Great America

Six Flags Great America is located outside of Chicago in Gurnee, Illinois. This park first opened in 1976. The park currently has eight different themed sections and a waterpark attached. This year, the park will be closed the entire season due to budget cuts. I believe this is the only operation park in the state. I can remember visiting the parks while still in school. This is where we took our 8^th grade and senior class trip.  As a kid, we looked forward to these trips all year. The best park about going on the trips was all the different roller coasters that this had to offer. My class mates and I would compete against one another to see who could ride the most roller coasters in one day. We also enjoyed getting characterchers drawn and then comparing to see whose the best was.

Currently, the park has a whopping thirteen roller coasters. These roller coasters range from wooden to steel and they go upside down and spin around and around. Some also tilt you forward so you can feel like you are flying or allow you to stand up. Around the park you can also find numerous other rides for people of all ages and all different types of games. You can find both mind games and physical games. There is also an array of food that you can find though out the park. Then, in October the park offers Fright Fest all month long for those that like Halloween to enjoy.

Water Country

Water Country USA is located in Williamsburg, Virginia. This park first opened in 1984. It is currently the Mid-Atlantics largest water park. There is much more to this park besides just the water rides, Here at this park,  you can take yourself back in time a bit since all of the water rides, restaurants, shops, and entertainment has either or 1950’s or 1960’s beach theme.

Currently the park has 17 different water rides, 2 lazy rivers, and 3 different areas for the kids to play. The new water ride to open up this year is called Vanish Point. This new attraction was inspired by the point on a wave where water and gravity form a perfect partnership. Once you reach the top of this 75-foot tower you have two different options of getting down. At the top there are 4 different slides, 2 of each kind.  You can either step into a sky box where the floor drops out on you, or you can lay down on your back and drop almost straight down a 300’ speed slide.  Either one is likely to get your nerves going. Another unique thing that the feature for entertainment is a dive show called AQUABATICS. This is an exciting show that you don’t want to miss. The show features a combination of high-dive, trapeze acts, trampoline stunts and athletic acrobats.

Throughout the summer you can come to this park and enjoy a day of fun in the sun! Ticket prices this year are $46.00 for those 10 and over, $39.99 for ages 3-9, and those that are 2 and under are free. For more information about this park you can visit their website.

http://www.watercountryusa.com/

Noahs Ark

Noah’s Ark is located in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, the town known as the “Water Park Capital of the World.” This water park is currently America’s largest water park and is constantly rated among one of the best water parks to visit in the United States!  The park opened in 1979 and has been growing ever since.

As far as water attractions go, this park has 49 waterslides, two huge wave pools, two lazy rivers, and 4 different kid’s play areas. The slides vary from 1-4 for the amount of people that can go down at a time, so you don’t have to do everything alone!  Some of the top water rides that this park features includes The Black Anaconda,  America’s longest water coaster, Time Warp, the world’s largest bowl ride, Scorpion’sTail, America’s first near-vertical looping waterslide and The Point of No Return, a water slide that is 10 stories high and you drop almost vertically down in just 5 short seconds.

A nice thing about Noah’s ark is that even though it is a water park, it does have some activities that you can enjoy without getting wet.  These activities include bumper boats, mini-golf, an arcade, remote control boats, a haunted crypt, a 4-D movie theatre and arcades. It’s nice to be able to go to a water park where rain won’t ruin your entire day.

This park is open every year from Memorial Day to Labor Day. You can purchase an all day unlimited pass for $35.99 for those 48” and above, and a 20% discount for those under that. Children two and under are always free. For more information, visit the parks website.

http://www.noahsarkwaterpark.com

Fun Facts I Didn't Know about Parks

I would like to take some time to talk about how I feel my blogs have been going.  They are not as hard as what I originally thought they were going to be, but they are still time consuming. I have discovered many parks that I didn’t even know existed.  From doing this project I have learned a lot more about parks that I did not know in the past. For instance, I didn’t know any of the following:

·         Many of the small parks that I have been researching are actually owned by bigger companies that had other parks across the United States.  Dollywood and Silver Dollar City are connected. Cedar Fair Entertainment Company owns all 10 of the following parks: Worlds of Fun, Cedar Point, Valley fair, Knott’s Berry Farm, Michigan’s Adventure, Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, Kings Island, Kings Dominion, Carowinds, and California’s Great America. They are getting up there with Six Flags!

·         A lot more amusement parks are adding on water parks. They are then advertising the 2 for the price of 1 deal and attracting a bigger customer base.

·         Many of the parks offer very similar attractions to one another. They just have different names and colors.

·         Parks sometimes buy rides from other amusement parks when they are done with them.

