Kennywood Debuts New Sky Rocket Roller Coaster
Kennywood Park debuted its new roller coaster, the Sky Rocket, to the media on Monday morning.
Channel 11 has crews at the park, riding the ride. Check back for videos and photos. The slideshow in the left corner is from a couple of months ago.
Kennywood describes the Sky Rocket as “a seriously twisted, pulse detonating, supercharged, stratospheric new ride experience.” The amusement park said riders will “vertical climb and say adios to gravity as (they) go over-the-top and plummet 90-degrees due south.”
The day has finally come! We opened Shoot the Rapids this morning to a crowd of excited fans. Came on a perfect day, too - hot & humid. Perfect for a new water ride!
Cedar Point's New Shoot the Rapids Water Ride Opens for the Summer!
The newest ride at the Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park/resort, Shoot the Rapids, opened for the season earlier today, Saturday, June 26.
"The first hill rocks," said Jeff Braschares, from Delaware, Ohio, who rode the new water ride with his wife and 9-year-old daughter. "You get super wet at the bottom of the first hill!"
Located on the Frontier Trail, Shoot the Rapids is Cedar Point's third water ride. The new family thrill ride features two hills and two splash landings. The first hill is 85 feet-tall, one of the tallest water ride hills in the world, while the second hill crests 49 feet above the ground. At the bottom of the first hill, boats are traveling nearly 50 mph! To ride Shoot the Rapids, guests must be at least 48 inches tall or 46 inches tall and accompanied by a responsible adult.
Wrecking ball poised to finish off Kiddieland
The Kiddieland amusement park in Melrose Park closed its gates for good in September after 81 years of thrilling kids. Now comes the wrecking ball.
Demolition of the shuttered amusement park begins today, finishing off a process that has caused heartbreak for its fans.
And just as the Riverview amusement park gave way to a shopping center on Chicago's North Side, Kiddieland also will be replaced by shopping - a Costco store, to be precise.
Making Fun CEO John Welch on Six Flags Mascot Park, developing for Facebook
Last month theme park giant Six Flags announced that it was riding onto Facebook with Six Flags Mascot Park, a game where players can create colorful mascots and make them dance and perform. The game is being developed through a collaboration between noise and Making Fun, whose co-founder is none other than casual gaming veteran and former PlayFirst CEO John Welch. Gamezebo chatted with Welch about Six Flags Mascot Park and what it's like going from Diner Dash to social games.
Disney finds big savings in Buzz Lightyear’s spacesuit
One of the original attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the Jungle Cruise is a tongue-in-cheek voyage that, on both coasts, carries riders past robotic lions, zebras, snakes and hippos. And yet, for years, the boat captains in California wore different costumes than their Florida counterparts.
That changed just a few years ago, when Disney adopted identical outfits for both Orlando and Anaheim — the same ones, in fact, now used in Disney’s Animal Kingdom by drivers in the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction.
Such moves are discreet examples of the cost-cutting under way at Walt Disney Co.’s domestic theme parks in an effort to merge many operations at Disney World and Disneyland. Dubbed “One Disney,” the initiative rapidly accelerated early last year when Disney, its profits under pressure amid the global recession, eliminated 1,900 jobs at its U.S. resorts.
Dallas-based Dave & Busters eatery, entertainment chain to enter Orlando
Dave & Busters Inc. finalized a deal this month to enter the Orlando market, after years of flirting with the idea.
The Dallas-based company operates 57 restaurant/bar/entertainment complexes nationwide and in Canada serving burgers, pastas, salads and other American fare. It also features arcade games, virtual sports and pool tables.
It will be the sole tenant on the shuttered Race Rock restaurant site on the International Drive tourist corridor with landlord National Retail Properties LP.
Great Wolf Resorts, Inc., North America's largest family of indoor waterpark resorts, announced that it has signed License and Management Agreements related to the development of a new 600-suite Great Wolf Lodge resort in Garden Grove, California's world famous International West Resort. The resort will be located less than two miles from Disneyland, near Anaheim and Los Angeles, and will be developed by McWhinney.
