There are places in the South where time feels suspended, where history and memory cling to the air. Some are ghost towns swallowed by forest. Others are ridgelines where mysterious lights still dance in the night. And then, there are places where the haunting is not supernatural at all—but emotional.
For many who grew up vacationing along the Grand Strand, Myrtle Beach’s Pavilion Amusement Park was one such place. Its demolition in 2006 marked not just the end of a landmark, but the fading of an era.
A Different Kind of Ghost Story
The Pavilion wasn’t haunted in the traditional sense. But ask anyone who remembers it, and you’ll hear the same tone of voice reserved for lost loves and childhood summers.
- Before: Myrtle Beach felt safer, lighter, and built on tradition. The sound of carnival rides echoed down Ocean Boulevard. The air carried the smell of popcorn, cotton candy, and sea salt. Families made memories that stretched across generations.
- After: The rides fell silent. The skyline changed. Progress came in the form of bulldozers, parking lots, and new developments. For many, the Pavilion’s absence felt like a wound—and in its place, Myrtle Beach became a city chasing profit over nostalgia.
This is its own kind of haunting. Not one of spirits, but of memories that linger like ghost lights across the sand.
From Dymond City to Myrtle Beach: The Loss of Place
In our Haunted North Carolina series, we’ve looked at places like Dymond City, a vanished lumber town whose spirit is said to reveal itself as flickering lanterns in the woods. The Brown Mountain Lights glow on mountain ridges. The Maco Light once swayed on phantom rail lines.
Though Myrtle Beach’s Pavilion doesn’t carry ghostly orbs or lantern-bearing phantoms, the sense of loss is eerily similar. A place that once carried life, laughter, and memory is now gone—and in its absence, we are haunted by what once was.
Why We Remember
Whether it’s a ghost town in the mountains or a demolished amusement park on the coast, these stories matter. They remind us of who we were and what we valued. They ask us to reflect on whether we’re honoring our past—or paving over it for something shinier and more profitable.
Places like the Pavilion—and towns like Dymond City—teach us that history isn’t only found in books. It’s in popcorn-scented air, in the glow of neon rides, in the unexplained lights that still flicker through North Carolina’s hills. When those places vanish, we carry their echoes forward, because some part of them refuses to die.
References & Resources
- North Carolina Ghosts – The Ghost Lights of Dymond City
- Rural Legends Wiki – The Ghost Lights of Dymond City
- Brown Mountain Lights – Wikipedia
- The Sun News – Pavilion Memories Still Linger
- Only In Your State – Remembering the Myrtle Beach Pavilion
- Visit Myrtle Beach – Historical Overview
Disclaimer
This blog combines history, folklore, and personal reflection. The stories of ghost lights and hauntings are drawn from oral tradition and reported experiences, while commentary on Myrtle Beach reflects personal perspective and cultural observation. No claims are made against any individual, business, or municipality. Readers are encouraged to view these narratives as part of our shared cultural memory.
About the Author
A.L. Childers is a Southern writer and storyteller who explores the spaces where history and folklore overlap. From the haunted hills of North Carolina to the lost landmarks of Myrtle Beach, her work blends research, nostalgia, and cultural insight. She believes the past never truly disappears—it lingers in memories, in legends, and sometimes, in the faint glow of ghostly lights.
Her upcoming book, Phantoms in the Pines: The Ghost Lights and Legends of North Carolina, will dive deeper into the state’s most mysterious stories, from vanished towns to unexplained phenomena.
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