Cedar Fair Parks Release Schedules for Summer Seasons

© Michigan's Adventure

Many Cedar Fair parks just released their summer schedules, through Labor Day, giving us the ability to plan out our summer trips.  The schedules vary by park, but generally speaking the plans seem pretty conservative right now at many of the parks.  Cedar Point released their plans earlier and we already covered that here, so we'll skip that park in this post.  Most parks previously released their opening dates as well, with their full schedules as the new information shared here.  Right now Knott's Berry Farm, California's Great America and Canada's Wonderland have not released their full schedules.  Let's dig in!

© Worlds of Fun

Worlds of Fun will open May 22nd and Ocean of Fun will open on May 29th.  They've announced that Grand Carnivale will run July 24th through August 8th and Halloween Haunt will take place September 17th through October 31st.  They are the only park so far to confirm they are holding Halloween Haunt.  They also note that WinterFest will not be taking place this year.  

Their season through Labor Day is around 80 operating days, with hours varying from 11 am to 7 pm on weekdays, staying open to 8 pm on weekends and 9 pm during Grand Carnivale.  During their summer season the park will be open 7 days a week.

Dorney Park will open May 22nd and Wildwater Kingdom will open on May 29th.  The park will announce hours for the fall later this year.  Grand Carnivale will be returning it looks like July 24th through August 8th.  The park shows around 75 operating days through Labor Day.  The park will remain closed on Tuesdays during the summer season.  Hours are 11 am to 7 pm each day, with the exception of closing at 9 pm during Grand Carnivale.

© Valleyfair

Valleyfair will open on May 22nd and Soak City will open on May 29th.  Grand Carnivale will take place starting July 24th and run through August 8th.  Fall hours will be announced later, and through Labor Day there are around 64 operating days.  The park will remain closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday with some exceptions, like when Grand Carnivale is running.  Hours vary from 11 am to 7 pm some weekdays, 10 am to 8 pm on weekends and a 10 pm closing time during Grand Carnivale.

Michigan's Adventure will open on May 29th and WildWater Adventure will open on June 19th.  They will have around 63 operating days through Labor Day, but that will be their whole season as the park does not usually operate in the Fall.  The park will be closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays during their season.  Hours are 11 am to 6 pm in the early season, then 11 am to 7 pm the rest of the time.

© Carowinds

Carowinds will open on May 22nd and Carolina Harbor will open on May 29th.  Fall hours will be announced later, and the park will hold Grand Carnivale from July 17th through August 1st.  Featuring around 87 operating days through Labor Day, Carowinds will stay open 7 days a week.  Hours are generally 11 am to 7 pm on early season week days, then closing at 8 pm mid-summer and a 9 pm close during Grand Carnivale.

Kings Dominion will open on May 22nd and Soak City will open on May 29th.  Like the other parks, Fall hours will be announced later and Grand Carnivale will be held July 17th through August 1st.  The calendar reflects 76 or so operating days through Labor Day, and the park will stay open 7 days a week during its busy season - however they do switch to weekends only pretty early in August.  Hours are generally 11 am to 7 pm weekdays and 11 am to 9 pm on weekends.

© Kings Island

Kings Island will have a pass holders weekend on May 8th and 9th, then open to all on May 15th.  Soak City will open on May 29th.  Fall and winter hours will be announced later, and while I do not see Grand Carnival mentioned just yet if they do have it I'd assume it would run July 17th through August 1st as the company has three "sets" of the event and that is the only time slot available.  There are around 91 operating days listed through Labor Day, and the park will stay open 7 days a week.  Hours vary with an 11 am opening and closing anywhere from 8 pm to 10 pm.

Additionally, Schlitterbahn New Braunfels will open on May 8th and Schlitterbahn Galveston will open on May 15th.

While some other park operators are adding as many operating days as they can, we're seeing the opposite approach for most of the Cedar Fair parks.  It is important to remember that it's easier for parks to start with less operating days and add more should the demand need it, but I also think that a big consideration here is the current labor market.  Things are changing quickly with regard to vaccinations and the public feeling much more comfortable going out, so it will be interesting to see how things progress as the season happens.

