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» Theme Park News
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Six Flags & Cedar Fair Merger Rumors
There have been a number of shakeups in the amusement industry since I’ve started this blog in 2006. Closings, acquisitions, and sales have been a sign of the times for the industry. If the latest rumor in the theme park business World comes to fruition it would be more like an earthquake than a shakeup. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that there may be a Six Flags Cedar Fair merge...
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Thirteen’s Creepy Blipvert TV Ads
Alton Towers has the hype machine going at full speed as the opening for their much anticipated new roller coaster draws near. Not much is known about Thirteen other than that it’s supposed to be so scary that there will be a controversial age limit. There was also talk of a limit to the times per day one could ride, but I would have to imagine that both of these restrictions will be lifted....
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Six Flags Closes Kentucky Kingdom
Six Flags announced today that they will close their Louisville, Kentucky park known as Kentucky Kingdom due to a disagreement over the lease for the land that the park is located on. Here’s part of the official statement: Six Flags announced today that as it nears the scheduled end of its restructuring process, it has decided to reject its lease with the Kentucky State Fair Board relating t...
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Legoland Florida Announced for 2011
As I mentioned in my 2009 Theme Park Year in Review, Cypress Gardens (Winter Haven, Florida) closed last year. This week, Merlin and Legoland Park executives announced that they will be building Legoland Florida on the site of the old Cypress Gardens. Here are a few notes from the announcement: The park, which is planned for the former site of Cypress Gardens, is expected to include between 40 ...
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Augmented Reality Preview of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Augmented Reality Preview of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter USA Today & Universal have teamed up to provide a pretty interesting preview of the highly anticipated Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Set to open in Spring 2010, the multi-million dollar section of Islands of Adventure has Potter fans and theme park fans anxious to see details of this new ‘theme park within a theme park&#...
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Roller Coaster Museum Comes to Texas
Plainview, Texas is Home to the Roller Coaster Museum On a recent edition of the Season Pass Podcast I learned about the new roller coaster museum in Texas. When I heard that it was in Plainview, which is 7 hours from the closest major theme park (Six Flags Over Texas) I was a bit puzzled. I always thought that an amusement park filled state like Pennsylvania would be perfect for the museum. But,...
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2009 Theme Park Year in Review
Happy New Year! It’s time once again to recap the biggest theme park news stories of 2009. The Roller Coaster Class of 2009 The two huge roller coasters that opened in Orlando had very different fates. SeaWorld’s Manta opened early to rave reviews while Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit opened several months late with mixed reviews. To be fair, Rockit is a one-of-a-kind ride with several techn...
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Cedar Fair Sold to Equity Firm Apollo
Apollo Global Management Buys Cedar Fair for $2.4 Billion, $635 Million in Cash In a move that I didn’t see coming, Cedar Fair was purchased today by equity firm Apollo Global Management for $635 million in cash. Other reports (like this article from The Street) say the deal is for $2.4 billion in total. It’s reminiscent of Blackstone’s purchase of Busch Gardens a few months ago....
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SeaWorld Parks & Google Team Up for Street View Virtual Tours
The Best Theme Park Virtual Tours Ever? The Busch theme parks (now known collectively as SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment) have teamed up with Google to provide virtual walk-through tours using Google Maps Street View. In case you’ve been living under a rock, or still use MapQuest , Street View allows you to get an on-the-ground view of streets in Google Maps. Until now, these views have ...
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New Look & New Video Feature on the Way
So I’ve had to leave the theme park world for a bit. I was busy working on my wife’s web site for the last few weeks. Now, that I’m finished with that I can get back to the blog and Theme Park Syndicate. So, expect to see more posts on a regular basis. I know that I have some coaster news to catch up on as well as my review queue with some coaster reviews that are on the way. I&... -
Six Flags Great America to Get Little Dipper in 2010
Six Flags Great America Makes Little Dipper Its 14th Roller Coaster Six Flags Great America (Gurnee, IL) is saving Little Dipper, a historic wooden roller coaster from nearby Kiddieland Amusement Park. Kiddieland operated in the Melrose Park area for 80 years until it closed earlier this year. Little Dipper is a Herbert Schmeck designed pint-sized woodie that has operated at Kiddieland since 1950....
