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Zoomers Amusement Park given new lease on life


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  • 2 weeks later...

Looks like Zoomers has an April opening date, which I think is foolish, because that is the end of tourist season, but hey, at least it's opening. I've posted a link to a video by our local NBC news which did a story on the construction update.

 

www.nbc-2.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6651352

 

I would highly recommend getting on this coaster before they go under. I've seen so many businesses go under when they open too late in season, and then have to cut back and suffer through the off season. No one comes to Southwest Florida over the summer. It's just too dang hot. I do hope the best for them though, and wish them the best. We desperately need more attractions in our neck of Florida.

(Side note, Sanibel Island just named the number 1 destination in the world according to Frommers! This park is located only 10 minutes from the island)

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Sorry guys, it can't be Greezed Lightning...I have that on lay-a-way.

 

Even though there's a wink, it would NOT surprise me to see this open at Cowabunga Bay. We still haven't had an announcement (have we?) about this years new attraction?

 

Yeah, I know, the rumor mill, but Shane started it!

 

I’ll put an end to this rumor right away. The footprint of Greezed Lightnin is over 700 feet long. Our longest property boundary at Cowabunga Bay is a little shy of 400 feet.

 

I am probably the biggest Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop fan around and this isn’t to say that I wouldn’t someday like to own my very own personal model!

 

Stand in line... I've already got dibs on one for my backyard... that and a CityJet, a JumboJet, A Wildcat 65...

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Zoomers announced an opening date and the addition of a mini-golf course as well, to round out the "family experience"

 

Zoomers — the long-dormant amusement park on Summerlin Road near Fort Myers Beach — is getting an 18-hole mini golf course and a brand-new roller coaster when it opens around April 1.

 

But the never-opened amusement park is losing its distinctive elevated go-kart track. It is getting two non-elevated ones.

 

The mini golf was added because without it, “Zoomers doesn’t have one attraction that the whole family can do together,” project manager Alan Fluke said Wednesday after issuing the announcements about the changes.

 

The mini golf course fills a demographic hole for Zoomers, Fluke said. Younger children will have a kiddie park but “We had a big gap for 6- to 10-year-olds because they had nothing to do.” Only children 10 and up are allowed on the go-kart track.

 

Read the Full article. Source: The News Press:

http://www.news-press.com/article/20120118/BUSINESS/120118020?odyssey=mod%7Cmostcom

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  • 1 month later...

I haven't been able to take pictures, as I don't have a camera, but when I drove past there last week, I saw the dragon wagon train sitting out near the clearing where the coaster will go. I don't know about the mini-golf status, but things still look to be on-par. I would guess an early April (meaning like the second week) would be still a go for opening. It looks pretty good to me.

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I haven't been able to take pictures, as I don't have a camera, but when I drove past there last week, I saw the dragon wagon train sitting out near the clearing where the coaster will go. I don't know about the mini-golf status, but things still look to be on-par. I would guess an early April (meaning like the second week) would be still a go for opening. It looks pretty good to me.

 

I have a plan up my sleeve....stay tuned.

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  • 1 month later...

With May, right around the corner, there is still no set date for the opening of Zoomers, though I have heard of some people visiting the park by invitation only. They've said that the park looks great, but there still has some final construction issues left to go through. My best guess at this time is to say, we might not see this open until summer.

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^I found this article the other day.

 

http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-04-06/Zoomers-opening-date-pushed-back-to-June

 

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- WINK News has confirmed the new owners of Zoomers Amusement Park have pushed back the opening date.

 

The amusement park near Fort Myers Beach has been under construction for months.

 

Owners say fixing the elevated go-kart track would have cost more than $500,000 so they decided to tear it down.

 

They now say they hope to open towards the beginning of June.

 

Also, in other news, the Dragon Wagon in Port Charlotte has closed, so that's one less credit in Florida.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/jun/14/worth-the-wait/

 

Every beach town needs its amusement park, and south Fort Myers finally has one.It's been a long time coming, too. For years, the structure of a roller coaster sat idle alongside Summerlin Road like the skeletal remains of a dinosaur, while the sign proclaimed a family fun park that seemingly would never open.

