Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 09/15/2021 in all areas

  1. Shame that you found prowler to be so rough. Surprising to hear that since I found the ride to be running the best it has been since it opened the last two seasons. It has ran incredibly fast and the track work in the helix, drop, and a few other spots really helped the ride become more re-ridable. I never found the ride to be rough, but it certainly had days where it had this annoying vibration. But it's been many season's since I've had that experience. I agree on Timberwolf though. It's gone from one of the most uncomfortable wooden coasters in the region to one of the smoothest in the span of just a few years. Yes, the trims are annoying. Yes, I do miss the super aggressive airtime it used to have (at least it still has that one hill after the "new" turn). But, it's been turned into something more people can actually enjoy. If it weren't for the height requirement, it would easily fulfil the family-thrill coaster gap in the park's coaster collection.
    2 points
  2. Interrupting this Trip Report to show that the science works. . .as does Masking up and taking the damn Vaccine. around 42K people for ~6 days, and negative PCR result. yay science!
    2 points
  3. Starting off with pics of myself and friends, but I promise will get to the costume stuff. . and to SFOG so. . . after Covid killed off so many plans in 2020, Dragon*con 2021 was actually gonna happen. Dragon*con is a unique convention in that unlike bigger Conventions (like San Diego ComicCon), Dragon*con is "hosted" by 5 hotels in downtown Atlanta, + 4 levels of the Expo Center, 2 levels of the Merchandise Mart, and even takes over the Georgia Aquarium for one night. Because it is hosted by the hotels tho (utilizing multiple grand ballrooms, conference rooms, and event areas), unlike other conventions? Dragon*con runs 24 hours from start on Thursday at 10am until close on Monday at 4pm. That means that at 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am, etc. . there will be multiple things to do: panel, concert, drum circle, dance, rave, performance, anime/video rooms, etc. . . .something that isn't' true of other cons - where once the dealers room closes ~7pm? the con is done for the night unless you've made your own plans to do something away from the convention hall. In 2020, due to the unprecedented health crisis, the State of Georgia issued restrictions that forced cancellation of Dragon*con. DCon actually ignored the "all sales final and non-refundable" fine print, and offered roll-over or refund to those who had purchased badges in 2020. Absolutely not getting political here, but just stating fact, that because Governor Kemp in Georgia refused to issue any mandates as Delta began to surge? Dragon*con was gonna happen this year - even as multiple other conventions/concerts/events around the country started cancelling again. Without any legal shutdown mandate to point to? I believe that if DC did cancel, then likely insurance would not cover them. note: I don't know this, but I do believe it to be true. Anyways, so con was gonna happen. Precautions were put in place: Proof of Vaccine, or neg Covid test (within 72 hours), Masks required at all times in official con spaces (meaning all hotels, exhibitor/vendor hall, gaming halls), reduced capacity (con capped at ~42K instead of the over 85K from 2019), reduced room capacity (chairs spaced out, and only 2/3rds crowd allowed into concerts, dances, dealers room, etc). Less overnight programming (only a couple of things offered instead of many options). They also did not sell 1 day tickets this year, only Thurs/Fri or Sun/Mon. . so no Sat 1 day, which *greatly* would reduce crowding thruout the con on Saturday - which tends to be the day that all the locals swarm DC, due to the Parade Sat morning. I also knew that I have a lovely group of friends, most of them members of a group called "Digitribe" who every year set up the Digitribe Dungeon of Doom - a con-suite that's invite only, where I typically spend a portion of the con, relaxing, drinking, game playing with friends. This year, the head of the group asked that Digisuite be restricted to members only (no guests), and that everyone be vaccinated - meaning that masks could be less restrictive if in Digi. So that made me feel much safer, and I figured I'd be spending way more time in Digi than roaming around the con all hours of the night (as usual) with these precautions in place, and feeling safe enough? I took a deep breath and set off for Atlanta. --> I'm gonna cliff's notes over the horrific week/weekend prior to leaving on Wednesday - when we got a call from my Spouse's Oncologist telling us we needed to rush him to the hospital *NOW* and she had secured him a bed (which was very difficult to do with the hospitals overwhelmed with Covid patients). So he was in Hospital from Friday night until late Monday afternoon.. and was finally able to get him released (with Picc line and daily antibiotic infusiions for the next 8 weeks) on Monday evening. If we hadn't been able to get him out of the hospital? I would not have gone to Atlanta. . but since he was home? I felt ok to leave, and had multiple friends checking up on him while I was gone - as well as talking to him every day multiple times. So the 6 days prior to my leaving were a