·         If you order your tickets online you can save yourself money.

·         Every year Golden Ticket Awards are awarded to the best parks, cleanest parks, best wooden coaster and best coaster across the United States and even in other countries.

Splish Splash

Splish splash is located in Riverhead, New York. This was park opened up in 1991. At this time it only had 3 body slides, 2 speed slides, 2 tube slides, 2 children’s play areas and a lazy river.  In just twenty short years Splish Splash Water Park has built itself up to be one of the top water parks in the United States according to the Travel Channel. During the summer of 2008 the park announced that it would be adding 7 new rides over the next few years. Their latest ride that they added was Dr. Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror, in 2009. This ride is a longer winding slide that you go through in total darkness.  People get on this slide with either a one or two person tube.  They will then wind back and for a experience a drop of 40ft.  Quite a bit has happened to the water park in just a short amount of time.

This park is spread out over 96 acres and has tons to offer. It features over 30 slides and attractions for people of all different ages and swim skill levels.  In addition to what was mentioned earlier the park has also added a wave pool and 2 more children’s play areas.

If you need a break for the water you can always enjoy one of the dining areas or the spectacular Bird Show. During this show you will watch 4 parrots compete for the title of Pirate Weldon’s Parrot. This show is fun for the whole family and is bound to have everybody laughing.

Tickets are available for this park at a price of $37.99 for regular admission, $28.99 for those under 48” or over 62, and children 2 years of age and under are free.  For more information about this park you can visit its website.

http://www.splishsplashlongisland.com

Kennywood

Kennywood is located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. The park first opened in 1898 as a “trolley park.” A trolley park was a picnic and recreation area that could be found along or at the ends of streetcar lines. These came along before amusement parks. In 1906 it was bought and has been an amusement park ever since. Surprisingly, this park still has some rides and structures that are still there from when the park first opened. This makes the park one of only two listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This park currently has three themed areas called Kiddieland, Lost Kennywood, and Volcano Valley. Kiddieland is known for being one of the first areas for just children’s rides in the world and has 14 different rides for the young ones to enjoy! Within the other two areas you can find 6 roller coasters, 3 water rides, 9 thrill rides, 10 classic rides, and 3 dark rides. In the Kennywood area you can take a step back and review the history of the park.  Volcano Valley is the newest section of the park and it continues to grow each year with the addition of at least one new ride.

With all the rides, shows and more than 30 different refreshment areas this park has stuff for the whole family to enjoy. Ticket prices for this year are $36.99 for those over 46”, $23.99 for these under 46”, and $17.99 for those aged 55 and up. Kids that are two and under are free! For more information about this park you can visit its website. http://kennywood.com/

Silver Dollar City

Silver Dollar City is located in Branson, Missouri. This park has been in business since 1960.  If you want to take a step back in time to the 1880’s, this is the perfect amusement park for you to visit. It is located in a wooded area, so the atmosphere is perfect.

The park offers over 30 rides and attractions. They have rides for people of all ages who are looking for different types of adventure.  This is a little less than most major theme parks but this park seems to focus more on their shops and entertainment.

While at Silver Dollar City you can check out one of their 60 unique and inspirational shops. These shops include: jewelry, old fashioned candy, blacksmith shops, glass shop, a leather shop, numerous different types of art shops and more. Here you would be able to find a great one of a kind gift for anyone. In some of the shops they even show you live demonstrations to how they made the products that they have to offer the old fashioned way.

If you are really into shows, Silver Dollar City offers over 40 live shows daily. In 2009, they were rated best in the entire theme park industry by Golden Ticket Awards. These shows offer a variety of music performances, some more traditional and others that take you way back. There are even some short performances that are both funny and fun for the whole family.

This year’s current ticket prices are $55 for adults, $45 for children 4-11, and $53 for 65 and up. For more information regarding this park visit their website.

http://www.bransonsilverdollarcity.com/

Cedar Point

Cedar Point is located in Sandusky, Ohio. The park itself is located on a peninsula in Lake Erie. It’s history dates back to the 1870’s making it the 2^nd oldest amusement park in North America.  Since it is on a peninsula, it has a mile-long white sand beach next to the amusement park. As of last year, Cedar Point was said to have more rides than any other amusement park.  This park has also been deemed “Best Amusement Park in the World” by Amusement Today for the past 13 years. Besides the parks unique location, I am guessing that this could have something to do with the fact that this park has a total of 17 different roller coasters! Most of the parks that I have been to, don’t even have half that many roller coasters.

