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The Dania Beach Hurricane may be demolished
Last month Boomers in Dania Beach, Florida closed their wooden roller coaster known as the Dania Beach Hurricane. The ride could be seen from Interstate 95 just south of Ft. Lauderdale. It could also be seen from the Ft. Lauderdale airport as I found out a few years ago. I thought I was seeing a mirage when I landed there for a connecting flight as I wasn't aware of the coaster at the time.
While details around the ride's closing have been scarce, a Sun Sentinel article points to the high cost of maintaining a wooden roller coaster in a warm humid climate. The article stated:
While details around the ride's closing have been scarce, a Sun Sentinel article points to the high cost of maintaining a wooden roller coaster in a warm humid climate. The article stated:
"The high cost of maintenance and insurance, plus low ridership as the ride became rough," likely contributed to the Dania Beach coaster shutdown on April 26, Doppelt said. "I'd say they couldn't afford to redo it."
The company that owns the coaster has cited "business reasons" for the closure, but did not offer details.
When news first broke that the park had closed the Hurricane, enthusiasts hoped that another park would buy the ride. Now it appears that there's a good chance that the area landmark may soon be no more. According to Screamscape, the Dania Beach Hurricane may be scheduled for demolition as soon as June. Meanwhile, roller coaster enthusiasts at ThemeParkReview and CoasterBuzz have shared their love for the ride. If it is demolished, it sounds like it will be missed.Filed under: North America, Theme Parks
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
Jason May 25th 2011 11:12PM
yes they are still building the condos, about 40% done but nobody is purchasing them. and yes there was a black hole on the world famous woden coaster. In fact we put close to $200k in renovations to the coaster a few years after we bought the park in 94. I did everything I could to revamp Whalom to survive but in the end I could not keep using my personal money to keep it open. I still have second thoughts all the time as to what I could have done different or what IF I had kept it afloat a few more years. It never made a profit since 1992 but I thought I could change it but I could not SORRY to all Whalom lovers
Pam May 24th 2011 5:41AM
My favorite {wooden} roller coaster ever is the Blue Streak at Coneaut Lake in PA. We went every summer when I was a kid in the 60s. Have ridden many in my life but the Blue Streak was always the one I gauged the others against. It's all about personal choice and IMO it was the best. Loved it!
As far as amusement parks go...Cedar Point is the best by far.
ignatz May 24th 2011 8:56AM
I lived in Fort Lauderdale for seven years, my friend was a Fire Chief in Dania, he never mentioned it, and I never heard of this coaster!!! That says a lot as to how poorly publicized this attraction was.