Niagara Amusement Park Planning Memorial Day Opening

© Niagara Amusement Park

Niagara Amusement Park & Splash World is planning to open around Memorial Day Weekend, the park has announced.  The amusement park was formerly run by Apex Parks and known as Fantasy Island, and announced that it would not open again in early 2020.  The amusement park has been closed since that time, with only Splash World, the park's water park, opening for a little bit of the late season in 2021.

Niagara Amusement Park was saved by IB Parks & Entertainment, the same company that resurrected Indiana Beach and is also working to reestablish Clementon Park & Splash World.  

© Niagara Amusement Park

While a Memorial Day Weekend opening date is set, there are not much additional details at this time on what rides and attractions will be offered in the amusement park this year.  The park's website is still showing information from last year's abbreviated Splash World season, without many clues at to the dry park just yet.  Scrolling though social media, however, we can at least see that the park has confirmed that a Scrambler and Mack Caterpillar will be joining for 2022.  The park is basically starting over as Apex Parks sold nearly every ride at the park when they closed it in 2020.

 

The park is home to the Silver Comet, a Custom Coasters wooden ride that was not demolished when the park closed as Fantasy Island.  Hopefully the park will be able to get the coaster refurbished and back up and running for the 2022 season as it is one of the park's largest attractions.  

IB Parks & Entertainment to Reopen Fantasy Island's Water Park this Year + Plans for Rides in 2022

© Fantasy Island

This isn't necessarily new news, however I missed posting about it and think it deserves some coverage.  Western New York's Fantasy Island, previously known as Martin's Fantasy Island, has been purchased by Gene Staples and his company, IB Parks & Entertainment.  My, this park group has grown up fast!

Mr. Staples made a name for himself when he purchased and saved Indiana Beach not so long ago, and then this year successfully bid on Clementon Amsusement Park - instantly forming a park chain.  There had been many rumors that Fantasy Island was also to be purchased by him, and while that was eventually confirmed we haven't heard much since then.

© IB Parks & Entertainment

But now we have - via this article from the Buffalo News that details Mr. Staples plans to resurrect Fantasy Island.  However, it won't be Fantasy Island, as he confirms in the article that the property will be renamed (he also notes there already is a Fantasy Island in New Jersey).  The plan is to get the property's water park open sometime in July, and then add back the amusement park to operations in 2022.

When the amusement park reopens it will continue to not allow outside food and beverages, but it will partner with local restaurants to provide the offerings.  They will reopen the park with a new roller coaster that will be a "major attraction."  The rest of the amusement park was emptied (except for a Ferris wheel and the Silver Comet wooden coaster) when Apex closed it, so they will add all new rides as well.  They promise a more robust selection of rides that look permanent, not like those at a fair.

It's wonderful to see Mr. Staples and his company save three parks in such little time, we wish all the best for him.

Apex Parks Group to Permanently Close Both Indiana Beach and Fantasy Island Amusement Parks

Sad news for the amusement park industry - Apex Parks Group has announced the permanent closure of both Indiana Beach (Monticello, Indiana) and Fantasy Island (Grand Island, New York).

News had just started to break that the amusement operator, which owns many family entertainment centers under the brands of Boomers and SpeedZone, no longer had the resources to invest in and operate the two longstanding amusement parks and now they've confirmed that the parks are indeed closed for good.

Apex did released a statement regarding the closures for both parks, using almost the same wording for both:  "Despite significant effort and a great deal of investment in infrastructure and rides, we have not seen an improvement in operating results. As such, we made the difficult decision to cease operations. This was not a decision entered into lightly. Team members are being assisted by their supervisors and the company is working to minimize impact to those affected."

It is said in several new stories that Apex tried to find a buyer for both of the parks, with no success.

Indiana Beach © Google Maps

At the same time that the parks were announced as closing, Apex is also shopping the rides from the parks to other operators.  They plan to keep some of them, but many are up for sale or being retired.  According to this post from ACE, all of the steel roller coasters at the parks are for sale, but the only wooden coaster listed is the Silver Comet from Fantasy Island.  That leaves the three wooden rides at Indiana Beach seemingly destined for destruction.

Interestingly, all four of the wooden roller coasters between the two parks were built by Custom Coasters International.

Fantasy Island © Google Maps

Indiana Beach first opened in 1926 and was a longtime family-owned favorite vacation spot for people as it sat nearly in the middle of Lake Shafer.  Scott & Carol have shared a great deal of wonderful stores about the park through the years, you can scroll through them at this link to learn much more about the park.

