Iron Menace Supports + Track Photos at Dorney Park

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Dorney Park has started to receive more track and support pieces for Iron Menace, the park's new-for-2024 B&M Dive Coaster.  The park was extremely busy for the last night of Haunt this weekend so guests were parking in the overflow lot - which happens to be where the track and supports are being stored.  Above is one of a handful of track pieces that have arrived to date.  In the background is the largest support that is now on site.

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The track appears a bit darker in these photos than it is, they were taken as the sun was setting and I did not want to adjust the photos to make them look weird.  There are some new and much longer track pieces on site now, I think they look like parts of the brake run but I could be wrong.  The fins on the track appear for the brakes, not any lift hill component.

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The construction crews have added catwalks to a couple of the pieces of track that have already arrived.  This gives an idea of how the finished product will look - for this section (which is probably post-brakes and before the station) the catwalks are the support color, not track color.

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This very important piece of track is also on site, the base of the lift hill!  With so many of the key pieces of track for the brakes/transfer/station in place, crews will be able to start to assemble in the ride in no time!

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© NewsPlusNotes

© NewsPlusNotes

© NewsPlusNotes

This was also my first look at Iron Menace's supports that are on site.  I love the contrast of the support color with the track, it looks great in person.  

The park is well underway with footer preparation, it looks like they might have 50% or so of the footers already complete for the ride!  I don't take photos over work walls, so I do not have any to share of these footers.  Dorney Park is doing a great job keeping us all updated on the progress of the ride, so hang tight for more updates from them now that the park is closed (well, closing today) for the season! 

Big Bear Mountain a Standout Ride of the Season for Dollywood

© Dollywood

Of the class of 2023 new coasters in the U.S., Dollywood's Big Bear Mountain has stood out as one of the best.  Highly rated as a very thrilling family roller coaster by fans, the coaster has quickly cemented itself as a must-ride when visiting the famous theme park.  With bright orange track and forest green supports, the ride also features on-board audio to help riders follow along with their adventure to spot the elusive big bear.

The coaster itself has been created by Vekoma and is engineered to provide a butter smooth ride for passengers, and with the 39 inch height requirement that's even better news for families looking to take the kids on a comfortable but thrilling ride.

© Dollywood

Big Bear Mountain starts with a small launch out of the station immediately followed by a much stronger launch that really sends trains moving along.  They blast at 48 miles per hour to traverse most of Wildwood Grove - the track length is 3,990 which is quite long for a launched ride!  One of the highlights of the ride's layout is soaring under a cave and waterfall - seen above - and hearing big bear roar at you while in there!  The ride's layout is much more zippy that many expected, and features tons of curves and gentle hills that make the ride feel even faster.

If you haven't been able to get to Dollywood to check out Big Bear Mountain, check out the video below for a virtual ride!

Silverwood Theme Park Working on Massive Waterpark Expansion for 2024

© Silverwood Theme Park

A massive water park expansion that will cost $15 million and expand the size of the park by 30% is coming to Silverwood Theme Park's Boulder Beach in 2024.  The expansion is named the Emerald Forest, and will allow visitors to enjoy the "wonders of nature, embrace the thrill of the hunt, and the joy of discovery."  

 

© Silverwood Theme Park

The nearly 4 acre expansion will be the largest that has come to Boulder Beach since it first opened in 2003.  The above schematic of the expansion shows the new additions, which are meant to provide something for every part of the family, from kids to thrill seekers.

© Silverwood Theme Park

The expansion will feature new restrooms, additional seating areas and cabanas, a high capacity food outlet named Rapids Grill (which can make 1,200 meals per hour!) and attractions including Salmon Run, seen above.  The children's slide complex features 8 different mini waterslides, ranging in length from 36 to 82 feet long.  These smaller slide areas have been added to many water parks in the the past 5 or so years, and they always appear to be a smash hit.

© Silverwood Theme Park

For thrill seekers, the park is adding the first dual-water roller coaster in the West, seen above and named Eagle Hunt.  Two riders per raft will each cross over 925 feet of slide that include several uphill sections, three of Proslide's Flying Saucer turns and the first ever "Shadow Effect" that Proslide has created - no details on what that is exactly.

It is very encouraging to see a smaller independent park make such a massive expansion like Emerald Forest.  Looking forward to seeing the expansion completed in 2024!

