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themepark posts
Video of the Day: Sheer terror on the Slingshot
Jan 23rd, 2012 at 8:15PM:
I hate scary amusement park rides. I understand that some people love roller coasters and loops and sudden plunges into dark caverns, but it's just not for me. You can save your trips to Cedar Point and roller coaster road trips for someone else. Because, quite frankly, the looks on the faces of the two men in this video, combined with their deafening screams, basically sum up how I react to ...
Photo of the Day: Singapore's unusual theme park
Jan 13th, 2012 at 5:30PM:
This fellow is from one of Singapore's more unusual attractions - the Haw Par Villa theme park, also called Tiger Balm Gardens. Originally built in the 1930s by the creators of Tiger Balm to showcase Chinese folklore and mythology, the park is known for its bizarre and gruesome Ten Courts of Hell with such creepy statues and dioramas as a human-faced crab and bloody dismembered torsos ...Longest zip-line in the world at Palau's new eco theme park
Sep 30th, 2011 at 12:30PM: Palau is no longer just a destination for underwater adventure. This destination in Micronesia, which is ranked as one of the top scuba diving destinations in the world, has recently opened the Palau Eco Theme Park, home to one of the longest zip line courses on Earth.
The three-course zip-line that allows participants to get really high about the trees, flying over the Taki Waterfall Park in ...Abandoned theme parks from around the world
Apr 26th, 2011 at 4:00PM:
Ready to see some seriously creepy photos from abandoned theme parks around the planet? We thought so. After reflecting on the plight of Six Flags New Orleans after Katrina we got to thinking about other theme parks in similar situations around the world. As it turns out, there are a whole host of abandoned properties in similar states, some with impressively decrypt structures. Check out ...Green Lantern to replace Scream Machine at Six Flags Great Adventure
Dec 18th, 2010 at 9:00AM: Six Flags' trend of re-theming old rides will continue as New Jersey's Six Flags Great Adventure will open a relocated stand-up coaster in 2011. Formerly Chang at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, the coaster will be renamed and re-themed as Green Lantern tying into the new movie starring Ryan Reynolds. The coaster was removed from Kentucky Kingdom just months before Six Flags decided to close the park. ...
Hezbollah theme park: an attraction designed with terror in mind
Oct 1st, 2010 at 1:30PM:
Are you always searching for a roller coaster that will make your hair stand on end? Well, if you really want to scare yourself, skip the traditional amusement park rides and catch a flight out to Beirut. There's a "theme park" in town that will open your eyes wide and keep you looking over your shoulder.
Hezbollah has gotten into the Disney business.
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Caught on tape: Basketball shot made from a theme park ride
Aug 17th, 2010 at 6:30PM: Do you remember those Hampton Inn Hilton Honors Points commercials from a couple of years back with the amazing basketball shots? Teen boys banked shots off roofs and stairways or used a tennis racket to shoot them into the goal. The ads were all followed by the tagline "Want an easier way to score points?"
It turns out those were real teens, shooting real videos at their homes in Alabama, and ...Tourists routinely assault Taiwanese zombies
Aug 11th, 2010 at 2:30PM: What would you do if you were face-to-face with the undead? Well, if you're smart, you won't show any fear. That's what several visitors to a Taiwanese theme park have been doing recently. Actors dressed as various creatures have been knocked around by tourists who are choosing not to let fear ruin their vacations.
Well, it's having an effect on morale, unsurprisingly. Some of the employees at ...Topple the Evil Empire at LEGOLAND California's STAR WARS days
Aug 8th, 2010 at 10:00AM:
Guests came face to face with pure evil at LEGOLAND California. Flanked by his 501st Legion of Storm Troopers, Darth Vader descended upon the park for LEGO STAR WARS Days. The two-day event, which ends today, consists of a number of geek-friendly activities (appealing to a guy like me) including a Droid Hunt, video game battles, building, trivia competitions and a costume contest.
According to ...To quell crowds, Universal halts liquor sales at Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Jul 12th, 2010 at 3:00PM:
It's been almost a month since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened, and folks are still waiting, and waiting, and waiting to see the new attractions at Universal Orlando Resort.
In fact, more than 500,000 people have ridden the Wizarding World's centerpiece ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. (But rest assured, none of them were obese.)