Fantasy Island, which was for a long time known as Martin's Fantasy Island, opened in 1961 and was also family owned park that was run privately under a handful of owners for many years.  It was just purchased by Apex near the start of the 2016 season.

The news of the parks closing has hit many fans, both inside and outside the amusement industry, as a punch in the gut.  Sadly it seems the time for possibly saving these parks is over, especially since Apex already tried to find new owners.

Martin's Fantasy Island Purchased by Apex Parks Group

Apex Parks Group, owner of several amusement parks, water parks and family entertainment centers, has announced that it has purchased Martin's Fantasy Island.  Located in Grand Island, New York, Martin's Fantasy Island is both an amusement and water park that has been operating since 1961.

Apex Parks Group CEO, Al Weber, Jr. commented: “We’re excited to work with the Martin’s team to continue the successful operation of Martin’s Fantasy Island. The addition of this beautiful family-niche park is another step toward Apex’s goal of growing to become the leading company in the fragmented out-of-home entertainment business.”

© Martin's Fantasy Island

Martin's Fantasy Island is home to more than 25 rides and 7 water attractions, including three roller coasters - the largest of which is the Silver Comet and seen above.  The Silver Comet is a Custom Coasters' ride that opened in 1999, featuring wood track on steel supports with an 82 foot first drop and speeds of 50 miles per hour.

The amusement park opened for the 2016 season today and no disruptions in their operating schedule will take place during the ownership transition.

Apex Parks Group most recently purchased Indiana Beach in September of 2015, and also owns water parks such as Sarah Sam's Oasis and Big Kahuna's, and numerous family entertainment centers under the Boomers! and SpeedZone brands.

$1 Million Expansion Planned at Martin's Fantasy Island in 2015

© Martin's Fantasy Island

Two new rides, one brand new to the park and one a replacement for an existing model, will be built at Martin's Fantasy Island in 2015.  The projects will set the amusement park back a cool $1 million, and should be ready in time for the start of the park's 54th season in May.

Brand new in 2015 is the Rock 'n Roll Musik Express, a classic amusement that spins riders in a circular, undulating path at high speeds.  Even better, the Rock 'n Roll Musik Express will travel both forwards and backwards, upping the thrill level.  To top out the experience there will be high-energy music played during the ride cycle and a brilliant lighting package that will have the ride glowing at night.

The park will also replace their current kiddie free-fall ride, named Jack and the Beanstalk, with a newer version.  The original opened in 2004 and has been popular at the park ever since, but this new version will have a rotating ride carriage as well.

Both the Rock 'n Roll Musik Express and the new Jack and the Beanstalk ride are planned to open with the property on May 9th.

New Thrill Ride "Over The Falls" for Martin's Fantasy Island

© Martin's Fantasy Island

A new thrill ride, named Over The Falls, is Martin's Fantasy Island's new for 2014 attraction, and this one is by no means a family ride!

The trade name of Over The Falls is Speed, and is manufactured by KMG.  KMG makes a huge variety of flat rides for fairs and other attractions around the globe, though most of them are in Europe.  Speed is one of their more thrilling rides, built for speed and height - and the 55 inch minimum height requirement proves this one is not meant for the kiddies.

The photo above gives a good idea of what goes on - four people each sit at the end of the two arms, which extend around 130 feet in the air when vertical.   The arms then spin like a giant windmill, with the passenger cars able to freely spin while they twirl.  At maximum speed the arms are able to do thirteen revolutions per minute, creating g-forces of up to 3.5 for riders.

Martin's Fantasy Island is creating an interesting selection of flat rides for their guests, having a few rides already that you don't often come across.  The park removed their log flume this past winter and placed Over The Falls in part of its former plot.  While the new ride is exciting, it is always a bit sad to see a log flume bite the dust!

2012 Waterpark Preview - Part 2

Casino Pier and Breakwater Beach, located alongside the ocean in New Jersey, is adding a two-for-one slide tower this season.  This is another attraction that doesn't have a name yet due to the park holding a contest for that reason, but it took quite a mighty effort to fit the new slides into the already cramped park.

© Breakwater Beach

One of the new slides will be a Tantrum, where there are different mini-funnels along the way down.  The other is a traditional bowl slide that takes guests on a bit of a spin cycle.

The photo here on the left really shows off how the park crammed the new slides into the existing park.  You can see that both of the new slides actually go out and over the lazy river, which is going to make for some great interaction!

Breakwater Beach also features a selection of existing slides and attractions, such as the uniquely themed Perfect Storm water play structure.


The Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom is also building a new slide tower that features two different attractions.  The six story structure will offer two very different experiences in the form of a racing set of slides and a freefall drop.

© The Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom

On the left of this photo from the park you can see the steep drop that makes up the Cliffhanger slide.  It will utilize a skybox start that will literally drop the floor out from under riders, sending them flying down the slide.  Fun!

The braided set of slides that are under construction above are the Twisted Racers, from the Proslide line of KrakenRacers.  Flying down on individual mats, riders race toward the finish through the undulating slides, along with a large final drop.

The new slides won't be quite ready for this coming weekend, but have a planned season pass holder preview on June 1st.


I wrote in a post earlier this Spring that 2012 should probably be named the year of the mat racer slide, there are so very many of them going in at parks across the country.

Take for instance the brand new Dragster Drench going into Martin's Fantasy Island.

The 4-lane ProRacer slide features a checkerboard pattern that will enhance the feeling of speed as riders race down.

The new slide will be an important addition to the park's growing water area, by adding some much needed capacity.  Unlike many other racing slides the Dragster Drench will be a straight shot down the multiple hills, without any twists and turns.

Another place to get your race on this Summer is Rochester, New York's Seabreeze Amusement Park.  They will open their new racing slide this year, named Hydro Racer.

The slide also has four separate lanes, each of which is navigated by one rider on a mat.  Each lane starts out by performing a large diving helix, at the end of which the lanes line up and it is a race to the finish line.

The blue, green, and white color scheme is a perfect fit for a park named Seabreeze!  The new slide is also provided by Proslide, and is of their Octopus Racer series.

Racing right along, another racing slide complex is currently going up at Soak City, adjacent to Cedar Point.  Part of an overall refreshing an renovating of the waterpark, the new slides will be named Dragster H2O, in honor of the park's famous 400 foot tall coaster.

Much like Hydra Racer above, Soak City's ride will feature a twisted start as all six lanes dive through their own independent helix.  Then after they meet up they plummet down smaller hills toward the finish.

Many of Soak City's existing slides were redone with new paint and vibrant colors, bringing a much needed upbeat feeling to the property.

Phew, and that's not even all of them!  Earlier we covered Lake Compounce's new Riptide Racer, as well.  DryTown Waterpark in California is also adding Dusty's Mineshaft Racer, and Noah's Ark will build the Quadzilla racing slide this year, too.  And I'm positive there are more that I'm missing!


Kings Island has been very busy this past Winter working on totally transforming their waterpark into Soak City, which includes several new attractions and many other renovations.

One of the biggest features of the newly renamed park is Tidal Wave Bay, a massive new wave pool:

© Kings Island

Tidal Wave Bay is actually Soak City's second wave pool, joining Breakers Bay.  The park has also built a totally new entrance to the waterpark so that guests can easily get in and out with a shorter walk.

The park's lazy river has been totally changed as well, and is now known as Splash River.  Packed with interactive features, the river is anything but lazy these days.  The rest of Soak City features additional lounging areas, sand beach volleyball courts, and plenty of paint on all the slides.

More 2012 Water Park Expansions

The first expansion was actually announced last month, but somehow slipped past my radar.  Martin's Fantasy Island will add the Dragster Drench to the park this season, bringing even more for guests of their water park to experience.

The multi-story slide will feature four lanes that guests will plummet down head first on mats.  A race to the finish, these slides are more popular than ever right now, with many being added to different parks in 2012 alone.

The construction of Dragster Drench is well underway at Martin's Fantasy Island, as seen in these photos.

Pittsburgh, PA's Sandcastle Waterpark will see the addition of a new bowl slide next year, named the Dragon's Den, the park has just announced.

Sandcastle is a part of the Parques Reunidos family, and was originally opened by Kennywood Entertainment.  The Dragon's Den slide already exists at several other of the chain's properties and has proven to be a crowd pleaser.

From the park's press release, "Dragon's Den will offer guests maximum thrills as they catapult through a dark and mysterious 45 foot tunnel slide, which then plummets them into a 35 foot bowl where they encounter a 9 foot tall dragon that spits mist at its riders. After completing 2-4 revolutions in the mist-shrouded abyss, guests will suddenly disappear from sight, splashing down in a landing pool."

The Dragon's Den will be provided by Proslide and is expected to open with the water park in June.

With Summer Comes New Rides!

How sweet is the inside of the station for Canobie Lake's new Untamed coaster?  I love the deer antler chandeliers, too - a perfect fit for the theme of the ride.  The coaster currently has a targeted opening day of June 11th.