Great Wolf Resorts will receive license fees for use of the Great Wolf Lodge brand name and other intellectual property at the resort, and will receive management fees to operate the resort on behalf of the owner. It will also advise on certain development-related matters. The resort will be owned by a joint-venture, with Great Wolf Resorts receiving a minority equity interest for its development-related services. Additionally, the City of Garden Grove will contribute cash and bond proceeds to the resort, as well as establish a financing district to develop an adjacent parking structure.
Downtown Disney: No Fixes Needed
In 2001, Walt Disney Co. opened a billion-dollar Anaheim expansion that included a second theme park, a third hotel and a mall.
Nearly a decade later, the company is dropping another billion dollars to fix parts of the expansion, mainly the disappointing Disney California Adventure Park.
Another piece of the 2001 expansion, the Downtown Disney District mall, seems to be doing just fine. Nestled between California Adventure and the original Disneyland Park, Downtown Disney has a waiting list of tenants wanting to get in.
Short-Term-Rental Mangers Get Lesson on Legoland
Those who work in the short-term-rental industry got an education in Legoland recently.
On June 17, Mark Jackson, Polk County's director of tourism and sports marketing, hosted members of the Central Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale.
Jackson gave the attendees a background in Legoland Florida, scheduled to open next year at the former Cypress Gardens site in Winter Haven, bringing with it 50 rides, up to 1,000 jobs and a hotel.
Water show adds some splash to Disney after-dark hours
With the launch of the “World of Color” water show earlier this month, there’s finally a reason to stay at Disney California Adventure after dark.
The 26-minute show keeps you wondering how they did it as 200-foot-high streams of water, bursts of laser beams and flashes of fire (hot enough to feel onshore) bring Paradise Bay alive.
The play of 1,200 fountains synchronize with the music and visual clips from recent Disney and Pixar cartoon features.
Kings Dominion Continues Its 'Tribute to the Armed Forces' for the Independence Day Weekend
Kings Dominion, is pleased to announce that it will offer FREE admission to active, retired and former United States military personnel on Sunday and Monday of July 4th weekend as a part of its Tribute to the Armed Forces program. The exact dates are July 4 and 5, 2010 and include all branches of the service, including National Guard and Reserves.
The free ticket offer will be available on the Sunday and Monday and a valid military ID or discharge papers must be presented at Kings Dominion on one of the dates of the program.
Also as a part of its Tribute to the Armed Forces program, active, retired and former members of the U.S. military will be able to purchase discounted admission tickets for members of their immediate family (maximum of six) at a special military discount price of $33.99 at the park. Many of the MWR and ITT Recreation offices located in the Mid-Atlantic region also offer discounted admission tickets, as well as, a special picnic package for these dates at their locations (picnic packages must be purchased in advance).
At tourist attractions nationwide, cellphone apps can enhance your visit
What did I want to do, my adoring family asked, on Mother's Day? Go to Six Flags! I said.
I know: It's a nontraditional alternative to brunch and spa treatments. But as a lifelong roller coaster addict, I was eager to try out the amusement park's new iPhone app, Fun Finder, and see how it might enhance a day among the rides. We downloaded the app onto three devices and roped in some friends, and off we went to Six Flags America in Largo.
I had two main hopes for Fun Finder: that it would help me avoid long lines for the biggest coasters and would let my 12-year-old son be a little more independent in the park. The app is divided into two main features: Park Pal and Fun Wheel. Park Pal is an electronic substitute for the poster-size paper map we've all struggled with. It includes all of the app's navigational tools: hours and events in a calendar format; ride descriptions, including minimum height and "thrill rating"; an interactive map of the park that interfaces with the phone's GPS (turn on iPhone Location Services) to show your location; and Friend Finder, which is supposed to help you keep track of the others in your party. Fun Wheel has two game areas: the Big Scream, a scavenger hunt that seems designed to steer you to the pay-to-play games, and Social Club, which "helps you find the best places to hang with friends."
New Monthly Payments Program Begins at Walt Disney World
Attention Florida residents … we’ve got some great news to share for those of you looking to spread out the cost of buying Walt Disney World annual passes. Our annual pass monthly payment program is now available online. And how it works is simple. Florida Residents make a down payment equal to the price of a non-discounted one-day Magic Your Way base ticket and then pay the remainder through 12 recurring automatic monthly payments scheduled for the year. It’s interest and finance charge free.
