1.
Amusement park
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An amusement park or theme park is a group of entertainment attractions, rides, and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people. Theme parks, a type of amusement park, are usually much more intricately themed to a certain subject or group of subjects than normal amusement parks. Amusement parks evolved from European fairs and pleasure gardens, which were created for peoples recreation, Worlds fairs and expositions were another influence on the development of the amusement park industry. In common language, the theme park and amusement park are often synonymous. However, a park can be regarded as a distinct style of amusement park. A theme park has landscaping, buildings, and attractions that are based on one or more specific themes or stories. The amusement park evolved from three earlier traditions, the oldest being the periodic fair of the Middle Ages - one of the earliest was the Bartholomew Fair in England, the worlds oldest amusement park appeared in the Continent. Bakken at Klampenborg, north of Copenhagen, Denmark, opened in 1583, a wave of innovation in the 1860s and 1870s created mechanical rides, such as the steam-powered carousel, and its derivatives. This inaugurated the era of the modern funfair ride, as the classes were increasingly able to spend their surplus wages on entertainment. The second influence was the pleasure garden, one of the earliest gardens was the Vauxhall Gardens, founded in 1661 in London. By the late 18th century, the site had a fee for its many attractions. It regularly drew crowds, with its paths being noted for romantic assignations, tightrope walkers, hot air balloon ascents, concerts. Although the gardens were designed for the elites, they soon became places of great social diversity. Public firework displays were put on at Marylebone Gardens, and Cremorne Gardens offered music, dancing, prater in Vienna, Austria, was opened in 1766. The concept of a park for amusement was further developed with the beginning of the worlds fairs. The first World fair began in 1851 with the construction of the landmark Crystal Palace in London, the purpose of the exposition was to celebrate the industrial achievement of the nations of the world and it was designed to educate and entertain the visitors. American cities and business saw the worlds fair as a way of demonstrating economic. The Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, Illinois was an precursor to the modern amusement park
2.
Water park
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Water parks in more current states of development may also be equipped with some type of artificial surfing or bodyboarding environment such as a wave pool or FlowRider. Water parks have grown in popularity since their introduction in the late 1940s, the United States has the largest and most concentrated water park market, with over a thousand water parks and dozens of new parks opening each year. Major organizations are IAAPA and WWA, which is the trade association. Water parks which emerge from spas tend to closely resemble mountain resorts. For example, Splash Universe Water Park Resort, a member of the WWA, is themed to match the community in which it is located, the theme is intended to enhance the communitys destination appeal. Therefore, the amusement and leisure-time industry is becoming more concentrated, a process of concentration can be observed in the hybrid versions of theme-, amusement-, and water parks. Some water parks are more spa-oriented, for example, SchwabenQuellen, a member of European Waterpark Association, has no water slides, it has instead many saunas, steam rooms, adventure showers, and relaxation-oriented water play areas. In the 2000s, an effort was made to reduce long waiting lines by introducing conveyor belts to lift passengers or use water jets, an unusual feature at a water park is ice skating. Deep River Water Park in northwestern Indiana features ice skating, made possible by cooling pipes installed under their massive plaza during a recent expansion. The first-ever indoor water park was built in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, World Waterpark is the worlds second largest indoor water park, at over 225,000 sq ft in size. It includes the worlds largest indoor pool, water slides of varying degrees, tube rides, bungee jumping. Tropical Islands Resort, with an area of 710,000 sq ft, is currently the largest indoor water park in the world, with five indoor water parks, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, is recognized as the Water Park Capital of the World. It showcases several of Americas largest indoor and outdoor water parks, indoor water parks in Wisconsin Dells debuted in 1994 after the Polynesian Resort Hotel built the first one in the U. S. Success in extending the tourist season and turning water park resorts into vacation destinations has resulted in tremendous industry growth, usually, resort hotels featuring massive indoor water parks have been reserved for overnight guests. Companies like Great Wolf Resorts/Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resorts have branched out from their origin in Wisconsin Dells to open new locations around the country, mt. Olympus Theme and Water Park is another huge water park in the Dells. The largest indoor water park in the UK is Sandcastle Water Park in Blackpool, England, there are many water parks in southern Europe where the climate suits a long season. For example, in Portugal on the Algarve there are three main parks - Aqualand, Aquashow, and Slide and Splash. Water play areas are similar to parks and include urban beaches, splash pads
3.
