Michigan's Adventure Expanding Season in 2023 With Tricks and Treats Fall Fest

© Michigan's Adventure

It's finally happening - Michigan's Adventure has announced that they will extend their operating season into September and October in 2023 by holding their first ever signature event, Tricks and Treats Fall Fest.  The event appears to be modeled as a 'lite' version of the large events of a similar name that opened at California's Great America and Valleyfair this season.  Like those events, Tricks and Treats Fall Fest at Michigan's Adventure will offer visitors spooky (not scary) family fun on Saturdays and Sundays from September 16th, 2023 until October 15th, 2023.

“This new event will add even more value for our Michigan’s Adventure season pass holders and offer an exciting and unique opportunity for the community,” said Camille Jourden-Mark, vice president and general manager. “Our entire team is looking forward to extending our season and offering all-in-one Halloween, fall and Michigan fun next year.”

 

The amusement park will offer guests the chance "to step into a larger-than-life spooky Halloween adventure, surrounded by the sights, sounds and tastes of Michigan in the fall.  Families will also be able to enjoy select rides – including attractions at Camp “Spooky,” the park’s new kids’ area where kids, parents and grandparents can all ride together – all included with admission."

 

© Michigan's Adventure

Offerings at the event include special decorations, live entertainment, family activities plus Snoopy and his Peanuts friends dressed in their Halloween finest - perfect for the costume contest that the park will hold.  The park will also offer an immersive trick-or-treat experience, seasonal craft activities, special games and even a pumpkin decorating station.

 

Families will also be able to enjoy the Brews and Boos Lakeside Patio which will offer local craft brews, Michigan-made wines and for kids, special magical potions.  The new Tricks and Treats Fall Fest event will be included in the park's season pass, giving passes more value than ever before.

Carowinds and Kings Dominion to Operate Year Round Starting in 2023

© Carowinds

Both Carowinds and Kings Dominion have announced that starting in 2023 they will be open year round, continuing operations during the winter months of January, February and March.  This is a big move for owner Cedar Fair, as they try to create more revenue opportunities for the company on a 365 day calendar, similar to how Knott's Berry Farm already functions.

Carowinds traditionally closed after their WinterFest celebration at the start of the new year.  Moving forward, however, guests will be able to visit the park on weekends and partake in even more fun and special events during the winter months.  The park does warn that weather events, maintenance on rides and other factors will limit the amount of operations and food and retails locations open during the added operating days.

© Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion, which is further North than Carowinds, will also follow the same schedule and stay open on weekends in January, February and March in 2023.  While weather may be more of a factor for this park than Carowinds, they're giving it a try and are excited to welcome guests each month of 2023.

“Kings Dominion will be the cure for cabin fever in 2023,” said Bridgette Bywater, vice president and general manager. “We’ve always wanted find a way to extend our season to all 12 months, and now families and season passholders won’t have to wait until the spring for their favorite rides or their first taste of funnel cake.” 

This is an exciting move for fans of both parks, who no longer have an "off season" and can ride year round!  Hopefully it is a success for the parks.

Adventure Port Bringing New Excitement to Kings Island in 2023

© Kings Island

This week Kings Island made an exciting announcement about a new themed area opening at the park in 2023 - Adventure Port.  Located in the middle of the park, the expansion will see a total retheme of a part of the property with two new rides added and exciting new food and beverage offerings as well.

© Kings Island

Adventure Port is described as a unique location "resting in the foothills of overgrown mountains and dense tropical terrain."  Adventure Port "is a hub for explorers searching for the ruins of an ancient civilization, its forbidden temple and mysterious wonders.   If asked, the locals will tell tales of those who came before you and vanished. Did they unwittingly disturb ancient spirits and fall victim to an age-old curse?"

 

© Kings Island

Two new rides will welcome visitors in Adventure Port in 2023, the first of which is Sol Spin, pictured above.  The attraction will be located to the left of the entrance to Adventure Express, and is one of Zamperla's Endeavour rides - a modern take on the classic Enterprise style ride.  Sol Spin will represent a giant sun disk created by an ancient civilization, with riders feet dangling freely as they spin up to 60 feet in the air at 25 miles per hour.

