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Opening season park maps
I’ve been building a collection of vintage park maps, mostly opening year or soon after. These are the souvenir maps you’d buy at the park for fifty cents or so. You’d bring them back home and spend hours looking over the awesome attractions and themed lands, and, years later, remember what used to be there that’s no longer around.
Turmoil, trends, & branding
As we watch the roller coaster ride of parks being bought and sold, drama with owners and management, and wild swings in the economy, actually seeing how that impacts the parks has its own series of ups and downs.
Jon and I spent a few days last summer at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Kings Dominion, and Hersheypark. These are three great theme parks, but recent trends
Coney's original motion simulator
Let’s go back to the days B.D.—Before Disneyland.
Life in late 19th century America was rapidly going in new directions as people realized having fun was, well, more fun than working all the time. A young Fred Thompson certainly agreed, and so the forever-youthful, fun-loving entrepreneur would go on to make such an impact
New coffee table book on Kings Island
After months of waiting, our brand new coffee table book for Kings Island is now on sale at the park! Featuring a couple hundred pages of photographs, concept art, and blueprints, it’s a walk down memory lane from the very beginning of the park. Actually, we start with Coney Island, its predecessor, then just keep going through the decades.
Opryland's sister park
Opryland, USA was the brainchild of Irving Waugh, President of WSM, Inc. This was the Nashville radio station best known for the Grand Ole Opry, one of the most popular radio shows in the country. Irving pushed the company to build a theme park in order to help finance construction of a brand new Opry hall, since the old Ryman was on its last legs (and beyond). Long story short
The story behind Canada's Wonderland
We just released the latest episode of the Themed Attraction Podcast featuring Danusia Rogacki, Creative Services Manager at Canada’s Wonderland. It’s a fascinating interview that clearly reveals Danusia’s total love and dedication to the park. Go listen to that first…I’ll wait right here…
Six Flags DC UNIVERSE: Tragedy or Moving On?
First off…rumor has it I may—or may not—have been working on a special project that will knock your socks off. But I got that from a source working on the inside with the Dippin’ Dots dude, so you know how that is. (Surely this whole Dippin’ Dots thing originated from some marketing genius at the company. Any of you run to the stand every time you hear park rumors?) I also was told on the sly that the corporate lawyers got busy figuring out what to do with it…but they waved their magic wand, blessed it, and
The REAL Rebel RR Loco?
I know you’re just dying to hear what the latest is for the old Dogpatch theme park property in Arkansas. Well, not now.
I’ve been on a train kick lately. Always loved trains, and when I was digging into the history of Dollywood for the book, of course I had to do some tracing of the lineage for the famous steam locomotives