Pacific Northwest
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The Pacific Northwest, sometimes referred to as Cascadia, is a geographic region in western North America bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Though no agreed boundary exists, a common conception includes the U. S. states of Oregon and Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Broader conceptions reach north into Alaska and Yukon, south into far northern California and east to the Continental Divide, thus including Idaho, Western Montana, narrower conceptions may be limited to the northwestern US or to the coastal areas west of the Cascade and Coast mountains. The variety of definitions can be attributed to partially overlapping commonalities of the history, geography, society. The Northwest Coast is the region of the Pacific Northwest. The term Pacific Northwest should not be confused with the Northwest Territory or the Northwest Territories of Canada. The border — in two sections, along the 49th parallel south of British Columbia and the Alaska Panhandle west of northern British Columbia — has had an effect on the region. According to Canadian historian Ken Coates, the border has not merely influenced the Pacific Northwest—rather, definitions of the Pacific Northwest region vary, and there is no commonly agreed-upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common conception of the Pacific Northwest includes the U. S. states of Oregon and Washington as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia. Broader definitions of the region may include the U. S. state of Alaska, the Canadian territory of Yukon, the portion of the state of California. Definitions based on the historic Oregon Country reach east to the Continental Divide, thus including all of Idaho and parts of western Montana. Sometimes the Pacific Northwest is defined as being the Northwestern United States, often these definitions are made by government agencies whose scope is limited to the United States. Some definitions include, in addition to Washington, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia, Southeast Alaska, western Montana, the coast of northern California, the Pacific Northwest has been occupied by a diverse array of indigenous peoples for millennia. The Pacific Coast is seen by scholars as a major coastal migration route in the settlement of the Americas by late Pleistocene peoples moving from northeast Asia into the Americas. Other evidence for human occupation dating back as much as 14,500 years ago is emerging from Paisley Caves in south-central Oregon, however, despite such research, the coastal migration hypothesis is still subject to considerable debate. Due in part to the richness of Pacific Northwest Coast and river fisheries, in the interior of the Pacific Northwest, the indigenous peoples, at the time of European contact, had a diversity of cultures and societies. Some areas were home to mobile and egalitarian societies, others, especially along major rivers such as the Columbia and Fraser, had very complex, affluent, sedentary societies rivaling those of the coast. In British Columbia and Southeast Alaska, the Tlingit and Haida erected large, throughout the Pacific Northwest, thousands of indigenous people live, and some continue to practice their rich cultural traditions, organizing their societies around cedar and salmon
4.
Ontario
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Ontario, one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, is located in east-central Canada. It is Canadas most populous province by a margin, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all Canadians. Ontario is fourth-largest in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and it is home to the nations capital city, Ottawa, and the nations most populous city, Toronto. There is only about 1 km of land made up of portages including Height of Land Portage on the Minnesota border. Ontario is sometimes divided into two regions, Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario. The great majority of Ontarios population and arable land is located in the south, in contrast, the larger, northern part of Ontario is sparsely populated with cold winters and is heavily forested. The province is named after Lake Ontario, a thought to be derived from Ontarí, io, a Huron word meaning great lake, or possibly skanadario. Ontario has about 250,000 freshwater lakes, the province consists of three main geographical regions, The thinly populated Canadian Shield in the northwestern and central portions, which comprises over half the land area of Ontario. Although this area mostly does not support agriculture, it is rich in minerals and in part covered by the Central and Midwestern Canadian Shield forests, studded with lakes, Northern Ontario is subdivided into two sub-regions, Northwestern Ontario and Northeastern Ontario. The virtually unpopulated Hudson Bay Lowlands in the north and northeast, mainly swampy. Southern Ontario which is further sub-divided into four regions, Central Ontario, Eastern Ontario, Golden Horseshoe, the highest point is Ishpatina Ridge at 693 metres above sea level located in Temagami, Northeastern Ontario. In the south, elevations of over 500 m are surpassed near Collingwood, above the Blue Mountains in the Dundalk Highlands, the Carolinian forest zone covers most of the southwestern region of the province. A well-known geographic feature is Niagara Falls, part of the Niagara Escarpment, the Saint Lawrence Seaway allows navigation to and from the Atlantic Ocean as far inland as Thunder Bay in Northwestern Ontario. Northern Ontario occupies roughly 87 percent of the area of the province. Point Pelee is a peninsula of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario that is the southernmost extent of Canadas mainland, Pelee Island and Middle Island in Lake Erie extend slightly farther. All are south of 42°N – slightly farther south than the border of California. The climate of Ontario varies by season and location, the effects of these major air masses on temperature and precipitation depend mainly on latitude, proximity to major bodies of water and to a small extent, terrain relief. In general, most of Ontarios climate is classified as humid continental, Ontario has three main climatic regions
5.
