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US News:
 California - (1/4/12) Anyone want to build a water park? The city of Temecula is hoping to lure in a developer to take over the site they set aside for the Splash Canyon Temecula waterpark that died out in 2010 due to lack of financing. The city is apparently willing to re-approve the expired planning approvals for the project in order to lure a new developer to leap in and get the project moving. Good timing too as the SoCal area now has one less waterpark with the destruction of Wild Rivers in Irvine.
(12/27/11) Now this is just depressing… check out this collection of photos showing off a half-demolished Wild Rivers waterpark in Irvine. So sad, as I had quite a few fun trips to that park while growing up in SoCal.
(12/22/11) Tom Lochtefeld is now suing the city of San Diego for $25 million over the dispute of Belmont Park. Check in about the latest legal moves and what has happened so far here.
(12/15/11) It’s nearly Christmas time… and that means it’s the perfect time of year for a Haunt, right? Of course it is… and thanks to the folks at Sinister Point, there was a merry little haunt action going on over last weekend as they opened up a special Christmas themed edition of the attraction for three days only. Catch some pictures of the action over at Westcoaster this week.
(10/31/11) What I believe to be the first portable S&S Screamin’ Swing attraction has been installed at Scandia. You can find pictures of it posted to WestCoastThrills.
(10/12/11) Los Angeles has it’s share of unique haunts, including the return of The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor haunt, but I’ve also heard about a unique new haunt experience this year called DELUSION, said to be a sort of cross between a haunt and an interactive storyline that you move through. According to the description, “visitors will become a part of the story of a metal asylum gone astray as they tour a 106 year old historic mansion and run for their lives!” Click here for the details on DELUSION, but keep in mind that tickets must be purchased in advance online, they are not sold at the door.
(9/29/11) I’ve mentioned the extreme adults only Blackhouse haunt coming to New York City, but it seems one of San Diego’s outer counties has it’s own extreme haunt experience to offer in the form of McKamey Manor. The rules are a little different, as you are sent throug in groups of no more than 6. There is no 18+ rule either, so you wont see naked people in this one, but the experience is not advised for children as grown adults often come out in tears. The experience will last around 30-45 minutes... and every group actually has their experience shot on video. Even better... the haunt is technically free... as long as you bring two nonperishable food items which will be donated to a local food bank. Still interested? Then check out this complete experience video (starting with Act 1 below) showing off what took place in 2010 to a group. Seriously... you’ve got to see this “Mom” go through and just lose her friggin’ mind.
(9/28/11) The Queen Mary has signed a deal with a new operator to take over the day to day management of the floating hotel / attraction. Those duties now fall to Evolution Hospitality LLC who replaces the Delaware North Co. Click here to read more.
(8/31/11) The Scandia Fun Center in Sacramento (not to be confused with the Scandia sites in Ontario or Victorville, CA) apparently had a crane site to perform some work to their Skyscraper ride. According to the local news, the crane collapsed and fell on top of the ride, dropping both down on top of the golf course and batting cage area, and injuring two men who were working at the site.
(8/3/11) The latest development over at Belmont Park has seen Tom Lochtefeld sent on his way and “the bank” will soon forclose on his property lease. Read the details here.
(6/22/11) The fight between Lochtefeld and the city of San Diego over the fate of Belmont Park’s Wave House and The Plunge indoor pool (note: this does not include the Giant Dipper coaster and it’s smaller flat rides) is only just starting, as Lochtefeld has decided to close down The Plunge and has already filed his own claim of $25 million against the city. The details are too twisted to summarize, so click here to read more.
(6/20/11) I’ve got some gruesome details of what may be one of the best haunted house concepts I’ve ever heard of coming to California this fall. It’s called Ghost Ship, but this isn’t to be confused with the annual haunt at the Queen Mary… because there is a major difference here. This new Ghost Ship will actually take place on a ship that sets sail into the dark of night out in the open ocean.
According to the back story, a floating asylum was created back in the 1930’s, housing the violently insane inmates at a safe 100 mile distance off the California shoreline… until the vessel vanished without a trace. It has returned in 2011 and you can set sail yourself on a 75 minute voyage every Friday and Saturday night from October 14-29, with three departures planned for each night at a whopping $59 per person. Advanced tickets will go on sale starting July 15th for what promises to be one of the most unique haunt experiences ever attempted.