Cedar Fair Parks Release 2021 Opening Dates

© Dorney Park

This past week several Cedar Fair parks sent out e-mails to their mailing lists that provided their opening dates for the 2021 season.  We previously heard from Cedar Fair that they were evaluating opening some parks later this season, and that did happen for some parks in varying degrees.  The full operating calendars have not been released yet, just the opening dates.  The parks promise more information on operating days and hours in the coming weeks.

The earliest opening announced is for Kings Island, which plans to have a season passholder weekend preview on May 8th and 9th.  This is later than their usual opening in April each year.  While it was not stated yet when operations begin for all visitors, it is hoped it will be the following weekend.

Cedar Point will open on Friday, May 14th, which is similar to past (normal) seasons pre-pandemic.  Canada's Wonderland also announced plans to open on May 14th.  That park was not able to open at all during 2020, so fingers are crossed that this given date works out in the end.

The weekend after, specifically Saturday, May 22nd, will be the opening date for a longer list of other Cedar Fair parks.  These include Dorney Park, Kings Dominion, Carowinds, Valleyfair and Worlds of Fun.  This date is just a few weeks later than pre-pandemic opening dates for many of these parks, but much later for some like Carowinds, Worlds of Fun and Kings Dominion.

California's Great America also announced plans to open on May 22nd, and since we know that no amusement or theme parks are currently allowed to open in California we hope that happens for them.

Last but not least, Michigan's Adventure plans to open on Saturday May 29th, just in time for Memorial Day Weekend.

The parks appear to be planning to continue the safety measures that were in place when they closed for the 2020 season - though they are not ready to release details on that just yet.

Cedar Fair Parks Update on What's Staying for 2020 and What's Pushed to 2021

© Cedar Fair

Cedar Fair has sent out updates for all their parks that detail what attractions and special events planned for 2020 will remain for 2020 when the parks can reopen, and which ones have been bumped to 2021.  Also, no estimated opening dates have been set for any parks yet, as they continue to work with local officials on the reopening process.

Instead of doing separate posts for each of the parks, here is one big summary of each of the updates from the properties.

© Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion will continue to debut their water park expansion, Coconut Shores, in 2020.  It will feature a new water fun house named Lighthouse Landing, and kiddie wave pool named Sand Dune Lagoon.  Grand Carnivale will be postponed until 2021, along with the Memorial Weekend Salute.  The park's Run & Ride event will only take place virtually.

Dorney Park will still open their new family water play area, Seaside Splashworks, in 2020.  They are also working on remodeling Center Stage and adding more green areas to the park.  Both the new Summer Nights block party event and Grand Carnivale will be postponed until 2021.

The two Schlitterbahn parks in Texas will have to delay their annual American Heroes Week for now.  The parks have already had a ton of changes done for 2020, all of which will remain.  These include remodeling entrances, painting and refurbishing slides, adding food options, more seating and more.

© Kings Island

Kings Island is still planning to open Orion, the park's new giga coaster, as soon as the park opens for 2020.  However, both the Summer Nights and Grand Carnivale special event celebrations are being postponed until 2021.

Michigan's Adventure's park update didn't specifically call out their new Camp Snoopy expansion in any way, though the expansion is still on the website as New For 2020 - so we will assume that remains true for now.

Valleyfair has been hard at work on several projects, all of which are still on for 2020.  These include the new Lakeshore Landing event space, renovated restrooms, changes to food offerings and more.  The park unfortunately will not have Monster Jam Thunder Alley in 2020.  They have also had to postpone both Grand Carnivale and The Peanuts Celebration until 2021.

© Cedar Point

Cedar Point has made the tough decision to postpone their 150th anniversary celebration until 2021.  That also includes their new attraction, Snake River Expedition, which won't open in 2020.  The Celebrate 150 Spectacular will also move to 2021, along with the opening of the new Town Hall and merchandise promotions.  The park's new food offerings will still open in 2020.  Essentially all other special events for the season, including Performances in the Park, Spring Youth & Education Programs, CoasterMania!, Frontier Festival, Coaster Campout, Run & Ride and Season Passholder Appreciation Weekend will all not take place in 2020.

California's Great America's update did not address their massive waterpark transformation, South Bay Shores, but it is largely completed and still shown as "opening soon" on the website.  The park will not hold their Red, White and Brews festival this year, and Monster Jam Thunder Alley will no longer take place in 2020.

