Catching Up on Canada's Wonderland's 2023 Additions

© Canada's Wonderland

One of several things I wanted to take a look at before we roll into the next year, Canada's Wonderland's 2023 additions have impressed for several reasons.  The park made big additions for both families and thrill seekers when they opened Tundra Twister and Snoopy's Racing Railway this year.  Each is unique to the park (and one of them to the world) in several ways, and both turned out quite impressive when complted.

Tundra Twister, seen up top, continues Canada's Wonderland's dominance in flat rides offering a selection of modern thrillers most parks would be envious of.  This prototype ride from Monday is absolutely huge, about 155 feet tall at the peak of the rotation.  The ride' cars spin independently and invert due to the forces created by the ride, meaning no two rides are the same.  This is one that I'd be quite happy to watch but might have aged out of riding!  Check out this video to see what I mean.

© Canada's Wonderland

The second addition this year was Snoopy's Racing Railway, a launched family roller coaster designed by ART Engineering.  The ride features a layout that gives family-level-of-thrills to passengers as Snoopy races to avoid traps set by Woodstock and his bad seed gang.  The premise is cute but the finished product has a considerable amount of theming for a Cedar Fair park - which is great!  You can see some of that theming in the below video from the park, and also note that the coaster goes around the layout twice to give a longer ride experience for guests.  This attraction is one that would fit nicely at several other Cedar Fair parks if cloning is a possibility!

 

Next year the property is focusing again on their waterpark with the recent announcement of Moosehorn Falls, a large family water slide.

Dorney Park's Halloween Haunt Opens This Friday + New Haunt Details

© Dorney Park

Dorney Park will see the return of Halloween Haunt this Friday, September 15th, as eager fans get to check out the park's lineup of new haunted attractions and all the returning fun as well.  Halloween Haunt is the fright-filled nighttime event put on by the park (with 7 haunted mazes and 4 scare zones), but families are also sure to enjoy The Great Pumpkin Fest during the day as well.

© Dorney Park

We've all been very excited to learn more about the park's new haunted house - called Ghost In The Machine - as it is set to explain the backstory of Iron Menace, the park's new-for-2024 B&M Dive Coaster.  From the park's description on the new attraction:  "After nearly 100 years of boarded closure, the gates to the McTavish Steel Factory have now opened, allowing exploratory passage through the old, darkened halls of what some deem as an “evil place filled with torment and agony.” Will the spirits of this haunted factory hide within the walls, or will they manifest to steal souls from the living in The Ghost in the Machine?

 

© Dorney Park

“The Ghost In The Machine will tell the chilling backstory of the Iron Menace roller coaster while leading guests on a harrowing, nightmarish adventure through the remnants of Hiram McTavish’s old factory... this maze pushed our creative boundaries and will present a taste of what’s to come in 2024.”  The theming on this new haunted attraction is expected to be top notch and fans of both Dorney Park and Halloween events cannot wait to experience it.

 

© Dorney Park

Also new-for-2023 is the debut of a new live show on the main midway stage called Conjure the Night.  The show will feature "electric pulses, rockin' vocals and soul-shattering rhythms of Halloween's most terrifying elements in a battle of evil vs. evil."

The park's famous (if you've visited the past few years, at least) Midway Misfits will fully take over the main midway this year and the area will feature a new Misfits Bar as well.  The Misfits change theme and decor each week and used to be based in the lower park across from Center Stage Fries.  The park comes up with some ingenious costumes each week and I cannot wait to see this concept fully fleshed out this year!

Other featured attractions this year include CarnEvil, Roadside Stop & Chop, Necropolis, Tourist Trap, Blood on the Bayou, Blackout, Trick or Treat, Port of Call, Dystopia and The Hallow.  The park will also perform the Opening Scaremony each night and Skeleton Crew, a very popular show, will also return.

Holiday World Retires River Rapids Ride - Will It Be a Trend?

© Holiday World

Earlier this summer Holiday World announced that the park's river rapids ride, Raging Rapids, had been permanently retired and would no longer be taking visitors on a trip through Boulder Canyon.  The attraction originally opened in 1990, meaning it cooled off guests to the park for more than three decades.

© Holiday World

© Google

The loss of the ride may not be the saddest attraction retirement we've seen lately, but it does make me wonder if the days of the river rapids rides are numbered.  There haven't been an overwhelming amount of them closed recently, just a handful really, but you have to wonder if this is just the start.

© Holiday World

The rides are known for having a substantial operating budget (including labor) and definitely take up a lot of real estate, something that can be an issue for parks.  For the number of people who ride these in an hour, and only for a limited part of the season (most places), using up all that space can be a tough pill to swallow I would think. 

But back to Holiday World.  It definitely sounds like the park is planning something with the Raging Rapids spot:  "While this may feel like an ending, it’s just the beginning. We intend to return the sound of laughter to Boulder Canyon as soon as we possibly can."

 

The park's new coaster for 2024 isn't using any of this space, so it sounds like something else is already being planned for the park.  Perhaps a new version of the ride, like Silver Dollar City did with Mystic River Falls?  As always, time will tell.

Half of Geauga Lake Complex May Become a Public Park One Day

© City of Aurora Ohio

I saw this story forever ago (okay, it was June) and then lost track of it for a while but still want to cover it a bit here.  Mostly because the long story of Geauga Lake continues to go on even in current day, somehow.  

 

The mayor of the City of Aurora, Ohio, wants to purchase Geauga Lake (the lake itself) and 40 or so acres that was originally Sea World Ohio and later Wildwater Kingdom under Cedar Fair ownership.  The city has a page up about the plan here, and it made some news when it was announced.  Sadly, nothing has happened since, but more on that in a bit.

