Archive for the 'Midwestern States' Category
Night light fight: Knott’s Berry Farm vs. Disney’s California Adventure
March 5, 2010 3:50pm
This summer, Southern California’s theme-park titans will wage a nightly megawatt battle of the lights — all in hopes of winning your hearts and wallets.
On May 29, Knott’s Berry Farm will unveil “Snoopy’s Starlight Spectacular” in an effort to fend off this summer’s most-anticipated theme park attraction: the “World of Color” water show coming to Disney’s California Adventure.
The Peanuts-themed lighted walkway will take over Knott’s Camp Snoopy area during the summer and fall, with all the trees and buildings trimmed with animated LED lights synchronized to music. Inflatable Peanuts characters will dot the lighted trail, which will operate every night that the Buena Park theme park is open after 8 p.m.
First look: Rock Band Live tour coming to Knott’s Berry Farm and California’s Great America
March 5, 2010 9:01am
Concept art for Rock Band Live reveals the characters and hints at a storyline for the new musical show coming this summer to Knott’s Berry Farm and California’s Great America.
The “concert-like” show — touring U.S. theme parks beginning in May — features live singers performing karaoke-style to songs from Rock Band video games.
Rock Band Live coming to Knott’s Berry Farm and California’s Great America
March 3, 2010 1:14pm
A new musical show based on the Rock Band video games will make tour stops this summer at theme parks across the U.S., with dates planned for Knott’s Berry Farm and California’s Great America.
The “concert-like” show features live singers performing karaoke-style to songs from Rock Band video games. Prior to each 30-minute performance, theme park visitors will compete on Rock Band drums, guitar or bass game devices — with the top scorer climbing on stage to jam with the singers for the final song of each set.
The touring version of Rock Band Live will play in the Showtime Theater at California’s Great America in Santa Clara from July 22 to Aug. 1 and in the Boardwalk Ballroom at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park from Aug. 5 to 15.
Chicago: Spring into Windy City with free night, spending money
February 23, 2010 5:57am
Stow your skis and shake off your winter blues in Chicago with a deal that snags you a free night’s stay, shopping and culture.
Deal: The Swissôtel Chicago’s “Spring Break Package” is loaded with treats, including:
> A free third night for stays of three nights or more. If you stay six nights, you would get two free nights.
> Four admission tickets (total) that can be used at the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium or the Art Institute of Chicago.
> A $25 daily discount off the standard $52 parking rate.
> A Bloomingdale’s savings package with discount certificates (and a gift if you spend at least $100);
> $100 towards room service, in-room movies, Internet service, mini-bar, the Lobby Lounge or the Geneva Restaurant.
When: Select dates in March, April and in May up to May 9.
J.D. Power survey: We love Detroit, Kansas City and Indianapolis airports
February 18, 2010 5:01am
Detroit may get dissed as a city, but people love its airport. LAX? Not so much.
Those are the results, released Thursday, of a J.D. Power and Associates satisfaction study on North American airports. It showed that people who use Motor City’s airport (DTW) found it best of 19 big ones, up from No. 12 in the previous report. In this study, LAX ranked No. 18.
Kansas City, Mo., (MCI) was rated best among midsize airports, and Indianapolis (IND) was tops in the small category, which included Burbank’s Bob Hope (BUR) and Orange County’s John Wayne (SNA) at Nos. 16 and 17, respectively, in the pack of 24. (Last in that category: San Jose, SJC.)
The more than 12,000 respondents rated accessibility, baggage claim, check-in/baggage, terminals, security, and food and retail. Information was collected from January to December of last year.
Poll results: Fans pick favorite wooden and steel roller coasters
February 17, 2010 11:34am
The votes are in, and the fans have spoken.
A few weeks ago, we posted our twin lists of the top 10 wooden and steel roller coasters in the U.S, as judged by our panel of experts.
Photo galleries: View the top 10 wooden and steel roller coasters.
Then we invited readers to pick their favorites. The response was overwhelming.
More than 60,000 votes were cast in the pair of unscientific polls, with the steel coaster ballot garnering the lion’s share of the tallies. (And yes, we know the parks goosed the voting through Facebook, Twitter and with various incentives.)
Poll results: See how fans voted in the wooden and steel coaster polls.
