Pandora–The World of Avatar is a themed area currently being constructed in the south-west portion of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World, Florida. Sunday we made a quick visit to the park, mainly to check out the progress on Avatar Land. Construction walls surround the new area. Now, take a look beyond the…
For most amusement parks up North, the fun stops after Halloween. Pennsylvania is a prime example, making thrills for coaster fans far and few between. Luckily, some parks are extending their seasons deep into December for special events during the holidays. Winter tours are hard to come by, but provide a glimpse into park operations, and gives a…
Crews have broken ground on Guntersville Alabama’s first amusement park! Just off of Highway 431 near Lowes in Guntersville, a small new amusement park called “Lake City Amusement Park” is set to open in April of 2016. In a recent interview with local Guntersville news, Lake City Amusement Marketing Director, Jay Velez said: “We’ll have about 35…
This past week, the big Orlando area parks (Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld Orlando) are utilizing metal detectors that all guests must pass through before entering the parks. The walk-through metal detectors installed at Disney are similar to the ones that Kennywood, Six Flags, and Cedar Fair parks have been using for the past several years. A…
Celebration City was a “night-time theme park” located in Branson, Missouri. The park opened in 1999 originally named Branson USA. It closed in 2001 and was purchased by Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation in 2002. Herschend re-opened the park as Celebration City in 2003, after a redesign and expansion. It was themed after America in the 20th century, with areas…
The rumors have been swirling for some time now that Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild, Lake Compunce and more will all be sold. Well, according to Reuters, this may be true.. Before we get into the details, let’s take a step back up and fill everyone in on what’s going on here. Most of the “yinzers” aka Pittsburgh’ers know…
Universal has been inviting their guests to start a new “nontraditional” holiday tradition at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. If you checked out Universal’s holiday season schedule, you may have noticed that the celebration dates have changed for 2015. Celebrations are taking place from December 5 – January 2 (whereas before 2014, the celebration…
Today, the famed waterpark and attractions company known as WhiteWater, celebrated their birthday! 35 years ago the WhiteWater Waterslide & Recreation Complex in Penticton, BC broke ground. Today they celebrated with their amazing team in the Richmond, BC office and thanked them for making WhiteWater into the global leader it has become. WhiteWater has pioneered innovations throughout the waterpark industry such…
When you think of wintertime activities, visiting the zoo may not be the first thing that comes to mind. While it might be a little cold, it’s one of the best times of the season to make a visit. Not only are the crowds and strollers lighter, but the animals are super active! Yesterday, we…
Kennywood is taking guests back in time! For the 2016 season, visitors will be able to enjoy Noah’s Ark more like it’s former self! In 2016, the Noah’s Ark dark attraction will be celebrating it’s 80th anniversary. Since it’s grand opening in 1936, the attraction has only had two major renovations. The first rehab took place in the late…
Every November, more than 28,000 attraction industry leaders, decision makers, and visionaries, make their way to Orlando for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo, also known as IAAPA. This Expo is the premier conference and trade show for the $39.5 billion global amusement park and attractions industry. The IAAPA Attractions Expo is the global…
KONG IS COMING! The all new immersive ride has been under construction for quite some time now, but is on schedule to debut at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure in 2016. The new attraction will take riders into the jungle island home of the gargantuan beast rather than the streets of civilization. Universal has worked with Peter Jackson…