Anyone here used to Vacation @ Myrtle Beach in the late 70's-mid 80's

I remember the arcades around the gay dolphin. The gay dolphin was the ultimate cheap trinket gift shop. The alley in between where the guy airbrushed shirts. There was a small showplace right across he street that was like a fright/horror thing (I just remember the guy walking down the aisle with a mask and chainsaw). We'd stay at the little dive motel on the north side of the yachtsman.

My favorite memory was a beautiful cuban girl that worked in her fathers t-shirt store on the north side of the pavilion. We met on my first day there and spent the entire week together.

yes I remember all the above

the boardwalk has not been the same
since the Pavilion shut down.

and most still cruise the blvd though

(Ocean Drive)

my fav hangout back in those days
was the Spanish Galleon up in
the north end.

Most weekends you could find me
dancing in those cages in the corners
of the dance floor.

aaaahhhh the good ole days :)
many memories

you are correct

it has been taken over by
the banking cartels/syndicates

if a guy couldn't get laid at the
Spanish Galleon then something
was wrong with him.

I would take home a different girl
every time I went.
Some tourists, some locals,
some lifeguards, some college
girls on spring break, etc ...

If you could dance, you got laid ;)

some girls just had sex with ya
to see if you could repeat those
same moves in the bedroom. lol

and I did ;)

Your right. It was a premier beach spot from about the 50's through the 80's. Now, you are lucky to get a motel that is worth anything (regardless of what you pay), groups of juveniles or hippies that have no regard for peace and quiet after 11 pm, etc.

and let's not forget the Bike Fest weekends
3 times a year.

thousands of bikers and gangs descend upon
the beach area to wreak havoc and raise
hell. Some gangs will rent an entire hotel
for a week.

what gets bad is when you have 2 rival gangs
rent hotels next to each other.

I used to spend the month of june every year at s. myrtle beach......I am trying to remember the street where we stayed, but I was so young. all I know , was that it was off 17...the roads split and we took the right fork. I think there was a store or something in the middle. there was a corner store owned by our neighbors...there name was graham....any help would be greatly appreciated....e-mail; [email protected]

I was there when Ripley's Museum burnt. Prob '77 or '78

As a kid through the 60's to mid 70's we vacationed every year at Lake Arrowhead. It was the best campground I had been to ever. Heard it is now condos. Unfortunate. Beautiful pine trees, great atmosphere.

As a Canadian that spent 2 weeks every summer in South Myrtle from the mid 70's until my honeymoon in 95, I wanted to say that I had been looking for info on the 'Dunk Tank' guy for a long time. The mighty google unearthed this thread for me.

Our families LOVED dunk tank guy. Your dad was a legend. We still make the sounds he used to make in between insults.
He would often sing 'How dryy I ammmm" to get people to give it a try.

It wasn't a summer until we had ridden the Swampfox, the Himalaya(The ride operators would ride the running boards and jump on and off while it was in full motion!! AMAZING and totally illegal these days) and finally spent a few hours with the monster mask dunk tank dude.

I tip my hat to your dad, good sir. May he rest in peace.



tilt

Yeah OP, I remember all these places. Great times.

Pop sold the rig when he got alittle too old to climb the ladder...sold it to the local Shrinners to use at their fundraisers....

I'll pass your kind works on to my mom, thanks

The Rock Burger.

where was the Rock Burger?...at 50 I'm kinda hazy...I remember "Godfather's Pizza" though

Ahhhh, man... you're talking to my soul. I remember all of them. I grew up in Bladenboro, NC and in high school (class of '93) went to MB nearly every weekend.

The "Spanish Galleon" was also very popular in my time. Just jump the back deck to get in without being marked 'underage'.

Right down from the Pavilion, almost across from the Gay Dolphin. Live hair bands back in the 80's.

was that in the "house" style building?? with a little convenience store right next door??

Lots of history of 70's and 80's Myrtle Beach here
[link to htomc.dns2go.com]

Because you can still look at all the schmaltz in the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove. There are a few places I have been that remind me of the Redneck Riviera; Gatlinburg TN, and the Wisconsin Dells.

Broadway at the Beach sapped the nightlife we used to enjoy at The Pavilion. I can remember nothing better than meeting some gal on the beach one day, going dancing at Magic Attic that night, riding some rides, and walking down the boardwalk holding hands, promising each other you'll write once the week is over, and then never doing it.

In a way it reminds me of that Dirty Dancing movie. At the end, there's this amazing dance scene where Johnny pulls Baby out of the corner. And we all know why. Cause nobody...

...And then the movie ends on a high note. That's where my memories of summer romance at Myrtle Beach end as well. On a high note. It's the best place to keep my memories.

My wife and I take our kids to Myrtle Beach. Dad has a condo there now near Surfside. It's a gated community where to do anything other than sit on the beach, you need to get in a car and drive. It's safe, sheltered, and "palmetto bugs in the cupboard" free. Our kids will grow up with memories of the beach. But they won't be those of a Myrtle Beach I remember.

I miss the old Myrtle Beach.

If you have any video of him in action, you would make my family lose their minds...Youtube it and send the link privately, or if you want, send directly.

Again, many thanks!

Sorry Tilt, we were too poor for that kinda extravagance...mom had a VHS tape that a fan sent her but I've been unable to find it..I'll keep looking

I have a grainy VHS of "the monster" also. He MADE our vacations at MB! My nephew was crazy over him! Most famous saying of monster was: "I'll be right here when the morning comes". We think about him every year. Dad loved to go see him, too. Dad is now 90!

Do you even know how many other people you just likely described?

Thanks Joconna...

"How Dry I Am"

Absolutely right. I still go occasionally but the city and the Chamber of Commerce has surrendered to the NAACP which emboldens the attendees of "Black Bike Week" with them waiting to file complaints and file lawsuits.

This past year a bunch of them killed each other with gunfire right on the street of the main hotel strip. Dead bodies lay on the hotel balconies.

Crime is rampant.

The hotel quality has declined unless you are willing to spend at least $200 a night.

It used to be my favorite place on earth until the last 10 or so. It is sad that places once full of families and golfers are now full of trashy people.

I don't know how some of the theaters that cater to a bit older crowd 40+ even stay open because they have let the town decline so much.

Soon the people who actually spend real money there will go elsewhere to vacation.

I think Gatlinburg, TN is my next vacation spot. I love the beach but unless you want to drop a fortune to stay at an uncrowded upscale beach (no bikini chicks either) Myrtle is about the only choice that is not 12 hours from here.

After i graduated High School "1980" I went down to MB and got a job working for Burrows/Chapin constuction building a strip mall on hwy 17. I lived in Surfside Beach a couple of blocks from the ocean in a trailer i rented.
Learned to shag in North Myrtle. Fat Harolds, The Galleon, I had a Mother Fletchers jacket.
Stayed until fall and then joined the Army. Me and a bud got thrown out of the Bowery one night. good times...

Hey anyone remember that last living MCcrary twin used to sit out front of Ripleys? He was out there every night.

Last Edited by eolian on 08/15/2014 07:41 PM

I personally know the true/real owners of the Fred Rick Motel so yea...I would vacation there in the 90's...not old enough to vacation there in the 70's/80's.