Aside from all of the roller coasters, Cedar Point also features, numerous thrill rides for those seeking adventure, kids’ rides for the little ones, family rides for those who prefer a calmer experience, and water rides for those that just want to cool off. Throughout the park there is not just one but four different areas just for the kids who I still too small to enjoy the bigger rides. These areas are called Camp Snoopy, the Gemini Children’s Area, Planet Snoopy, and Kiddy Kingdom.

If rides are not your thing you can always enjoy one of the many shows, games, or restaurants.

The current admission prices for this season are $46.99 for those over 48” and $21.99 for those under 48” or over the age of 60. For more information you can visit the parks website.

http://www.cedarpoint.com/

Adventure Land

Adventureland is located in Altoona, Iowa. This is just outside of Des Moines. Adventureland opened in 1975, and currently offers more than 100 rides, shows, and attractions.

There are three different rides that are offered here they include, thrill rides, family rides, and kiddie rides. For thrill rides they have a few different roller coasters and faster,  and taller more high tech carnival rides.  The family rides are slower paced and often more than two people can all go together at once within the same cart. The kiddie rides are much like the ones that you would see at a fair, many of them resemble animals or forms of transportation. Most of these rides are slow pace and just go around in circles.

A new addition to the park that they have recently added is a water park called Kokomo Kove. You do not have to pay extra to get into the water area. It is already included in the normal ticket price. In the water park area you can find 7 water slides, over 100 other water features that are fun for kids, a lazy river and a giant play area for kids. If people do not enjoy getting into the water they can sit and enjoy themselves in one of over 200 lounge chairs. At Kokomo Kove, they made sure people of all ages would be able to enjoy it.

The current ticket prices for Adventureland are $35 for those over 10 and $30 for those younger or over the age of 60. For more information you can visit the parks website.

http://www.adventureland-usa.com/

Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun is located in Kansas City, Missouri. It was built in 1973, before there was even much in the area. Now, it is one of the city’s main attractions. This traditional amusement park is themed around the adventure book, Around the World in 80 Days, by Jules Verne. To go along with the book the park is separated into 5 different areas. These areas are called Scandinavia, Africa, Europa, the Orient, and Americana.  Within these different sections of the park rides, attractions, shops, shows, and restaurants are named to go along with the area they are located in.

This theme park currently offers its guest more than 100 different rides and attractions.  The types of rides that are offered range from kid’s rides, thrill rides, and family rides.  All but the kid’s rides can be found spread out through the different themed areas of the park. The kids have their own special section, with over 20 different rides and attractions just for them. They can be found in an area known as Planet Snoopy, located in the Americano section of the park. All of the Peanuts characters can also be found wandering around this area. They are there to interact with the kids and to take pictures or even sign autographs. There are seven different roller coasters throughout this park. All of them are quite different than one another.  They have a super fast coaster that reaches speeds up to 65mph, some that go upside down, and even one that goes backwards.  In 2009, the Prowler won the prize of being the best new ride in the world! Besides these rides there are also slower paced rides that the whole family can enjoy. If rides aren’t for you, Worlds of fun also features some award winning shows, that have performers from all across the country. Over all, this park is big enough to have at least something that the whole family can enjoy.

For 2011 the ticket prices are $43.99 for guests 48” or taller and $21.99 for juniors and seniors over the age of 62. For more information you can visit the parks web page. http://www.worldsoffun.com/.

Raging Waters

There is a group of three different water parks, in California, that are under the name of Raging Waters and are owned by the same group. These water parks are located in Sacramento, San Dimas, and San Jose.  The parks are currently the largest parks in the whole state.  You can find two other water parks in the states that go by this name but they are not owned by the same group.

Raging Waters Sacramento

The park in Sacramento features over 25 slides and attractions. These attractions include different types of slides, a wave pool, and lazy river, and different kiddie areas. One of the kid’s areas features a 5-story tall water playground that the whole family can enjoy.

Raging Waters San Dimas

The water park in San Dimas is the largest of the three and is ranked as one of the top Water Parks in the United States by the Travel Channel. Covering 50 acres, this park contains over 36 slides and attractions.  There are kiddie areas, a wave pool, lazy rivers, and even a sand beach. Some of the bigger attractions include a slide where you are in total darkness the whole time,  the new Flowrider that makes it seem as if you are catching a wave and raft rides that the whole family can enjoy.

Raging Waters San Jose

This park is the second largest of the three parks and known as the largest park in Northern California. It was formally a water park belonging to Six Flags but they let it go after filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy. It includes all kinds of slides, a lazy river, a wave pool, and some areas for the little one.

All three of these parks have tons to offer. For more information, you can check out their website.

http://www.ragingwaters.com 

The Lost Island

The Lost Island is located in Waterloo, Iowa. This water park has only been open for 10 going on 11 years.  The park is located in an area where there is not much going on, but has so far been doing alright. Every year to improve the park they try to add on one new big project from the previous year.