Florida - (2/1/12) According to this news article the Blue Diamond Streak coaster (Pinfari Zyklon) in Delaware (at Blue Diamond Park) has been sold. The coaster is being taken down and shipped off to Dayton Beach, Florida where it will be installed later this summer at Daytona Lagoon near the Ferris Wheel.
(1/16/12) Bad news for Southern Florida residents as I’ve heard it said that the local kiddie amusement park, Kidstar, is preparing to close down in the near future. Anyone know more?
(12/29/11) The new mini Miracle Strip at Pier Park attraction will expand to add a few more attractions once again. The original Sea Dragon will return with the Sock Hop Jumping Pillow and an old-fashioned “Crank Cars”. The Sock Hop is already open and they are hoping to get Sea Dragon up and running in time for New Years Eve.
The owner even mentioned that they still hope to eventually rebuild the old Starliner wooden coaster someday.
(12/27/11) The Miami Seaquarium just opened a new ropes course attraction called Sharky’s Sky Trail. This is a three story tall ropes course with “18 challenges” to face. Click here for details.
(12/9/11) It’s been awhile since we’ve heard even a peep about the old Dania Beach Hurricane coaster, it looks like the possible plan to relocate the coaster over near ZooMiami is still being discussed and run through feasibility and cost studies.
(7/1/11) There is a possible ray of hope for saving the Dania Beach Hurricane, as Zoo Miami is now looking at adding it to their entertainment lineup and have already approved a feasibility study of relocating the coaster to their new entertainment district development area.
(4/29/11) Boomers has confirmed that the Dania Beach Hurricane has indeed closed down on their Facebook page. According to the posting, “We have been informed that the third party who owns and operates the wooden roller coaster adjacent to the Boomers Family Fun Center in Dania/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida has ceased operations effective immediately.”
Also, according to a follow-up report by the SunSentinel the coaster’s owner informed Boomers about the pending closure a couple of days earlier, before the ride shut down at Tuesday evening.
(8/20/10) A new waterpark is under consideration for South Florida in a parking lot next to the Miami Dolphins stadium. If all goes as planned, it could open as early as 2012. Click here to read the full report.
(6/17/10) The new Schlitterbahn project for Fort Lauderdale took a big step forward today when the city commissioners endorsed the Schlitterbahn proposal to build a new waterpark there needed no city or county funding. From the description the proposed park sounds a lot like the South Padre Island park that is based around the Transportainment concept of having every major attraction tied into a massive lazy river that makes it’s way around the park, along with a large AquaVeyer lift system. The Broward County Sports Hall of Fame would be given a home on the property as well as new attractions for Virtual Golf, Baseball/Softball Simulators and more. You can also read through Schlitterbahn’s proposal yourself here which includes Master Blasters and a Tidal Wave River.
Georgia - (5/16/11) The Savannah area now may become home to two new waterparks as plans more forward to finally build Pirate’s Cove while a second unknown project was just gien approval to move ahead as well, with construction set to begin later this year and open next April on the yet to be named park project.
(3/25/11) According to this news report the new Pirate’s Cove Waterpark that was set to open in Savannah this year ran into money problems and never got much further than clearing the 10 acre site. According to a top project official, they lost a major investor and now hope to attempt to open it again next year.
Indiana - (11/17/10) US Thrillrides has announced the sale of a SkyQuest attraction to the Indianapolis Zoo for the 20 12 season at the IAAPA show. SkyQuest is the new concept from Bill Kitchen, which will be the “crown” of the zoo’s new Orangutan habitat, giving each rider a very up close experience and birds eye view of the animals. The 15-20 minute long adventure will load four passengers into gondolas, similar to a hot-air balloon basket, and move a mild 1mph through the attraction. The artwork sent out was a little raw, but it reminds me of a mini Skyride style system. You can see some other odd artwork for the ride system at the official US Thrillrides website, where they show off a more thrilling version that has riders strapped into a Skycoaster style harness, as well as options to hook up promotional “banners” to make their way around the track as well.
