Archive for the 'Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk' Category
Golden Ticket awards honor top amusement park rides of 2009
September 10, 2009 5:43pm
Amusement Today magazine awarded the Golden Ticket today to the Prowler wooden coaster at Worlds of Fun in Missouri as the best new amusement park ride of 2009 in the United States.
The Voyage at Holiday World in Indiana remained the all-time favorite wooden coaster, with Prowler claiming the eighth spot in the Top 10 wooden coaster list.
Diamondback at Kings Island in Ohio was named the best new steel coaster for 2009, moving into the seventh spot on Amusement Today’s all-time Top 10 steel coasters list. Bizarro (formerly Superman – Ride of Steel) at Six Flags New England in Massachusetts maintained the all-time top spot in the steel coaster category.
Schlitterbahn water park in Texas snagged best new water ride of 2009 honors for Congo River Expedition.
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to update Haunted Castle dark ride
August 5, 2009 3:36pm
The Haunted Castle at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will close Aug. 23 for a major overhaul that will nearly double the size of the 36-year-old dark ride.
“That ride is in severe need of an update,” commented Terrauh Barrett on Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s official Facebook page.
(Cast your vote after the jump on the name of the new haunted dark ride.)
The new two-story attraction, which will expand under the boardwalk, reopens in June 2010.
Concept art shows a sequence of new scenes:
Theme park news: World of Color concept art, China building Neverland tribute, Obama records Disney World audio track
July 18, 2009 7:02am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
Pictures: World of Color concept art from Blue Sky Cellar at Disney’s California Adventure. New website. (Disneyland News Today & Mice Age)
“Mouse Ears” author David Koenig calls fatal monorail accident at Walt Disney World “years in the making.” (Mouse Planet)
Latest accident: Twelve hurt when two Disney buses crash at Walt Disney World. (Orlando Sentinel)
Blueprints: Fantasyland remodel calls for dueling Dumbo rides, “Gaston” restaurant & plenty of character meet ‘n’ greets at the Magic Kingdom. (Disney Report)
Theme park news: Underwear models on coasters, Legoland considers Florida, Disney World dumps Stitch show
June 20, 2009 1:20pm
A round-up of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Underwear models test “thrills without spills” bras on Alton Towers coasters in UK (SFW video and photo gallery). (The Sun)
* Photos of tightrope walker on a wire stretching from Detonator thrill ride at Worlds of Fun in Missouri. (Coaster Community)
* Building permits indicate Busch Gardens Tampa is getting a new roller coaster. What could it be? (Florida Thrills)
* New York Daily News Top 10 roller coasters of all time. I sense a New York/New Jersey/East Coast bias. (Ride Renegades)
* Bankruptcy filing indicates Six Flags plans to spend $105 million in 2010 and $110 million in 2011 on new rides and attractions. (Screamscape)
2009 shaping up as a low-key year for California theme parks
May 4, 2009 8:03am
Disneyland sets the pace for theme parks in California. And with the Happiest Place on Earth taking a breather on major new attractions in 2009, the rest of the state’s amusement parks are following suit, opting for smaller fare this year over multimillion-dollar additions.
The lone exception: Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia adds the $11-million Terminator Salvation, a 2,850-foot-long wooden roller coaster which opens Memorial Day weekend with movie tie-in visual effects and a loading station fly-through. (Watch POV video)
A roundup of 2009 additions at California amusement and theme parks:
* Disneyland rehabbed the “It’s a Small World” boat ride in February, adding 29 Disney characters and a new “Spirit of America” scene to the mix. The Anaheim theme park also debuted the Celebrate parade in March and bundled a series of nighttime shows under the Summer Nightastic banner (running from June 12 through August 23).
* Across the way at Disney’s Construction Adventure, the five-year-long $1.1-billion overhaul has begun in earnest, with the Ferris wheel getting a new Mickey Mouse theme (opens in May).
* Universal Studios Hollywood brings “Creature From the Black Lagoon” to the stage in July as a campy Broadway-style musical (I kid you not) with special effects, dance choreography and romance (still not kidding).