© Kings Island

© Kings Island

The second new ride is Cargo Loco, a modern version of the classic spinning teacup ride.  The ride has a cute backstory where Arrow Cargo Company promises to get your freight from point A to B, but with a lot of spinning and twisting in between.  Like the other attractions and shops in Adventure Port, the Cargo Loco looks to come with a nice amount of theming.

© Kings Island

Those looking for some food and drink while exploring Adventure Port will be happy to find The Mercado, a large establishment that will welcome tons of visitors at a time.  Whether looking for a bit to eat, some light shopping or some beverages and rest, the Mercado will offer a variety of options.

© Kings Island

Another new dining establishment within Adventure Port is Enrique's.  The brightly colored outlet will offer visitors local cuisine including "traditional burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, salads and sides."

 

© Kings Island

© Kings Island

Possibly the most exciting change coming along with this expansion is a set of improvements coming to Adventure Express, an Arrow Dynamics mine train that opened in 1991.  The ride was already repainted before the 2022 season, but for 2023 it will feature a brand new themed entrance (seen above), a changed queue area and additional theming.

Sea World Orlando Announces Pipeline: The Surf Coaster for 2023

© Sea World Orlando

© Sea World Orlando

Sea World Orlando has announced Pipeline - The Surf Coaster as the world's first "surf coaster," manufactured by B&M and representing the realization of a new-age stand up roller coaster.  That was a mouthful indeed, but the design represents the first new 'type' of coaster from B&M in some time, which is a nice change of pace for them.  Hopefully Pipeline is a comfortable and a success and we will then see more of this new style of ride.

© Sea World Orlando

© Sea World Orlando

Pipeline will feature blue track and white supports - but we've all seen those arriving at the theme park for some time now.  As expected with standing trains, the ride will feature a 54 inch height requirement.  The coaster does not utilize a traditional lift hill, instead it starts with a launch over a small airtime hill that sends trains out at 60 miles per hour.  I don't expect air-time from that small hill, but it'll be a nice sensation nonetheless - especially with these new trains.  

© Sea World Orlando

© Sea World Orlando

And how about those trains, they're only two across and this is a B&M ride!  An important part of these new surf coaster trains is that while guests stand up the trains actually are able to give somewhat so riders can flex up and down with the forces of the ride.  Gone are the rigid bicycle like seats of old B&M stand up coasters - these flex under riders to provide more comfort.  You can see this flex in the ride animation at the bottom of the article.

© Sea World Orlando

Pipeline, after that initial launch, will head through a 110 foot tall turn, dive down and over a large hill, then pass through a simulated splash area on the edge of the theme park's central lake.  After that is a giant "wave curl" inversion - the only upside down moment of the coaster.  The rest of the 2,950 foot long track will feature a total of 5 moments of air-time and plenty of twists and turns.

 

Pipeline will be the park's 7th roller coaster, quite impressive for a Sea World park!  Below is the ride's animation, make sure to check out how the seats flex up and down in the video.

 

Serengeti Flyer to Swing Into Busch Gardens Tampa in 2023

© Busch Gardens Tampa

While not much a surprise, mostly since the park has featured plenty of photos of the ride under construction on their socials, Busch Gardens Tampa has announced a new S&S Screamin' Swing named Serengeti Flyer as the theme park's newest ride.  The new attraction is slated to open in 2023 - though the park doesn't say eactly when.  The ride is mostly complete, so we could see an early opening with relative ease if the park wanted.

“Serengeti Flyer’s thrilling ride experience is bound to provide riders with a pulse-pounding encounter that can only be found at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay,” said Neal Thurman, Park President of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. “We believe that Serengeti Flyer will be the perfect high-thrill addition to our world-class portfolio of attractions including Iron Gwazi, the Golden Ticket Award Winner for the Best New Roller Coaster in 2022.”

 

© Busch Gardens Tampa

The ride is being billed as the world's tallest and fastest of its kind.  Serengeti Flyer will stand 105 feet tall, but swing riders up to 135 feet in the air.  At the maximum, the ride's arms will swing passengers at a blazing 68 miles per hour.  The two arms each feature a carriage with 10 seats on the front and back, so a total of 40 riders can go per cycle - and Serengeti Flyer has a family friendly 48 inch height requirement.  Riders will have an amazing view of the park's 65 acre Serengeti when on the attraction as it expands below them as they reach higher and higher.

