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When traveling between Atlanta and Pigeon Forge on an amusement park tour, you'd be advised to not skip... Lake Winnepesaukah - Thursday, June1st This is an often overlooked quaint little park along the lines of Waldameer, Idlewild, or Quassy, and while they do have one full-scale coaster, it is not the star of the park. What is, then, you ask? Press on... Even their own signs abbreviate the the full name! Pricing? Pricing. And yes, it is rather expensive for a thrill seeker, but is totally worth it. As the name implies, there is a Lake, that actually features into the star attraction... I love when parks put up cute little drawn maps like this, even if its not up to date (the last-one-in-the-US Eyerly Fly-O-Plane had been removed several years back). They've got some small park staples, such as a Baloon Race... ...Ring of Fire... ...CP Huntington Train... ...Flying Elephants... ...Tilt-a-Whirl... ...and a small Ferris Wheel. But they also have a super-rare Moser Rides Maverick asymmetrical Top Spin clone so originally called "Twister." It was not operating, but seriously click through that link. These look even more bonkers than a regular Top Spin. There were of course some food stands... ...and no park would be complete without any games... Their pirate ship, mounted over the water as they should be. Some of the kiddie rides (there were plenty): Including a Hampton Amusements drum: Most parks have at least one spin-fast-in-a-circle ride; this park's is their Matterhorn. For those fans of the spin-fast-in-concentric-circles, we have a Scambler: The required drive-'em cars. A mini golf course And the not-quite-as-rare-as-I-thought-before-park-traveling jungle gym: It was around this point that I was approached by a security officer and asked what I was doing taking pictures of everything, resulting in my usual spiel about how I catalog different parks and write reviews, showing him some of my past TPR reports, yada yada. Funny how this only happens at tiny little out of the way parks...we all gotta get them more exposure and popularity so they're used to it haha! Anyway, it was time for some rides! First up was their dark ride, Wacky Factory. Seven-and-a-half minute wait. Cute enough exterior design (at least the front of the building), and I couldn't find any manufacturer information on the internet about it...anyone have any ideas? Either way, it was meh overall, with lots of different things hobbled together over years...there was one well designed scene (which I won't spoil because I didn't record what that scene was in my notes). Next up was one of two coasters here, Wacky Worm, interestingly located right behind the Wacky Factory. Meh, whatever, it's a wacky worm, 2 laps. Amusingly they did not apply the brakes at all when going through station after the first lap, resulting in some surprising laterals going around the unbanked turn before the lift. They also have a 1916 PTC Carousel, for those into that sort of thing: Some of their other rides, starting with an Orbiter and a Hrubtez Round up in the background. One of those weird "don't get wet" water slides and a Conestoga-themed magic carpet. A tiny tiny ARM drop tower (named the "Oh-Zone!" of all things) and a Paratrooper in the background Some bumper cars... ...a Frog Hopper... ...and a Wave Swinger round out this park's collection of flat rides. And finally we come to the main reason most enthusiasts come to this park, Cannon Ball: A 1967 PTC woodie with lever-controlled skid brakes and buzz bars? Yes, please! Walk-on for the back row, plenty of airtime and great laterials This was my 300th Coaster, and it was a worthy addition to the list. 8/10. But this was not the star attraction here! This was: Introducing the Boat Chute, a 1927 mill chute ride, believed to be the last original style chute operating in the US. Since someone else already wrote about the history, I'll let them talk about it: Sure, all it does is go down a straight tunnel for a while, make a u-turn, climb a rickety lift hill, then splash down into the lake, but you are literally riding history and a one-of-a-kind experience. 5 minute wait, didn't get too wet, pure awesome, 11/10. And that wraps up Lake Winnie. Without kids, there is admittedly not a lot for adults here, but park enthusiasts and history buffs would be well served to stop by just for Cannon Ball and Boat Chute alone. Onward, towards the final and largest part of this TR, Dollywood!