horror show that left us both stressed the hell out, and concerned, and I didn't' really pack until the day before I left. "Pack" is being kind. . really it was just throwing things into a suitcase, and I figured I'd make "outfits" out of what I ended up bringing. (it did work out OK tho). on Wed I had an early direct flight from Austin and my Spouse insisted on dropping me off at the airport. Really the plane was not full and no issues with Mask compliance at all. We made great time, and I got to Atlanta almost an hour before I had expected to, and before I knew it was off the MARTA and meeting my friends at the hotel (we always stay in a Host hotel. . makes the con so much more enjoyable). Every Year DC chooses a charity, and this year was Big Brothers/Big Sisters Atlanta. One of the events added this year for Charity was a "virtual marathon" where everyone who signed up and donated, would get a virtual runners bib, and an actual "trophy medallion" in the mail. It's a great cause, and a great idea, because with so many unable to attend (due to travel restrictions, or simply feeling unsafe in a crowd of 42K) quite a few folks were going to be experiencing the con thru the virtual streaming option. . and this gave them (and attendees as well) another way to participate. They only wanted 3500 steps tho.. LOL. .we did that the 1st day! we could create our own virtual bib. . so here's mine: Austin airport was dead: and before I knew it? was in Atlanta and in the MARTA on the way to Peachtree Plaza - where the Dragon*con Host Hotels are (Hyatt, Marriott Marquis, Hilton, Sheraton, Westin). Such an easy ride from the airport, and only cost $2.50 (vs an expensive cab ride) a quick check in at the front desk (and some schmoozing to get the "special" stuff we like to have. . a benefit of getting there on Tues or Wed before con? the desk clerks are not frazzled from dealing with so many demands and if you're nice to them (and tip them) you can get all kinds of bonus stuff that others don't end up with access to here's the view of the Hyatt Lobby looking up in the main atrium. . . kinda schmaltzy. . but really. . I took this pic, and felt. . "home" (I've been coming to DC since 1997) I quickly made my way up to the room and my friends Marce & Neal - that would be my home and family for the next 7 days and sent "proof of life" pic home to Nick: it was really early (I think maybe 11), so our first course of business was to head down to the mall (that's between all the hotels) and get some coffee from Caribou Coffee. There's a Starbucks across the street, but for Dragon*con? ONLY Caribou Coffee. .they have some amazing flavors on the menu, do special drinks just for Con, and best part? the owner is a big ol nerd, and each day of con there will be a nerdy trivia question that can save you 10cents off your coffee price..LOL. (on the 2nd day he handed me the ring and told me it was "so heavy" and could I carry it for him? Then he kept track of the answers, and I was one of only 6 that kept the ring for myself. . the others carried it to Mordor to toss in Mt. Doom. . LOL. . he showed me the results the next day) coffee secured, we headed back up to the room so I could unpack, relax, update them on what was going on with my spouse, and plan out the rest of the day. some errands had to be run to fix a phone card (since Marce and Neal are Canadian and she needed to go to a Tmobile store to activate something here in the US). And of course, we had the important need to go hit the Vortex for lunch (a tradition), and by coincidence (LOL) go to the Liquor Store and the Publix next door to stock up the room for the next 6 days. Marce brought along an empty Carryon with wheels - which was perfect for transporting way too much liquor back to the room. a hop on MARTA - 3 stops up at Midtown, and we were at the Vortex. another tradition.. the Phallus shrine. Rub on it for luck. (hey, there's a sign right there explaining it :P) I ignored Marce's advice, and went with what my belly was telling me and got my favorite: Hell's Fury (as described on the menu: Pepper jack cheese, Atomic Death Sauce, habanero relish, and a roasted jalapeƱo. Not for sissies. ) So good, but boy did it burn (going in and going out if ya know what I mean. . . :P) luckily the Acid Trip (a rum / blue curacao drink I love at the Vortex) helps calm the heat. liquor and snacks bought, we headed back to hotel to relax a bit until Marce reminded us there was a BSG (BattleStar Galactica) meetup at Trader Vics at 5:30. I'm not into that fandom, but I had friends who had been pinging me to see when I'd be in and if I'd be at Trader Vic's on Wed night. There was a big meet up from members of the Queerios Group there too, but I didn't want to eat, having just gotten stuffed at Vortex. . but we changed and headed over that way, and I messaged my friend David & Jesse that we were headed that way. we were on 22nd floor of International tower. . and on the way down, the elevator stopped at 10, and who gets on? David and Jesse. Just the kind of stuff that ALWAYS happens at DragonCon. here was are at Trader Vics and here's how "not crowded" it was on this night. . which is HIGHLY unusual. . this bar area is typically *packed* the night before con start. they had removed many of the tables, but didn't seem to be restricting entry. (tho the lack of tables kept people from