Busch Gardens Williamsburg Opens for 2014 Season

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has officially started their 2014 season by hosting the park's annual season pass holders' weekend.  While 2014 is an 'off' year as far as large additions go, there are still plenty of changes that took place during the winter.  Not all of them are glamorous, like a bridge replacement, but others (like a total refurbishment of the Land of the Dragons) will be exciting and obvious to visitors.

© Busch Gardens Williamsburg

The change for 2014 that's marketable for the park is the new London Rocks show, taking place in the Globe Theatre.  While it doesn't open until May, when it does it will feature a look at the roots of rock-n-roll during a 25 minute song and multi-media spectacular.  The theater is located in Banbury Cross, one of the areas themed to England, and it was originally rumored that the area would receive a swinging '60s theme to go with the new show.  Thankfully it appears as that bullet was dodged, but some changes are still being made.

To see all that's new and different at the park, check out this very thorough photo update from BGWFans.

From The Vault: Knott's Berry Farm 2002 Brochure

The copy of the Knott's Berry Farm 2002 brochure that I came across for this post was folded in half, but for good reason.  I picked it up while traveling in California and figured that having a folded copy in my pocket was better than none at all.  And a good thing that was, as now we can take a look at it here in From The Vault.

There was a period when Knott's sorta used a very similar brochure with only minor changes each year.  That's somewhat the case with the 2002 brochure - only the cover was redone to include an image of Xcelerator.  The back cover gives some needed details for those planning a trip, including information on the world famous Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant.  Mmmmm.

Xcelerator was new in 2002, not that I was able to ride it however.  Turns out I was visiting when the ride was down to have additional cable supports added to the two top hat towers - a total bummer.  But Knott's is pretty wonderful regardless, so all was still well in the end.

Anyway, the Intamin accelerator coaster made quite a splash with its quick launch - zero to eighty in two point three seconds - and paved the way for even bigger versions like Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point.

All these other rides, shows, and attractions were why my visit to the park wasn't spoiled by one closed coaster!  Knott's has a ton to offer visitors, and in the past few years has really shown its ability to shine in the sunny southern California market.

Batman Soars - Backwards - at Six Flags Magic Mountain

The treat that thrilled guests at Six Flags Great America last summer has now premiered at Six Flags Magic Mountain - backwards Batman!

The famous inverted coaster will be running its trains backwards for a limited time this season.  Above is a backseat (or should I say frontseat?) video of the train making its way through the course from ThemeparkHD.

“In honor of Batman™ The Ride’s 20th anniversary, we’re offering our guests an entirely different ride experience by going backwards. No matter how many times you have been on Batman™ The Ride’s, nothing compares to the thrill of racing down 10 stories facing the other direction," said Bonnie Rabjohn, Six Flags Magic Mountain park president. "You have no idea what is coming next. This is a tremendous new experience and one guests should take advantage of quickly since it will only be available during the spring."

© Six Flags Magic Mountain

Batman the Ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain is celebrating its 20th anniversary this week, and has given close to 32 million rides since it first opened in 1994.  The attraction has a slightly shorter train (seven cars instead of eight) during the backwards run, in order to accommodate restrictions in the station design.

Last year when the backwards trains were at Six Flags Great America, Scott & Carol filed a great look at the attraction.  The experience is said to be quite intense, and it's great that other parks - currently Magic Mountain - get to share it!

SeaWorld Kicks Off 50th Anniversary Celebration

Park entrance decorated for the 50th © SeaWorld

The trio of SeaWorld parks have officially kicked off their 50th anniversary celebration, which will run for 18 months and feature a variety of special events.  The original SeaWorld park, located on Mission Bay in San Diego, opened in March of 1964.  Later came the Orlando, Ohio, and Texas parks - though Ohio is no longer operating.

"For nearly five decades, SeaWorld has surprised and amazed guests with unique entertainment, thrilling rides and up-close encounters with animals. During SeaWorld’s 50th Celebration visitors will be invited to take part in the excitement through new interactive experiences, shows and pathway performances, even more up-close animal encounters throughout the park and “The SeaWorld Surprise Squad” treating guests with prizes every day."

Special entertainment for the 50th © SeaWorld

While the celebration is taking place at all three parks, SeaWorld Orlando has a robust set of events and activities planned for visitors.  Shamu's Celebration: Light Up The Night will be a new high energy show with original music and production elements will open on June 21st.  The SeaWorld Surprise Squad will also patrol the park giving out prizes that include "exclusive access to rides, behind-the-scenes experiences, Shamu themed merchandise, reserved seating and more."