Worlds of Fun's new waterslide, Riptide Raceway, is still planned to open when the park is able to in 2020.  The park's special events Summer Nights and Grand Carnivale will be postponed until 2021.

© Knott's Berry Farm

Like Cedar Point's tough decision, Knott's Berry Farm has also decided to postpone their 100th anniversary celebration until 2021.  The park's new ride, Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair, will be ready when the park reopens in 2020.  Ghost Town Alive! will also not take place in 2020, but will return in 2021.  The Knott's Chicken-To-Go Restaurant, Farm Bakery and Knott's Berry Market are open in limited capacity for to go orders.

Carowinds will still open their new water slide, Boogie Board Racer, in 2020.  Two events, Carolina Summer Nights and Grand Carnivale will be postponed to 2021.  Monster Jam Thunder Alley will take place in 2020.

Finally, Canada's Wonderland posted that both of their new attractions, Mountain Bay Cliffs and Beagle Brigade Airfield, should be completed within a month and will still open in 2020.

We heard on Cedar Fair's conference call that a lot of capital was cut from the 2020 season, and now we can see that a significant portion of that was in festivals and other limited time events.  While sad to see so many items pushed off a year, it's still better to have them at the parks when they can fully be enjoyed!

Valleyfair Announces the Retirement of Looping Starship Flat Ride

© Valleyfair

Valleyfair will retire their classic flat ride, the Looping Starship, at the end of the 2019 season according to news published on their social media feeds.  The park posted that there are only two weekends left to get in rides on the attraction, which coincides with the end of the property's season.

According to good old Wikipedia, the Looping Starship is one of Intamin's rides of the same name, which have appeared at parks across the globe.  However, the list of retired installations is already much longer than the list of operating ones, so in a sense the ride really is a classic at Valleyfair.  The ride was popular at many Six Flags parks in decades past, though they've mostly all gone away as well.

Riders on the Looping Starship are seated in a giant ship that completes full 360 degree rotations, a beefed up, more thrilling version of the popular pirate ship rides. 

© Google Maps

Valleyfair has worked to expand their water park significantly over the past ten years or so, and if you study this aerial of the park you'll note that the Looping Starship is right on the border of that area.  Naturally this leads many to believe that the park is planning to work on another round of water park expansion in the future.  The park announced the addition of Grand Carnivale for 2020, and if a new water ride was coming for that year I'd think it have already been revealed.  You never know, but most likely this removal could make room for something in 2021.

All New Peanuts Celebration Coming To Valleyfair This June

© Valleyfair

Valleyfair will hold their first-ever Peanuts Celebration this June, the theme park has announced.  Already a popular event at Knott's Berry Farm, the Peanuts Celebration has slowly been opening at other Cedar Fair parks over the last few years.

It will run at Valleyfair from June 8th through June 30th, and will give guests a ton of reasons to visit the park during their new signature festival.

© Valleyfair

The Peanuts Celebration is "uniquely dedicated to celebrating the beloved Peanuts characters and invites guests to step inside the pages of a Charles M. Schulz comic strip as the characters take over the park for the very first time."

Each weekend the event runs the theme park will give visitors "new ways to play and interact with the Peanuts Gang throughout the park.  Valleyfair will spend each weekend celebrating Charles Schulz's creation with enthusiasm only found in Minnesota."  "This event draws on the roots the Schulz family built in Minnesota," Raul Rehnborg, Valleyfair's General Manager, said, "We are sure that guests will find the fun, joy, and humor in this event that Charles Schulz portrayed in each of his comics."

© Valleyfair

During the Peanuts Celebration, Valleyfair will be filled with special decorations and feature comic-inspired photo opportunities, live shows, character interactions, exclusive merchandise, a silent dance party, special food and beverage, Pig Pen's animal meet and greet, drawing lessons, and even a Charlie Brown day (and guests named Charlie Brown get in free that day!).  And that's not even all the special activities and events that will make up the Peanuts Celebration!

This video shows off just some of the fun that will take place at the Peanuts Celebration, to learn more about the event, head over to Valleyfair's website.