Kentucky - (6/23/11) While the Haunt world was surprised by the announced GhostShip attraction coming to California this fall featuring a real 75 minute long relentless haunted cruise experience, it seems GhostShip isn’t the only floating haunt around. The USS Nightmare, a haunted Riverboat, has been docking alongside the river in Newport, Kentucky (just outside Cincinnati, OH) for the last several years. Check out the details here.
(5/23/11) I’m a bit surprised, but that crazy proposed Noah’s Ark themed Ark Encounter religious park project in Kentucky was approved for up to $43 million in state tax incentives, as opposed to how they turned down the first proposal to reopen Kentucky Kingdom earlier this year. Ark Encounter could break ground as early as this August, and is also hoping the state will fund an $11 million freeway improvement plan nearby as well to provide better access to the park. You can find some concept artwork for the park posted here.
(12/2/10) The Governor of Kentucky came forward to help announce a new theme park yesterday… but not Kentucky Kingdom. Instead they talked about a religious theme park concept in Grant County called Ark Encounter. (Terrible name… sounds more like alien abduction). Themed as a gigantic Noah’s Ark replica, the park would feature a theater, exhibits, live animals and more. If the plan moved ahead on the $150 million park, it could open as early as 2014.
As odd as the concept sounds, especially since they are asking for government funding, even more crazy is their projection that Ark Encounter will bring in an amazing 1.6 million guests each year. Let me help put this in perspective: Holiday World pulled in a RECORD all time attendance high for the 2010 season, with 1,182,636 guests. To get the forecasted 1.6 million guests into Holiday World would require an over 35% attendance increase. Please… someone needs to check on who is doing all this forecasting. Look at the trouble the NASCAR Hall of Fame is in now, which was “projected” to bring in 800,000, the attraction has only brought in 170,000 so far.
Louisiana - (12/8/11) Two pages worth of creepy new pictures taken just a few days ago at the former Six Flags New Orleans site can be found here.
(12/1/11) The local news reports that the eight proposals were whittled down to just two best uses for the former Six Flags New Orleans property… either as a theme park or as an upscale outlet mall. Between the two, the outlet mall idea is said to be the favored concept, as they believe there is a need for more retail space in the eastern side of the city. The backers of the amusement park proposal are RCS Entertainment, a new player to the amusement park field, who say they are also planning “a themed destination resort” for Houston, TX. They’ve got concept artwork for their Houston project up on their site worth taking a look at.
(11/28/11) In a odd twist, it looks like one of the proposed groups who wants to revive Six Flags New Orleans proposes to return the park back to it’s roots as Jazzland, and has created the JazzlandPark.com website to show off their ideas. Their plan includes hiring The Gravity Group to come in and restore the MegaZeph coaster, complete with new Timberliner trains with an on-board audio system with a new soundtrack from Better Than Ezra. On top of reviving the theme park, they also want to add a water park and film studio next door.
(11/23/11) The city of New Orleans will review eight different proposals to revive the former Six Flags New Orleans theme park site. The proposed plans range from a resort or two, mall / retail shopping, amusement and water parks proposals, an eco park and even one to just simply turn the site into a power plant.
(11/15/11) A new video shot inside the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans theme park has been posted on YouTube. Check it out, embedded below.
(8/31/11) An assortment of new pictures taken at the closed and abandoned Six Flags New Orleans theme park site can be found here.
Maryland - (10/11/11) The Baltimore area will play host to a very unique Halloween themed event on October 22nd called Run For Your Lives… described as “A Zombie Infested 5K Obstacle Course Race”. From the sound of things on the website, little information is given in advance about what you can expect from the course, other than zombies and running… and a lot more of both. Check out the awesome promo video below. It looks like there are a ton of follow-up events coming in 2012 as well around the country as well, so if you take on the challenge, I want to hear all about it.
Massachusetts - (9/6/11) SpookyWorld will celebrate it’s 20th anniversary this October in a big way, returning the attraction which has moved to a variety of locations in Massachusetts ‘to it scary Berlin roots”. Read more here.
Michigan - (4/8/11) According to the local area news a new indoor waterpark has broken ground in Michigan. The Soaring Eagle Water Park and Hotel will have 244 rooms and a 45,000 sqft. indoor waterpark.