WindSeeker at Knott's Berry Farm is now well on its way up to the sky.  The ride has a drastically different paint job than it's brethren at the other Cedar Fair parks - and I have to say I like this one better!

Martin's Fantasy Island is excited to soon open its two new rides for the 2011 season.  Above is the Devil's Hole, a ride that will spin and literally stick riders to the wall!  The other attraction, Mind Warp, is a wild looking ride that should keep riders flipping and spinning all summer long.

Weekly Rewind 1.22.11

This was a good year to work at Universal Orlando - the record crowds that Harry Potter brought means soaring profits for the parks.  And to celebrate the resort's thousands of employees just received bonuses.  Cha-ching!

Six Flags Great Adventure showed off some more photos of the Green Lantern's progress this week.  It looks like half the lift hill was up when the photos were taken.

The Magic Kingdom was showing off its new Castle light projection show for media recently.  Each night guest's photos and experiences will be projected as part of the show.  Take a peek here.

Conneaut Lake's quest to raise another $50k from the Pepsi Refresh Challenge is still going on, though the idea is not in the top 10 that would receive funding as of now.  Vote here if you like.

Wild Adventures new slide tower was recently completed.  For a gallery of the tower when it was going up, look here.  Family raft rides are always a blast!

The Zippin Pippin is blanketed in snow, and that makes the structure even more pretty.  Work on the coaster continues despite freezing temperatures.

Martin's Fantasy Island has decided to call their new thrill ride Mind Warp.  I think that's perfectly fitting for a crazy flat ride like that!

Two former Six Flags executives have purchased another water park, this time Ocean Breeze in Virginia.  The duo purchased Nashville Shores in 2009 and have been expanding it since.

Galaxyland Amusement Park and World Waterpark at Canada's West Edmonton Mall will see expansions this year.  The park will add new family rides, and the water park will see new slides, including an Aqua Loop.

A year ago Schlitterbahn announced a new development in Cedar Park Texas, and it seems the project is having some funding trouble.  The difficult lending market is to blame, but those involved say the project is still a go - just delayed a bit.

Martin's Fantasy Island Announces Another New Ride

Martin's Fantasy Island has announced another new ride for 2011: The Devil's Hole.  This comes after previously announcing a spectacular new thrill ride for next year, which will be the park's 50th anniversary.

The Devil's Hole will replace the park's Starship 2000 ride, which is similar in design.  Devil's Hole will be a new ride though, not a dress up of Starship 2000.  Martin's Fantasy Island previously had a Devil's Hole attraction which was removed some years ago, but that was a Rotor style ride.

The park also plans to revive its Garden of Fables for next season, adding a new story with the promise of more to come in the future.

Looks like an exciting year is shaping up for the park!

Martin's Fantasy Island Announces New Ride For 2011

2011 will mark the golden 50th anniversary of Martin's Fantasy Island, located in Grand Island, NY, and the park is celebrating with a spectacular new flat ride.

While not named yet, the park has shared a photo of the attraction on their Facebook page, and it looks quite wild.

The new ride will be the first of its kind in America and only one of a handful located in the world, according to the park.  It certainly looks like the kind of ride you would see on a midway at a European fair.

Riders will be flipped in all sorts of direction during the ride - certainly not an attraction for people scared of some serious thrills! 

Martin's Fantasy Island has also mentioned that they plan to bring back some of the park's favorites rides and shows from the past 50 years for next season, but no details have been released yet.  It is great to see the park going all out for their big anniversary.

Aerial Antics: Martin's Fantasy Island

Martin's Fantasy Island, located in Grand Island, NY, is the focus of this week's Aerial Antics. The medium sized theme park offers a nice selection of rides and attractions, as well as a water park. Originally it started out as Fantasy Island, then eventually became Two Flags Over Niagara Fun Park, and finally it's current name.

The park has a large section devoted to the little ones. Here there is a selection of rides for the tots, as well as a petting zoo (see the barn area on the left). The train station is also conveniently located nearby.

Another section of the park that is a direct throwback to its roots is this cozy area. Guests can take canoes out to the Indian Village that's located on the island.

The park got it's permanent spot on enthusiasts' hit lists when the Silver Comet wooden coaster opened in in 1999. Designed by Custom Coasters, the ride stands 82 ft. tall is stretches 2,800 ft. long.

This section of the park is home to several other big rides, such as the Crazy Mouse spinning coaster. Also seen is Flight - a Zamperla vertical swing ride that was introduced in 2008.