Adventureland + Zamperla Open New Rides + Underground Renovation in 2024

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Zamperla and Adventureland Theme Park teamed up in 2023 to create a pair of attractions at the park that are both intertwined and themed as one cohesive expansion.  The addition consisted of a new log flume attraction that has a family roller coaster wrapping over and through it.  The integrated rides are very similar to the same pair that opened at Luna Park at Coney Island (which was delayed a bit due to the pandemic).

 

The rides have a light Viking theme to them and are said to be the park's largest ever single expansion project.

© Adventureland Resort

The new family roller coaster is named the Flying Viking and comes with a super family-friendly 36 inch height requirement.  The coaster climbs to a height of around 50 feet but moves at a maximum speed of 26 miles per hour - perfect for kids just getting used to bigger roller coasters.  The 1,312 feet of track does not feature and large drops, instead it features swooping turns that navigate the combined space of the coaster and the flume.

© Adventureland Resort

If you've read this blog for a while you'll know that traditional log flumes are a favorite of ours, and with some starting to disappear it's wonderful to see some modern versions popping up.  That's exactly what we got with the other addition at Adventureland this year, Draken Falls.  The flume features boats with side-by-side seating (maximum 6 guests per boat) and two drops (a double-down and a regular plunge).  Featuring a maximum height of 39 feet, Draken Falls soaks riders twice before returning to the station.

© Adventureland Resort

Adventureland has also announced that changes are coming to The Underground for the park's 2024 season.  The ride did not operate in 2023 and is a unique 'underground' wooden roller coaster - built by Custom Coasters back in 1996.  When it reopens next year the park is promising that it will incorporate "new technology and effects, guests will find themselves in a story-driven experience like never before. As they venture deeper into the abandoned mine, riders will face new challenges, unexpected twists and opportunities to uncover hidden secrets along the way. "

While modern and improved theming sounds like it is on tap for the ride, it is unclear if the wooden coaster track will be updated or modified in anyway.  We'll find out more later on this renovation!

Guests Racing Through Arctic on New Coaster at SeaWorld San Diego

© SeaWorld San Diego

SeaWorld's trend of adding roller coasters to its theme parks - and frequently at that - continued this summer much to the delight of enthusiasts.  SeaWorld San Diego saw the opening of a new Intamin designed family launch roller coaster named Arctic Rescue.  It was also billed by the park as the "longest and fastest straddle coaster on the West Coast," a very specific record to have.

© SeaWorld San Diego

The coaster is themed to riders being on snowmobiles blasting through the frozen Arctic on an animal rescue mission.  It is pretty brave to theme a ride to the Arctic when the park is located in Southern California, but all theme parks require a suspension of reality to some degree.  

The coaster utilizes tire launches - three in total - to move the trains at a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour over 2,800 feet of track.  Specifically, the launched are 34 miles per hour, 38 miles per hour and then 40 miles per hour.  The ride's layout stays close to the ground and features plenty of zippy looking turns and hills (30 feet is the ride's maximum height).  The ride is decidedly aimed at families, so no high thrills here, and for that it does look pretty fun!  Intamin has found relative success with this style of coasters, and I can see why.  

Earlier in the summer when the ride opened Park Journey shared some B-Roll footage of it both on-ride and off, check it out below!

Mall of America Opens Oddly Named Haunt + Nick Universe New Rides for 2024

© American Monsters

The Mall of America has opened a new stand-alone haunted attraction called American Monsters: Onionhead's Revenge.  Yes, the name Onionhead's Revenge is why I find this attraction to be "odd," but I guess if you understand the attraction's backstory it makes more sense:

© American Monsters

"According to local legend, “Onionhead” is the cruel nickname forced upon a young man from Slidell, Louisiana, who was brutally murdered by a vigilante mob after being wrongly accused for the murder of a young woman. Consumed by rage, the assailants hacked his body into 13 pieces and scattered them in a nearby cemetery.

Swearing vengeance, his mother put a hex on the townspeople who took her son. In the months following, those responsible for Onionhead’s murder were each victims of gruesome deaths.  Locals still report sightings of a monstrosity, hideously stitched together, stalking the cemetery… and out for revenge."

© American Monsters

© American Monsters

I guess that given that spooky story things check out, eh?  The attraction's theming looks pretty impressive and so far it seems the addition is doing well.  Operations will continue through Halloween, after which Onionhead will go back into hiding until another Halloween season rolls around.  Also of note, the attraction at the Mall of America is not associated with the property's theme park, which carries a decidedly family theme.