New Jersey - (11/16/11) The new owners / developers of the American Dream Meadowlands project (aka: Xanadu) are asking for permission to develop 5 acres of wetlands to finish up their concept of what is needed to make the destination mall a success, which would include an indoor amusement park and waterpark inside a glass dome, the indoor ski slope and more.
(9/22/11) A new indoor attraction called iPlay America is set to open in Freehold, New Jersey on November 11, 2011, at 11:11am. iPlay America will offer attractions like indoor go-karts, a 4D motion theater, Cosmic Battle, a 2 level laser tag arena, Spin Zone bumper cars, midway games, mini bowling lanes and over 200 modern and classic video games in the center’s huge arcade. There will also be a number of small family friendly rides to choose from as well. There will also be a soft play area for the little kids and plenty of food options ranging from salads to pizza to frozen yogurt to midway fair like fried Oreos and funnel cakes. Visit the official website to learn more here.
(9/1/11) A lengthy and detailed report on the status of things at the former Xanadu project in New Jersey can be read here.
(8/9/11) Good news for fans of Steel Pier, the amusement pier has been sold by Trump Entertainment to Steel Pier Associates LLC, the group who has been leasing and pier and running the amusements on it for the past 20 years. Click here to read more.
(8/5/11) Storybook Land (New Jersey) has opened a new custom themed S&S Frog Hopper ride called Beanstalk Bounce last month and is close to opening a kiddie SBF Drop N’ Twist tower ride called Tick Tock Clock Drop.
New York - (12/16/11) California isn’t the only place to have a Haunt style experience for the Christmas holiday season. New York City is home to a little something called the Nightmare (Before Christmas): The Experiment, which from the description, is not your typical haunt and more of an experience. It has show-times that take place two or three times a night through to December 23rd, and they say the entire attraction (Experiment?) will last 50 minutes.
(10/12/11) It seems the team behind Blackout NYC put on a special May performance event for 20 unlucky volunteers to hone their skillset for this year’s event. You can find a review of this even more shocking Spring event as well as a spoiler-free review of this year’s Blackout haunt.
(9/27/11) A detailed breakdown, scene by scene, about the Blackout style extreme haunted house that was run in New York last year can be found here, known as the Vortex Theater’s NYC Halloween Haunted House.
(9/26/11) One of the creepiest looking haunted house experiences I’ve ever heard of is returning to New York. It’s called Blackout… and the rules are simple. You have to be at least 18 years old… and you must go through it all ALONE. If any readers are local and decide to give it a try, I’ve got to hear your thoughts about this one. Sounds ultra intense.
North Carolina - (9/26/11) I had previously mentioned the graveyard built inside the grounds of the small Tweetsie theme park in North Carolina, but now we have pictures as well of the site. You can find some pictures of it posted to this Flickr photo stream, starting with a great shot of it as seen from the park’s Ferris Wheel. Really ads a little punch to the warning on the back of the car in front of you reminding you to “DO NOT ROCK SEAT!” Made me wonder if that’s what the pool souls buried below were guilty of at the time. Here is another good picture from the opposite point of view… so at least the dead get a nice view.
Ohio - (9/23/11) A special event to celebrate North Ohio’s Classic Parks is scheduled for September 25th it seems, which will feature the sights and sounds of Euclid Beach and may include some items from Geauga Lake as well. Check out the details here.
Oklahoma - (9/26/11) Bell’s is making a comeback… though in miniature form. According to the local news Robby Bell announced that he will be bringing back three or four of the park’s old kiddie rides outside the Saturday Flea Market. “My grandfather started with six rides in 1951 at the fairgrounds. They were all kiddie rides that he bought, and we're gonna start all over again 60 years later at Mr. Schwickerath's property”.
Oregon - (9/19/11) Fans of Oregon’s former Thrill-Ville USA amusement park, which closed down in 2008, may be saddened to know that the site will now be transformed into a self-storage facility.
Pennsylvania - (10/10/11) Pennsylvania folks… you’ve got some awesome haunts out there to choose from this years for sure, some set up in some very unique settings. For example, the Eastern State Penitentiary, a former prison with a lot of history behind it, is holding Terror Behind The Walls.