I love Log Flumes, and even the simplicity of this one isn't a turn off for me. Simple, yet effective!

Martin's Fantasy Island also has a small water park, seen here. One of the newer slides is the Cannon Bowl, which drops riders into a huge bowl with a splashy finish.

For Bing's aerial of the park, click here.

Martin's Fantasy Island 2008

Martin's Fantasy Island is adding a 140 ft. tall StarFlyer from the FunTime Group to its ride lineup in 2008. I think that's awesome! These things look so fun. They're also adding a kiddie ride that goes in a circle.

But back to the StarFlyer, I want to ride one really bad, but I want to ride one of the 250ish ft. tall ones, like this. Oh yes I do.

Anyway, awesome move Martin's!

Local Amusement Parks 2007 Part 1

Following suit with the water park write up, I figured I'd take a look at some of the smaller local amusement parks and what they are up to for this season. Here's a selection for your viewing pleasure:

Nut Tree Family Park. This small family park, located in Vacaville, CA, actually just opened toward the end of 2006.

The park is a modern reincarnation of the Nut Tree park that existed for decades until the '90s. It features several small family and children's rides, and the Harvest Express roller coaster, a family Miler Coaster ride.

While there are no big expansion plans for this year, the park is new and certainly fits the bill as a local amusement park. More info.

Lakeside Amusement Park. A traditional and historic park located in Denver, CO, Lakeside is a favorite of many park enthusiasts.

It's home to the Cyclone, a classic wooden coaster adored by many. Also located at the park, along with a fair share of other rides, is the Wild Chipmunk, a small steel coaster, which is one of the most hilarious names for a ride I've ever seen.

This year Lakeside plans to add Zoom!, a 140 foot tall drop tower from Larson, Int. The park is also adding a tea-cup flat ride, a favorite of many guests. More info.

Indiana Beach Amusement Resort. Located in Monticello, IN, this park is home to a large variety of rides, as well as 5 roller coasters.

For the summer of 2007 the park will be thrilling visitors with their new aquatic stunt show, Pirates Revolt: The Pillage of Paradise Island. It sounds like Disney isn't the only place to find pirate action this summer. More info.

Wild West World. Band new park! Located outside Wichita, Kansas, this park actually opened for the first time a couple weeks ago.

Themed to... you guessed it, the Wild West, the park features 25 rides, has an acrobat show, games, shops, and plenty of food choices.

The park must not be content with just opening, as they have already promised a drop tower thrill ride for 2008 and a "giant wooden coaster" for 2009. More info.

Canobie Lake Park. This traditional amusement park is located in Salem, NH. Home to classic attractions such as the Yankee Cannonball wooden coaster, the park has not forgotten to keep up with the times.

Recent additions include Divinchi's Dream, a Wave Swinger, Star Blaster, an S&S tower ride, Whipeout, and now, for 2007 - the Xtreme Frisbee.

The spinning ride looks like it'll be a lot of fun. More info.

Cliff's Amusement Park. This Albuquerque, New Mexico park made a major expansion in 2002 when they added the New Mexico Rattler wooden coaster.

After the ride put them on the map, so to say, the park has grown, and 2007 is no different.

This season brings 3 new rides to the park. One adult and two children's rides. The SideWinder is a spinning thrill ride for the adventurous, and the Doggie-Go-Round and Baja Buggy are for the little ones. More info.

Martin's Fantasy Island. This New York amusement park was also put on the map when they built their wooden coaster, the Silver Comet.

The ride opened the door for further expansion of the park, and this brings us to 2007. The park is adding Full Tilt, a unique sounding flat ride.

The 60 foot tall ride rotates passengers up and around while tilting them forward up to 25 degrees. Sounds like fun if you ask me. More info.

Ghost Town in the Sky. After closing in 2002, this amusement park in North Carolina will reopen for the 2007 season.

They've cleaned up the park, renamed the roller coaster to Cliff hanger, made some changes, and things seem ready to go for their May 25th opening.

Hopefully all will go well and the park will stay open for the foreseeable future. More info.

Waldameer Amusement Park. In Erie, PA, you'll find this small park and it's various rides and attractions.

They recently added the Steel Dragon coaster, which is a fairly unique spinning coaster. They haven't stopped there, though, as they are now adding the X Scream freefall tower to the park.

Standing 140 feet tall, the ride thrills 12 passengers at a time. Freefalls are great attractions at parks, not only are they thrilling to ride but they provide something fun for non-riders to watch as well! More info.

Phew! There's even more to come in part 2!