Theme park's visitors voice their views

More scenes from the Hard Rock Park's first day:

When in Rome ...

Theme park designers try to transport guests into another world. The key to doing that is the details.

"Hey, you're on the wrong side of the street!" Leif Frymire, 16, of Old Forge, N.Y., yelled to his friends as they entered British Invasion.

Of course they were: They hadn't realized that here in "England," people drive - or in this case, walk - on the opposite side of the street. In British Invasion, the signs are underfoot: Paint on the left side of the road shows the speed limit.

Frymire and his friends had come up to Myrtle Beach for the day from Charleston, where they were participating in Habitat for Humanity.

They said the park was great, from a teenager's perspective.

"It's awesome," said Kerrin Ehrensbeck, 16.

Too much of a good thing

Before the park opened, two lucky groups of riders got to experience two of the park's roller coasters.

People who bid on an online charity auction raising money for the Sara Goodwin Memorial Foundation got to ride Led Zeppelin - The Ride, and winners of radio contests from WKZQ and WYAV rode Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane.

An unexpected surprise: both groups got to take two whirls on the rides.

"The first time was real good. The second time was even better," said Eagles fan Steve Currin, who rode Life in the Fast Lane. He said he loved the way the music synced with the ride, and an added bonus was not having to fight the crowds.

Jon Binkowski, the park's chief creative director, said that he talked to Eagles member Joe Walsh Tuesday, who told him they're planning to cut a new version of "Life in the Fast Lane" for the ride.

Cindy Ennis spent more than $1,800 in a charity auction to get four members of her family in the first two rows of the Led Zeppelin ride.

"It was totally awesome," she said. "It was worth it."

But for at least one person, twice was one time too many.

"The second one 'bout killed me," said Ron Fortney, who finished the ride a bit unsure of his footing and sweating slightly. He said he absolutely loved the first ride, but he wouldn't recommend going twice in a row to anyone.

Within seconds of the first ride starting, Fortney felt his souvenir Hard Rock Park baseball cap flying off into eternity, and his stomach soon followed.

"Every time I looked up I saw sky, ground or ocean," he said. "I don't know what happened."

Souvenir pins hot commodity

Hard Rock Park pins were a hot item Tuesday.

Amy and Richard McCormack of Mexico, N.Y., bought a few of the $10 pins for their children, but said they had a hard time finding them because some of the souvenirs shops were sold out.

There were different styles, such as one with the park's logo in front of two crossed guitars and a set of wings in the background.

The McCormacks heard that some people were already selling the pins on eBay for a profit.

If that's the case, "we may liquidate a couple," Richard McCormack said.

Stunts, tricks, flips galore

Several shows gave park visitors a chance to kick back between rides.

The Malibu Beach Party stunt show featured dancing bikini-clad girls, diving tricks and flips, and motorcycle stunts.

To win a date with Malibu Barbie, three studs had to compete for her attention by proving themselves bad to the bone.

Songs such as "Stayin' Alive" and "Helpless" blared over the loudspeakers.

"I thought it was cute," said Maria Pietro, who attended the show. "I liked the motorcycles and the diving."

Local band headlines event

It was a little chilly to play guitar outside, but the local band The Sanson Brothers made do.

They were playing classic rock covers right by The Whammy Bar near the park's entrance.

People stopped to listen as they passed, en route to the next ride.

The band - Dave, Kevin and Jeff Sanson, and Dave Gifford - is hoping its two-day stint at the park will lead to something more permanent, they said.

"I'm waiting for them to name 'The Sanson Brothers: The Ride,'" Gifford said.

Traffic jams not always bad

The impact Hard Rock Park will have on traffic is causing concern in Carolina Forest, where traffic delays are common at intersections along U.S. 501. But opening day turned out to be business as usual. Some businesses consider extra traffic a bonus.

"It's obvious Hard Rock will increase the traffic going by us, but traffic has been working in our favor," said Pat Fire, a Carolina Forest resident and general manager of Addy's Harbor Dodge on U.S. 501, where beach-bound traffic already moves like molasses every afternoon.

"As long as they can turn in here, we don't mind. It's additional exposure."

By The Sun News staffers Lisa Fleisher, Jessica Foster and Jan Igoe