Autism Travel to Myrtle Beach at The Carolina Opry

We were given free tickets to see The Time Warp show at The Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach. However, all thoughts, opinions, and views are my own.

Ten years ago, I dreamed of times like this. Moments that we could enjoy life and do some of the things before autism. We had been to The Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach before autism. In fact, after Disney, the beach is my favorite location, and Myrtle Beach is one of our top family vacations, and it is perfect for homeschoolers who can travel in the fall! But it has been years since we have been to Myrtle Beach, and after living with autism, we really didn’t see that we would ever be able to see a show again. If I had believed all the naysayers who tried to tell me that life would be dismal, my dreams would have been squelched. But dreaming of moments that life could seem normal kept me going. Additionally, hearing stories of people who had dreams and were told that it would never work out or to do something else with their lives, keeps me inspired and moving towards my bigger dreams.

Calvin Gilmore at The Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach

History is full of dreamers such as Walt Disney and Thomas Edison. One was called stupid by his teacher, and the other was told he lacked imagination. Just imagine our world for a second without the dreams of these two individuals. Boring and without light!

We had the incredible opportunity to visit The Carolina Opry Theater and see the show, Time Warp. This show is definitely not boring. It highlights songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. But before I tell you about the show, let me tell you about Calvin Gilmore. He loved his family and didn’t want to have a life on the road, so he dared to dream of a different experience. He created a musical variety show that he could perform and give his family the stability of a home!

Calvin selected the seaside town of Myrtle Beach as that home for his show. While dreaming of a better life for his family, he incorporated his love of music and entertainment to bless the rest of the world. Over the past thirty years, the original show, The Carolina Opry, has blessed millions of visitors to Myrtle Beach.

The Venue:

The building that is home to The Carolina Opry is gorgeous. From the outside to the inside, you feel like you stepped into first-class luxury. To me, this is a sign of someone who pays attention to detail and wants the guest to be comfortable and wants the guests to enjoy the show!

The Show:

The Time-Warp Show at The Carolina Opry was fantastic. From the first act to the last act we were entertained and had smiles on our faces. Jack-Jack enjoyed the show as well. Many songs he did not know, but he recognized several. As a child born in the 60s, I knew all the songs. However, don’t expect to hear just singing when you go. The dancing and comedy are spot-on. And you will find yourself laughing at the great comedy too! This is truly a variety show with great talent, and I don’t know if my family noticed, but the costumes were amazing!

AUTISM TRAVEL: The Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach

The Carolina Opry graciously hosted our family and allowed us to see Time Warp. This variety show is outstanding, and what impressed me the most was the range of singers and the voices they were able to perform. It is definitely a show worth seeing. But is it suitable for children?

My children ages 14 and 16 enjoyed the show, and I would say children as young as 5-6 would enjoy it too. While Jack-Jack (my 14-year-old son with autism) enjoyed the show, he did say it was too loud. However, he is accustomed to seeing shows. He did say, “It would probably be too loud for other kids, but I am a teenager.” LOL

I offer the following CAUTION and advice for children with autism:

The music is loud

There are flashing lights and strobe lights

There is also smoke from smoke machines – this is one thing that Jack-Jack absolutely loves. He wants to sit as close to the smoke machines as possible. We were sitting about 5 rows from the stage, and Jack-Jack would have loved to be closer!

You can sit further back and have a great view of the show. Additionally, there are large screens placed on either side of the stage. I have made a small video that shows what you can expect when you visit the show. This video will give you and your child a taste of the sights, sounds, flashes, and lighting you can expect when you visit the Time Warp show at The Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach.

After the show:

Make sure to stick around after the show to get photos with the cast. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions. I personally love it when shows offer this feature to the audience. It really gives you that feeling of being appreciated as a customer. Furthermore, they want to provide you with something a little extra!