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There's another aspect of excitement in the world of thrill rides. There's the excitement of the latest announcements of upcoming rides from an industry as secretive as the military at times, and the excitement of all the latest happenings at parks around the world. Sometimes the news is good, sometimes the news is bad, but our aim is to bring you the fairest, timeliest, most accurate details on everything that concerns you. COASTER-net's team of journalists is hard at work around the clock to bring you the in-depth scoop!
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Busch Gardens Europe's 'Griffon' to take flight May 25
Theme park announces details on slated "dive coaster" debut
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© Ryan Blevins
The New B&M Dive Machine: Griffon's construction process has gone smoothly and the ride has already begun testing two months before its official opening date. |
The final hardhat tour for the Griffon at Busch Gardens Europe was recently held for the media on March 20, 2007. This exclusive tour brought back many photos of the new roller coaster still under construction, but along with those photos came some new information about when the Griffon will officially take flight.
The new Griffon roller coaster will officially open to the public on Friday, May 25, 2007, just before Memorial Day weekend. Before the ride’s official opening, Busch Gardens Europe plans to hold two media days for their latest roller coaster on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 and on Thursday, May 17, 2007. The Griffon has officially begun testing and the park is currently making adjustments to the ride, constructing the buildings surrounding that area of the park, and creating the ride’s landscape.
Busch Gardens Europe opened to the public on March 24 and will being having daily operations for spring break starting April 2 and they will end on April 13. The park will once again open for daily operations, this time for the entire summer, starting May 21. Also, the Griffon isn’t just the only addition at Busch Gardens Europe this season.
The park is bringing back the Fun Card, which allows guests to visit the park through September 3 at the same cost as a normal adult single day ticket. Pirates 4D will make its return to the Globe Theatre in the England section of the park, after a couple years of absence, and Busch Gardens Europe will also continue its Summer Nights Concert Series during the months of July, August, and September. Finally, the park debuted its new Italian musical, Viva Italia! on March 24, which celebrates Italian music and dance.
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Blackstone Group continues to expand by purchasing Tussauds Group
Tussauds Group theme parks are bought from Dubai International Capital
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© Thorpe Park
Tussaund's Theme Parks: Thorpe Park, one of England's premier theme parks, is one of four European amusement parks being effected by this sale. |
The Blackstone Group, based in New York, has officially agreed to purchase the Tussands Group from Dubai International Capital. With this announcement, the Blackstone Group has now become the second largest operator of tourist attractions only behind the Walt Disney.
The agreement will cost the Blackstone Group £1 billion, and they plan to join the Tussauds properties with other parts of the Blackstone Group's head cooperation, the Merlin Entertainments Group. Other amusement parks that are owned by the Blackstone Group include all of the Legoland entertainment parks and Gardaland, the largest theme park in Italy.
The Blackstone group has recently made a name for itself in the tourists industry, and this will continue with the addition of the Tussands Group. Tussauds ties back to when in 1802, Madame Tussaud learned the art of wax modeling while she was working as a housekeeper in France. She took her collection of wax artwork to Britain where they were placed on display in what is now known as Madame Tussauds wax museum. This tourist attraction has become very popular and similar exhibits have been place in New York, Las Vegas, and Hong Kong.
The Tussauds Group, based Chessington, England, owns several other tourists’ attractions including four of Europe’s well-known theme parks. These three parks are Alton Towers, a British theme park with two hotels and a water park, Thorpe Park in England, Chessington World of Adventures in England, and Heide Park, a theme park in northern Germany. Dubai International Capital, another private firm, bought Tussauds for £800 million from Charterhouse Capital Partners two years ago, and the theme parks have continued to operate successfully since then.
This is just the latest of the recent amusement park purchases made by the Blackstone Group. In 2005, they bought the Legoland park chain for £375 million, and then the next year, they bought Italy’s largest amusement park, Gardaland. Now that the Blackstone Group has acquired one of the largest the park chains in Europe, they will begin to focus on expanding their operations into the United States.