They describe it as America’s Largest and Most Ambitious Haunted House, and they’re celebrating their 20th season this October with two new additions to the experience: The Gauntlet (a new high energy opening attraction) and Break Out (a new finale outdoor scare zone in the courtyard just before you leave). Located inside the walls of the old Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Terror Behind the Walls consists of a total of six different haunted attractions (The Gauntlet, Lock Down, Infirmary, The Experiment, Night Watch and Break Out) , all included with your admission, located inside the creepy retired prison. The decaying walls of the massive fortress have been loaded with custom props, animatronics, special effects, digital sound effects and a cost of over 200… all waiting for you. On top of all this, the prison thought to be truly haunted as well, as it plays hosts to an average of 60 paranormal teams visiting it each year, some of which has been documented here. For the rest of the information, including dates of operation, prices and to catch a video video preview of the attraction itself, visit the official website.
Meanwhile, if you find yourself on the opposite side of the state, over near Pittsburg, you can’t go wrong with an evening at ScareHouse, which features Pittsburgh Zombies, one of the most impressive Zombie themed mazes ever, putting you in the middle of the action. Check out the video below! If that wasn’t fun enough… seems a local guy got himself zombied out for the night and popped the question to his girlfriend in the middle of the maze when she was passing though. The local news caught it all on video.
(9/22/11) Keeping with the unofficial theme of the week, it seems there is an onsite grave at Lakemont Park. Unlike the others we’ve seen this week, this grave site was created while the park was in operation to mark the final resting place of “Duke”. Apparently “Duke” was the pet dog of one of the head maintenance men at the park, and would actually take morning test rides on the park’s Skyliner coaster with him. When Duke passed away, he was laid to rest somewhere near the turn out of the station.
(9/14/11) A new awesome trailer for ScareHouse 2011 has been posted to YouTube. Check it out below… they make such awesome videos.
(8/29/11) Our friends at the Scarehouse (in Pittsburgh) have come up with something you may need this October… Zom B Off. Check it out.
(8/3/11) The Scarehouse has let us in on their plans for a new haunt to be added this year called Pittsburgh Zombies. You can find their preview video for this new maze here showing off a whole new level of realism they are going for with this one.
South Carolina - (12/9/11) The local news has posted a story about a possible new attraction being discussed to be built on the site of the old Myrtle Beach Pavilion park site. A private group is said to have worked out a lease deal to build a Zipline attraction on the site with Burroughs & Chapin. Hmmm… I can’t say this sits well with me, that after sitting empty for five years, the Pavilion will be replaced by a simple zipline? Kind of disappointing… especially when they’ve already got a great over the water zipline attraction over at Broadway at the Beach.
(11/18/11) A reader passed by South of the Border the other day and noticed that the tourist traps former Wild Mouse, which was taken apart over the Summer, was in the process of being loaded onto a truck. Sounds like someone may have bought the old Pedro’s Mouse coaster after all, despite the fact that it’s been rusting away for the past decade. I can only assume it is heading out of the country. Any guesses where it might turn up?
(10/27/11) A fun timelapse style video showcasing the South Carolina State Fair can be found here.
(8/11/11) Discover Myrtle Beach has posted their own review of this summer’s new area attraction: WonderWorks. Check it out.
(7/27/11) A reader who passed by the infamous South of the Border tourist trap on I-95 noticed that a large crane was on site taking apart their long closed Wild Mouse coaster. Pedro’s Mouse has been sitting dead as a doornail since late summer 2002, after only running it for a little over one year. According to the report, it did not look as if they were ripping it apart for scrap, but rather taking it apart carefully, but I just can’t figure out who would be willing to buy a coaster that has been sitting and rotting away for almost a decade.
Tennessee - (2/2/12) In a possible related bit of news, a church sitting on property bordering the new Dollywood / Gaylord Water/Snow park project area has announced their intention to sell their property and will use the money generated by any possible sale to build new locations. While the land has not sold, and the church says they have not spoken to Gaylord officials about it yet, it would seen a sure bet that someone would want to buy this property up ASAP just for the location.