Part 12 Hey, It's a New Park for TPR: Furuvik Furuvik is another part of the Swedish theme-park empire that also encompasses Grona Lund, Kolmarden, and Skara Sommarland. Like Kolmarden, its much larger cousin, Furuvik is a zoo with a small collection of rides. Unlike Kolmarden, all the rides are gathered in one spot called the "Tivoli," so you don't have to hike to two or three miles to get to them. The main attractions in the Tivoli are two Vekoma family coasters: Lightning (a fun launched ride with cool-looking, kind of retro trains) and Fireball (one of those Family Boomerangs that have been sprouting like dandelions all over the place recently); there's a family "dragon" coaster, as well (it's a Zierer--just for a change of pace, I guess). They even have a Sally "Boo Blasters" type dark ride with a nicely themed queue to round out their collection of flats and carnival games. But the zoo is the main attraction here. Furuvik has an interesting mix of habitats, ranging from a Swedish farm to an island for primates to enclosures for camels and other hooved beasts. Even the zoo contains a few odd attractions. There's a somewhat creepy boat ride that winds through a mysterious cave and abandoned village (not sure if there were supposed to be live animals there). They also have a little obstacle course where people ride hobby horses. The zoo is working on rebuilding its image following an unfortunate incident involving some escaped chimps earlier this year (Google it if you're curious). But they still have a fair-sized collection of orangutans. You can even walk among some of the smaller primates in both indoor and outdoor habitats. The name "Furuvik" means "pine bay" in English, and it certainly lives up to it. The park sits in a forest by the sea, and there's a nice spot where you can hang out by the water. There's even a museum there devoted to coastal defenses. This makes sense, as Russia isn't too far--just on the other side of the bay. They have a cat as a mascot? I like this place already. All zoos should have a Tivoli. Behold the power of neon! Art Deco lives at Furuvik! Sarah looks rather blissful sitting on what looks like a dynamo from a 1930s "Flash Gordon" serial. Hear that dynamo hum! Seriously, it looks like Emperor Ming the Merciless mounted some sort of death ray on the front of this train. Lightning is a good ride--thrilling for kids and fun for adults. For families, yes, but we old farts like it, too. (Photo by either AJ or Andy, I think.) I saw neither fire nor balls on this ride. But Vekoma Family Boomerangs are becoming a "thing," it seems. At least it's not themed to a gravy boat. Well, if you were disappointed by the lack of fire or balls earlier, here are some furries on a dragon-themed coaster. Well, may as well get in line . . . OH MY GOD! We must escape the furries! (Photo by . . . Elissa or Jere, I think?) OK, ghosts. We're gonna get all "Scooby Doo" on your ass! OK, everybody got that? His instructions are in Swedish, but I think it boils down to this: Aim your gun . . . . . . and blast the hell outta them ghosts! (Not sure who took this photo.) OK, all you Mystery Science Theater fans--sing along: "It's Joey the Lemur! The friend to mankind!" "I don't know about you, but this yellow stuff is getting me really high!" "Yes, you can walk under me, but be advised that I eat a rather high-fiber diet. You have been warned!" "Look into my eyez-z-z-z-z . . . you are in my power . . . you will accept me as your sovereign leader . . . understand?" It was a bit of a walk to the creepy boat ride. SNAKE! MONKEY! OH MY GOD! This boat ride would make a pretty good haunt. It's already kind of spooky. And the unstable boats add an extra thrill. There's a walk-through habitat full of critters, such as this white-headed saki. ( That's this animal's name according to the park's website). Looks like it's feeding time. "How about feeding me, pal? Just stick you hand down here." "OK, where's that lady with the food?" "I'm out here. Please don't try to tear my arm off this time." I think one orangutan is about to mug another orangutan. Meanwhile, back at Lightning, this bird seems oblivious to the peril it's in. "OH CRAP!" You'll be happy to know that the bird escaped unharmed. "Oh boy! Sticks and leaves! We camels love sticks and leaves!" "Hey, big boy, once you go camel you don't ever want to go back. Get me?" As I said earlier, "Furuvik" means "pine bay." "Yeehaw! Yahoo! And other such cowboy nonsense!" Thanks for a fun day, Furuvik. We hit this somewhat frightening single-rail alpine coaster on the way back to Stockholm. (Photo by Elissa.)