Wave of the future? $250M in waterpark projects could re-brand Poconos
The outdated "Honeymoon Capital of the World" moniker of the Poconos could be surpassed with a new title: "Indoor Waterpark Capital of the East."
If current plans come together, five indoor waterparks could call the region home — four in Tannersville alone — with about 13 acres of indoor waterpark space and a total of nearly 2,500 hotel rooms between planned and existing resorts.
Two of the three prospective groups already have submitted plans to Pocono Township proposing an indoor waterpark and hotel, and another has told the township of its intention to build one.
Water Parks Reach Full Capacity In Summer Heat
Tourists flocked to Orlando's water parks to beat the heat this weekend.
So many people showed up at SeaWorld's Aquatica on Saturday that they had to close the park.
Officials had to shut the doors at 12:45 p.m. when the park reached its maximum capacity.
The Comet at the Great Escape was once even scarier…
Let’s face it. The smartest thing Charles Wood ever did with that park – besides building it – was acquiring the Comet roller coaster from the Crystal Beach Amusement Park in Ontario. Anyone who’s been to the Great Escape can testify that the Comet is the best roller coaster in the park – and I’d argue it’s the best roller coaster in the Northeast.
When "St. Elmo's Fire" director Joel Schumacher arrived in Santa Cruz in the mid-1980s to scout locations for his next big film, "The Lost Boys," he took one look at the historic Beach Boardwalk and "saw the whole movie in my mind." Bordered by the forest and the beach, Schumacher thought the town gave off a transfixing aura that would provide the perfect cover for a bunch of vampires disguised as a band of motorcycle-riding punks.
"The movie didn't come together until I saw it," Schumacher said. "At the time, there was an enormous amount of transient kids moving through Santa Cruz. This is exactly where I would come if I was a teenage vampire."
Longtime fans of the 1987 film will get another opportunity to revel in the city's starring role when the Boardwalk screens "The Lost Boys" on the beach Wednesday. Actor Corey Feldman, who at 14 starred as one of the Frog brothers determined to kill the vampires, will introduce the movie.
Luxury pet hotel to open at Walt Disney World
Pets are soon to get their own hotel alongside their owners' at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
A new hotel catering to dogs and cats is scheduled to go into operation at the massive theme park on August 27, taking care of cats and dogs while their owners stay in one of the resort's 33 more traditional hotels.
The new "one-of-a-kind" Best Friends Pet Care Resort describes itself as a "luxury pet resort," offering everything from walkies to grooming for pampered pets.
Discovery Place reopens to huge crowds
The new Discovery Place in uptown reopened to crowds wrapped around the building. By the first hour, the museum was already at its 2,500 person capacity.
On Sunday, nine new exhibits were officially unveiled. For the past 18 months, the museum has undergone renovations with a $31 million price tag. The new additions include a diverse aquarium, 3-D digital theater and more hands-on activities.
According to Discovery Place President and CEO John Macakay, the public was invited to attend for free as a way to thank them for their patience during construction. Due to the economy, he said the museum never closed its doors, but cornered off areas that were undergoing renovations.
Life-size dinosaurs being built in Edmonton
Like a scene out of the movie Jurassic Park, 40 dinosaurs are coming to life in the woods north of Edmonton at the new Jurassic Forest attraction, which will open next month.
Jurassic Forest will be an educational and entertainment facility featuring 40 animatronic, life-size dinosaurs placed along more than two kilometres of boardwalks.
The park is on 16 hectares of land near Gibbons, Alta.
Child Nearly Drowns At Atlantis Water Park
A child is in critical condition after nearly drowning at Atlantis Park in Clarksville.
The boy's cousin said the child was supposed to be in the baby pool but went to the wave pool without anyone noticing.
Lifeguard manager Megan Rainville said one of her lifeguard's saw the 4-year-old boy not breathing in the water.
Get wet and wild at Coney this summer
You won’t have to jump in the ocean at Coney Island to get wet and wild this summer.
Three inflatable water slides will open during the July 4 weekend on the beach across from the Parachute Jump as part of a new “Water Slide Beach.”
The main attraction will be a 35-foot “Steeplechase Slide” — the largest of its kind in the world, according to its owner, Anthony Gach.