 

But that's about to change. On Friday, June 15, Zoomers opens to the public, offering bumper boats, a Tilt-a-Whirl, go-karts, mini golf, children's midway games, a family roller coaster — and much more.

 

AND AWAY WE GO!

 

It's been a decade in the making. Original construction was completed to 90 percent, then stalled by economic factors. Difficulties were compounded by damage from hurricanes Charley and Wilma. After a foreclosure auction, reconstruction began last July and after recent job fairs, in which more than 1,000 applications for employment were received, about 125 staffers were brought on board.

 

According to General Manager Randi Jong, employees range in age from teenagers to retirees.

 

"It's such a great mix of personalities," she said. "Everyone is so excited to be here."

 

Jong has been opening and working in family theme parks for 20 years. When the recruitment call came, she said, "I though it was such an incredible project, I couldn't turn it down."

 

She and her husband then relocated from the other coast, and she said they made the right choice.

 

Zoomers offers an indoor entertainment area, as well, featuring mini bowling, arcade games, party rooms and a banquet hall. There's also the requisite concessions stand, selling such amusement-park staples as hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, nachos and chicken tenders.

 

REDEEMING QUALITIES

 

Remember being a kid weighted down by quarters or tokens? That's a thing of the past at Zoomers, where everything runs off a debit card system. Mom or Dad can load up a card for the kids and let them do their thing without worry of coins flying out of pockets on the go-kart track. When the currency is used up, a return trip to the arcade area is all it takes to reload the card. It comes in handy, too, when the skies open up during rainy season. The money never expires, so visitors could go take in some shopping at midday then return for another round of golf or laser tag — or even come back another day.

 

The coveted arcade ticket is one thing not consigned to the distant past: "We have the newest and hottest video redemption games," Jong said.

 

And of course, there are the coveted arcade prizes, from plastic trinkets to placate the very young child, to some larger-ticket items. Forget an oversized stuffed teddy bear. We're talking iPad 3.

 

And maybe Mom has had her eye on a Coach purse. Keep playing. That's a lot of tickets.

 

But the real prize is fun. And on this 18-acre facility, it's in no short supply. Birthday party packages are available for kids of all ages. The teen VIP birthday package, for instance, offers run of the park and three hours use of an exclusive lounge-style room with beanbag chairs, lava lamps, pizza and soda.

 

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

 

Even your office can get a handle on the excitement. Zoomers offers executive team-building packages, including access to all the attractions, timed go-kart races and laser tag. The bumper boats feature a water cannon, so if you've been silently storing it up for your coworkers, you may want to slyly recommend this team-building challenge at your next meeting.

 

Also included is the Pit Crew Challenge. In this pressure cooker of an exercise, your organization's members will work as a team to change tires and attend to all the details that a pit crew would, while working on an actual official NASCAR vehicle on premises. Doesn't that sound better than work?

 

Zoomers offers summer camp opportunities and special packages for Boy and Girl Scouts and other youth organizations. Jong said the park is sensitive to the fact a lot of people are affected by the uncertain economy, and wants to make sure kids are able to let off steam and enjoy the chance to experience the park.

 

"We created group rates that we think all the different organizations will be able to afford," she said.

 

As a family amusement park, none of the rides pack huge G forces, and the Tilt-a-Whirl may provide the greatest challenge to your equilibrium. But Zoomers does place an emphasis on providing something for everyone. As an example, there are two go-kart tracks. The racetrack is for all ages, while the slick track provides a challenging ride for licensed drivers only.

 

You can get in on the fun on opening day on Friday, June 15. For more information, go to http://www.zoomersamusementpark.com.

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  • 3 years later...
A Dragon Wagon? Hmm, well, at least they got the best model! If I were starting a park Coveyancing Narellan Service with a kiddie coaster, though, I'd at least go for a Rollerskater, or one of those "Instant ACE Classic" kiddie woodies, maybe even a custom one. A Dragon Wagon just makes it seem like they aren't trying! It is slightly better than a Wacky Worm, however.

 

thank you for this information.

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