As the Orlando Sentinel reported, ...Discovery Cove plans new saltwater reef attraction in Orlando
Jul 9th, 2010 at 6:00PM: SeaWorld Orlando's Discovery Cove is known as the place where you can swim with the dolphins, but starting in 2011, visitors will be able to swim among sharks, tropical fish and other sea life, as well.
The theme park has not made an official announcement about the reef, but it did confirm the project to the Orlando Business Journal.
The 875,000-gallon saltwater reef project will also ...Disney Hawaii hotel to start accepting reservations for August 2011
Jul 1st, 2010 at 12:00PM: Ready to trade in palm trees for orchid leis? If Orlando is getting stale, but you still want the magic of Walt Disney, it's time to start thinking ahead to Hawaii. Word on the Disney blog is that Disney plans to begin accepting reservations for its new Hawaii resort hotel in a few weeks.
Reservations for The Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, Ko Olina, Hawaii, will begin on Aug. 2. The resort ...Holiday World owner Will Koch dies suddenly
Jun 15th, 2010 at 8:30AM: Theme park fans and the attractions industry are mourning the death of Holiday World owner and president Will Koch.
Koch died suddenly at his home Sunday night. He was 48.
"Will was not only our leader, he was our dear friend," park spokeswoman Paula Werne said in a statement. "Our park family is in mourning for this sweet man who worked tirelessly to bring fun and happiness to so many ...Alabama Adventure theme park offers Father's Day deal: $50 per carload
Jun 13th, 2010 at 10:00AM: It's one week until Father's Day. Have you made plans with your dad?
The folks at Alabama Adventure near Birmingham suggest a day at the theme park. After all, what says, "I love you, Dad" more than screaming in his ear during a ride on the Rampage wooden roller coaster or digging your fingernails in his arm while being catapulted 185 feet in the air on the Space Shot?
Next Sunday, June 20, ...Dutch theme park in Japan plans to add a casino to boost visitor numbers
Jun 8th, 2010 at 11:30AM: When the Japanese city of Nagasaki wanted to honor their historic relationship with the Netherlands, they decided that a monument was just not going to be enough - so they built an entire Dutch city.
The Huis Ten Bosch theme park opened its gates in 1992 - and it has never turned a profit. Initially, the builders expected up to one million international visitors a year. Sadly, much to their ...Inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. No, really. I got inside.
May 18th, 2010 at 10:30AM:
This is all I can show you of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida.
Monday night, I was a guest at private party thrown by Universal Orlando Resort to show off their newest theme park addition, which, for the most part, has been kept tightly under wraps. The Wizarding World opens one month from today, and after my walk-through last ...Cedar Point delays opening of new water coaster Shoot the Rapids
May 13th, 2010 at 6:30PM: Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, has delayed the opening of its big splash this year, a water ride called Shoot the Rapids.
Cedar Point opens for the season on Saturday.
The ride was scheduled to open for a media preview on Friday, but that event has been canceled, and Cedar Point now says Shoot the Rapids will open on May 29.
Engineering problems are behind the delay. The ...Holiday World 'auctions' staff members for charity
May 10th, 2010 at 11:00AM: You can learn what it takes to maintain a roller coaster or make perfect cotton candy if you place the winning bid in one of 15 auctions to benefit flood relief efforts in Nashville. Holiday World and Splashin' Safari theme park in Southern Indiana has launched the auction packages, with bids open through Monday, May 17.
Each of the packages gets you four (and in some cases, more) tickets to ...Universal Orlando announces summer concert series
May 6th, 2010 at 5:00PM: Train ("Drops of Jupiter"), Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20) and Counting Crows ("Round Here") will perform on Saturday nights this summer at Universal Orlando Resort.
It's the second year for the Summer Concert Series, with seven concerts planned on Saturday nights between June 12 and July 17.
The concerts happen inside the Universal Studios Florida theme park, and they are free with theme park ...Riders stuck hanging upside down on U.K. coaster
May 5th, 2010 at 12:30PM: Most roller coaster fans will tell you that the best part is the adrenaline rush you get when the ride ends. But what happens when a ride leaves you hanging?
That's what happened to five people riding the Mumbo Jumbo coaster at Flamingo Land theme park in Yorkshire, England, on Tuesday.
London's Daily Mail reports that the thrill seekers were riding the coaster when their ride car came to a ...