Strikes Bowling special supports Rocklin schools
With school over for the year, Rocklin families can have fun in a special way this summer – and support Rocklin schools.
Strikes Family Entertainment Center is making a special offer this summer for Rocklin families to enjoy bowling, pizza and games for a special price of $39.99 – with $10 going to the Rocklin Educational Excellence Foundation, which supports Rocklin Unified School District schools.
KC Zoo to add aerial tram over Africa plains exhibit
Purists may groan, but the kids will be wild about it. And isn’t that what zoos are about?
The Kansas City Zoo plans to build an aerial tram ride to give visitors an awesome view of African plains animals, including giraffes, cheetahs, zebras, lions, rhinos and one of the largest herds of scimitar-horned oryx in captivity.
“Yeah, we’re going to have a sky ride,” said a beaming Carol Hallquist, chairwoman of Friends of the Zoo, after a unanimous vote this week that will fundamentally alter the zoo experience.
AGO attendance set record in 2009-10
Toronto's Art Gallery of Ontario had record attendance of 878,478 visitors in 2009-10, the first full year since it reopened with a renovation by architect Frank Gehry.
About half that total — 404,364 people — attended the blockbuster show King Tut: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs, which was held over into May of this year because of its popularity.
The AGO also reported strong financial performance at its annual general meeting Wednesday, with a surplus of $1.5 million at the March 31 year end. King Tut alone brought in profit of $1 million.
Cleveland museum unveils $350M expansion
The Cleveland Museum of Art has opened its doors on its massive new $350-million US space after an eight-year renovation.
Seventeen new galleries showcasing objects going back 5,000 years, including Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and African pieces, were unveiled to the general public on Saturday.
"The objects do look fresh, and new and different with this installation," said Stephen N. Fliegel, the museum's medieval art curator.
Children's Museum, Eiteljorg refresh images
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis launched a new logo and rebranding initiative this summer.
Officials say the images reflect the Children’s Museum’s status as the nationwide leader among its peers. The Indianapolis museum counted 1.3 million visitors in 2009, and it boasts 31,000 member households.
The new logo will appear on out-of-state billboards and television commercials this summer. Later in the season, the material will appear in local advertising and on museum signs.
River museum gets bigger, better
It's hard to believe the Port of Dubuque was once a pile of rusty industrial equipment.
It's now a gleaming tourist attraction that just keeps getting bigger and better. Today, a $40 million expansion of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium opens; the 50,000-square-foot Diamond Jo National River Center doubles the size of the lauded complex.
The original $56 million museum was built in 2003 with the help of $8 million from Vision Iowa. It became the centerpiece of a riverfront project that included a convention complex, the Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark and a riverwalk flanked by the Diamond Jo Casino.
AROUND THE GLOBE
New Alton Towers ride TH13TEEN gets coated in bug repellent
Alton Towers Resort announced today that it is introducing a natural insect repellent coating to its new rollercoaster TH13TEEN in a bid to stop riders swallowing an estimated 20 bugs a day at the theme park.
With the average man consuming 500g worth of insects in a lifetime, the park has revealed that visitors can swallow up to 5% of this during one day at the theme park because of the time spent open mouthed on rides. While swallowing insects is not often dangerous, the majority are likely to be flies and these can carry bacteria that cause illness. They are also surprisingly calorific with 20 flies the equivalent to a small bag of jelly beans.
In a move that coincides with National Insect Week, the park will begin trialling the use of natural essential oil of the lemon eucalyptus on its new ultimate ride TH13TEEN, in a bid to minimise the amount of insects swallowed and killed.
New amusement park will be built in Bojnice in 2011
A new amusement park is set to be constructed in Bojnice in Trenčín Region in 2011, with Kastor company as the project developer, the TASR newswire reported.
“This entertainment, relaxation and educational complex will enhance the number of tourist visits to Bojnice already in 2013, the date by which we plan to open the premises to the public,” said Ján Badzgoň, Kastor’s managing board chairman.
The project was preceded by complex and lengthy expert discussions, with all the documentation weighing 4 kilos and finally Bojnice became the final choice for the park’s location. However, the crisis and problems surrounding land issues extended the preparation phase of the project by a year and a half.
