‘A horrible attack’: Myrtle Beach indoor playground owner reacts to social media blast

A Myrtle Beach indoor playground was slammed on social media after a group of parents that were not permitted on the equipment, according to the owner, climbed a slide at the facility and said it was “dangerous.”

You have to be under 140 pounds to go onto the slide. Signs saying as much are displayed throughout the playground.

However, the problem in question — platforms at the top of a slide not being secured down — was fixed within the hour, according to The Play Place owner Tom West.

“It was horrible,” said West, who has owned the establishment since June. “Just a horrible attack by people who weren’t there saying all kinds of stuff.”

Danielle Kelley, a Myrtle Beach woman, took to Facebook after visiting The Play Place and found a couple of families complaining of something “dangerous” at the top of the slide.

Kelley has not responded to a request for comment by The Sun News.

She said in her post that the employee working at the facility was being “verbally abusive” by asking her and other parents who had climbed the slide to leave.

The post, which contains photos and videos of the indoor playground, was uploaded Dec. 29.

Parents who were at The Play Place that day were all refunded, West said. No one was hurt that day, and the Horry County Public Index shows that The Play Place has never received a lawsuit since opening five years ago.

Inspections on indoor playgrounds such as The Play Place are performed by the Horry County Planning and Zoning Department, according to West.

West said it was important to know that The Play Place has had relatively good reviews since opening. The indoor playground has a 4.4-star rating out of 44 reviews on Google.

“If you look at our reviews before that date, you’re gonna see all great things,” he said.

This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 4:14 PM.