So, basically May 30th was a complete travel day...boy is that drive to Atlanta, even starting in Williamsburg instead of Delaware, brutal. The next day, I headed out for my first trip to.... Fun Spot America Atlanta - Wednesday, May 30th Now, I've been to the two Fun Spots in Florida, so I kinda knew what to expect...but I did not expect this. Wow...yeah. Anyway, my first ride here was Hurricane, their Miler. Its a coaster, and that's all that can really be said about it. This was about the closest I've come to feeling like I was going to die on a ride in a long time, and not in a good way. 1/10. Here are some more pictures of the grounds.... Three things a normal person never expects to see on the same sign... Their "arcade" was something else. First, a long open area with a few ticket-producing games. Which opens into a bigger area with some more ticket-producing games... Complimented by some 1990s-era true video games. Including Sega's F355 Challenge Deluxe (one of the few arcade games to actually provide a clutch pedal and full 6-speed H-pattern shifter) and the always awesome Super GT. Of course, I had to drop a few bucks here. The arcade also featured this.... So you know how in a walk-through fun house attraction, there's usually a stationary platform where you walk down a rotating cylinder around you, intending to provide a physical prop gag to affect your balance? That was literally all this was - just the tunnel. For 50 cents. I never LOL'd so hard. Was this part of a larger fun house at some point? Seriously...like I cannot believe that this was an attraction at a permanently standing amusement park. Pure hilairty. Some more of the park's "ambiance:" Anyone know what used to be under here? Guessing just picnic tables. No, that very unsafe looking Skycoaster was not operational and did not appear to have been for quite some time. Seriously, what did this artificial rock formation use to be? But now, onto the reason that anyone would ever travel to this park from a distance: Aire Force One! Okay, stupidity of the name aside, I actually think the queue and ride itself were quite well themed. How did it ride? ABSOLUTELY BONKERS! I rode in both the back and front row (both walks ons), and then went around for a few more laps of each, but holy shit is this ride absolutely insane, and has ZERO business being in a park this shitty. I do have to agree with what everyone else has said about the slam into the final brakes and the final bunny hops, but still a great ride and not too rough on your thighs to be non-re-rideable. 9/10. Oh, and I also rode their kiddie coaster too. I also took a lap on the Samson go-kart track here, which had an awesome layout and underpowered cars (much like their Florida counterparts). When I say I did "a lap," I mean literally that - there was no one else on it, and go-karts are weird by yourself. But yeah, AFO is absolutely nuts. Is it worth a trip to this park if you're not going to be in the area anyway? Not really...but ride it while you can since I have no idea how this park survives. Anyway, after the park, I swung by Vortex Midtown Atlanta, and the ambiance was awesome as always, but the food was kinda meh. I was also super disappointed that they got rid of the other signature-glass cocktail in addition to the Skull Crusher; I was planning on trying one. After that, I met up with my good friend Jessica who I've known for over 20 years (and wow does it hurt being able to say that), and we went out and hit the town in Athens. I don't remember the names of the bars we went to, but it was an awesome little town, totally accepting, and even had rainbow-painted crosswalks walks (not expecting to see that in Georgia). I think next time I'm down in the area this is where I'm going to try to get a hotel. I leave this part of the TR off with a photo of me and Jess (me on the left), taken from some rooftop bar: Next up: Lake Winnepesaukah!

I was SO glad I wouldn't let them talk me into all getting into ONE boat. we for sure would have died. and that poor family in the back. .they were trying so hard not to be embarrassed for us, as we were all laughing like loons and trying not to tip over.

