Garden City Pavilion Arcade & GiGi's Grill — Attraction in Garden City

Alright, listen up, folks! Grab your fanny packs and sunscreen because I’ve got a story to tell you about the best dad day ever at the Garden City Pavilion Arcade & GiGi’s Grill in Garden City, South Carolina. This place is a smorgasbord of fun, food, and family-friendly shenanigans that’ll make even the grumpiest teenager crack a smile.

Picture this: you walk in, and it’s like the Willy Wonka factory of arcades. The lights are flashing, the bells are dinging, and the smell of fried food is in the air. It’s like stepping into an 80s time capsule where Pac-Man is king and high scores are serious business. I swear, I haven’t felt this pumped since the time I found out they were bringing back Twinkies!

Now, let’s talk about the games. This place has everything from skee-ball to air hockey, and don’t even get me started on the claw machines. I’m like a claw machine ninja. My sons were amazed when I snagged a plushie on the first try. I had to remind them, “Boys, you’re looking at the claw master!” I was ready to crown myself King of the Arcade right then and there.

After we’d collected enough tickets to fund a small toy store, we headed over to GiGi’s Grill. Now, I’ve eaten burgers from coast to coast, but GiGi’s Grill is flipping patties like they’ve got a direct line to the burger gods. I ordered the Big Dad Burger, a towering beast of beef, cheese, and all the fixings. With every bite, I felt like I was winning the Super Bowl of flavor.

And let’s not forget the fries—crispy golden slices of heaven that made my heart sing and my arteries cringe just a little. The kids devoured their chicken tenders like they hadn’t eaten in days, which, knowing their teenage appetites, might be true.

But what really makes this place special is the vibe. It’s got that nostalgic charm that makes you feel like a kid again. Whether you’re battling it out in Street Fighter or trying to snag the last stuffed unicorn from the claw machine, there’s a sense of pure, unadulterated joy in the air.

So, if you find yourself in Garden City with the fam, do yourself a favor and swing by Garden City Pavilion Arcade & GiGi’s Grill. It’s the perfect place to unleash your inner child and create some epic dad jokes along the way.

Garden City Pavilion Arcade & GiGi’s Grill is a slice of Americana that’ll have you grinning from ear to ear. Just don’t blame me if you leave with a few extra pounds of arcade tickets and...

I was on vacation in Surfside Beach and was feeling a little nostalgic for some arcade games. I remember when the Surfside Pier used to have some arcade games (now an ice cream shop) and a small white building near the road had some more (now a realty office). So I ventured down to Garden City. I made a rookie mistake right off the bat. Fed a $20 bill into the first "change machine" I saw. It was a quarter machine. 99.9% of the games use tokens. The only one that uses quarters is the game where you drop quarters in and then bumpers are constantly trying to push the quarters over a ledge. Please make sure you don't make the same mistake I did, make sure you go to the token machines, not the quarter machine. Once I got some tokens, I played games like I was a kid again. Upstairs had really old school arcade games and pinball. They have Sam's Corner right next door, but they also have their own snack bar inside the arcade. A highly enjoyable afternoon (aside from the $20 in...

This place is a piece of childhood for us! We miss the coins for the games, as now you buy a card with the “points” for the games. However, the games are good! They have skee ball, basketball, foosball, and tons of video games like shooter games and ticket based games. The ticket amounts for the prizes are comical, it’s very expensive to get any of the actual prizes (stuffed animals, toys, etc). Overall, still a great place to spend the afternoon or let the kiddos run free. There is an upstairs portion which has older games but also some newer like guitar hero. They also have an attached eating area- Gigi’s grill which wasn’t too expensive and had good quality food. They cook it fresh in front of you so again, its pretty trustworthy. Staff is nice here and we...