Vote for your favorite wooden and steel roller coasters
February 6, 2010 6:58am
The polls remain open for fans to vote for their favorite wooden and steel roller coasters in the United States. We’ll declare a winner of the unscientific survey at the conclusion of voting.
Poll: Vote for your favorite wooden and steel roller coasters.
With the help of our expert panel, we selected our top 10 wooden and steel roller coasters in the U.S.
Photo galleries: View the top 10 wooden and steel roller coasters.
With more than 1,000 votes tallied so far, The Voyage at Holiday World holds a commanding lead in the top wooden coaster poll, with The Beast at Kings Island running second and Dollywood’s Thunderhead in third. El Toro at Six Flags Great Adventure hovers in the middle of the pack.
In the top steel coaster poll, two rides at Busch Gardens Europe are battling for the lead: Apollo’s Chariot and Griffon. Cedar Point’s Millennium Force and Six Flags New England’s Bizarro trail close behind the leaders.
Recent theme park stories
> Six Flags Magic Mountain adding Mr. Six coaster for 2010
> Michael Jackson returns to Disneyland in ‘Captain EO‘
> ‘Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln‘ at Disneyland weds nostalgia and technology
> ‘Toy Story‘ musical replacing ‘Aladdin’ show at Disney’s California Adventure
> Six Flags Magic Mountain to reclaim ‘Coaster Capital of the World‘ title in 2010
> Wizarding World of Harry Potter to open at Universal Studios Orlando in spring 2010
> Fantasyland to get extreme makeover at Disney World by 2013
> Star Tours reboot coming to Disneyland and Disney World in 2011
> When, where and how: Marvel characters in Disney theme parks
> Director Peter Jackson spills details on new King Kong attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood
> Sneak peek: Scene-by-scene preview of World of Color water show at Disney’s California Adventure
Photo galleries
> Top 10 wooden roller coasters in the U.S.
> Top 10 steel roller coasters in the U.S.
> Top 10 most anticipated U.S. theme park rides and attractions for 2010
> Top 10 most anticipated California theme park rides and attractions for 2010
> Top 10 rides and attractions at each of the Disney World theme parks
> Top 10 rides and attractions at both Universal Studios Orlando theme parks
Find the latest amusement and theme park news at the Los Angeles Times Funland blog: www.latimes.com/funland. Follow Funland on Twitter and Facebook.
— Brady MacDonald, Los Angeles Times staff writer
Photo: Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure. Credit: Six Flags Great Adventure
Top 10 wooden roller coasters in the U.S. [Corrected]
January 30, 2010 7:01am
For our Top 10 list of the best wooden coasters in the United States, we turned to a panel of experts from the top roller coaster and amusement park websites.
Photo Gallery: View the Top 10 wooden roller coasters in the U.S.
Poll: Vote for your favorite among the Top 10 wooden coasters
The Top 10 is dominated by woodies at smaller parks along the Midwest coaster belt, a 1,000-mile stretch roughly following I-70 through Missouri, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The list includes a pair of coasters from one park as well as a couple of surprise picks outside the elite ranks.
Snoopy kicks Spongebob to the curb at California’s Great America
January 16, 2010 10:06am
Snoopy and his ol’ pal Charlie Brown have vanquished Spongebob Squarepants and Scooby-Doo from California’s Great America in an animated shakeup taking place at theme parks across the country.
California’s Great America will remake the existing Nickelodeon-branded Nick Central kids area as Planet Snoopy, bringing the round-headed kid, his beagle, Peppermint Patty, Woodstock, Lucy, Linus, Sally and the rest of the Peanuts gang to the Santa Clara theme park.
Debuting March 28, the new Planet Snoopy themes for the existing Nick Central rides will include:
Michael Jackson theme park planned for singer’s hometown
January 13, 2010 10:55am
Work is expected to begin this year on a 100-acre Michael Jackson entertainment complex that would include a museum, performing arts center, hotel, golf course and theme park inspired by the pop singer’s Neverland Ranch.
“Everything is in the planning stages at this point, but we’re moving on a fast track and we’re looking forward to actually breaking ground sometime in 2010,” said Odie Anderson, president of the Jackson family project in the pop singer’s hometown of Gary, Ind.