© Nickelodeon Universe

And speaking of that, Nickelodeon Universe is adding two new attractions in the coming months!  Boots' Banana Swing can be seen above, a small children's ride that features a swinging motion which will open this Winter.  The ride is already in operation at the Nickelodeon Universe in New Jersey, so you can get a real good idea of how the finished attraction will appear.

© Nickelodeon Universe

The park is also adding Fly With Appa, a family friendly circular flat ride.  Appa is a character that comes from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and is a "glorious sky bison."  I mean I've always wanted to ride on a sky bison, so this should be pretty neat!  The new attraction will open in the Spring of 2024.

As a part of these new projects Nickelodeon Universe will also be relocating the Bubble Guppies Guppy Bubbler ride, which is an existing family ride.

A Look Into The Sacres of Dorney Park's Halloween Haunt 2023!

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It's Haunt season, baby!  Dorney Park's annual scare-fest, Halloween Haunt, has returned with a mix of new and edited attractions, creating a fresh and exciting event for fear seekers!  The event, which originated in the '90s as HalloWeekends, has continually grown and evolved into something spectacular that guests anxiously await each season.  It's always sad to see a summer season come to a close, however with Haunt around the corner things stay exciting!

The park offers plenty of day-time family fun with The Great Pumpkin Fest, however the focus of our article here is the spooky evening fun.  Trust that the park puts on a great scare-free daytime experience for kids, however!

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We're all pumped for Iron Menace, the park's new-for-2024 B&M Dive Coaster, and the park has given us even more to be excited over with a haunt attraction that tell us the ride's backstory:  Ghost In The Machine.  The brand new attraction is one of the most themed the park has created to date and features a nice selection of modern technology and scares that definitely impressed us.

© Dorney Park

The attraction takes us into the McTavish Steel factory and gets us well acquainted with the man himself - Hiram McTavish - and his plethora of workers who never made it out of the factory alive.  The sets inside area amazing to look at and the modern technology used to scare visitors is awesome.  We don't want to give away spoilers here but if you're visiting the park this attraction is a do-not-miss for sure.

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This year the Midway Misfits have their own dedicated space - complete with a new bar and a DJ on top!  For those unfamiliar the Misfits were something that the park started a few seasons ago during Haunt, it is a group of haunt actors dressed up in a unified theme that changes ever week or two.  They used to have a 'homebase' in the lower part of the park and this year are featured much more prominently with beautiful backgrounds and decorations.  The first theme was Alice in Wonderland, seen above, and that has already changed.  It's another great way to keep the event fresh and give repeat visitors something to check out.

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© NewsPlusNotes

This year's live entertainment is focused on a new stage production called Conjure The Night.  Set as a battle of "evil vs. evil," the show features haunting vocals, dancing and more.  The park has utilized the new stage that was built on the Main Midway so that visitors can easily catch this production on their way into the park, or toward the end of the night on their way out.

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While some of the park's other Haunted attractions have been moved or edited, several are familiar to previous years - and in a good way.  These include indoor attractions Tourist Trap, Blackout, Trick Or Treat and Blood On The Bayou.  Outdoor scare areas / attractions that are similar to past seasons include Necropolis, Roadside Stop N'Chop and The Hollow.  When I say they are similar I mean in a general sense, as the park constantly 'plusses' these attractions and makes small changes to keep them fresh each year.

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There are other outdoor scare areas that are totally changed this year, including Port of Call which has moved back up to Hydra Plaza.  Necessitated by construction for Iron Menace, the relocation still includes the giant pirate ship and the stage for Skeleton Crew, an ever-popular live show at the Haunt.

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© NewsPlusNotes

CarnEvil is another area that has moved and spread out, taking over the middle heart of the park surrounding the Musik Express midway.  There are new decorations and props, lots of fog and plenty of clowns packed in there!

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© NewsPlusNotes

Finally with Port of Call moving up toward Hydra, last year's new attraction Dystopia had to find a new home, and it's taken up residence down by Dominator and in front of Center Stage Fries.  I also feel like a ton of more decorations (shipping containers and things) were added, it's a great closed in feeling as you wander through all the bright colors.  There's another bar built into this scare zone as well, with the Port of Call's returning again there are three in total this season.

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If you're at the park also make sure to stop in the park's gift shops to look at this year's Haunt merchandise, they have some really cool items they are offering.  The twisted version of the famous Alfundo clown entrance sign is *chef's kiss* if you ask me!

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For more information on this year's Halloween Haunt at Dorney Park, check out the park's official website to make your plans!