Search Results for: blog amusement park tragedy

Theme Park Expands in Kentucky

It made headlines when it opened in Petersburg, Kentucky, and now residents in the northern part of the “Bluegrass State” will be getting their own Creation Museum and theme park. According to new reports, a huge replica of Noah’s Ark, plus an 800-acre creationist theme park will be calling Grant County home in the near future. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear says plans are underway to construct the $150 million ark and theme park, which, when complete, is expected to attract 1.6 million visitors annually. The existing 70,000-square-foot Creation Museum, located about seven miles from the Cincinnati-northern Kentucky airport, opened in … Continue reading →

Theme Park Fun

Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri just announced that it is teaming up with area hotels and other attractions to offer discounts on package deals to families who want to spend spring break in the Show-Me-State without breaking the bank. The popular theme park is just one of dozens of companies lending a helping hand to cash-strapped parents, who want to make this spring break memorable for their kids. Sea World in Florida and the San Diego Zoo are also appealing to families on a budget. Both theme parks are freezing the price of their annual passes, in an effort … Continue reading →

Theme Parks that Won’t Break the Bank

How much money did you have to set aside to pay for your family’s summer vacation to Disney, Six Flags or Universal? Unless you found an outstanding package deal I doubt that your family of four could get admission, parking, meals, drinks, and souvenirs for less than $500. Now consider how much more you could get for the same amount of money if you opted to visit a smaller theme park like Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana or Alabama Adventure in Bessemer, Alabama. All-day admission at both parks cost about half of what Disney charges. Currently, a one-day ticket … Continue reading →

Amusement Parks Go High Tech and You Pay the Price

They are the No.1 destination for families. Whether they are located in North America, South Korea or Dubai millions of visitors flock to amusement parks each year. And what a difference a few years can make. Gone are the days when rickety wooden roller coasters took center stage. These days amusement parks are high-tech experiences and guests want to make sure they get their monies worth. (And with admission averaging about $45 per adult it’s not hard to see why.) Modern theme parks make the most of technological advances. For example, the Kingda Ka roller coaster at New Jersey’s Six … Continue reading →

One-of-a-Kind Amusement Park

How far are you willing to travel to mingle with Wonder Woman, King Kong, Shrek, and Bollywood dancers while dining on hot dogs, pizza, hummus and falafel? If you don’t mind jetting off to the Persian Gulf then you could be one of the first to visit what is being billed as two of the world’s largest theme parks. Movie studio execs in the United Arab Emirates are trying to do everything in their power to make the amusement park deals fly in the conservative Muslim region. It might mean that characters such as Captain America won’t be making the … Continue reading →

Spyland—-A New Theme Park Worth Checking Out

Who cares about running with the bulls when you can pretend you are a secret agent in search of international fugitives? Spain is getting a bit more intriguing for would-be super sleuths. If you are more interested in spying on someone digging into a plate of pollo al ajo than you are in dining on it yourself then you don’t want to miss the opportunity to be one of the first to visit Spain’s newest amusement park—-Spyland. The new adventure destination is being constructed as part of a major entertainment complex in the Zaragoza province of Spain, according to park … Continue reading →

Theme Park Travel Tips

My best friend’s family will be traveling from their home in Hawaii to Southern California the day after Christmas. They decided to do away with exchanging Christmas gifts, and instead are using the money they would have spent on presents to take a family trip to Disneyland, SeaWorld, and Legoland. It’s going to be quite a vacation. But, the truth is, I’m not really all that jealous. While I would love to escape the bone-chilling temps this winter I also know southern California (and Florida) can be a stressful destination during the last week of December and first week of … Continue reading →

The Nation’s Best Amusement Park

The votes are in and the winner of the best amusement park in the country is… Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. The popular thrill ride park was named the best of the best by readers of Amusement Today. Each year the trade publication surveys hundreds of amusement park guests and uses their feedback to determine the winners of its Golden Ticket Awards competition. This year there were few surprises. Cedar Point won the best park award again—-as it has every year since the awards began. (To read my review of the park, click here.) It probably didn’t hurt … Continue reading →

Amusement Park Safety Tips

I love going to amusement parks, though I freely admit that I steer clear of the thrill rides. (Can you blame me after reading this story?) That being said many of us (year-round school students not included) are smack in the middle of summer vacation—the time of the year that theme parks see a record number of guests. If your family is planning to spend one of the last weeks of summer break on a theme park vacation you may want to keep these tips in mind: Be Vigilant. This is especially important if you are visiting an amusement park … Continue reading →

Amusement Park Tragedy

It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. You take your child to an amusement park for a day of fun in the sun and are forced to leave because of a horrific accident. Horrific may be an understatement for the parents of a 13-year-old girl whose feet were severed Thursday when a thrill ride malfunctioned at the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Amusement Park in Louisville. According to news reports, a broken cable wrapped around the teen’s feet and cut them off while she was free falling on the park’s “Superman Tower of Power” ride. Police say the teen is recovering at a … Continue reading →