You haven’t been in Myrtle Beach for long if you haven’t heard of Savannah’s Playground. It’s pretty widely considered the best park in the Grand Strand and the reasons why seem never ending. If you’re a local then this is old news but if you’re just visiting then check out our review before heading over!
ADDRESS: 3600 Emmens Avenue, Myrtle Beach
FEATURES: All. Of. Them. Seriously, there isn’t enough space here.
HOURS: 8am–8pm (except Tues when the park opens at 12pm)
SUMMARY: It’s just a must if you have kids in Myrtle Beach.
park overview
Savannah’s Playground is the heartbeat of the playground scene in Myrtle Beach. The park, located in Market Commons, is unlike any other in the area. It holds the designation of an “enabling park” where all equipment is ADA-approved and designed to allow for play by children of all ability levels.
More information about the origin of Savannah’s Playground and the park’s namesake herself can be found here.
playground overview
Savannah’s Playground is divided into a few distinct sections. Upon first entering the gates you’ll find the play area for the youngest kids (6–23 months). There are several unique play structures that sit on or very low to the ground making them perfect for this age range. This little area continues to appeal to my kids even at 5+ years old.
Just past the early childhood area is a huge section of swings that faces the whole park and a nice little pond. The area is anchored by the school-aged kids zone. There is one gigantic play structure that spans almost the whole length of this side of the park. It has dozens of options for kids to slide, climb, balance, and spin. One side of the structure is lower to the ground while the other rises up to meet some pretty tall slides. The whole park is outfitted with rubberized ground cover that is in excellent condition.
Just beyond this section is a long run of zipline-type tracks, a music park, and an area with several netted balancing, spinning, and climbing structures. Throughout the whole park are other little invitations to play – seesaws, spring powered wobbly ride-ons, merry-go-rounds, etc. No child will get bored here and you’ll be running from one end to the other a half dozen times.
If you are able to sit down then there are lots of benches and shaded seating areas throughout the park. There are even a few water misters built into the play structures to provide extra summertime relief for the kids.
what to look out for
The whole park is fenced but there are several doors that open up directly to the walking trail that goes around the center lake. There is one gate in particular that is directly behind the tallest slides which restricts visibility to see a child walk right out toward the water. This has been my experience on more than one occasion.
Another thing to make note of is the hours! Seems simple enough, the park is open daily from 8am to 8pm, EXCEPT Tuesday mornings. They do extra cleaning and the park doesn’t open until 12pm on that day. You’ll think you know it but inevitably end up there in the parking lot at 10:55am on a Tuesday and you’re stuck deciding to wait or just abort the mission.
And just expect to not be doing a lot of sitting and watching at this park. It is just too big and too exciting for the kids. And if you have multiple then you can go ahead and count on getting in half your daily step goal right then and there. But it is a fun place for kids and adults alike so it’s worth the workout.
more info on myrtle beach parks
The City of Myrtle Beach has an overview of Savannah’s Playground on their website.
Check out Myrtle Beach’s other awesome parks with our park round-up here.