Broadway at the Beach News



The 350 acre shopping and entertainment center in the heart of Myrtle Beach continues to be developed at a rapid rate. Long term plans have been accelerated due to the success of the complex. The 2700 seat Carolina Palace Theater is open and has lined up an impressive set of big name entertainers for the rest of the year.

A new giant screen IMAX Theater opened May 4 at Broadway at the Beach. These theaters have 6-story high screens and elaborate surround sound systems. Special IMAX movies are shown only. The opening features are 'The Great American West', shown at 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 p.m., and 'The Living Seas', shown at noon, 2, 4, 6, and 8 p.m.. John Hammons, the owner of the Palace Theater, has also developed this $3 million attraction, which seats 400. Shows are 7 days a week, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $5.95 for adults, $3.95 for children, and $4.95 for senior citizens. Call 444-3333 or 448-IMAX for more info.

John Hammons is also considering building a Polynesian luau restaurant at Broadway at the Beach. A miniature golf course, Dragon's Lair, is being constructed now.

The soon to be opened Planet Hollywood theme restaurant across from Broadway at the Beach already has a gift shop open for business. Located in the shopping complex, the shop sells souvenir merchandise with the restaurant's logo printed on it. The restaurant will open in November. The Hard Rock Cafe, another leading theme restaurant, has been open for some time now in the entertainment section of the shopping complex. They are considering building an amphitheater for concerts at the site.

The aquarium war in Myrtle Beach is over, and Broadway at the beach has emerged victorious. At one time as many as 3 aquariums were announced for the Grand Strand, but plans fell through for one site, and the Ripley's aquarium then announced that it was changing its plans for a Wacammaw site to Broadway at the Beach. The $30 million attraction, to be opened in 1997, will feature an underwater passageway that visitors can walk through and view all the marine life, plus a coral reef. S.C. laws do not permit exhibition of aquatic mammals, so there will be no dolphins or whales.

In Celebrity Square, Katie McCrea's has closed and been replaced by Revolutions Retro Dance Club, which features 70's and 80's disco music. The help is outfitted in 70's polyester, and there are disco lights and lava lamps galore. Ticket prices for the entire set of clubs are as follows: $12 Friday and Saturday, $10 other nights, $25 for a 3 night pass. Wednesday night is free for the ladies. If you live in the Myrtle Beach area, you can get a season pass for $20.

From now until September 3, Dinamation is showing in a tent constructed at Broadway at the Beach. The presentation features animated dinosaurs up to 75 feet long. Shows are 1-10 p.m. every day. Tickets are $5 adults, $4 children under 13 and senior citizens, under 3 free; for school groups, $2.50 children, teacher free. Call (800)716-3466 for more info.

Special summertime events are now occurring throughout the shopping complex. There are fireworks every Tuesday night at 10 p.m., the Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Swimsuit contest every Sunday (between 5 and 8 p.m.), a 'street party' at Celebrity Square with live outdoor music every night from 5 to 8 p.m., and a children's games event every Monday.

Burroughs and Chapin, the Myrtle Beach retail giant that controls not only Broadway at the Beach but also the Pavilion, Myrtle Square Shopping Mall, and large tracts of land around the Grand Strand, is developing numerous plans for the area. The company is planning large scale affordable condominium housing off the beach, some form of mass transit between their properties (buses or perhaps monorails), and numerous additions at or near Broadway at the Beach. The latter will include 11 hotels surrounding a lake, another section of shops with a Charleston-style architecture, 3 more large theaters, a set of movie theaters, plus the aquarium and other attractions mentioned above. The company is also considering eventually moving the famous Pavilion amusement park, currently right beside the ocean, inland to a point near Broadway at the Beach. This would allow expansion; the current site is landlocked by its surroundings. No word as to what might happen to the abandoned site, but with its legendary status and surrounding businesses, it is probable someone else would jump in and develop on the site.

Here is a rundown of open or planned businesses at Broadway at the Beach:
Stores:
Restaurants
Nightclubs
Attractions


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