Arthur's About Theme Parks

Roller coasters and their trainloads of screaming passengers hog skylines and get most of the glory. Spinning carousels, with their majestic prancing steeds and lively band organs, project auras of charm and nostalgia. Towering Ferris wheels, bathed in colored lights, sparkle against night skies. Bumper cars, however, are housed inside buildings away from the tumult of the midway and typically get lost in the shuffle.

For this article, I’m going to go back a number of years and share memories from one of the highlight events of my career. It was a surreal moment in a day filled with surreal moments. Rounding a corner in the room containing Walt Disney Imagineering’s art history archives, there it was: the famous 1950s concept drawing of Disneyland that designer Herb Ryman completed in one weekend with Walt Disney standing over his shoulder. It all started with Herb Ryman’s concept art.

It’s time for this month’s “Rode It! Loved It!,” my reviews of established attractions. Let’s head over to Adventureland at Disneyland for a highly regarded and rollicking ride with Indiana Jones. An E-Ticket tour de force, Disneyland’s Indiana Jones Adventure immerses guests into the world of the popular movie series through the use of Disney’s innovative “Enhanced Motion Vehicles,” highly elaborate sets, and a stunning array of effects.

After teasing what it had in the works for a few weeks, Holiday World made it official and announced that Cannonball!, a water coaster from Mack Rides, will be debuting next season. The Indiana park says that the $22-million attraction, which will be the fastest and tallest ride of its kind in the country, will represent the largest investment in its 80-year history. Everybody in the pool! Cannonball will feature a splashdown finale.

I will be taking next week off to celebrate the Fourth of July week. Here’s to a great 250th celebration! Look for my next article the following week. With summers getting hotter, more humid, and just plain stickier, visitors have been making a beeline to water parks at places like Carowinds. Jammed with water slides and other refreshingly cool attractions, its Carolina Harbor is a happening place.

Ready for this month’s “Rode It! Loved It!” (my reviews of established attractions that are exclusively for paid subscribers)? Let’s set our sights on your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and one of parkdom’s most consequential breakthroughs. An incredibly sophisticated attraction, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure blurs the line between virtual and reality so well that you'll emerge slack-jawed and awe-struck.

Coming on the heels of the announcement of Werewolf Gorge at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Waldameer recently revealed that it too will be debuting a family launch coaster next year. Dubbed Eagle’s Pursuit, the ride is designed to incorporate moderate thrills, yet be accessible to a wide swath of visitors. The new coaster will take advantage of the Pennsylvania park’s hilly terrain and should provide fetching views of Lake Erie.

The Disney Parks and Experiences division is in the midst of a $60 billion infusion of new capital that will yield a trove of grand, new attractions and lands, including an expanded Avengers Campus and a “Coco”-themed ride at the Disneyland Resort in California along with a Villains Land and a Tropical Americas land at Florida’s Disney World.

With the recent opening of the reimagined Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, there are surely as many belly laughs emanating from the attraction as there are screams. And that’s a good thing. When rumblings first started about the possible closure of Muppet*Vision 3D to make way for a new Monsters, Inc. land, I was fretting over the potential loss of Kermit and the gang and their unique, wacky, wonderful brand of humor at Disney World.

I have a feeling that folks visiting Six Flags Fiesta Texas next year are going to want to stick around until night falls. Especially on nights when the moon is full. That’s because the San Antonio park recently announced that it will be unleashing Werewolf Gorge, a family launch coaster, in 2027. The new coaster will feature four launches.