New Thrill Ride - Delirious - Rises at Valleyfair

© Valleyfair

Valleyfair is hard at work on an expansion to their Route 76 themed area, which includes the introduction of a brand new thrill ride named Delirious.  The looping ride recently went up at the park, which kindly shared some photos of the action.  Delirious is a Larson Giant Loop, which takes riders for multiple trips through a giant loop that stands 73 feet tall.

© Valleyfair

Delirious is located near the entrance to Steel Venom, Valleyfair's Intamin inverted shuttle coaster, and actually takes up part of the coaster's former queue.  Valleyfair is making other improvements to the Route 76 area as well, such as new shade structures, lighting, gathering spaces and more.  Delirious' dark purple structure will be the largest addition, no doubt, and the one that guests will race to when the park opens this spring.

© Valleyfair

The train for Delirious features back-to-back seating and the ride moves both forward and backward, which means that riders automatically travel both directions during the ride cycle.  The thrill ride certainly will draw attention as well due to its proximity to the entrance gates and parking area.

For more on Delirious, head over to Valleyfair's website.

Valleyfair to Build New Looping Thrill Ride - Delirious - in 2018

© Valleyfair

Valleyfair has announced that Delirious will be looping park visitors starting with their 2018 season.  The new thrill ride will stand 70 feet tall and send riders seated on a train up and through the large loop at high speeds.

Delirious will be manufactured by Larson, one of their popular Giant Loop rides.  The ride will be capable of completing ten rotations in under a minute, so this ride is sure to satisfy thrill seekers!

© Valleyfair

The new attraction will join the recently developed Route 76 themed area, which was home to this year's addition - a giant swing ride named North Star.  Delirious will be placed near the entrance to Steel Venom, where the park's Tilt-A-Whirl currently is.  That ride will be moved out into a currently open section of Route 76, giving Delirious prime space.

© Valleyfair

The entire Route 76 area, who's theme is meant to "bring guests back to the classic ambience of Valleyfair when it first opened in 1976," will be enhanced as well.  New enhanced lighting for the area, depicted in the above concept art, will be added, along with additional shade structures, seating and gathering areas.

"Delirious is a great addition to the retro family road trip feel of Route 76,” said Brad Marcy, general manager, Valleyfair. “The additional atmospheric enhancements to the area will allow our Twin Cities neighbors to not only relive memories of visits to Valleyfair, but also create new family traditions and enjoy the ‘best day’ experience that we strive to give everyone."

Taking a Guess at Valleyfair's Looping Addition for 2018 Season

It seems that not only the four Cedar Fair parks that are adding coasters will be announcing additions this Wednesday, but all of them.  Valleyfair tweeted today that in four days we will find out their 2018 addition that will "turn things upside down."  The tweet, seen above, also featured a bit of what looks like blueprints for the addition.

It's hard to make heads or tails of what's going on in the image, with the top portion perhaps being the queue or some adjacent structure.  The bottom is even more vague without more context.  However...

© Larson International Inc.

I was browsing rides that seem possible and came across this schematic of a Larson Giant Loop, an attraction that most certainly turns things upside down.  A recent popular instillation at many Six Flags parks, the Giant Loops pack a thrilling punch in a small space.  Looking closer at the diagram revealed an interesting similarity to Valleyfair's image.

If you look closely at the supports for the base of the Giant Loop, it looks pretty similar to the shapes on the right of Valleyfair's image.  Here, allow me to rotate Larson's schematic for a comparison.

There.  Looks pretty close, eh?  Now this could be a coincidence, you just never know.  If it does turn out to be a Giant Loop then the park will have a nice thrill ride to advertise for the 2018 season, when many expected a water park expansion to materialize.  That might still be a couple years off, however, and one of Cedar Fair's recent conference calls seems to hint that Valleyfair's big expansion was pushed back a few years while they study the park's market a bit more.

Either way we will find out on Wednesday!

Valleyfair's New North Star Thrill Ride Topped Out

© Valleyfair

Today saw the instillation of the top piece of Valleyfair's new North Star Starflyer ride, a new addition opening at the amusement park in 2017.  This past week the ride's other sections were put into place, and today came the final decorative piece that puts the ride at its full height of 230 feet.  Of note, the white lines on the decorative piece are actually lights, which means that the top of the tower will have a nice glow!

