Everybody knows pretty much everything about Disneyland—how it got started, how the Imagineers do their thing, and so on. But nobody ever talks about the parks that most of us across the country enjoy far more often. The regional theme parks, different from amusement parks, owe their existence to Disneyland. There were a few false starts, but in 1961 Angus Wynne opened Six Flags Over Texas, triggering a tidal wave of Disneyland-lites over the next twenty years.

My current project is a book dedicated to telling the story of the regionals—where they came from, how they got started, and how they’ve changed over the decades. Along with various articles on theme park design and industry updates, I’ll be posting additional details and information that I’ve discovered in researching the park book.

If you haven’t already, sign up for a free preview chapter and get email updates on the project’s status as well as these fascinating tidbits. Let me know your thoughts and share your memories as we work through the various stories. And thanks for being part of this!