Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Burro Loco is a restaurant that has always interested me, because it seemed like it should be good, but never was. I have long had this place on an informal timeline where I would stop by about every five years to see if it was there yet, and it was due probably this year, but now it looks as though I will not get the opportunity.

The closing message on the restaurant site is pretty bland and noncommital (though it is nice that the staff were relocated). The Sun News essentially printed the same press release with no further information.

I find several things a bit curious however. First, there is no signage at the restaurant itself. Not your typical Closed for Renovations much less a more informative See us this fall! or whatever. Second, there is no indication at all that any work whatsoever has taken place here, despite four months having passed, and third, the door marquee indicates they were open until 10pm 7 days, not the 11pm weekend closing I would expect for a bar based hot-spot. I'm moved to suspect that the chain acted to stop the bleeding, but doesn't yet really have an idea what to do with the place. We'll see, and I hope I'm wrong as I would like to see this place finally get good.

UPDATE 7 December 2018: The Sun News reports the building is for sale.

Joe Loves was the follow-on in this location to The Ship's Pub, which was the follow-on to Sam's Corner for which the building was built.

I noticed Joe Loves around New Years of 2018, and according to The Hilton Head Island Packet, it had opened here on 5 December 2017. What I did not know was that it had actually relocated from Ridgeland, which, if you look at the map, is quite a good distance away.

Given that the real estate sign mentions that the fixtures are all in place, I expect to see another restaurant here before too long.

UPDATE 9 June 2026: Add map icon.

The Chapel has been scheduled for a move for a good while now, as storm damage must be repaired, but ongoing weddings delayed the event until after New Years.

The Chapel was very little above high water even during normal tides. During spring or storm tides, the situation was worse, but initially the plan was not to raise it at all, as the permits would only allow for fixing the pilings at the existing height. My understanding is that this changed late in the game, so perhaps when the building is moved back, it will sit at a slightly more secure level.

Ship's Pub was the follow on to Sam's Corner in this Pawleys Island/Litchfield location. I never ate there but I would notice the building driving by, and it seems to me it closed last fall, and that I saw a truck carting stuff off in November.

Now it is open again, this time as Joe Loves Lobster Rolls, which is rather interesting as lobster is not normally associated with the South Carolina coast.

UPDATE 23 February 2018: Added top picture from 17 January 2016 of the place open.

UPDATE 9 June 2026: Add map icon.

I noticed this article in The Sun News while I was last at the beach:

The Hurl Rock Motel has been temporarily closed by the City of Myrtle Beach for elevator repairs and other safety issues.

Two notices taped to the front window of the motel at 2010 South Ocean Boulevard also said there was “no standpipe,” -- the pipe to which fire hoses are connected.

So I thought I would get some pictures, especially since there have been several legacy hotel demolitions in Myrtle Beach that I have missed. I've never stayed at the Hurl Rock, but I have fond associations with the name because a) It's a neat name & b) There used to be a Hurl Rock ocean-front putt-putt course further north on Ocean Boulevard (if I recall correctly, it's been gone for decades) where we played a time or two, and of which I have fond memories.

This particular building is not as old or quirky as some of the other vintage motels, but it does have one unexpected feature -- an overflow parking lot across the street behind the main building with its own anchor building, which appears to be an old house, and probably serves as some sort of office or maintenance shed. I do hope they get their issues resolved, but the article mentions that they have been rather longstanding, so we will see..

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WMBFNews.com, Myrtle Beach/Florence SC, Weather

"Last Ride" at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion

Well, another little bit of my childhood gone. After the tear-down of the minature golf place in Litchfield (probably sometime around 1970) this was the next Southernmost minature golf course on the strand, and where we played most often when I was a teen. Somehow at the time, I thought the theme was pre-historic instead of "jungle" and I considered the natives at the right-front part of the course to be cavemen (or women -- there was one statue of a woman who seemed to alternate between topless and fur bikini depending on how recently she had been painted..).

Looking at the size of the lot now that it has been cleared and leveled, it's amazing that a full 18 hole course was there, along with ponds, statues, switchbacks, hills and trees. It's possible I may have some shots of the place in operation that will turn up some day, but in the meantime, you can check out the Facebook Page.

Time to cue up Big Yellow Taxi

Speaking of Myrtle Beach megastructures, one of the most iconic was knocked down last fall: The Hard Rock Cafe pyramid at Broadway At The Beach.

There are tons of articles about this online. Here's one about time time capsule, here's one about the final days, and here's one about the demolition. I've seen it claimed in more than one of them that nothing was wrong with the pyramid, but you have to wonder: to abandon such a well known landmark just seems odd if there were no pressing issue.

In the event, I only ate there once, probably a year or so after it opened, and to be frank, I remember very little about it -- just that I thought it was overpriced for a pretty standard burger given that sitting close to Joan Jett's pants or whatever didn't do much for me. Sort of like Planet Hollywood in that respect I guess.

The new location a few doors down opened on 7 October 2016, but I have not seen it yet.

While not one of the coast's great storms, Hurricane Matthew did damage enough. Our yard was under several feet of water apparently, though nothing was damaged aside from a trash caddy floating away. Other places, apparently at random, got it worse. One of the was Myrtle Beach's Palace Theater at Broadway at the Beach.

I never went to the Palace, thought I thought I was one time. Somehow or other, I convinced myself that this big theater must be the House of Blues, and that's where I headed when I had a ticket for the 1996 Beach Boys appearance there (Carl Wilson's last tour). In the event, when I got there I saw the name obviously did not match, and had to drive a further 10 miles or so. Fortunately I was running early.

I also ended up on their email list somehow, possibly from seeing a show at the other big theater in North Myrtle Beach, so I would get all the notices about the Christmas shows with the Rockettes.

I guessing that business must have been off from the peak years, otherwise they would have repaired and gone on (I do wonder about insurance, you would expect them to have it, at least for wind, and flood was not an issue here..), but that was not to be, as The Sun News recently reported.

The previous year or so has not been kind to big structures in Myrtle Beach.

(Hat tip to commenter Bobby)
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