© Valleyfair

Here is one other shot that was released by the park of the completed North Star.  The park originally said they hoped to have the ride up by December, so it looks like the project is quite a bit ahead of schedule!

The ride's location just inside the park's entrance (the beige buildings seen in the background) will make it one of the rides that guests run to first, no doubt.  You can also see the installed seats at the base of the ride, those will spin riders at 40 miles per hour when the ride opens.  Although the heavy lifting is now complete, you can still keep tabs on the North Star work via the park's webcam.

Valleyfair's North Star Begins Ascent Toward the Sky

© Valleyfair

Valleyfair's 2017 addition is making quick progress - considering there are still a few weeks left in the 2016 season.  But considering the cold winter that will arrive sooner than later in Minnesota, I can't blame the park for wanting to get as much done as they can while the weather is nice!

North Star will be a 230 foot tall StarFlyer tower ride when complete, and as seen in the new photo above, the red base of the ride is now in place.  Understandably a big part of constructing a ride like a StarFlyer is completing the massive concrete footing to support the ride.  After that is complete vertical construction can proceed.  This is also the first time that I've seen Valleyfair use the ride's new logo - looks good!

© Valleyfair

Plenty of pieces of North Star's tower are already on site, and when complete a very patriotic color scheme will be revealed.  The park's General Manager also tweeted today that there will be two more truck shipments of parts and then the whole structure will be at the park.  Crews will begin to assemble the individual tower pieces on the ground, then install them after.

© Valleyfair

Fans of the park can keep up with North Star's progress via a live webcam direct from the park.  Construction should be interesting - and quick - once those tower pieces go up!

230 Foot North Star Swing Ride to Open at Valleyfair in 2017

© Valleyfair

After announcing that the Enterprise would close before the end of the 2016 season, Valleyfair fans were excited to find out just what would be replacing it.  Today the park revealed that a new 230 foot tall Starflyer ride, named North Star, will be the park's big addition in 2017.

North Star is named both for the park's "affinity to being “up north” and the great outdoors" and is a traditional swing ride that's taken to extreme heights.  At 230 feet tall, the new ride will be the second tallest in the park, only behind the 275 foot tall Power Tower.

Riders will be seated in two person seats as the ride carriage goes up to over 20 stories in the air and moves at 40 miles per hour.  Needless to say the view from the top will be amazing.

“The annual trip to Valleyfair has always been a family tradition in Minnesota,” says Dave Frazier, Vice President and General Manager of Valleyfair. “The addition of North Star certainly adds to the continued commitment to provide lasting family memories for our guests.”

The ride's location just inside the park's entrance will mean it will also serve as nice wayfinder for guests.  It will be the only Starflyer ride in the upper Midwest, according to the park.  Construction will start this month and the ride should be up by the middle of December.

Aerial Antics: Valleyfair's Recent Changes + Additions

Valleyfair has completed two recent expansions that have dramatically changed sections of the park, which means we can do some fun aerial before-and-afters!

This section of Valleyfair received much attention in the form of a new themed area and a large catering facility.  The Eastern strip of the park used to be home to go-karts, a Skycoaster and mini-golf, mixed together as Challenge Park.

In 2003 Steel Venom was added along the edge of the parking lot, adding an attraction that wasn't pay-extra to the area.  However, the section was a bit awkward in its presentation, isolated from the main park and mostly filled with additional charge rides.

The mini-golf was replaced in 2013 when Picnic Point, a very modern and upgraded catering facility, opened.  That can been seen with the blue/purple roofs in the lower right of this image.  The following year in 2014 the all new Route 76 debuted, which meant the removal of the go-karts for a scenic new antique auto ride.

Two other flat rides were moved from elsewhere in the park to fill Route 76, and a brand new family spinning 'coaster' ride, Northern Lights, was also added.  These changes really brought the area to life and use the space so much better.

Valleyfair's water park, Soak City, was the home of some big changes for the 2015 season.  Above is the before look at a swath of the area worked on.  The park's wave pool, Breakers Bay, was added in 2009 when the water area became known as Soak City.  The wave pool replaced the park's aging log flume.  The rest of the water park is located to the left of this image, so the wave pool was fairly isolated.