Canada
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Canada is a country in the northern half of North America. Canadas border with the United States is the worlds longest binational land border, the majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate, but southerly areas are warm in summer. Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its territory being dominated by forest and tundra. It is highly urbanized with 82 per cent of the 35.15 million people concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, One third of the population lives in the three largest cities, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Its capital is Ottawa, and other urban areas include Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, Winnipeg. Various aboriginal peoples had inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonization. Pursuant to the British North America Act, on July 1,1867, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick and this began an accretion of provinces and territories to the mostly self-governing Dominion to the present ten provinces and three territories forming modern Canada. With the Constitution Act 1982, Canada took over authority, removing the last remaining ties of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state. The country is officially bilingual at the federal level and it is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries. Its advanced economy is the eleventh largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources, Canadas long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture. Canada is a country and has the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the ninth highest ranking in the Human Development Index. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, Canada is an influential nation in the world, primarily due to its inclusive values, years of prosperity and stability, stable economy, and efficient military. While a variety of theories have been postulated for the origins of Canada. In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to the village of Stadacona, from the 16th to the early 18th century Canada referred to the part of New France that lay along the St. Lawrence River. In 1791, the area became two British colonies called Upper Canada and Lower Canada collectively named The Canadas, until their union as the British Province of Canada in 1841. Upon Confederation in 1867, Canada was adopted as the name for the new country at the London Conference. The transition away from the use of Dominion was formally reflected in 1982 with the passage of the Canada Act, later that year, the name of national holiday was changed from Dominion Day to Canada Day
6.
Zamperla
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Antonio Zamperla S. p. A. is an Italian design and manufacturing company founded in 1966. It is best known for creating family rides, thrill rides, the company also makes smaller coin-operated rides commonly found inside shopping malls. Zamperla builds roller coasters, like the powered Dragon Coaster, Mini Mouse, Zig Zag, in 2006, Zamperla announced Motocoaster, a motorcycle-themed roller coaster. Rights to some of S. D. C. s rides were handed to Zamperla after the company went bankrupt in 1993, in 2005 the founder of the company, Mr. Another famous Zamperla project is Kernwasser, north of Düsseldorf, an ex nuclear power station turned into an amusement park
7.
Wave pool
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A wave pool is a swimming pool in which there are artificially generated, reasonably large waves, similar to those of the ocean. Wave pools are often a feature of water parks. Siam Park City Water Park in Thailand is home to the worlds largest wave pool certified by Guinness World Records, Wave pools go as far back as the 19th Century, as famous fantasy castle builder Ludwig II of Bavaria electrified a lake to create breaking waves. On the other hand, in Palisades Amusement Park, a famed center atop the New Jersey Palisades across the Hudson River from New York City, had a wave pool during the 1940s. This was a pool whose waves were generated by a waterfall at one end. J. Austin Smith, an Ohio wave pool manufacturer, worked with the city of Decatur to design, the first indoor wave pool in the U. S. was opened at Bolingbrook, Illinois, at the Bolingbrook Aquatic Center in 1982. Wave pools replicate the movement of the one of two ways, depending on the size of the pool and the size of wave desired. In small wave pools, pressurized air is blown onto the surface of the water, or a paddle creates force in the water, other techniques utilize an accordion mechanism which opens and closes in order to suck water into its belly and push it out to cause waves. However, in high-volume wave pools, large amount of water is allowed into the far end of the pool, forcing the water to even out. In these large wave pools, the water is removed by being channeled through a return canal where it can be used again to generate another wave. Generally, wave pools are designed to use water at inland locations. Wave pools are typically larger than other recreational swimming pools and for that reason are often in parks or other large, Wave pools are more difficult to lifeguard than still pools, and there have been drownings in a few. On the first day they opened their wavepool, it is said that up to 100 people had to be pulled out, the moving water, sun glare, and other factors make them difficult for lifeguards. Unlike passive pool safety camera systems, computer automated drowning detection systems do not work in wave pools, aqualand in Corfu as The Mediterranean Kings Island in Mason, Ohio as Great Barrier Reef 36, 000-square-foot ft2 and Tidal Wave Bay 42, 000-square-foot. Noahs Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin as Big Kahuna, World Waterpark in West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, Alberta as Blue Thunder. Largest indoor wave pool,42, 000-square-foot, mechanical wave machines, mount Olympus Water & Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin as Poseidons Rage. Splash Adventure in Bessemer, Alabama as Kahuna Waves, hurricane Harbor in Arlington, Texas Water World, Colorado as Captain Jacks Wave Pool and Thunder Bay. Artificial wave Wave tank Carl Hoffman, Endless summer, Wired 12.05 How Wave Pools Work—Howstuffworks. com
8.