© City of Aurora Ohio

The City would purchase the land from Industrial Commercial Properties for about $4.5 million.  I'm guessing the developer couldn't get anything going on the site, so it decided it would sell the land cheap to the city.  Some houses we built adjacent to the water park's old parking lot, and a new car dealership along North Aurora Road, but not much else has changed per recent aerials.

The city would make the property a public park, utilize the old wave pool to be a pool once again, add docks for non-motorized boats, have pavilions to rent, restrooms and other facilities and walking trails.  The developer would also build a trail that completely goes around the lake, and then give that to the city to own and maintain as well.  It sounds like a really nice park option for residents, and a great way to get access to the lake again since the parks closed.

© City of Aurora Ohio

It is a pretty neat idea, considering this is how the old water park still looks today - just crumbling ruins and mostly bulldozed.  

So this plan was announced back in June when the mayor presented it to city council, but then no vote on the plan (essentially giving the mayor the go-ahead to buy the land and get things started) was done at the time.  Then no vote was taken again at the next meeting, then it was formally postponed at July and August's meetings.  So, it's a standstill for now.  But perhaps one day things will get moving again.

Pacific Gliders Opens at California's Great America to Complete New Themed Section

© California's Great America

© California's Great America

California's Great America recently opened the last piece of their newly rethemed section of the park - called NorCal County Fair - which was the park's expansion for 2023.  The project was announced in May of this year, must later than usual for larger parks, and opened in bits since then.  

© California's Great America

The area's concept art can be seen up top.  It was a total retheme of the park's Action Zone area, which was an odd leftover from the Paramount days.  The theme is tied directly to the area surrounding the park which is a trend we're seeing more and more from Cedar Fair in the theming department.

The retheme includes one new ride, a renamed and newly themed 2nd ride, upgrades to the picnic area and general thematic upgrades to the games area.  "From hiking and rafting amid the redwoods, soaring above the coastline's sandy beaches, cruising along wonderful scenic roadways, to enjoying the great fresh food and wine grown in its vast agriculture fields, Northern California has so much to see and do.  NorCal County Fair will be just that: An all-new ride, a retheming of a beloved attraction, a renovated games gallery and a fully upgraded picnic area for more fun in the sun."

© California's Great America

Barney's Oldfield Speedway, the park's antique auto ride, was rethemed into Barney Oldfield's Redwood Rally, to match its journey closer to the County Fair vibe.  There are a lot of videos out there that show all the theming the park added to the ride path, and it all looks very well done.

© California's Great America

Just recently the final piece of the NorCal County Fair came online, and that's the Pacific Gliders flat ride.  One of Zamperla's WindstarZ rides, which allows riders to control the up and down movement of their individual gliders while they speed around.  It's a family ride, but a fun one that kids enjoy.

For a park that seemed doomed to close after Cedar Fair's announcement last year, it's great that the park got some love in 2023.  Nothing was announced for next year, however since this expansion was announced so late you never know!

A New Version of Fire In The Hole to Debut at Silver Dollar City in 2024

© Silver Dollar City

It is not often that a theme park announces that a classic ride is going to close only to announce later that season a new version of the ride will open next year, but that's exactly what Silver Dollar City has done!  We already were given plenty of notice to get our final rides in on Fire In The Hole, the park's classic indoor roller coaster, and now we've got even more to look forward to in 2024 with a new version of Fire In The Hole that will be "the heartland's largest indoor coaster."

The ride is a central part of the theme park's $30 million expansion for next season, which will create a brand new Fire District themed section within the park.  Planned to open in Spring of 2024, the new Fire In The Hole will fully double the size of the park that already contains Station No. 3 firehouse and a collection of family rides.

© Silver Dollar City

“Signifying our biggest investment in a single attraction, FIRE IN THE HOLE continues Silver Dollar City’s strategic, multi-phased growth plan offering families opportunities to play and stay together in the heart of the Ozarks,” said Brad Thomas, President of the Silver Dollar City Company. “Spurring the creation of The Fire District, the custom-designed FIRE IN THE HOLE makes history as the Heartland’s largest indoor coaster. As the District’s anchor attraction, it will be a favorite rite of passage for families where one generation introduces the next generation to this adventure and where the heroes of today spark the heroes of tomorrow.”

© Silver Dollar City

© Silver Dollar City

The new ride will be a full coaster experience and is being created in an exciting partnership between Silver Dollar City, Rocky Mountain Construction and Herschend Family Entertainment Creative Sudios.  The ride will feature 1,512 feet of track, have three drops including a splashdown, 14 iconic show scenes with updated and modern special effects and will be held in a 5 story temperature controller building (seen above).

© Silver Dollar City

The ride's 5 vehicles, a car from which is seen here, will each seat 12 passengers and move at a maximum speed of 26 miles per hour.  The train will also feature a custom soundtrack with high-resolution audio.  Since the ride is a coaster there will be some thrilling moments, but the attraction is intended for families for sure.

© Silver Dollar City

© Silver Dollar City

Fire In The Hole's theme will detail "a fictional account of a real night in Ozark Mountain history when the mining town of Marmaros was burned to the ground by notorious vigilantes called the Baldknobbers."  Riders will see the inhabitants of Silver Dollar city take action to save their town and battle the fire.

The original Fire In the Hole opened in 1972 at the park and is in its final operating season.  The park notes that more than 25 million riders have taken a spin on the original attraction in its history.