* Legoland California unveiled a new “Bob the Builder” 4-D movie in March. The 30-foot-tall Dune Raiders racing slides opens at the Carlsbad kiddie park in time for the Fourth of July weekend.
* Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park offers absolutely nothing new of note for 2009. Here’s hoping they’re saving up for next year.
California theme parks to ring in the New Year
December 26, 2008 6:00am
Shortly after Christmas, the same question arises every year: What are we going to do on New Year’s Eve?
Here’s what California amusement and theme parks have planned for the last night of 2008:
Disneyland in Anaheim stays open until 2 a.m. with live bands and midnight fireworks. Across the way, Disney’s California Adventure remains open until 1 a.m.
For the first time ever, Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia stays open until midnight on New Year’s Eve with Rock N’ Ride — a mix of dance music and roller coasters.
“Praise ‘09” at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park features a contemporary Christian music concert with Kutless, Todd Agnew, Brandon Heath and Addison Road. Read the rest of this entry »
Chinese acrobats land at Santa Cruz Boardwalk
April 3, 2008 1:14pm
The Amazing Chinese Acrobats will serve a summer residency at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with two free shows daily, Sunday through Thursday, July 13 through Aug. 21.
The acrobats will spin plates, balance atop stacked chairs and perform the traditional Lion Dance on the Boardwalk’s beach bandstand. The highlight of the show (pictured at left): a bicycle loaded with up to nine performers.
The Beach Boardwalk kicks off the summer season May 17-18 with skydivers (jumping from a plane and landing on the sand), high divers (jumping from an 80-foot-tall tower into a pool below) and trampolinists (jumping and jumping some more). The weekend event includes preview performances by the Chinese acrobats. Read the rest of this entry »
Virtual shoot’em-up blazes onto Santa Cruz Boardwalk
January 22, 2008 5:49pm
Players in Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s virtual shooting gallery ride abreast on 16 “horses” with motion-based saddles while firing laser six-shooters at targets on a large projection screen.
Opening in Spring 2008, the 4 1/2-minute separate-admission Desperados Sheriff Academy game starts with a short practice round, shooting at flying bottles and cans.
The real action begins with a gunfight in the center of a Wild West town where the bad guys pop up atop rooftops, behind barrels and even from under rocks. After a horse chase across the desert, the final standoff takes place in a saloon. Showgirls continue to dance throughout the shootout. (Play the online game.)
Santa Cruz Boardwalk adds Sea Swings
January 15, 2008 2:15pm
The 100-year-old Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk will add a 48-seat swing carousel in April, officials at the oceanfront amusement park confirmed.
The 36-foot-tall Sea Swings will replace the upside-down, twin-arm Typhoon carnival ride. The new ride will be outfitted with 32 individual chairs as well as 16 double chairs that can accommodate one adult and one child.
The carousel’s spinning-top canopy and extendable central column will feature 18th century-style, hand-painted seaside scenes.
Funland amusement + theme park blog
December 11, 2007 3:54pm
The Los Angeles Times Funland blog covers news, trends, issues and changes at the major California theme and amusement parks as well as the latest information on new rides, attractions, shows and parades.
Most Popular (See ALL Funland stories)
> How the Disney-Marvel deal affects Universal Studios theme parks
> Wizarding World of Harry Potter to open at Universal Studios Orlando in 2010
> Iger: No plans to bring ‘Captain EO’ back to Disneyland
> Knott’s Berry Farm to add 1980s-era thrill ride in 2010
> Snoops reveal Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park secrets
> Disneyland unveils Halloween theme for Space Mountain, fireworks show
> Walt Disney World monorail crash kills driver
> Could ‘Flash Mountain’ return, in light of Disneyland job cuts?