Worth noting is that Serengeti Flyer's statistics which give it world records also match those of Tidal Surge at Sea World San Antonio, which opened this year.  So, the two rides will share the worlds tallest and fastest title, it seems.

Sea World San Diego Building New Launched Family Coaster for 2023 Season

© Sea World San Diego

Sea World San Diego will be sending visitors on a brand new adventure in 2023 when the park opens their new family launched roller coaster, Arctic Rescue, this coming Spring.  Billed as the "longest and fastest straddle coaster on the West Coast," the attraction will also feature three launches to keep the vehicles moving through the course and the excitement flowing.

 

 “We’re continuously looking for ways to add new experiences to the park for our guests and this new coaster is a great addition to our ride line-up and a perfect complement to the Wild Arctic exhibit,” said Jim Lake, SeaWorld San Diego Park President. “The ride is also an educational opportunity for guests to learn more about climate change, how it impacts animals in the Arctic and what they can do to help the issue. I truly feel that seeing these animals upclose at SeaWorld allows guests to build a stronger connection and encouragement to take action to help protect them.”

 

© Sea World San Diego

Arctic Rescue will start with passengers entering the Wild Arctic exhibit and boarding snowmobile themed coaster trains.  The ride's first launch will take place indoors, sending the trains out of the building at 34 miles per hour.  The rids is themed around sending guests on a mission into the "unpredictable arctic climate to help animals in danger" and requires that passengers be only 48 inches tall to ride.

After the initial launch the coaster's layout will feature a twisted course that feature two more launches - each faster than the previous at 38 and 40 miles per hour.  The coaster will have a maximum height of 30 feet above the ground and a total track length of 2,800 feet.  Arctic Rescue will be created for the park by Intamin and features 16 passenger trains.

The new coaster is also meant to bring awareness to the effects of Global Warming in the Arctic, where many species depend on Arctic sea ice that is quickly melting away.  The effects are forcing the animals to change how they hunt, breed and migrate - and the coaster will also bring awareness to Sea World's famous animal rescue program.

Sea World San Antonio Opening World's First Launched Log Flume in 2023

© Sea World San Antonio

The announcement of a new log flume is always a big deal in my world, and this past week we got the announcement of not only that but a launched one to boot!  Sea World San Antonio put a big smile on our face by revealing Catapult Falls, a modern take on the classic log flume designed for the park by Intamin.  The ride will be located on the real estate of the park's former classic log flume, which was closed in 2011.

© Sea World San Antonio

Catapult Falls will be the "world's first launched flume coaster" when it opens in 2023.  It will also break the record for the steepest drop on a flume attraction, at 53 degrees.  While that may not be too steep on a modern roller coaster, it's considerably steeper than most log flume drops you are used to.  But that's not all, the attraction will also feature a vertical lift hill, a fun air-time bump after the drop, and a launched section - pretty wild for a log flume!

© Sea World San Antonio

Here is the park's infographic showing the different elements that riders will encounter on Catapult Falls.  The 8-passenger boats will head out of the station and meander around a traditional log flume path, then head into a large pond area where the boats will suddenly launch at 30 feet per second, "allowing riders to feel the rush of a coaster while experiencing the rocking and swaying of riding on a track of water."  The boats burn off the acceleration by heading up a small hill then down into a splash down area.

© Sea World San Antonio

Turning a corner the boats will then encounter an elevator style lift hill that will take them up to 55 feet above the park.  It's down the 53 degree drop after that, where the boats will achieve a maximum speed of 37 miles per hour.  At the base of the drop the boats will head up over a hill much like on a coaster before the final splashdown.

 

“Catapult Falls will be the perfect addition to our already fantastic line up of family rides,” said Byron Surrett, SeaWorld San Antonio President. “Not only will it provide thrills for those wanting the exhilaration of a coaster-type ride, but being a water ride, it will give guests one more way to cool down in the hot Texas temperatures.  It will be the perfect family adventure ride.”

Here is a preview video of how the ride will look when complete.  Can wait to see it in action!