Theme park and attraction news, rumors and videos.
I think we can all agree that 2020 has had enough “horror” for the year, so when Kings Island, just like Cedar Point, decided to celebrate things a bit differently this year, it was understandable. There are no haunted houses, you won’t find jump scares and screams lurking at every corner, there is a distinct lack of fog pouring out into the streets. Gone are the monsters of years past. This year things are much more… festive. This year we are doing the Kings Island Tricks and Treats Fall Fest.
Many travelers and families are opting for road trips and getaways that involve less crowds and offer more space – that’s exactly what my family wanted as we tried to come up with a way for our household in Florida to meet up with our family based in Illinois. The idea of driving to the Dollywood area came to mind. It is about equal distance drive from Florida as well as from Illinois. I figured the Dollywood area would have a plethora of wonderful cabins from which to choose and lots of restaurants and stores nearby. Sure enough, our Dollywood cabin was exactly what we needed.
This year has been challenging for everyone. Theme parks are doing the best they can to adapt to the changing times. Halloween Horror Nights has been cancelled and replaced by two daytime houses, Howl-O-Scream is only doing scare zones, and most parks have completely cancelled their events. Cedar Point has decided to go a more family friendly route with the Tricks and Treats Fall Fest.
Waldameer Park sits in Erie, Pa. It is two hours from Cedar Point, two hours from Kennywood, and four hours from Hersheypark. The park sits along the water of Lake Erie, where the lake comes visible as you crest the hill of their main attraction. The park is absolutely gorgeous, with amazing landscaping throughout, and statues and decorations adorning every corner.
Adventure Park USA is a small family entertainment center in Maryland, about an hour north of Washington, D.C. Most family entertainment centers feature a roller coaster, but not usually anything thrilling – normally an SBF Visa, or maybe a wacky worm. This attraction, however, stands out from other family entertainment centers.
Lakemont Park is a community park in the small town of Altoona, Pa.The park has mini-golf, volleyball, basketball courts, and open fields. I know what you’re thinking, “Why are you talking about it then?”
Six Flags is one of the largest theme park chains in the country, and is considered the budget chain by some due to their inexpensive “membership” prices and their willingness to clone rides. Six Flags parks often look identical, with a good number of the same rides being found at all their parks; from Batman B&M inverts to Joker 4-D freespins, clones are common. At Six Flags St. Louis, I found the ride collection to be mild, but the new entry procedures to be wonderful. How would one of the chain’s main parks stack up, then? Well, when I visited Six Flags Great Adventure, I was in for a treat.
Six Flags America sits just outside of Washington, D.C. by about 9 miles in Maryland. It is a small Six Flags park with a semi-decent, if slightly dated, ride collection. The park boasts two wooden roller coasters, and seven steel coasters. There are a good number of flat rides, as well as a water park inside the main theme park. The park also has a decent collection of standard Six Flags food options.
Well, it finally happened. Eleven parks into my road trip, and I am finally advising skipping a park. Most of the parks I’ve been to — from Lagoon to Hersheypark — have been great. Every other Cedar Fair park I’ve visited, they all felt safe. Dorney Park, however, managed to crush my expectations and destroy my opinion that all Cedar Fair parks were handling this well, because, honestly, they aren’t,
When people think of beautiful theme parks, oftentimes the first thing that comes to mind is Silver Dollar City. It sits in the mountains and has rolling hills that the rides use to their advantage. The next park that comes to mind is Dollywood, for similar reasons. Maybe you think of Busch Gardens Williamsburg for its great theming and beautiful trees. What if I told you that I now have another park that jumps to the front of my mind? What if I told you that park was themed to candy? Well, that is exactly what Hersheypark in Hershey, Pa. is — beautiful.