> Disneyland fires Jack Sparrow — but don’t believe the salacious rumors
> Universal Studios Hollywood to replace ‘King Kong’ with new attraction
Most Commented
> Disneyland passholders: Watch out for birthday blackout dates
> Jonas Brothers tape Christmas Day Parade at Disneyland
> Miley Cyrus’ dad to join her onstage at Disneyland Sweet 16 birthday party
> Man hit by roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain
> Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon throw wedding reception at Six Flags Magic Mountain
> Coaster Wars II: Magic Mountain vs. Cedar Point
> Exclusive tour inside Disneyland’s Dream Suite
> Magic Mountain relinquishes coaster crown
> Dearly departed – on Disneyland rides!
Series Recaps
> Complete coverage: Toy Story Mania at Disney’s California Adventure
> Complete coverage: X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain
> Complete coverage: Pony Express at Knott’s Berry Farm
> Complete coverage: The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood
> Complete Coverage: Land of Adventure at Legoland California
> $1.1 billion California Adventure expansion preview
> 2008 amusement & theme park preview
Park by Park
> Disneyland
> Disney’s California Adventure
> Knott’s Berry Farm
> Universal Studios Hollywood
> Six Flags Magic Mountain
> Legoland California
> SeaWorld San Diego
> San Diego Zoo
> San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park
> Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
> California’s Great America
> Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
> Magic Kingdom
> Epcot
> Disney’s Hollywood Studios
> Disney’s Animal Kingdom
> Disneyland Paris
> Tokyo Disneyland
> Hong Kong Disneyland
> Universal Studios Florida
> Islands of Adventure
> Cedar Point
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During the summer months, Funland will also focus on California’s water parks: Raging Waters (San Dimas, San Jose and Sacramento), Knott’s Soak City (Buena Park, Chula Vista and Palm Springs), Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (Valencia) and Wild Rivers (Irvine).
You’ll also find occasional Funland posts on national and international theme and amusement parks.
Funland Friends
Enthusiast sites
> Screamscape – The Ultimate Guide to Theme Parks
> Theme Park Review – News, updates, photos and videos
> Theme Park Insider – Ride reviews and reader ratings
> Roller Coaster Database – Searchable information on coasters worldwide
> Theme Park Syndicate – Theme park news aggregator
> CoasterBuzz – Portal to the thrill
> Lifthill – Roller coasters, thrill rides and theme parks
> News Plus Notes – Amusement industry news and notes
> Theme Park Rangers — Inside scoop on Orlando attractions
> Westcoaster — News, reviews and rumors on California coasters
> Roller Coaster Pro — “High quality amusement information”
> About.com Theme Parks — Guide to Florida & California parks
> Bear-y Tales — Unofficial Knott’s news and information
> IOA Central — Universal Studios fan site
> Orlando United — Universal and Disney parks in Florida
> Thrill Ride — Ride reviews & random notes
> Ultimate Rollercoaster – Definitive guide to coasters, thrill rides and amusement parks
>
Disney fan sites
> MiceAge – A different look at Disney
> MousePlanet – Consumer’s guide to Disney and theme parks
> Blue Sky Disney – Insider info on Imagineering
> Jim Hill Media – News, reviews, history and commentary
> Yesterland – Discontinued Disneyland attractions
> DoomBuggies – Tribute to Disney’s Haunted Mansion
> The Disney Blog – Disney news and information
> Mickey News – Your complete source for everything Disney
> Laughing Place – Connecting Disney fans around the world
> Mouse Links — A Little Dose of Disney column
> Inside the Magic — Weekly podcast
> Original D — Dedicated to the original Disney park
> Broke Hoedown – The PG-13 ramblings of a Disney fan
> Disney Report — Breaking news from the world, land & company
> Visions Fantastic — Trip planning, discussion, audio & video
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>Industry sites
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> BlooLoop – Networking the Attraction Business
> Amusement Parks USA – Carnivals, fairs, festivals and amusement parks
> Amusement Today – All about the business of fun
> Funworld – Amusement industry magazine
> Park World - News, commentary, profiles, interviews, trade show reports and new ride information
> InPark – Covers theme parks, water parks, zoos, aquariums and museums
> Amusement Today — Amusement industry trade newspaper
> InPark Magazine — Theme park, water park & museum industry news
— Brady MacDonald / Los Angeles Times staff writer + theme park blogger