standing around long, since not anyplace to put down your drink). Marce & Neal visited with the BSG group, and David and I talked. . but Jesse had disappeared. So I asked eventually where he had gone, and David said he had a group he was meeting on the 5th floor of the Hilton (Trader Vics is in the basement). . . so after a while, I said, let's go up and see if we can find him? so we headed up there and found a small group of nerd-ish guys hanging out. . which eventually turned into a group of about 40 guys, an organizer (she was very nice), and one very pretty goth girl. I whispered to David - it's like an Incel meeting! and it turned out? it was one of the DragonCon singles groups that were meeting up. . . BWAAAA-HAAAA-HAAAAAAA boy. . did *I* stand out among the introverts. I think I kinda maybe took control, and started talking to the goth girl (as guy after guy came over and awkwardly said hello to her). . . LOL. . I got an IM later thanking me for crashing the meetup and saving her from being bombarded by horny boys who didn't know how to express that they were horny. . . . eventually I decided I was tired (and pretty buzzed. . those Mai Tais at Trader Vic are strong), but swung by the atrium of the Hilton - which was themed to Stranger Things (I have pics later on coming up of that) - to see if the traditional "inflatable Dinosaur Dance Party" that happens in the Hilton on Wed night before the con really starts on Thurs was happening. Disappointingly, there was only 1 or two in the atrium. . but then I heard music, and followed it. . to find they had moved the party outside i guess to make it safer - even tho, yes, most of the participants are sealed within their own inflatable dinosaurs. LOL they were having a good time tho: and then it was time to go back to the room and crash hard. . . it was only ~10:30, but I'd been up since 3am. Tomorrow things would really start with the con, and we'd see how weird things were going to feel this year. to be continued. (with some costume pics coming if not in the next update, then soon after)
    1 point
  4. I've always wanted to go to Dragon Con, but the crowd size really puts me off. The biggest con I've been to so far was about 15k and that was... overwhelming. I might do a trip to Atlanta that just happens to be the same weekend as DC and go to the parade at least and then do other interesting things around the city. I'm not surprised by the number of Loki cosplays. They filmed part of the series at the Marriott Marquis, so it'd be hard to pass up the opportunity to cosplay Loki at that location. My favorite Loki from the con this year was the Delta Variant:
    1 point
  5. Honestly this might make the couple hour drive worth it for us. It's been hard to justify stopping and seeing just the water park or just the dry park since they both look pretty good, just not good enough to make a weekend trip out for essentially $700 for both of us with hotels/tickets to both. This would actually get it to about $500 overall which is cheap enough that I feel like I'm not getting completely ripped off. I'd much rather use that extra money saved for Fast Pass which is now an option as well and also a reasonable price. Overall I think this is great news and enough of an incentive to get me out for a trip finally at least.
    1 point
  6. Two operational changes have occurred. Nickelodeon Universe now state online that you can leave and re-enter throughout the day. I didn't see the same thing for the Dreamworks Water Park. Both Nickelodeon Universe and the Dreamworks Water Park now offer skip-the-line passes for $50.
    1 point
  7. Monster Stomp was a decent enough show (though I'm not really into the whole song and dance thing, they did have a cool "knife" segment. The bars seemed really nicely and heavily themed, though I only looked in from the outside. I didn't have anything to drink. The actors did a pretty good job, but I only found two of the four houses to be decently done set-wise. The fact that they don't do Conga Lines like Horror Nights does always give SEAS a step up in scare factor. Always a positive. I had high hopes for the Wild Arctic one but that ended up being the worst. The scare zones were very basic, but again, I think there are more scares at SeaWorld than say HHN. The makeup was pretty impressive in the scare zones too. Set-wise was very very eh. Not usually one to complain, but the night was a bit tainted and very frustrating by some of the guest services staff and the staff at the front of ALL the houses who were completely clueless on procedures that were told to us, so my group had some major ADA issues, but they did give us tickets for next year to try and make things right. They would have let us go again this year but we are no longer local and wouldn't have an opportunity to use the tickets. Hopefully nobody else has to go through what we went through. I understand it was their second day and have kinks to work out, but it was a complete shitshow and I feel bad for anyone who needed special accommodations. Overall I think Tampa is a much better value, but Seaworld was decent enough to warrant a visit. Just make sure you understand the cheese factor going into it and the fairly generic themes in the houses, and you will have a good time. Don't expect Horror Nights. A much more "budget-ty" haunt. Which is not surprising, lol.
