WhiteWater Builds New Fusion Waterslide in Japan

© WhiteWater

How cool does this new slide tower look?  The "fusion" waterslide, called such because it blends two of the company's products into one attraction, has opened at Nagashima Resort in Japan.  The park is home to the massive Steel Dragon 2000 - complete with new trains from B&M - which can be seen in the background of the image.

But back to the waterslide.  Designed by WhiteWater, the attraction fuses together one of their thrilling Family Boomerango slides with one of their new Manta slides and then doubles the entire attraction!  Using a mirror image duplicate, both slides start from the same launch platform but interact with each other the entire way down.

© WhiteWater

As described by WhiteWater, "the journey begins with the classic sensation of rafting, leading into a screaming, velocity-building drop that launches riders up the famous Boomerango wall, making them feel like they are “going vertical” then weightless all the while getting a bird’s eye view of what is coming next.  They fall back and barely have time to catch their breath while racing warp speed across a flat section propelling them right into the rushing waters of the Manta where maximum oscillations and a plunge to the finish will leave them breathless and eager to ride again and again."

For more photos of the new slide, along with some point of view video, check out this page from WhiteWater.  Add this one to the list of waterslides I'd like to see in our neck of the woods, indeed.

GateKeeper Hits 1,000,000 Riders

© Cedar Point

That was pretty fast!  Just midway through July, Cedar Point's brand new Wing Coaster, GateKeeper, has welcomed its one millionth rider. 

The lucky thrill seeker to mark the milestone was Maria Saenz of Milford, Michigan.  It was really her lucky day, and as the lucky rider she received a $500 Cedar Point shopping spree, a VIP tour of the park, and Fast Lane access to GateKeeper for the rest of this season.  Pretty cool prize pack just for riding a roller coaster!

GateKeeper opened at Cedar Point in May, and has developed a massive following since.  With much of the season left for the park, could the new coaster reach two million riders?  Quite possibly!

Grand Texas Theme Park Coming to Houston Area

I will admit that I haven't paid much attention to the plan for the Grand Texas Theme Park to open in 2015 just North of Houston, Texas.  It seems that every so often a new theme park is announced for somewhere in the U.S. and it's extremely rare that they actually get built.  I guess you could say I'm not quick to get excited about such projects.

Still, it's fun to dream, and some developments do seem to get further along than others.  The Grand Texas project for instance, actually has purchased land (over 600 acres) to start developing on - though the investor factor, always so important, is not totally clear to me.  One article mentions that work on investments has been ongoing for years, but I have not seen more detailed information.

If built, the park would be themed to the history of Texas, though that is a bit obvious from the name of the property.  Included would be an assortment of rides, shows, activities, a water park and possibly an RV resort or hotel.

Another project, named EarthQuest, which was announced years ago and never got off the ground, was planned in the same area.  Even if eventually built (and most doubt that) developers believe the two parks could coexist due to differences in theme and size.

One of the main developers behind Grand Texas is Chuck Hendrix, a former general manager of Six Flags AstroWorld.  He current is the CEO of Innovative Leisure Partners, and from this interview it sounds like he would like to change his legacy from being the man that closed AstroWorld (though he himself certainly did not) to the one who built a brand new theme park for the area.

This story gives some additional details on the plans for the park's attractions, and it sounds like it won't be focused on only huge thrills.  Calling the park "experimental" and "in tune with family entertainment," it seems to me that plenty of physical activities, such as the zip lines seen above, will round out the offerings.

Right now the plan is to open Grand Texas in 2015, with work starting by the end of this year.  For now you can follow updates from the source on the park's official Facebook page.

Summertime at Lake Winnie's Soak Ya

© Lake Winnie

I was browsing through some photos that Lake Winnie has shared of their Summer season, and was really impressed at how nice their new Soak Ya water park turned out.  The entire five acre area was added this season, a major undertaking for the "South's Favorite Family Amusement Park."

© Lake Winnie

The Soak Ya water park features a variety of different attractions, including two sets of water slides (both tube and body slides) and the lazy river that you can see above.  The park put extra care into the appearance of the area, including creating rockwork surrounding the pools and channels - a nice touch.

© Lake Winnie

The lazy river empties at one point into a zero depth entry area, where guests can also relax in the water.  There's an activity pool located nearby that will help use up the energy of excited kids, and for even smaller visitors there are kid-sized slides and play structures to keep them busy.

The best part is that Lake Winnie has plenty of room if they choose the expand Soak Ya!

Six Flags to Unveil 2014 Additions on August 29th

Good news, just like for the past couple years all of the Six Flags parks will reveal their 2014 additions in one big event, this year on August 29th.  That means in just six weeks we will all find out what new rides and attractions will be coming to our local parks - something to look forward to!

Six Flags Great Adventure confirmed the announcement date in their August news update: "Six Flags Great Adventure and its sister parks throughout North America will announce exciting plans for the 2014 season.  Great Adventure will release details about a record-breaking addition that will surely top “must-do” lists next year."

There have been rumors of a drop tower being added to the side of Kingda Ka at Great Adventure, and that certainly would be "record-breaking" and without a doubt head to the top of my "must-do" list if it happens!

One rumor that also appears to be gaining more and more strength is the total renovation of Six Flags Mexico's Medusa wooden coaster.  It has been said that the ride is next in line to receive the Rocky Mountain treatment, and the park has started to hint that the ride is going away.  They posted "¿Sabías que Medusa ha tenido a más de 9 millones de pasajeros a lo largo de sus 13 años en Six Flags México? Este Verano dile ‪#‎AdiósMedusa‬ ¡te esperamos!" on their Facebook, which translates into "
Did you know that Medusa has had more than 9 million passengers during his 13 years at Six Flags Mexico? This Summer tell ‬ ‪ # AdiósMedusa you expect!"

Not sure about that last part of the translation, I'm sure something got lost in there.  But using the hashtag ByeMedusa seems pretty clear to me!

Lots to look forward to!

'New' Miracle Strip Lining Up Vintage Rides for 2014

Miracle Strip at Pier Park is moving ahead full steam on their plan to move and open a much larger amusement park in 2014.   If you are not familiar with the park's plans, check out this story we did back in February explaining the relocation.

The next generation of Miracle Strip will feature a host of new "old" rides, as the park takes great pride in obtaining classic attractions and renovating them with a lot of TLC.  Above is a photo the park shared of a Galaxy coaster that they just purchased.  They also announced that they obtained a Chance Chaos ride, something that was once very popular at amusements parks across the globe.

But wait, there's more!  Above is another classic ride they snatched up, I'm not sure exactly what this one is so if anyone knows by all means fill me in!  They also mentioned a Loop-o-Plane - yes that crazy spinning flat ride you've seen around - and a nice set of bumper cars as other recent acquisitions.

Miracle Strip is still planning on renovating and rebuilding the famous Starliner wooden roller coaster, even showing off a shot of the train in storage.  They're working on the funds for that large project, and we continue to wish them the best of luck!  I'm looking forward to watching construction of this new park, filled with classic amusements, take place.