Ha, ha.......just like I noted on FB in the pic before the drop on the tower you totally look like you just shit yourself and are trying not to let on. Proud of you for doing it though!! They must have just been honoring Ferris because he was American and his original wheel debuted at the Chicago World's Fair in the 1890's. Maybe of Danish descent? If I remember correctly he didn't get fully compensated for the wheel and was involved in a lengthy court litigation and I think died prematurely. It wasn't a happy ending.

Awesome, thanks for the info. I don't know what it is, but I've always been curious about "mystery abandoned stuff" at amusement parks. I remember being like 10 years old and going to Action Park with my parents, always looking off to the left on the ski-lift for the Alpine Slide and seeing something that looked like the remnants of a log flume in the woods trying to figure out what it was haha.

that building - WAY back when - used to be the roof for the carousel. back when I visited this Fun Spot - in 2018 with TPR (!) - that space was blocked off and being used to store Go Karts (that were not being used). as to that rock formation? that used to be part of the GORGEOUS Mini-Golf that Fun Spot used to have and ripped out for Aire Force One - yet oddly, seem to have left many of the gold course lights there! yeah. . that tracks with how fucked up ambiance Fun Spots tend to have.

Hawk and Doug had split off to find food, and Big Mike was wandering, so I headed down to 3 where there was a lecture about LGBTQ (didn't stay to listen to it, but there were some exhibits on the topic sprinkled around this floor. the exhibits on floor 1 are exhibitions from the artist: Annette Messager - called "Desirs desordonnes" (Disordered desires) creepy! in the trip chat, some of the others had posted not to miss the basement because it was very strange (I think perhaps that was Andy or Steve). . and I had thought they were talking about this exhibit, which was rather Fv@ked up. . . imagine my surprise when I went down to the zero level for a winding batch of rooms in a Permanent Installation that would give Meow Wolf a run for it's money! very retro room. . a fully stocked dorm/apartment. . . complete with a stocked mini-mart and down another hallway, this creepy very Japanese room. . that had a perpetual rainstorm going on. . .complete with lightning, rain falling on the windows, and dripping water into buckets. So freaking cool. and an endless stairwell. . .reflecting into infinity. another retro room.. . complete with accessories one could interact with. and a room that just had a giant, glowing, vibrator in the center of it. which, honestly, was a bit mesmerizing! a quick perusal of the gift shop. . where I picked up this magnet: and then we were on our way. I stopped and asked a guard the directions to Aarhus Domkirke (the well known Cathedral), and she assured us it's an easy walk, up some of the beautiful canals. . . so with her directions, big Mike and I headed out on foot to check out the Cathedral (and the close to it Viking Museum, and Museum of Gender - if either were still open). to her credit, it WAS a lovely walk. . and past the university and entertainment area. . . so lots and lots of folks out and about (we even passed Doug & Hawk eating in a cafe and said hello as we walked by) so many interesting stores here! ' is it a clothing store? or a shoe store? or a nudist colony money laundering front? I'm confused! around the corner was the Cathedral. . . it really is beautiful. . especially in the late afternoon. didn't stick around to take too many pics of this statue, as behind it, there were probably 5 guys pissing on those trees. so . . yeah. . .kept to this side of the statue a look around the "square" where the Cathedral is in the center. . I thought this was the Viking Museum. . . sadly was closed (they closed at 6 I think).. but looking at the pics, perhaps it's a theater? they seem to be advertising some shows (King Lear) the Gender Studies museum was also closed. . but they had this interactive display out front encouraging you to see if you fit in the gender shape. for "Male". . check! for Female: Also "Check". . if I tuck shame they were closed, but we decided to wander up the side streets to the port area, and just enjoy the scenery. Charlie Brown in Lucy's dress. . . awesome! a big building by the port. . perhaps an amphitheater for music/shows? and I had seen this graffiti on flyers around town. . . so I think it might be a well known one (or artist). . but it was kinda neat, so snapped a pic of it. and at this point, my feet were hurting. . so I said to Big Mike, "I'm gonna flag down a cab, and cab it back to the hotel". . . so we did, and had a nice driver who told us all about the city while taking us back to the zleep in. . . where I crashed hard from a full day. but was excited, as tomorrow was Djurs Sommerland. . . a park I had very much been looking forwards to. I was worried I wouldn't be able to sleep due to the excitement, but I was out immediately (and probably kept AJ up with snoring, since I was so exhausted). hope you've enjoyed this update!

