:
Anything But Mine