Here is the after look at the water park, which increased in overall size for 2015.  In the upper right is the brightly colored slide tower containing Breakers Pipeline and Breakers Plunge.  It replaced a couple buildings along with some midway and also required Hydroblaster, a wet/dry slide to be removed.

In the middle top of the image you can see a new children's area, Barefoot Beach, which replaced the old Imax theater.  There was enough room leftover for a sand volleyball court to go in next to it.  Below that are expanded changing rooms and some new food and retail stands.

With Valleyfair said to be marked for further expansion in the coming years, it looks like we will have several more before and after images to ponder!  Aerial images from Bing and Google.

Valleyfair Celebrates 40 Years in 2016 With New Ride, Show + Celebration

Valleyfair is ready to celebrate 40 years of fun in 2016, and today announced some additions and changes that will greet visitors to the park next Summer.

Having opened in 1976, the park's 40th anniversary is a big deal, and the park will honor it all season long.  “During the past four decades, Valleyfair has been a wonderful way to bring people together, connect generations and create memories that will last a lifetime,” said Dave Frazier, Vice President and General Manager of Valleyfair. “The 2016 season will serve as a great opportunity for guests to recreate some of those shared moments and make some new ones along the way.”

When Valleyfair originally opened the park offered visitors a set of flying scooters, though that ride has long since been retired.  Next year a brand new set of Larson Flying Scooters, named the Flying Eagles, will be added to the park between the Enterprise and Route 76.  This popular family ride has been added to seemingly countless parks in the last few years, and has been well received at them.

Valleyfair will also demolish their current unused amphitheater to create a brand new outdoor entertainment venue.  Premiering in that venue in 2016 will be "All Wheels Extreme," a high energy show featuring skaters, skateboarders, BMX riders, dancers, acrobats, aerialists and more.  This addition is sure to be a hot spot in the park next year, as these types of shows have lasted several seasons at other Cedar Fair properties.

To further celebrate the anniversary in 2016, Valleyfair will also host a series of throwback events and parties. 

New Concept Art of Original Valleyfair Plans

© Valleyfair

Valleyfair recently hosted a visit from two of the men who originally created and opened the park back in 1976, Walt Wittmer and Dave Sherman.  While at the Valleyfair the pair shared some original concept art that was created before the park opened, and luckily for us Valleyfair has in turn shared it with us all.

Two of the images are shown here, and reveal a fairly different park from the one that actually opened.  That's not to take anything away from Valleyfair, but it doesn't take long when looking at this art to see the differences.  If anything, it seems the park might have opened with a stronger focus on rides, and less on the extensive landscaping and themed structures seen here.

© Valleyfair

A central waterway appears to have been a focus of the park's concept, with not only a large lagoon featured, but also streams extending out into the park.  The aerial views of the park show several rides that were planned for opening but eventually added in later years - such as the Rails coaster and the park's log flume.

I love when old concept like this surfaces - it's great fun to study the details in the larger images.  You can see those and two more pieces of art on Valleyfair's Facebook page.

Valleyfair Making Progress on 2015 Soak City Expansion

© Valleyfair

I complain about how cold it has been in Eastern Pennsylvania, but this is probably nothing compared to the temperatures this winter in Shakopee, Minnesota.  That hasn't stopped Valleyfair from working on their 2015 Soak City expansion, with the park even building a temporary cover over the work site just to be able to pour concrete!  Take that, snow.

The progress has led the park to now have most of the support structure standing for their new six slide tower which includes the Breakers Pipeline and Breakers Plunge. 

© Valleyfair

While the park assembles the tower structure, they've also started to receive the slide pieces themselves.  This picture is from several weeks ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if the slides are already started to be assembled on the ground while the tower is finished up.  When complete the new tower will offer four slides that start with a floor-dropping plunge, and another two high speed slides that start at a towering 90 feet above the ground.

Valleyfair fans have been able to keep up with the Soak City expansion via the park's live webcam, which shows work continuing on this sunny Saturday.  The new slide tower can be seen in the background, with the run-out area currently covered in snow.  The second Soak City addition, Barefoot Beach, can be seen in the lower part of the image.  This will be a children's play area, filled with spraying elements and other fun for little ones.