Day 7, June 9th part 2 (of 3): afternoon/evening: How about some Culture? the group I had ended up closing out Tivoli Friedhen with wasn't he only group that also wanted to check out some of the stuff in Aarhus - in particular the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum (which was open until 9pm). but i think we might be the only group that looked at a map, said "nope, that's too far to walk" and Uber-ed it not exactly sure what this building was across the street from the museum, but I thought the architecture was interesting, and so snapped a couple of pics. here is the main entrance to ARoS. . . with a glimpse of the permanent installation on the roof, that made this a "must stop" when I was in town: "Your Rainbow Panorama" by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. once up the long steps into the main entrance to the museum, one is greeted by this stunning circular staircase - very reminiscent of the Guggenheim in Manhattan. I didn't check, but would venture a guess that this museum is by the same designer. In addition to the "rainbow bridge" installation, what sold the museum for me, was this special exhibit that took the entire 5th floor. basically Propaganda Images as seen thru the lens of Pop Art. as a huge fan of Pop Art, I was very excited for this (and as a comics fan, seeing characters I know in the art is a huge burst of excitement). but first we were headed to the roof (at the recommendation of the security guard by the elevator, who VERY RIGHTLY pointed out that the "Your Rainbow Panorama" gets very humid as it absorbs the sun, so do that one first and then enjoy the rest of the cooler museum. up on the top floor, this installation is very, very cool. it's a 150 metre long circular walkway that gives fantastic views of the city, thru panels that are shaded in the colors of the rainbow. looking out thru the one clear panel, at the walkway around the roof. this is construction for a new wing of the museum. . I believe they said it's going to be a planetarium. this pic is courtesy of Andy - who had walked to the museum with his group and was out on the roof itself taking pictures of the city and the port. He saw me in the exhibit and waved and took a pic it really was rather hot in the artwork, so I stepped down to the roof, proper, to get some pics of the city. and some birds, just hanging out. it really is a lovely city. . with lots and lots of really neat architecture. I really love how with the correct angle of the sun, the rainbow from the installation shows up on the surrounding buildings. floor 10 done, we went to Floor 8, for the "Human Nature" works from the museum collection: very very interesting. . a tree made from leaves pressed between panes of glass then hung as a mobile. that this neon is in a museum made me giggle. . .I think most everyone snapped a pic of this. we then headed down to floor 6, titled "Far From Home II" more works from the museum collection - including the piece that the museum is most well known for: Boy - by Australian artist Ron Mueck this is a huge, and VERY realistic sculpture, and has an entire space (mirrored) in the gallery to itself. down on this floor was more my type of "pop art" stuff, and I started taking more pictures - tho not as many as I'd take of the actual Propoganda as Pop Art on level 5 regardless, I didn't understand this one at all. . but I found it beautiful and disturbing at the same time. and I just adored this 5 pic sculpture progression of "Melt" they even had one piece of Proper "Pop Art" on display up here, using Jack Kirby Panels from Captain America. not quite as successful as what Lichetenstein was doing with the comic panels. . but I do like it. . . then going down to the main Exhibit I was interested in, the very first thing greeted by is a huge canvas titled "Fucky-Strike Bureau of propoganda". .and I already knew I was gonna love this exhibit, and spend more time here than Doug, Hawk, or Big Mike cared to (I was correct. . eventually Doug and Hawk split off to get food and Big Mike hung in there with me to finish the museum and do a few other things). this multimedia piece against stark walls, in a dead end - was very much like watching a classic Nine Inch Nails video. fantastic. . as a temporary exhibition they didn't really have any magnets avail with these (only some prints). lucky me, as I saved a ton of $$. (no wall space for prints unless I simply MUST have them. . and was able to pass on these, as much a I loved some of them) hey. . I recognize that Chipmunk with Santa! seriously. . all of these are just amazing. (and full of easter eggs for a comic book/ comic strip nerd like myself) this was one of my favorite pieces, mixing war with the Kama Sutra. . . I have the original pic, but for sharing here, I've edited. HUGE multi panel mural. . featuring many comic book character likenesses blended in I'll say again. . luckily I dont' have much wall space (and wasn't gonna spend a bunch of $$ on prints to schlep around for the rest of the trip). . so I just enjoyed here and took lots of pics heavy R. Crumb influence/borrowing in these. . . even the Powerpuff Girls showed up! to be concluded. . .