Arrow Dynamics
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Arrow Dynamics was a roller coaster design and manufacturing company based in Clearfield, Utah, United States. Successor to Arrow Development and Arrow Huss, which were responsible for some of the most influential advancements in the amusement, among the most significant was tubular steel track, which provided a smoother ride than the railroad style rails commonly used prior to the 1960s on wooden roller coasters. The Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland was Arrows first foray into roller coasters, Arrow and their successors would continue to build trend-setting ride systems for the next 45 years. In 1975, Arrow Development introduced the first corkscrew style track Corkscrew, though not the worlds first inverting coaster, it was the first in modern times. Arrow Developments ownership changed three times between the 1950s and 1980s, Arrow Dynamics would eventually survive two bankruptcies and spin off a sister company, Fabriweld, primarily to build track, by 1988. Arrow Dynamics eventually met its demise on December 3,2001, S&S Worldwide purchased part of Arrows remaining assets on October 28,2002, and the remainder of the company was dissolved. Late in 2012, Sansei Yusoki Co. Ltd. of Osaka, Japan, Signage at the 2012 and 2013 IAAPA Attractions Expos promoted the new company as S&S Sansei. They started out selling used machine tools, building truck parts, in 1953, they contacted Walt Disney, who was just beginning to plan a new type of amusement park in California. Disney admired Arrows work and hired them to help build the vehicles for Mr. Toads Wild Ride. Disney continued to use Arrow as Disneyland expanded, Arrow designed and built Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Autopia, and Alice in Wonderland in coming years as well as upgrading and renovating the King Arthur Carrousel. In 1959, Arrow Development designed what was to be the first of many roller coasters, built in conjunction with WED Imagineering, the ride was the first modern tubular steel tracked roller coaster. After construction of the Matterhorn, Disney bought a third of Arrow Development in an effort to keep them viable, Arrow had already developed rides for other customers, and had orders for more, so they moved into a larger plant at 1555 Plymouth in Mountain View, California. At the new location, Arrow developed vehicles, flumes and tracks for Its a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Adventure Thru Inner Space, and the Haunted Mansion. Arrow developed the modern log flume ride, eventually installing over 50 around the world, in the 1970s, the company perfected and brought back the looping roller coaster. In 1975, Arrow installed one of the most important rides of its time, Corkscrew, in 1971, Karl Bacon, Ed Morgan and Walter Schulze sold Arrow Development to Rio Grande Industries. At the time, Penn Central owned Six Flags and Rio Grande had plans to build theme parks of their own, purchasing Frontier Village in 1973. In the late 1970s a relationship was formed with Arrow teaching Vekoma how to build tubular track in their native Holland, Rio Grande sold Arrow to the German manufacturing firm, Huss Maschinenfabrik, in 1981. Dana Morgan was appointed president and Ron Toomer was made vice president, dana would leave the company and form Morgan Manufacturing in 1983
9.
