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      Everyone likes a good read from time to time, or even all the time. That's why our team of writers is constantly at work putting their opinions and insights into words, and this is the place to find their work: the Editorials & Articles section! We write about anything and everything, from the implications of the latest topics of news around the amusement industry, to the timeless topics of interest, to just plain satire. If you can think of a topic you would love to see in the form of an article, chances are you'll be seeing it in the future!

What Makes a Good Park?: Part Two
What Makes a Good Park?: Part Two / By: Coaster Force, Friday, July 30, 2004 -
If you can recall from Part One of my “What Makes a Good Park?” article, we stated that there are several key elements that make up a good park. The editorial stated that a relaxing, clean atmosphere and a good collection of coasters and other rides were the essential parts of a good park.


However, many parks do not stop there; the best, most popular parks go that extra distance to make their parks stand out.

One of these qualities that is not essential but greatly enriches a park is theming. Theming is what makes parks like Universal Studios and the Disney chains so popular and amazing. You know that a park has great theming when you get involved in a ride’s story, immersing yourself within it. A well-themed ride always begins with the queue line, getting guests into the atmosphere and learning what they’re going into, eagerly anticipating themselves for the ride. One of my favorite queues is for Dueling Dragon’s at Islands of Adventure, which is an extremely long, dark, scary queue which will terrify guests and get them more eager, or more scared to ride. Remember, if you are frightened by waiting for a ride, that’s a good thing, because then you know the ride’s theming is so incredibly realistic that you are actually a part of it!

Coming from the queue line, some rides go that extra distance by adding a “pre-show” video, which is truly the icing on the cake before the riders board. Arguably the best example in the world of a brilliant and clever use of the pre-show is the Tower of Terror attraction at Disney’s MGM Studios, and now, Disney’s California Adventure. The former host for the Twilight Zone series speaks in the video, stating that guests are about to enter an elevator that transports guests into the 5th Dimension, and he continues to talk in this frightening use of the pre-show that will get everyone scared, right up until they drop when boarded in the ride. Truly, without the pre-show, the Tower of Terror would be no better than an S&S Space Shot. Disney did an amazing job in this attraction by creating a story which entrances the riders from beginning to end.


Then comes the actual ride, which is what the queue line and the optional pre-show lead up to. Guests are already so entranced in the experience, that parks must create a great ride so their expectations are not disappointed. Good themed rides feature interactions with the surrounding scenery, that is, trees, water, and even rocks or boulders. The best themed attractions feature audio animatronics figures that are interacted with the ride. Some of the best themed rides include Volcano: the Blast Coaster at Paramount’s King’s Dominion, which speeds and loops through and around a huge man-made volcano mountain. Without the theming featured in this attraction, it would not be one of the most premier rides in the world. Several other brilliantly themed rides include Spiderman at Islands of Adventure, a “multi-sensory 3-D ride experience”, and Disney World’s Rock n’ Roller Coaster, a launched sit-down looping roller coaster which speeds with the loud rock music of Aerosmith.

Of course, not everybody can ride every themed attraction in a park. That’s why many parks theme not only the rides themselves but the whole park or themed areas, using interactions with guests, and adding little tricks to get guests in the feel for the theme. In Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, as guests enter the park’s DinoLand USA, they hear the roars of dinosaurs “coming from the trees”. Easily the best use of themed areas, and not attractions, can be found at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, a brilliant park with several highly themed islands. My favorite area in the park is the Lost Continent, which is home to the world famous Dueling Dragons roller coaster. Islands of Adventure is such a popular park because of their amazing theming, which will keep guests coming back every year.

Finally, the best parks release one or two new attractions every year or two, so guests can have a new reason to visit the park every year. Luckily, for many parks, this is a blessing for amusement park junkies, for it becomes a competition to create the “best new thing” every year. Parks are also always in competition to build the newest, most thrilling, fastest, tallest, and most creative rides every year. Building these rides promises more popularity, meaning more people will come to the park and visit every year.



One park that is very successful with this is Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Cedar Point has earned the name “Roller Coaster Capital of the World”, for they are constantly upgrading and planning to expand and make their park better. In 1989, they debuted the first hyper coaster, the Magnum XL 200, and since then they have been constantly upgrading, almost adding a new thrill ride every year. Since then, they have debuted the massive Mean Streak in 1991; the world famous inverted coaster, Raptor, in 1994; the stand up coaster, Mantis, in 1996; a family coaster called Woodstock Express in 1999; the world’s first giga coaster, Millennium Force, in 2000; then adding Wicked Twister in 2002, and finally currently the world’s tallest and fastest coaster, Top Thrill Dragster, in 2003. They definatly want to keep their title as the Coaster Capital of the World!



Now that we’ve established all of the qualities of a good park, and some excellent examples of specific uses of these great qualities, I can finally give some great examples of real parks that do it the best! Coming in August, Part 3 of my “What Makes a Good Park?” editorial will feature the Top 10 parks in the world. Who will wear the #1 crown? You’ll have to wait and see!