Day 7, June 9th part 1: Tivoli Friheden. getting up early, I took advantage of the nearby Starbucks machine in the gas station and walked over to get coffee, snapping a pic of the front of our hotel. (it looks like an office building outside too. . . . I liked it, very no frills, but comfortable) ok.. NOW I'm ready for the day. I was psyching myself up. why? you'll see. very quiet in the morning in Arhus . . with a lovely church closeby - tho the one time I tried to go take some pics of it, as Big Mike and I got closer to it, we discovered that there was a Casket being unloaded and seemed tacky to take pics during a funeral. (I think I might have some closer shots of it on another day tho). walking back to the Hotel, to get ready for the bus this morning. . we were headed to a smaller park today, Tivoli Friheden, in Arhus Denmark. the "big" reason we were coming here? that tower in the background of the prior pic, and this one below. the last operating SCAD tower in the world. SCAD = Suspended Catch Air Device Tower. and I'm terrified of Heights. yeah. hence the need for coffee this morning. for a smaller park, they do have a lot of rides, tho other than the SCAD tower, nothing really "extreme". . more family thrill stuff. very cute logo tho. Us, along with some school kids (I think?) got entry early and we headed directly for the tower. passing a very nice two tier carousel and a decent ferris wheel. for some reason the Pizza place (called PIT.sa - yeah. .I dunno, but it works, LOL) had Carousel Horses on it's sign. Wasn't super crowded when we went there to eat lunch later. A surprise, as the park was full of school kids. but it made for a nice quiet meal later. Standing at the base of the tower, I started to have some doubts. not everyone was going to ride it.. so there was no shame in backing out. But I had PROMISED myself that I was going to do things I'd be scared to do. My spouse dying suddenly showed me life is short, and there are no guarantees. . so I was determined to ride it - if I could. you see, they have a weight limit - minimum AND a maximum. and they put you on a scale to make sure you fall in that range. I had an out if I was too heavy. . but I actually was a good amount below the top weight. . so I was gonna force myself. tho probably shouldn't have watched the first couple of folks go. . . . when it was my turn, we got suited up - complete with a hard "shell" attached to our backs. here's Steve and I. . . yeah. . look how "confident" I am. (think these pics are courtesy of AJ ?) then they put you into a tiny elevator, and bring you all the way up to the top. here's Jon watching us up there.. he stayed on the ground. smart man. thanks to Elissa (this video) and Robb (the next video). . . my turn is documented from the bottom of the tower, and the top. yes. . I'm quiet. I honestly, was too terrified to scream. I think some folks lost money, if they bet I was gonna be loud. VNSD3606.MOV GEGI8065.MOV but I did it.. my legs were shaky, but I managed to "gracefully" get out of the net at the bottom. and was shocked that I did it. and then immediately broke down crying the moment I had all the gear off. . . . yeah. but I DID it! once i got myself all composed again? I rewarded myself with Ice Cream while watching everyone else who wanted to go, take a turn (the elevator only carries 5-6 people at a time, so it was small groups). and then we were given lunch vouchers, and let loose to do what we wished in the park. as not a huge park, with no really extreme coasters, it was an excellent opportunity to spend just half a day here, and then take in some local sights/museums. . as there are lovely canals and architecture here in the city. this is one of the 3 coasters in the park: Tyfonen - a spinning wild mouse. (or is it called Spiseriet ? I didn't see the Tyfonen naming on the outside of this ride) (the park used to have a Suspended looping coaster - extreme - but after some injuries / deaths, the park removed it last year. . tho the ride pad is still there, now with some "jumping" playground stuff there. and they did just announce a decent sized new coaster will be coming in 2024. . I'd assume in that spot) Here's Jonathan, myself and Ian after we finished