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General Site & Web Updates
It’s been a while since I’ve done a post about some general site and Web updates. On In the Loop Podcast for Intimidator Talk After Carowinds announced Intimidator for 2010, I was invited to join the In the Loop Podcast to discuss the new ride with the hosts and Danielle Swords, Public Relations Manager from Carowinds. I had fun doing it even though it was hard to know when to talk bec... -
Spongebob vs Snoopy – What’s Your Take?
Several Cedar Fair Theme Parks Are Switching from Nickelodeon to Peanuts Themed Areas in 2010 In 2010, the former Paramount Parks now run by Cedar Fair, will be getting re-branded kids areas and attractions. California’s Great America, Kings Dominion, Kings Island, Carowinds, and Canada’s Wonderland will be dropping their Nickelodeon-themed areas for a nod to everyone’s favorite ...
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Coolest 2010 Roller Coasters May Not Be in the U.S.
2010 Roller Coasters Opening In the Rest of the World 2010 is looking to be a down year for new roller coasters in the States. The Intimidator coasters at Kings Dominion and Carowinds are big projects and look great. But after those new rides, there are only a few other major roller coasters in the U.S. The other most notable ride is Kennywood’s currently unnamed launch coaster. So, let̵...
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Wild Adventures Stars in Zombieland & 2010 Plans
Wild Adventures 2010 Roller Coaster & Plans Recently, Wild Adventures announced their plans for 2010 which include 3 new rides. Wild Adventures will be recieving Scrambler, a flying scooter attraction, and a family roller coaster all from Celebration City which closed last year. Herschend, the park’s owner, is moving the Jack Rabbit (pictures). Also, the park has announced extended ...
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Blackstone Buys Busch Gardens & SeaWorld Parks for $2.3 Billion
Blackstone Buys Busch Gardens & SeaWorld Parks for $2.3 Billion The proverbial writing has been on the wall ever since InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch last year. The Belgian brewer planned to sell A-B’s theme parks as they were not the companies core business; brewing beer. After months of speculation, U.S. equity firm Blackstone has stepped forward to purchase Busch Entertainment Corpora... -
New Orleans to Get Nickelodeon Universe for 2010-11
Nickelodeon Universe Coming to Former Six Flags New Orleans While Nickelodeon branded rides and attractions are leaving several Cedar Fair parks like Carowinds and Kings Dominion, the company will be opening its largest theme park in a rebirth of the former Six Flags New Orleans and Jazzland park. That theme park has been closed since Hurricane Katrina caused damaged it in August 2005. Nickelodeon...
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Halloween 2009: Fright Fest, Horror Nights, Haunts & More
Theme Parks Get Spooky with Halloween 2009 Transformations This month, theme parks across the country will be sporting a much darker, and macabre appearance. The undead creatures of the night and villains from horror movies like Saw will invade your local park. During weekends in the month of October, many parks around the country transform with Halloween-themed events like Six Flags’ popu...
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Six Flags Over Georgia Under Water
The Atlanta Floods Put Six Flags Over Georgia Under Water The recent unforgiving rains have caused havok in Atlanta over the past few days. The heavy rains have resulted in floods, mudslides, tons of trapped residents that have had to be rescued, and unfortunately a handful of deaths. This sounds like a complete disaster for the area. The rains are supposed to be lighter today, so hopefully things...
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Xcelerator Accident @ Knotts Berry Farm
Xcelerator Accident @ Knotts Berry Farm In a pretty scary accident, a cable on the Xcelerator at Knotts Berry Farm snapped injuring two riders. Making the incident even worse for the Los Angeles area park, a video of the accident was posted on YouTube and it’s “gone viral”. Xcelerator is a launch coaster sending riders from 0 to 82 mph in 2.5 seconds. Immediately after the launch...
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- The Coaster Critic on Six Flags & Cedar Fair Merger Rumors
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- Quil on Six Flags & Cedar Fair Merger Rumors
- Quil on Thirteen’s Creepy Blipvert TV Ads
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- Six Flags & Cedar Fair Merger Rumors
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