(1/30/12) Look for a few new attractions will be added to the Pigeon Forge area in 2012. The most visible of which is a plan to add Wonders of Flight, a large tethered hot air balloon ride to WonderWorks. The balloon will be from Aerophile, which I believe is the same company Disney has used in Paris and Walt Disney World, and will be able to lift 30 passengers 500 feet into the air for a view of the Smokey Mountains.
The Tomb – a interactive Egyptian tomb attraction at Walden’s Landing (home of Firehouse Golf). Getting in to the tomb is easy… getting out? Not so much…
The Smokey Mountain Opry Theater will open in March, replacing the former Miracle Theater. This new production comes from the same group behind the Hatfield & McCoy, Comedy Barn and Country Jamboree Breakfast shows.
The Titanic Museum will upgrade a few things this year to mark the passing of the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on April 15th, 2012. A new exhibit about the making of James Cameron’s Titanic film will be added.
Look for the new Hollywood Wax Museum to open sometime in 2012. Admission will include access to two other nearby attractions: Castle of Chaos and Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors.
(1/26/12) For those wondering, I’ve been told that Snow portion of the new Dolly Parton / Gaylord Entertainment venture next to the Opryland Hotel will utilize a separate section of the park from the waterpark portion. You can see the two separate areas on the map posted with the announcement last week, which will allow the summer and winter attractions to share vital areas like the parking lot, front gate and food / merchandise locations, while keeping the snow fun to a pair of sloped hills along the backside of the park. So sadly, no rides down ice-covered waterslides I’m afraid… as cool as the idea seems to be.
(1/20/12) Dollywood and Gaylord Entertainment have announced a 50/50 partnership to develop a 114-acre “entertainment zone” next to the Gaylord
Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, TN. The first phase ($50 million) will be to build the nations first “water and snow park” which will break ground in Fall 2012 and be ready to open by Summer 2014.
Plenty of room will be left over for future expansion, and the park will feature incredible modern waterpark thrills for the summer season, and designated snow activites (like snow tubing) for winter fun. For the moment, a final name has not been chosen for the park, but if Dolly is involved, I’m sure her name will fit in there somewhere, and the Dollywood Company will serve as the operating partner for the park, which is projected to bring in 500,000 guests a year. 35 acres of the site are being saved for future expansion projects as well as “complimentary regional attractions”. Fantastic news… and I can’t wait to see just what they have in store for the snow park. It’s about time someone has figured out how to extend the waterpark season beyond the “summer” by adding some snow tubing fun to keep it open in the winter months as well.
Check out a video of the big announcement with Dolly Parton embedded below.
(11/23/11) The local news reports that LeConte Village LLC paid $10 million to purchase a section of the Belle Island property with a plan to build a new attraction that will be anchored by a 200 foot tall Giant Wheel. If all goes as planned, the new attraction should be ready to open by Spring 2013.
(10/19/11) The local news reports that the former Belle Island project in Pigeon Forge is being sold to a new developer this week, Darby Campbell. The once nearly finished project will be renamed Riverwalk Village, but the final product will end up fairly similar to what was planned under the Belle Island name. There will be entertainment, a carnival area for the kids and a four star hotel, but the NASCAR attraction is out and they are considering removing the river boat building that was once to hold a Debby Reynolds Hollywood Museum. They hope to complete the construction and open Riverwalk Village by Summer 2012.
(9/14/11) According to a Screamscape reader, there is still no sign of construction work having started for the Water Magic attraction announced to be built across from the Titanic attraction. The empty theaters that were to be demolished to make way for it are still just sitting there… closed and dead.
(9/12/11) The site of the former Fun Mountain amusement park in Gatlinburg (which has been closed for years) was approved to be rezoned to a new type of commercial property that would allow for structures to be 24 feet taller than what was previously allowed.
(6/16/11) According to one local source, the Water Magic attraction to go in across the street from the Titanic attraction has so far not only failed to begun construction this year, but hasn’t even started the demolition of the three small theaters (Magic Beyond Belief, Kick’n Country and Memories Theater) to make room for it yet. Construction was originally said to begin in early 2011, so they’re about six months behind schedule by now. So will it still open in 2013, get pushed back… or have they been hit with financing problems like so many other projects have in the past few years? While the timeline was not updated for this article, I did come across a nice piece of concept artwork showing off the themed building here. Anyone know more about the status of Water Magic?