spinning. . pic, I think, courtesy of Jon? you are EVIL. . I did you once. . never again. . . . well. . not in the same way, I guess. . . Somehow I didn't get a pic of the outside of this ride, but it just cracked me up. at one point it clearly was a haunted house ride thru. then they apparently decided to make it like Resident Evil with Zombies among the haunted house. . oh, and make it a shooting ride. in 3D - which didn't work that well (think un-maintained Six Flags Level). I mean, if you're going to SHOOT, might as well be fully immersive and make the riders cops. well. . we can slap "Police" on the side of the ride vehicle.. that makes it fully immersive, right? it was so hysterically awful. . with the vast majority of the 4 3D screens being blurry messes, even with the glasses on - that made everything else so dark, so the remaining practical effects that were NOT part of the shooting became really hard to see. and for some reason the "scorboard" at the load station, not at the exit. very pointless. . but funny to ride (once) for the "what the F did I just ride?" quality. I mean. . look at the front of that vehicle. It's a POLICE CAR, I tell ya!!! this is another of the rides I forced myself to get on. . I was terrified of it, and this is really the only other "thrill ride" in the park. heck..it's in the park logo, showing it going almost upside-down with free spinning seats. But I took a deep breath and got on it. and it ran a SUPER gentle program. these pics are really as high as it went, and the seats did not free spin (I asked the op about it when he was uncuffing us, and he said the seats hadn't flipped in a while, they stopped doing that). I have to wonder if it ran a more gentle program because of all the kids here today for the school event? so I rode it, but then was a little embarrassed I had been afraid of it. they also have a smallish drop tower next door. . but I skipped that, having had enough "freefall" today. a low to the ground air-race (not Zamperla tho). . got some of the TPR folks excited. . and David (and Jonathan) had the kids in awe by how much flipping they got during their cycle. . . tho if I recall, the operator cut the cycle a little short to protect the record that someone had on the flips for the year. and yes... with only 3 coasters, I rode all 3. here's Dragen - the park's wacky worm. . that went around, I think, five times? All I recall is the transitions weren't super smooth and I was ready for it to stop, and we kept going!! something that got repeated on the park's 3rd coaster: Bisværmen (Bee Swarm) - a spinning coaster. look at me. .all smiles. Happy we're riding a spinning coaster BEFORE we eat lunch. not super intense..but it spun, a LOT. and we were unbalanced, because of the two kids on the back of our car. who BEGGED the operator to send us thru on another cycle (after it had gone around 4 times in the 1st cycle). . so she did. yeah. .8 laps was a lot of spinning. but was fun, I'll admit. even tho we knew we were having Pizza Buffets at the next two parks.. . the Pizza place really did look to be the best choice - it was quiet, and the food looked decent. so here was lunch: complete with yet another of the same scary clown. I guess he must be a famous "clown type" in Denmark. at least he was in Black and White and not with a blood red mouth this time! right next to the Pizza place was the Ferris Wheel. . so that seemed to be a good place to go next - a calm ride. with an animatronic George Ferris in the queue. do I know why? no, I don't. Was George Ferris Danish? Myself, Hawk, Doug, and Big Mike riding the wheel wait wait wait.. .what is that coming off the tower?? is that a zip line??? Oh, HELL no. but it doesn't LOOK like a zip-line. . it looks like they are riding a bike? and it spins as it goes up? hmmmmmmmm and oh. . look how close we are to the Carousel! I know what I'm doing next overlooking more of the park. . there's a whole other section (more park, with only some smaller rides) on the left - that my pic of came out blurry) I was proud of myself for waiting, but now it was time for carousel. and as I got closer to it, I saw it really was an older carousel that was very well maintained, rather than a newer