Rendering
After more than 35 years of entertaining Charleston families and visitors, Frankie’s Fun Park is preparing to reopen its Charleston location this fall with new attractions and renovated indoor and outdoor spaces.
The renovated park, located at 5000 Ashley Phosphate Road, will feature five new outdoor rides, two new buildings, a new go-kart track and a refreshed look throughout the property.
Originally opened in July 1990, the Charleston park was the first Frankie’s Fun Park location. Founded by Doug and Ken Godley, the company has since expanded to five locations across the Carolinas, including parks in Charlotte, Raleigh, Columbia and Greenville. A sixth location is planned for the Atlanta metropolitan area.
The renovation introduces several new experiences while preserving many of the attractions guests have enjoyed for decades.
Inside, guests will find a two-level, apocalypse-themed laser tag arena and bumper cars surrounded by black lights and mirrors. Other new attractions include Drop Zone, an indoor tower ride that rotates 360 degrees before dropping 44 feet, and XD Dark Ride, an interactive 3D adventure featuring moving seats, laser blasters and competitive scoring.
The original building was stripped down and rebuilt with a new kitchen, dining area and game room. A covered walkway connects it to a new group events building and a new attractions building, which includes an arcade and Frankie’s prize store.
The park’s five new outdoor rides are:
- The Claw: Rotates and flips riders upside down.
- Zero Gravity: Uses G-force to hold riders in place as the floor drops beneath them.
- Super Jumper: Sends riders bouncing up and down in rotating gondolas.
- Music Express: Features cars traveling along a circular, up-and-down track accompanied by music.
- Spinning Coaster: Carries riders through twists and turns in cars that spin along the track.
The outdoor expansion also includes a new one-third-mile Road Course go-kart track. The attraction will allow as many as 32 single- and double-seat go-karts to race together.
Rendering
Frankie’s two tropical-themed, 18-hole miniature golf courses have also been remodeled while retaining the same 36 holes guests have played since 1990.
The renovated park will offer expanded private event spaces for birthday parties, special occasions and corporate events. Frankie’s Grill will return with a new kitchen serving made-from-scratch pizza, burgers, wings, sandwiches, draft beer and frozen treats.
“This park is where the Frankie’s story started, so this reopening is very personal for us,” said Doug Godley, owner of Frankie’s Fun Parks. “With this renovation, we set out to build something that feels brand new while staying true to everything families have loved for more than three decades.”
“We are very humbled and grateful that millions of our guests and thousands of our Frankie’s team members have so many fond memories of their time at Frankie’s since our 1990 opening,” Godley continued. “We have hopefully set up Frankie’s of Charleston for another 40 years of fun for the families of the Lowcountry.”
An exact reopening date has not been announced.
For more information, visit frankies.com/charleston or follow @frankiesfunparks on Instagram.