In Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the Busch parks we saw how the rousing success of Tampa was followed by disappointment in Los Angeles and dismal failure in Houston. In the middle of all that drama, Busch was quietly working on a far grander plan along the mid-Atlantic coast. In a move similar to that of Disney in Florida, the company negotiated a massive
In Parts 1 and 2 of the Busch parks we saw how amazingly successful the Tampa brewery tour and gardens was…and how unsuccessful the Los Angeles version turned out. But before the California property started giving the company fits, they had decided to keep the momentum going. Three years after the Los Angeles gardens
Inspired by Grandfather Adolphus Busch’s lush gardens at his Pasadena home, the idea came up to develop a beautiful garden spot for visitors to enjoy along with a free tour of the company’s new brewery in Tampa, FL. It was instantly wildly popular, leading to the expansion of the idea at other locations such as Los Angeles, Houston, and Wiliamsburg. Some, of course
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.
During my interview with CoasterRadio.com, EB asked about a couple attractions from Coney Island's Dreamland park. Now, this is 1905 we're talking about, and believe it or not, themed immersive attractions were actually a thing already. In the book I described A Trip to the Moon, which premiered at the 1901 Buffalo Pan-American Expo and was later moved to