Magic Springs and Crystal Falls
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Magic Springs and Crystal Falls is an amusement park and water park located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, about 50 miles from Little Rock. A single price admission includes all day use of the rides, the park is open weekends from April through October and daily late-May through mid-August. Magic Springs and Crystal Falls was opened in the late 1970s, closed in 1995, Magic Springs and Crystal Falls is owned by EPR Properties and operated by Amusement Management Partners, LLC. Fitraco, a Belgian company, bought the amusement park at an auction in 1995. Ed Hart of Themeparks LLC was approached by Fitraco, and decided to take on the project, Magic Springs and Crystal Falls reopened in 2000 after Hot Springs voters approved a bond issue providing financing for the park. Attendance totaled more than 362,500 in 2000 and beat expectations, in 2001, attendance fell about 25 percent to roughly 272,000, and then to about 254,000 in 2002. The park continued to expand its ride offerings instead of hunkering down, attendance grew again to more than 291,000 in 2003, the year the Timberwood Amphitheater debuted. It topped 400,000 in 2004 when The Gauntlet was added, in March, owners of Magic Springs agreed to sell the attraction to CNL Income Properties. They leased back the park to the owners, who continued to manage it. On June 10,2008, it was announced that PARC Management had taken over the parks management, the leasing agreement between owner CNL and PARC Management was terminated in November 2010 and a new operating agreement with Amusement Management Partners, LLC was announced in January of 2011. In late 2016, CNL sold a bundle of its theme park properties, including Magic Springs, to EPR Properties and it was announced at that time that management responsibilities for Magic Springs would be assumed by Premier Parks, LLC. Arkansas Twister – A classic wooden out and back coaster, relocated from Boardwalk and Baseball in Florida in 1992 where it operated as the Florida Hurricane. Designed by Don Rosser and William Cobb, built by Michael Black, the Gauntlet – A Vekoma Suspended Looping Coaster. Built in 2004 by Vekoma for Six Flags New Orleans, the sale never finalized and Magic Springs and Crystal Falls bought the coaster. Features a 110 ft. drop and is the first Vekoma SLC to feature a wheel assembly to give a more comfortable ride. X-Coaster – Only Sky Loop Coaster in North America, diamond Mine Run Roller Coaster - A small but fun and exciting coaster. Big Bad John – An Arrow Dynamics Mine Train Coaster, tallest drop of 41 ft. Originated in Six Flags St. Louis as one half of the River King Mine Train duo. Removed from park in 1988 and sold to Dollywood, relocated from Dollywood in 1998 where it operated as Thunder Express
10.
Pacific Park
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Pacific Park is an oceanfront amusement park located in Santa Monica, California. The park, located on the Santa Monica Pier, looks out on the Pacific Ocean. It is the amusement park on the West Coast of the United States located on a pier. It is owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties and operated by Santa Monica Amusements, Santa Monica Municipal Pier opened in 1909, it was primarily to carry sewer pipes out beyond the breakers and had no amenities. In 1916 Charles I. D. Looff, who built Coney Islands first carousel, started construction on an adjacent pier known as the Pleasure Pier, also called Newcomb Pier, the two piers are now both considered to be part of Santa Monica Pier. The Pleasure Pier thrived during the 1920s but faded during the Great Depression, during the 1930s the pier was mainly used as a ferry landing, while most of the pier was closed down and its attractions sold off. Over the next decades the city of Santa Monica proposed various plans to tear down Newcomb Pier. The city council approved a plan to replace the pier with an island in Santa Monica Bay. Local activists formed Save Santa Monica Bay and shot down that plan, the city acquired ownership of the privately owned pier in summer 1974. In the 1980s the pier was almost destroyed by winter storms, in 1983 the city formed a Pier Restoration and Development Task Force, tasked with returning the pier to its former glory. Summer music concerts were held on the pier, the current 2-acre park opened in 1996 as a full-scale family amusement park. The park is non-gated and there is no charge for admission, there are a dozen rides as well as midway games, food outlets, and shopping. A Seaside Pavilion event space opened in 2009 for corporate and private events and this is a list of rides in operation at Pacific Park as of 2016. West Coaster – A steel roller coaster running around the perimeter of Pacific Park, West Coasters maximum height is 55 feet, and the single train reaches speeds of 35 miles per hour. Pacific Wheel – The original Pacific Wheel was listed on eBay with half the proceeds from the sale donated to the Special Olympics, the current Pacific Wheel measures 85 feet, and the vantage point at the top is more than 130 feet above the pier. Pacific Park claims that the Pacific Wheel is the worlds only solar-powered Ferris wheel, inkies Scrambler – A 12-car Scrambler, refurbished in 2013 Sea Dragon – A pirate ship with a 180° swing. Pacific Plunge – A 45-foot drop tower built by Moser Rides, carries 10 seated people in two gondolas. Sig Alert EV – A bumper car hall named for the traffic alert unique to California, gyro Loop - Players use a joystick to control their speed and rpm while circling and rotating in an attempt to win a prize