(3/29/11) An interesting new dinner show will be opening on Pigeon Forge this June called the Lumberjack Feud, which will feature a 1000-seat arena. The show “will follow the fictional story of two families that worked together in felling the trees of the Smokies until tragedy strikes and a wedge is driven between them. The climax of the show will be a contest between the two sides to determine who gets to stay on in the mountains and who must leave.” The show also has their own Facebook page.
(3/1/11) According to this article the company behind the former Hollywood Wax Museum in Gatlinburg is now making plans to open a new wax museum attraction in Pigeon Forge at the site of the former Dinosaur Walk Museum. (This is near the Zorb ride I believe…) The new 30,000 sqft attraction will be the largest of its kind when it opens in 2012.
(2/4/11) Good news for Pigeon Forge, a pair of business men are signing up to take over and finish the former Belle Island Village development just off the main strip. They will rename the bankrupt project “Riverwalk Village” and have begun talking with possible tenants, including many of the former projects who were on board for Belle Island, including Debbie Reynolds and Darrell Waltrip. Construction is expect to begin again sometime this summer and the first phases could reopen by 2012. The site will also get another boost in the form of the newly announced $44.9 million LeConte Events Center to be built next door and ready to open in 2013.
(11/24/10) A new water based attraction is on the way to Pigeon Forge from the creator of the Titanic attraction. The details here are light, but it will be called Water Magic, but it is not a “water park”, but instead will feature a number of water attractions like a “100 ft kinetic energy sculpture” and something called “The Wizard” in Emporium Square. “The attraction aims to live up to its motto of ‘Get Me Wet.’” You will find a lot more descriptions of what will be inside here, where they describe the attraction as what Disney might build in Epcot as a pavilion themed to the concept of playing with water.
The $40 million project hopes to start construction in early 2011 and open by 2013. According to this article, the land purchased for it is across the street from Titanic, but a little bit to the south. To make way for Water Magic three small theater attraction will be demolished, Magic Beyond Belief, Kick’n Country and Memories Theater. While the jobs lost here are never a good thing, in the end it’s probably a good move for Pigeon Forge who has a glut of small theaters.
Texas - (10/3/11) Hawaiian Falls will grow again in Texas, and will perform a ground-breaking ceremony for the new Hawaiian Falls Waco on October 12th. From the sound of things, the new Hawaiian Falls will take the place of the former Waco Water Park.
(8/9/11) A new waterpark has broken ground in the Corpus Christi area of Texas and will be called Hurricane Alley. They plan to open it by Spring 2012 if possible, and you can catch a short news video about it here.
(7/20/11) Things took a turn for the worse in Dallas area at the Zero Gravity Thrill Park when two riders became stuck 50 feet in the air on the Texas Blastoff when the cables became tangled. Dallas firefighters were called in to rescue them on Monday night after they were held aloft for about 3 hours.
(4/7/11) According to this article, Schlitterbahn is looking at a site on North Padre Island for a possible new waterpark. While they already have a park on South Parde Island, there is a good bit of distance between the two sites. (Probably 200 or so driving miles…)
Utah - (9/29/11) Haunt fans in the Utah may be in luck for something new this year… as the Strangling Brothers Haunted Circus has set up in the south end of the Salt Lake valley. It’s not just a haunted attraction, but a complete haunted carnival it seems, with a collection of traveling rides on hand.
Washington - (11/23/11) The local news reports that the city has approved the first permit for the construction of the proposed giant Ferris Wheel on the Seattle waterfront on Pier 57. This is the first of many needed steps in the long approval process however.
(12/15/10) A new giant wheel is planned for Seattle Center, near the base of the Space Needle, that hopes to open in 2012 as part of the site’s 50th anniversary. This news did not go over well with the people planning the other giant wheel at Pier 57 however. Click here to read more.
(10/25/10) One of the pier attractions on the Seattle waterfront is now looking into building a large 175 foot tall ferris wheel with enclosed cabins. Click here for more details information.
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