ORLANDO, FL
Universal Parks and Resorts on Monday pledged 20 acres of land for affordable housing in Florida, a day before the company asks county officials for millions of dollars for road construction that will allow it to build a third theme park. The theme park company said the land for affordable housing will accommodate 1,000 mixed-use housing units in Orlando. The metro area is in the middle of an affordable housing crisis for its hospitality-driven workforce. Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has made affordable housing a top priority and had recommended working with corporate partners to come up with solutions to the metro area’s housing needs. The announcement by Universal came a day before company officials were going before the Orange County Commission in an effort to secure $125 million to help extend a road through a 750-acre property. The company intends to build its Epic Universe theme park on the property. FULL STORY
0 Comments
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has been welcoming visitors to the land of Batuu to live out their own intergalactic experiences since opening last summer at Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. From the themed food and beverage offerings to the ambitious attractions, Galaxy’s Edge is incredibly immersive and interactive. Travel + Leisure had the chance to experience this land first-hand for the opening of the new Rise of the Resistance attraction, and we sat down with Scott Trowbridge, Star Wars portfolio creative executive from Walt Disney Imagineering, for the inside scoop on the Galaxy’s Edge experience.
When designing Galaxy’s Edge, Imagineers considered recreating one of the iconic settings established in the films, but instead, they decided to set the land on the planet Batuu — a land that’s always existed within the Star Wars universe but has never actually been shown in the films. According to Trowbridge, this setting allows guests to experience their own Star Wars adventure instead of trying to follow in the footsteps of their favorite characters. FULL STORY ELYSBURG, PA
It will be some time before the amusement park season kicks off again in earnest, but by the time it gets here, there will be some changes made at Knoebels Amusement Resort. The amusement park shared a message on their Facebook page, asking a seemingly-not-rhetorical question about which ride their fans thought should be the one to get the axe. “If you heard a rumor that a Knoebels ride is on its way out, which of the 64 would you think it would be?” the post read. “Asking for a friend.” FULL STORY AUSTELL, GA
It may be cold outside but that did not stop one Atlanta swim club from participating in a chilling challenge. On Wednesday, the Georgia Tech Swim Club accepted Six Flags’ Polar Coaster Challenge and geared up in their warmest swimsuits and speedos to ride a popular roller coaster. The team buckled up and enjoyed a nippy ride on the Twisted Cyclone roller coaster. FULL STORY TAMPA BAY, FL
Tis the season! Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has put a Christmas tree at the top of its upcoming Iron Gwazi coaster.
"We put a Christmas tree on top of a roller coaster. What'd you do today?" Busch Gardens tweeted. FULL STORY VALLEJO, CA
Borrego Solar Systems and sPower worked with the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom this year to manifest the first theme park on the West Coast powered by solar energy. In this case, the solar will account for 80% of the park’s energy usage. One difference in this theme park’s solar installation from other similar installations is that it will be powered by one of the most substantial solar carport installations in the country. The choice of a carport installation is a wise choice. The clearing of land for the cement below the carport is already done. Its use prevents more land being cleared — even clearing land for a renewable project is not ideal and not always in the best interest of the environment. The Six Flags solar-powered theme park will offset 168,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents over the next 20 years. It will be equivalent to taking the exhaust of 36,000 non-electric cars off the road per year, cleaning our air and protecting our atmosphere. FULL STORY SAN DIEGO, CA
SeaWorld San Diego announced Friday that it reached a milestone in the construction of its ``dive'' roller coaster by installing the ride's highest section of track 153 feet above ground. The ``topping-out'' ceremony included a crane placing an American flag at the ride's highest section. The ride, slated to open next summer, is being built adjacent to the Journey to Atlantis attraction, on what had previously been a parking lot. Construction on the ride, advertised as the tallest, fastest and longest such coaster in the state, began in August. The park originally announced the ride in January with the name ``Mako'' after the endangered shark species, which is considered the fastest shark in the world. Park officials announced its new name, Emperor, last month, saying it would reflect the ability of emperor penguins to dive to depths of 1,800 feet in the waters of their native Antarctica. FULL STORY SANDUSKY, OH
Cedar Point — the Sandusky, Ohio-based mecca for roller-coaster enthusiasts — has big plans for its 150th anniversary next year. The celebration includes a new boat ride, Snake River Expedition; a cellphone information system that tells you the history of the spot where you're standing, and parades with interactive floats. But the biggest news: The park said it would give away about 150 special tickets, one a day, starting in February. The tickets allow holders free admission and parking, along with three guests, for the rest of their lives. It's a ticket you can't buy, the park said. The first one went to a Cedar Point employee through a random drawing. FULL STORY VALENCIA, CA
We're about to get an answer to one of the more frustrating questions of 2019 - when will West Coast Racers open? Six Flags Magic Mountain held a kickoff event for the dueling street racing coaster way back in August 2018. But production and construction delays caused Magic Mountain to miss the 2019 summer season. Many fans even wondered if the coaster would debut in 2019 at all. But now it appears that West Coast Racers will make it to that finish line, if barely. The park announced in an email to annual passholders today that West Coast Racers will open for Six Flags' Gold Plus, Platinum, Diamond, and Diamond Elite Members on December 21 and 22 from 10:30am through 9pm. The coaster will open to all Season Pass holders and Members starting the next day. That preview will run from 10:30am-7pm daily through December 31, then from 1o:30am-6pm on January 1-5. FULL STORY AGAWAM, MA
The roof of a carousel at Six Flags in Agawam caught on fire Tuesday evening, amusement park officials told 22News. Six Flags spokeswoman Jennifer McGrath confirmed the incident with 22News. She released the statement below on behalf of the entertainment amusement park. "This evening there was a small contained fire on the roof of our carousel. Our safety team responded immediately and was able to extinguish the fire. There are no injuries and our attraction will receive a complete inspection prior to its operation." - Jennifer McGrath, communications manager of Six Flags New England FULL STORY |
Archives
November 2022
Categories
All
|