Arthur's Theme Parks Blog August 2006 Archive

How could we possibly be upon Labor Day weekend already? Weren't we just shaking off the icicles and looking forward to seasonal theme parks opening? After this weekend, most parks ... Read More

The Halloween-at-theme-parks mania began in California with the venerable Knott's Scary Farm (a transformed Knott's Berry Farm), now celebrating its 34th year. In major spook-a-rama news from La La Land, ... Read More

While they’re not theme park attractions, the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! (the exclamation point in not an editorial comment, it’s part of the name) museums do incorporate park-like features ... Read More

When Walt Disney opened Disneyland, he insisted that every guest be treated as a very important person. At many of today's theme parks, however, VIP treatment costs extra. That's creating ... Read More

I'm trying to salvage every last vestige of my remaining hair, but a chrome dome could actually play to your advantage at Universal Orlando. The Florida theme park is seeking ... Read More

That's right, kids. It's time for our friend, the psychotic butcher/surgeon to emerge from the shadows and once again grace the electronic pages of About.com's Theme Parks site. He's here ... Read More

Niagara Falls is like an enormous, un-gated theme park. Instead of fairy tales or cartoon characters, the theme is the falls. The lure of the falls is so powerful, it ... Read More

Funtown Splashtown USA in Saco, Maine will celebrate its 40th season in 2007 with the addition of two major rides in its water park: a family raft ride and a ... Read More

OK, maybe there's more to this love thing than riding roller coasters and watching national acts perform all in the same day. But you gotta love it when theme parks ... Read More

The era of the modern amusement park began in the late 1800s with Chicago's Columbian Exposition and its centerpiece attraction, the Ferris wheel. Since the ride debuted at the World's ... Read More

The Smoky Mountain park devoted to all things Dolly already announced that it will debut Mystery Mine, a highly themed coaster attraction, in 2007. Now the park says it will ... Read More

Looks like I jumped the gun a few days ago when I wrote that developers planning a new theme park and resort complex in Wheeling, West Virginia had bailed out ... Read More

They've done it again. A scant seven months after Disney revamped and significantly raised its admission prices, the Florida resort has announced yet another hike. Effective immediately, the one-day, one-park ... Read More

While the relatively recent concept of indoor water parks hasn't been around long enough to establish much of a tradition, the new Fallsview Waterpark in Niagara Falls, Canada, is nonetheless ... Read More

Saturday, September 30 will be a sad day for park fans in South Carolina. That'll be The Myrtle Beach Pavilion's final day--not for the season, but forever. The classic park's ... Read More

Vacationers at the Universal Orlando resort flock to the Twister: Ride It Out attraction. Based on the hit movie from a few years back, the presentation conjures an actual funnel ... Read More

As folks in the U.S. brace for more record-setting temperatures (maybe there is something to Al Gore's global warming warnings), many of them are seeking respite at water parks. While ... Read More

Marineland is an odd hybrid theme park in Niagara Falls, Canada, that mashes together shows and attractions featuring sea creatures, zoo exhibits with land animals, and amusement park rides. Opened ... Read More