Merlin premieres £4.5m 4D Marvel Superheroes experience at Madame Tussauds
Merlin Entertainment has premiered its £4.5m Marvel Superheroes 4D experience, which will be a regular addition at the old Planetarium venue in Madame Tussauds.
The installation, built by Kraftwerk Living Technologies, screens a custom made animated 3D film starring Marvel superheroes including Spiderman, Captain America and The Hulk.
A range of sensory experiences are timed to coincide with the film's action, including mist rising from the floor, air blowing from the head rests and chair vibration.
Ocean Park attendance shows strong rebound
Ocean Park has bounced back from a setback during the economic crisis by breaking its own attendance record for the sixth time in seven years Friday.
After dips in attendance brought on by tough economic times narrowed the gap between the city's amusement parks, Ocean Park has emerged from the doldrums. Yeung Kwok-man, his wife, mother-in-law and son were greeted with a fanfare as they made their way into the park, bringing total attendance at the park to 5,033,385 just days away from the end of Ocean Park's fiscal year.
The family was rewarded with lifetime admission passes.
Good times return to Al Ain fun park
The number of visitors to Al Ain’s Hili Fun City – long a popular summer hangout despite its aging attractions – is expected to increase by 30 per cent this summer after a multimillion-dirham revamp by the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC).
“We’re expecting very good numbers this year. Between 25 and 30 per cent more than last year,” said Ahmad Chaouk, the deputy general manager of the amusement park in the oasis town.
“We have new rides and a better landscape, so of course it will be better.”
Pink plays to sell-out crowd in the heat at Alton Towers
Alton Towers says it has not ruled out holding more music concerts after successfully playing host to pop superstar Pink.
The 30-year-old American singer-songwriter performed in front of a sell-out crowd at the theme park as part of her first stadium tour of the UK and Ireland last night.
An audience of 28,000 people attended the event, which was staged on a lawn close to the park's entrance.
Singapore Haw Par Villa Theme Park
Haw Par Villa, a Chinese mythological theme park located in Singapore, is famous for its “beyond your wildest imagination” statues, sculptures, and exhibits. Most of everything at Haw Par Villa is based on famous Chinese historical personalities, mythology and legends. From a statue of a woman nursing her father-in-law, to a statue of a woman’s head and face attached to the body of a crab, this place has it all. So, if you somehow find yourself tripping on mushrooms in Singapore, Haw Par Villa is the place to visit.
Originally called ‘Tiger Balm Gardens’, it was constructed in 1937 by brothers Aw BoonHaw and Aw Boon Par, who are developers of Tiger Balm. Later on it was sold to the Singapore Tourism Board and renamed as Haw Par Villa. A must see exhibit is the Ten Courts of Hell that features the ten steps of judgement before reincarnation.
Brazilian celebration at Gold Reef City
Gold Reef City Theme Park will be hosting a Brazil showcase on 3 July jam-packed with colourful celebrations, vibrant music and exciting activities.
The celebration forms part of a series of events that the Brazilian government has commissioned to create awareness and generate excitement about the 2014 FIFA World Cup that will be hosted in Brazil.
It's likely to be an electrifying day for Brazil, which will feature in a football game that might put it firmly on the road to the 2010 World Cup final. Brazilian supporters are expected to start arriving in South Africa to support their team as it fights for World Cup glory just as this event takes place, meaning that there will be plenty of atmosphere and excitement.
Aquariums' novel ideas lure visitors
In the period spanning the tsuyu rainy season into summer, aquariums serve as indoor leisure spots and are popular destinations for family outings.
Aquariums nationwide are going the extra mile to not only display rare fish but also make visitors feel closer to the popular creatures of the sea and rivers.
Aquamarine Fukushima, a marine science museum in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, which attracts the largest number of visitors in the Tohoku region, is popular for its Aquamarine Egg life-form educational facility for children.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=a7ce64ff-154f-41ab-a56a-16e92558a8ba)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=e889c720-65eb-4b51-b495-dcb46063a647)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=068cc723-36ad-45ae-be65-67095b29e0d5)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8b3f77c9-3d56-4804-bdf6-be43d842336b)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7077966a-ba19-466f-b2cd-515cb90b14c2)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=574af282-0b35-4904-b450-f5a6201b51f9)
.png)