Hopefully the weather will break soon, and then we'll see slide pieces going up and work continuing even faster.

Demo Underway at Valleyfair for 2015 Soak City Expansion

The addition of a large water slide tower and a family splash pad area to Valleyfair's Soak City in 2015 meant that a couple older structures had to bit the dust.  And they really turned to dust - and quickly!

© Dave Frazier

The park's General Manager, Dave Frazier, was tweeting along the progress of the demolition, which took place over three days last week.  The park had previously removed the large IMAX Theater, and the Hydroblaster wet/dry slides - opening up the start of a large expansion pad.  Now they've bulldozed a Subway building, dining patio, restrooms and some games as well.

The combined space will easily fit the new slide tower and splash area, and one might think there will be some room left over.  The park's Mad Mouse roller coaster will actually be a bit isolated now, with not much directly around it beside Soak City.

The expansion area is viewable from Valeyfair's webcam, a screen cap of which can be seen above.  The bulldozer in the middle is where the recent buildings came down, opening up a long space for the slide tower.  The splash pad area will be in the foreground, on the land from the IMAX Theater.

Valleyfair's Soak City Water Park Expanding in 2015

© Valleyfair

Valleyfair has announced their plans for the park's 2015 season, which will see a large expansion in Soak City, the property's water park.

Seen above in a concept drawing released by Valleyfair, the expansion will consist of two new additions - one for thrill seekers that will tower over the park, and one aimed at keeping smaller visitors entertained for hours.

“This expansion will give guests more choices in how they enjoy Soak City Waterpark,” said Dave Frazier, Vice President and General Manager of Valleyfair. “Whether guests are looking for relaxation at Barefoot Beach or want to seek out thrills on the Breakers slide complex, the new Soak City Waterpark will appeal to every age and interest level.”

Those looking for an exciting ride will love the new Breakers slide tower, featuring six separate water slides.  Two different styles of slides will feed off of the tower, though both appear to be body slides.  Breakers Plunge is two separate slides that stand an impressive 90 feet tall, with a very steep drop that gives riders a sense of free fall.

For those looking for an even wilder start to their slide, Breakers Pipeline will be perfect.  These four slides - two appear to be enclosed and two open - start with a trap door plummet from 65 feet in the air.  Two slides feature a twisting path downward, while two are a straight shoot down.

From the description provided by the park, it seems as though the Breakers tower will be located on part of the former Hydroblaster site, next to Soak City's wave pool.

Kids will have a great new place to play next year when Barefoot Beach opens.  Spanning nearly an acre, the attraction is an interactive splash pad made for all sizes of kids.  Barefoot Beach will have "multiple water play elements such as small slides, aim-and-spray water shooters and jets of streaming water that spray up from the ground and cascade down from overhead."

The attraction sounds similar to those previously announced at a handful of Cedar Fair parks for 2015, and is certain to be a popular spot in Soak City for years to come. 

For more on Valleyfair's 2015 announcement, check out the park's website along with this YouTube video.

Route 76 Coming Together at Valleyfair

© Valleyfair

Finally the blanket of snow has disappeared, and under a sunny blue sky Valleyfair has started to make some major progress on their new Route 76 themed area.  The area's largest new attraction is seen above, named Northern Lights.  The ride is a Disk'O Coaster from Zamperla, and while some may consider it just a flat ride the park is advertising it as a family roller coaster.  I'll stay out of that debate!

© Valleyfair

Northern Lights utilizes a spinning platform with riders facing outward on motorcycle styled seats.  As the ride gets moving the entire platform travels along the 300 feet of track, up to a height of 42 feet above the ground below.  The ride will feature colors that are designed to be reminiscent of those seen in the sky at night, hence the name Northern Lights.

© Valleyfair

Route 76 will also see the return of the Antique Autos, the "service station' for which can be seen above.  The autos' path will meander around the area, and head under the Wild Thing roller coaster as well.  Two classic flat rides, the Scrambler and Tilt-a-Whirl will also be moved into the new area after being totally refurbished.

Stay tuned for more updates on Route 76 - with how great Cedar Fair's recent "placemaking" projects have turned out I have high hopes for this one.