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Aquatica emerges as SeaWorld Orlando’s newest adventure
SeaWorld Orlando unveils all-new water park coming in 2008
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© Busch Entertainment Company
Aquatica is finally here: With the announcement of Aquatica, the speculation about what would SeaWorld Orlando create next to attract tourists is over be the time being. |
SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove, and the surrounding attractions in Orlando, Florida have always been known as a popular destination for families taking a vacation. Orlando’s next big attraction is already under construction, and will open with great anticipation in March 2008. Aquatica, SeaWorld Orlando’s very own water park, is this new attraction that will take center stage in Orlando next year.
Aquatica will be the fifth attraction owned and operated by Anheuser-Busch in the state of Florida. Anheuser-Busch, known for their craftsmanship in creating an adventure park, will blend close up animal experiences, sandy beaches, flowing waters through the jungle-like landscape, and high-speed thrilling water slides to create Aquatica.
This new adventure park is set in the South Sea Islands where the landscape is designed to make park guests feel as if they were in New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea. Smooth-flowing rivers curve through mountainsides and waterfalls, and an assortment of plant-life will cover the park. Also, guests will be able to interact with marine life, birds, and other animals at Aquatica.
© Busch Entertainment Company
SeaWorld Orlando: Aquatica, SeaWorld Orlando's water park will be located right across the street where construction to create Aquatica has already begun. |
Another way to interact with the park’s marine life is by riding Aquatica’s signature water slide. Riders will plunge underwater in clear water slide tubes where they will fly through a lagoon that contains dolphins. Aquatica will feature a total of 36 slides, and will have more than 80,000 square feet of beach area.
Aquatica will offer an assortment of attractions that the entire family can enjoy. Some of the more thrilling attractions and slides included colorful eight-lane racing slides, triple-drop raft rides, inner tubes water slides, a 6-story family raft ride, and many more water slides. Families can also relax in a number of lagoons and lazy rivers.
One of the new innovations coming to Aquatica will include two large wave lagoons, which will become the world's only side-by-side wave pools that can be operated independently or together. Also, families and their young children can have fun in the park’s interactive water play area designed for children. Young kids can ride small slides, climb to the top of a rain fortress, or play around in the pool.
Aquatica is sure to become the premier water park in Orlando when it officially opens in March 2008. The water park will join SeaWorld Orlando and Discovery Cove as an Anheuser-Busch owned tourist destination in Orlando.
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Bonfante Gardens to become Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park
Cedar Fair renames another one of its newly acquired parks
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Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park, Gilroy, California, USA 03/01/07 - By: Matthew Grauberger -
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© Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park
Bonfante Gardens is no more: Bonfante Gardens Family Theme Park originally opened in June 2001, but in February 2003 the park hired Paramount Parks run and operate the park. |
Cedar Fair Entertainment Company acquired Bonfante Gardens amusement park in May 2006 when Paramount Parks sold all of their properties to Cedar Fair. Cedar Fair recently renamed almost all of their new properties by dropping the Paramount name from the title of all of these parks. Now just a couple weeks later, Cedar Fair has renamed one of its newest and smallest theme parks.
Already known for its gardens and other geographical features, the City of Gilroy, in California, is trying to create even more geographical awareness among its visitors and wants to draw tourists to the City of Gilroy and surrounding area. To help this cause, Cedar Fair suggested that Bonfante Gardens should be renamed to Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park so the city would be noticed more as a tourist attraction. The park’s management company, advertising agency, and the park's Board of Directors all agreed in having the park’s named changed.
Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park will be entering its seventh season this year and will offer a couple more additions for families to enjoy this season. Gil, a new garlic themed character, will make his debut at Gilroy Gardens this season. The park will be introducing a number of seasonal events designed for the entire family including Spring Fling, Red, White and Coo Memorial Day, Summer Safari, and Treasure Hunt.
The park will also be adding two new children’s attraction called the Pit Stop Racer and the Big Red Engine Co. These two new kid friendly attractions are designed to give children the opportunity to get behind the wheel of miniature car. Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park will officially reopen under its new name on March 31, 2007.
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