version with plastic figures. there were no other takers - you can see the operator just hanging out on the horse. he was amused the grown men wanted to ride. of course, we headed upstairs to the upper deck where Hawk and Doug rode in a suspended "balloon" over the lower deck and myself and Big Mike rode in Separate "tubs" some really nice design work up here. . even if the color palate was a bit ugly (too much repainting, I think) but as usual. . in my happy place. and I got to be a 4 year old, giggling at how the flower above me looks kinda like a butt-hole. tee-hee I have ZERO memory of this. . but apparently Tivoli Friheden has a shooting "theater" type attraction and Big Mike won, and was "Legendary!" from our die on "Neon Ninja" I was only "Awesome!" this I DO recall.. it was an "Illusions" house, that also was a fun house. not as good as the ship themed one at Bakken (or the one that tried to kill me later at Grona Lund). . but I liked it. remember that "Zip Line" thing that was attached to the SCAD Tower? well, it turned out it was an upcharge (something insane like only $3.50 per ticket) to ride this spinning "bike" thing up to the top of the tower. you had to have two people to ride, so Hawk volunteered to go with me, and I again - fear of heights and all - headed back up to the top of the tower. here we are looking all Motorcycle-y badass as we're about to launch into space and by "launch". . I mean, slowly get pulleyed up to the top of the tower. they dont' wanna take ANY chances on things (or you) falling off the "bike". . so well secured with belts and chains (oh Daddy!) and NO loose articles allowed. I'm King of the World, Hawk!!!! whee.. . ' tho fear of heights, I really wasn't scared here, because we were so well secured in. in this pic you get a good view of the tiny elevator they bring you to the top of the SCAD tower in. and then I discovered we could spin via the "steering wheel" yeah, we still look like we're sitting on a flying toilet, but at least it made it a bit more fun. whee! after the fun, a few folks wanted to ride the swings, and Big Mike wanted to do bumper cars. I just wanted to sit.. so plopped down for a cycle on "Bench: the Ride" and took some pics of them enjoying. love the look this woman shoots Big Mike when she realizes she's got an American driver right behind her. . .LOL and he's pretty aggressive in the bumper cars.. . going after folks to ram them! oh. .I have to *thank* Big Mike for these pics of me from the Funhouse. whee. . . .? (THIS one is a posed pic. . I wasn't about to go down this damn slide after falling in the barrel) enough rides we decided to head over to the "garden" side of the park. there are a lot of "questionable" art installations over here, and the park was really starting to get crowded as it got into the afternoon. (turns out there's a weekly concert at the park, and they have been getting really big crowds for each concert). I asked who was playing, and was told just someone local, but everyone comes out to enjoy the music and fill the park. one of those art installations: some of the stages set up for the concert (and a playground in the back) a kiddie bumper cars is over here as is a kiddie plane ride. and further back is a lake with swan boats. and oh. . and obstacle course - which didn't open until the afternoon, so I think most of the TPR folks who love this kind of thing, missed it, as it was closed earlier. it's a pretty long course too. . as you can see here, it goes over the lake on rope bridges. it was open. . there's a kid on the platform up top (just behind the grey support on the left) and here's one of the bands that was playing. .they sounded pretty good from what we heard. really loved these deco light fixtures. . after checking the times of the Museum in downtown - and really was excited and wanted to go by the museum tonight - I believe we headed out from Tivoli Friheden around 3:30 pm. . as more and more people poured into the park. a look at the bike parking, as we went around the corner to the Taxi/Lyft/Uber stand.. yah. .was getting busy. and with that, we grabbed an Uber, and headed to the Arhus Museum to check it out, as they were open for a few hours still. to be continued. . .