This ride is a classic. I can remember riding it as a child and the first drop scared me pretty bad, the loud horn that would blast at you while going down it probably had something to do with that. I rode it around august of 08 and was a little dissapointed that the horn was no longer working. Other than that though (which is just a small detail), It still is an exciting drop. The rest of the coaster is also pretty exciting with some good air time and an awesome last turn coming into the station. The only drawback for me, which may be a plus for others is it was a little rough for my taste. I rode it in the back seat, in the front seat, and in the middle, and surprisingly the middle was the roughest for me. I believe this is the only wooden coaster in Myrtle Beach left standing so definitely check it out if you are in the area. Overall rating 3.75

Date Ridden: Summer of 2008. Times Ridden: 1 on the very front car of the first train sent out for the day.
I have ridden a LOT of roller coasters. I have ridden small coasters, medium coasters, and big coasters. I have ridden famous coasters and obscure coasters. I have ridden old coaster and I have ridden new coasters. While I have not come close to riding every coaster in the United States, I have ridden enough to decide what is most important to me: and it may not be something most coaster enthusiasts agree with. I do not care about tallest, fastest, longest, etc. I am about the EXPERIENCE. Answer me this. What would be more fun? Waiting three hours in the humidity laced heat of Jackson, NJ to ride the world&#39.s tallest and faster coaster Kingda Ka or continuously looping Florida&#39.s Original Scream Machine (The Starliner) located in Cypress Gardens, FL? Would I rather wait in the long line for a 20 second ride (granted a good one), or put in 10 laps on a 70 foot tall ancient woodie in under an hour? Coasters are about fun people and it doesn&#39.t take the the world&#39.s fastest or tallest anything to have fun. I said all of that to say this: the small Swamp Fox located in Myrtle Beach is fun. As you go up the lift hill, you can see the Atlantic Ocean less than 100 yards in front of you for as far as the eye can see. Instead of dropping straight over, the train circles slowly around a half-circle giving each ride a startling view before diving down the first drop. It is a great first drop which leads into a surprisingly airtime filled ride with my all time favorite restraint: the simple buzz bar. This may not be a good review because I absolutely love these old wooden coaster built decades ago along the seaside. The Giant Dippers in Santa Cruz and Belmont, Great White up the coast in Jersey, the aforementioned Starliner, and the legendary Cyclone take me back to a previous time when coaster riding was not about breaking records but about having fun. And it seems that the more I ride, the more I love these quaint woodies and the small amusement parks where one can buy a wristband and ride 100 times if they wish. To me, that is more fun than waiting forever for one ride. Thanks to all the small parks like Family Kingdom who do a wonderful job of upkeeping these old rides. i do not know how much longer rides like the Swamp Fox will be around, but as long as they are, I will make them vacation destinations. So give the old Swamp Fox a twirl. I seriously doubt it is the # 8 ranked coaster in the U.S. as the sign proclaims, but it is smooth, fun, and offers a couple of pops of ejector air. Surely that is worth a visit if you are in the area. Overall Rating - 8

Great wooden coaster that was my favorite coaster in Myrtle Beach. This John Allen classic began with two incredible drops that gave incredible ejector air in the back. Afterwards was a nice air time hill followed by a turnaround hill giving air time for front seat riders. Then came some more good air time hills and the whole ride was smooth throughout.

The sign outisde the ride made me think it had potential. After riding I still think it has potential. But right now it is not a great ride, it is a good ride but even with a rigged ballot box it would never rank near #8 in the USA today.

This was a FANTASTIC woodie, but it always left me wanting more... maybe a few extra "bunny hops", anything that would allow it to be a bit more exciting for a bit longer. If it had had those extra elements, I would have given it a 9, possibly even a 10! The second drop provided me with a HUGE amount of airtime and, therefore, was my favorite part of the coaster. Its pretty funny to hear the screams and shrieks of those people who arent really into roller coasters but decided to give the woodie a try just because they came to Myrtle Beach. The ride is fairly thrilling, but based on my two experiences on it, I have to give it an 8. Who knows, maybe theyll actually add on to the coaster in the future!

Bleh, this was one very weird woodie. It is very much so a John Allen - lots of strait lines adorned with a vivid whitewash. Small in stats, but it delivered a decent ride. Few lats could be found, with just a little bit noticable on the turn back into the station (this turn was also the sole source of vibrations through the ride). The ride delivered some decent air, but it was air unlike any other I have experienced to date. Almost as if we were riding in some sort of mirrored universe, we would seemingly be launched forward - into the buzz bar, mind you - on most of the rides mild hills. Was it fun? To me, the deliberations are inconclusive. Hung Jury, if you will. Obviously plenty of people like this sensation since the Swamp Fox has picked up admirable reviews here, and is one of the highest-praised Allen creation. Hell, its the #8 woodie in the USA too! Overall, a fairly fun ride, the best in town for sure (which is about as worthless as the paper the ride tickets are printed on). Worth a ride if in Myrtle, but not even worth the detour if you just happen to be cruisin down I95.

I absolutely loved this one. Built in the mid 60s (and rebuilt, according to rcdb, in the early 90s after some damage, so I dont know how different it is), this one looked like a very tame out and back wood coaster. Tame is far from an accurate description. My first ride took place in the back seat, and I was shocked by the ejector airtime that this thing provided on absolutely each and every hill. It was almost too much, as we got launched from our seat and smacked into the lap bar every time. There were some nice large hills, as well as some fiendish little hops that catapulted us just the same. The front seat provided a different kind of airtime, as it felt like we got launched at the bottom of the hills this way (dont even ask me how that works). This was super fun too, though I spent most of my rides in the back, as I feel that it provided the best rush. It was pretty brutal, but very entertainingly brutal. I actually preferred the Swamp Fox to the Hurricane down the street at the Pavilion. It was kept up very nicely for being in a park that didnt appear to be extremely popular.

This little John Allen creation, while it might appear to be a quiet classic, packs one heck of a punch. The ride offers both the calming and soothing views of the Atlantic while still containing some serious airtime and great laterals. That being said, my experience leading up to riding this thing was horrendous. First off, nowhere on the brochure did it mention the time that the park opened and we were forced to wait 45 minutes for 6:00 oclock to roll around. We patiently waited until the gates finally opened and we raced to buy our tickets, about 12 bucks for 3 rides on the "Legendary Swamp Fox," two rides for me, and one for my sister. Unfortunately, a freak thunderstorm blew up and forced operations to stall for an hour. By this time, I felt really bad that I had dragged my family to this park, and I restlessly paced back and forth in front of the blockaded entrance. The cheers of the ride operators, happy that they were avoiding work for a while, made me feel even more like crap. But finally, the gates opened, and if it wasnt for some little brat who jumped in line right behind me, I would have been the only person on the first train of the day. I rode it once more, and might I say, it was worth all the trouble. Do not miss out on this great little classic coaster.

Has some hits of air, but rather on the short side. It was good, but, in my opinion, did not live up to its reputation.

A small wooden coaster, but really good airtime. I finally got around to riding this after coming to Myrtle Beach for the past decade or so. I still prefer the Hurricane over at the Pavilion, but Swamp Fox cant be missed if youre in the Grand Strand.