Giant parrot fish © SeaWorld

The park also features really cool giant sea life sculptures, one of which can be seen above, that are made from garbage that has washed ashore from the ocean.  SeaWorld commissioned art group The Washed Ashore Project to create the sculptures, some of which weight more than half a ton.  They are made up of mostly plastics, and emphasize the need to clean up and maintain the Earth's oceans.  SeaWorld Orlando will display sculptures of parrot fish, a sea horse, a sea anemone reef and an octopus.

To learn more about the 50th Celebration taking place at all the parks, hop on over to the official website for the event.

Also for fans of the SeaWorld parks, the below video is a must-watch - it chronicles the history of the chain and all their achievements:

Spring Festivals Delight at Several Cedar Fair Parks

As spring nears, more Cedar Fair parks are revealing plans for a early-season festival aimed at drawing guests during a typically slow part of the year.  This initiative was mentioned during a Cedar Fair investor call during the winter, and I was wondering what they had come up with to attract visitors - turns out a combination of flowers, food and Easter does the trick!

Knott's Berry Farm started the program, best I can tell.  Now called Knott's Berry Bloom, the event has been expanded and will feature a vast selection of special events, plus plenty of pretty decorations. 

Kids can go on a hunt for the Easter Beagle, or ride the Bumper Bugs - the park's bumper cars decorated as giant lady bugs and bees.  There is even a night time dance party named Bloomination - take that Disney! 

Ghost Town will have a new Boysenberry Festival, complete with a full sized replication of Walter & Cordelia Knott’s original roadside Boysenberry Stand where guests may purchase boysenberry plants.  How cool!  There's also plenty of other live entertainment, special events, and activities planned - Knott's Berry Bloom has expanded significantly for 2014.

Joining the fun this year is Carowinds, which will offer Carowinds In Bloom from April 11th through April 20th.  Special events include cooking demonstrations from Johnson and Whales University, live bluegrass music, a kids flower planting zone hosted by the Home Depot and the Topiary Tasting Garden where adult can sip a beverage from one of the State's many local breweries.

Plenty of smaller activities will entertain guests as well, such as visits from the Easter Bunny AND Easter Beagle, an Easter basket creation station, coloring wall and more.

We first mentioned Kings Dominion's Spring Bloom festival a week ago, but they have also since added a large line-up of live entertainment to the celebration.  This version seems the least developed so far, at least as far as the offerings are concerned.  Kings Dominion seems to be focusing on entertainment and food this year, with plans for expanding in the future.

Shame that other Cedar Fair parks don't open early enough (aside from California's Great America, which oddly is not having a similar celebration) since I think these festivals are a great idea!

Scott And Carol Present - Lightning Run At Kentucky Kingdom

Here is the latest from the new Kentucky Kingdom. A brief visit, but a wonderful way to celebrate the coming of spring by doing a drive by of an amusement part. The weatherperson even provided a bright blue sky.

Here is the new paint job for the front gate. No signs just yet, but the detail work shows how serious the new management takes sprucing up the park. The Giant Wheel has a new paint job also, and now the cars are all the same color.

A completed footer with a mounted support column in the background and a  yet-to-be poured location in the foreground. There are very few of these left to be done.

These are old footers from Greezed Lightnin'. You can see a row of new supports behind them. The worker behind the footer gives you a sense of the scale of Lightning Run.

The view from halfway across the parking lot of Lightning Run. It runs along the "front" of the park through the old kiddie area that also.

They hung this piece of track while we watched yesterday afternoon. The assembly is being done by Adena Corporation, based in Mansfield, Ohio. They have done lots of roller coasters all over the country.

A nice dive under the track should result in some nice floating airtime before climbing back above the ground. Notice how close to the ground level the train travels enhancing the sensation of speed.

This over banked turn looks like great fun and we will be sure to report how it feels on May 24, 2014 or thereabouts. That is Opening Day, and the sounds of activity can be heard all over the park.

What a beautiful first day of spring. Fluffy clouds and a brand new coaster being prepared for a new season. This is the inaugural installation of Chance Rides' new Hyper GT-X roller coaster.

You can see plenty of track available to be assembled. Most of the pieces should be bolted in place by next week, and everything is on site. You can see the dark green previously erected supports waiting for the track to be installed.

The concrete work is supposed to be finished this week, right now they are completing footers on the east side of the station.  Hope you enjoyed this quick update!