 As of right now this park features major water slides, kiddie play areas, water attractions, and activities that take place outside the water park area. This past season the park introduced its best slide yet, the Wailua Kapua.  This is a new ProSlide Hydro Magnetic Rocket water coaster. Up to four people can take a ride up in a tube on a conveyor belt.  They will then get to experience the 900-foot-long ride though twists, turns  and drops at speeds up to 35 feet per second.  If this slide isn’t for them they can pick from one of the 8 other ones that the park has to offer. If slides aren’t for you but you still like water you can spend some time in the either the wave pool, lazy river, or one of the parks lagoons that are kid friendly. Outside of the park you can find an 18-hole mini golf course, an arcade, and go-karts! There are so many choices for this being a smaller water park.

Day passes for this park are $23.36 and 3 and under are free. For more information, you can check out the parks website.

http://www.thelostisland.com/

Splashtown

Splashtown is located in Houston, Texas. This park sits on the land that was once known as Hanna-Barbera Land, which was an amusement park.  When this park first opened up in 1984 it was converted into a waterpark and they named it Splashtown USA. The USA was then dropped after the first season of being open. Randomly, Splashtown San Antonio opened up around the same time as this park and surprisingly the two were not exactly owned by the same people.

The Stingray Racer is the newest slide that has been added to the park. This attraction contains 6 of the same slides lined up side by side were you go down head first on a mat.  Here you can challenge your friends or family to a friendly completion to see who can race down the slide the fastest.  Apart for this slide the park offers its guests 10 other slides a lazy river, a wave pool, and kid friendly areas that the whole family can enjoy.  Some slides are milder than others, so you are bound to find something you like with one these slides that contain twists and turns or sudden drops. One can even experience some blackouts as you are going down, so hopefully you aren’t afraid of the dark! If you don’t like to go on slides alone, one should have no worries since a great number of the slides allow you to at least double up on a tube or a raft with others! There is enough to do at this park to allow you do have a full day filled with fun. For more information, you can visit the parks website. http://www.splashtownpark.com/

Water World

Water World is a water park located in Federal Heights, Colorado.  This park first opened in 1979 and is known as one the top water parks in the United States. This surprised me. I picture Colorado as more of a mountain town and a place to snow or ski.

This park has over 45 attractions covering a whopping 67 acres. In this area the park is split up into 7 different sections. You can find all sorts of slides at this park ranging from single rider slides, to tube slides, raft slides, and speed slides. The park currently has two different wave pools, a lazy river, and some kid friendly areas.  These sections include: West Coast, South Beach, North Shore, River Country, Calypso Cove, Wild Isle and Big Top. West Coast and Big Top are the two biggest sections of the park. The West Coast and the Big Top feature mostly family attractions. Here you can find small pools and multi-rider slides.

This park is usually open every year from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This park has two different ticket rates for depending on what time of the day that you go. If you go in the morning when it opens prices go as follows:

People 48” and above    $35.99

Children 40”-47”               $30.99

Children under 40”          FREE

Seniors                                 $6.99

Prices if you go after 1:45PM

People 48” and above    $20.99

Children 40”-47”               $17.99

Children under 40”          FREE

Seniors                                 $6.99

For more information about Water World, you can visit their website.  http://www.waterworldcolorado.com/

Carowinds

Carowinds amusement park is located in two different towns in two different states. It lies on the state lines of Charlotte, North Carolina and Fort Mill, South Carolina. When this park first opened, in 1973, the goal was to bring these two states closer together.  They put some thought into the name. They wanted to come up with a good name that could represent both states. They came up with the name by taking “Caro” since the two states combined are often referred to as the Carolinas and then they added “winds” to represent the winds that have blown through the two states. When the park first opened it was themed towards the Carolinas rich culture, so the name fit the park perfectly. Then, as the park began to age new things began to replace the old leaving a more modern feel.

In the park you will be able to find a whopping 13 roller coasters, numerous thrill rides and family rides, and an entire section just for kids.  Located within the park is also a water park called Boomerang Bay. This sections includes 12 water slides, a lazy river, a wave pool and 3 interactive family play areas.  If this isn’t enough the park also offers shopping, multiple restaurants, 3 shows featuring Peanut characters, and ends every night with fireworks.

Carowinds is open from early spring until Halloween. Ticket prices for this park are $51.99 for those over 48” and $24.99 for those under 48” or over the age of 62. You can also get in for $24.99 if you go after 4:00 PM.  For more information regarding this park you should visit its website.

http://www.carowinds.com