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…
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
If you recall, EB from coasterradio.com asked me on the show about a couple of attractions from the old Coney Island days. I wasn't familiar with the details, so in my last email I dug into one of them—Creation. This thematic, immersive experience was moved to Dreamland park in 1905 after the St. Louis World's Fair ended. After witnessing the awe-inspiring birth of the world, visitors could then walk across the way and get sent straight to hell (and back) in Hell Gate.
One of the chapters in the upcoming park history book focuses on entrepreneurs who took Walt’s concept and found a way to make it happen in their own part of the country. These individuals had the drive, determination, resources, and sheer guts to jump head-first into waters they knew little about. Storms loomed ahead, threatening to capsize many
The regional theme park history book keeps pushing right along toward completion (hint…it’s close). To hold you over in the meantime, I’ll be sharing bits and pieces from the book and my research while tossing in other interesting items along the way. Three of them, in fact. I’m extremely pleased to have some wonderful folks who were eager to pitch in on this project.
First up is Rob
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 the magical land Walt built in Anaheim. 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.
Imagineering an American Dreamscape tells the story of the regionals and the strong-willed
Hershey Park in 1907 was a local recreation area developed by Milton Hershey for his employees. The entire little town of Hershey was built around the chocolate factory, with many of the magnificent structures erected during the Great Depression. Before long, trolley service brought in other folks from around the area, and Mr. Hershey began to realize what a tourist destination his sweet-smelling factory and the park was.
Perhaps it’s largely personal bias. I’ve loved the mountains my whole life, and I’d give pretty much anything to move back someday. But Dollywood absolutely has to be one of the most authentically situated parks anywhere. Whereas many parks try to cater to a variety of interests, featuring wide-ranging themed lands and attractions, Dollywood is pretty much Eastern Tennessee mountains. That’s where it came from, and it’s