    1 point
  8. "Our Very Few Hours at The PNE" We left the house, to take the bus to the (modified) PNE, around 1 pm. We ended up arriving back home just before 5. Most of the "front" (west end) of the PNE grounds weren't being used, which included the majority of buildings on site. This included both the Coliseum (where the Super Dogs would perform) and the Agrodome, where a lot of farming and horse competitions took place. The only building being used was The Barns, the livestock and farming stuff was on display (and bunnies and chicks, and bees makin' honey, etc.), and though they used just half of it for actual farming displays, the other half was given over to (what's known as) The Marketplace, usually in the Forum bldg. at the 'front' there. Performance stages were set up... a) Super Dogs show went outdoors to where the Music Festival shows happened; b) the usual stage was set up again in what was called the Revel District. Small bands... and the beloved "For The Love of Drag" shows happened. And yes the PNE has imported a "live" drag show during the Fair for several years, now. Good for them! and c) a tiny stage with two climbing poles was set up at the western end of this site, for a Logging Show going on a few times ever day. There was no access to the huge park within the Fair's grounds. Which meant people could still visit it w/o having to visit the PNE, at all. There was no intention to buy a ride pass since we knew Coaster wasn't going to be open, and why get into long, crowded queues for these rides? Rides which I already rode during the few visits Playland was open this summer. Add to that, they didn't bring Western Amusements to Playland, which added about 7-10 more rides. So, it was the same # of rides that Playland ran with. So we skipped Playland. David was for two things to see and do there: check out the Marketplace, and find our beloved RIBS that we've enjoyed every PNE. With the Marketplace, it was a literal walk-thru for us, and he said there was nothing really of interest for him, this visit. We found two BBQ setups available, right beside each other in Revel District.... Gator BBQ, and Prairies Smoke & Spice. Henry's Chicken was also beside them which had mouth watering chicken quarters and halves sizzling away. We skipped Henry's, went with both BBQs and I got us a couple of nice draught beers, available right there. And then we got down to (eating) it... Of the two, we liked Gator's the best. As we have in past years, lol. Prairies was still good, but Gator had an extra juiciness to the meat. BTW, we both got beef ribs, and corn bread, coleslaw, and beans split between our orders. It was too much food for us to finish there. So one rib each made it's way back home for enjoying later as a "snack." And after we ate and drank ..... we left. The Super Dogs show was happening, but it was totally crowded up to the top rows we could see. Actually, with the Fair size down-sized, it really felt just too crowded to stay in for a whole day. Which is honestly why we made it only a few hours' visit, instead of longer. Here's photos I took, randomly... Anywhere noted in colour was PNE grounds. The main park and grey bldgs. were "not this year." And Playland stayed the same size as it always does, without the extra rides brought in. <sighs> First and only corn dog at The Fair. Had to save myself for The Ribs. Nice to see them PR the Rideside Bar. We drank elsewhere, though. I took David through the "Happyland" walk-thru. You can sit on this burger's lettuce! Stickers used to be handed out. But they ran out of them. Go figure. I am worrying that I may catch this sticker craze. But I didn't. Yet. I still liked this area, which looks even better at night. Back and forth two-toned glitter? Was open, but everything pre-bagged. No fun not seeing the fudge on their usual trays. Where Super Dogs Show will take place in a couple of hours. PNE Night Music Festival shows usually here. In Revel District, "The Paper Boys" were playing. A lot of Cajun. Irish and good feeling music from them. Inside The Barns, was a part of the old Challenger Map. I posted this bigger, for ease to read all that stuff. Another Map portion on display. Not sure why this was also there, But you could get closer to it, walk around it, etc. The Marketplace, in The Barns. Didn't feel the same way as it's usual spot (Forum Bldg). So, we skipped thru it. Wouldn't it be nice for ALL Stroller Areas to be this ....um...... minimal? Just sayin'. Noted. And shouldn't all ponies have a bit of glitz on their behinds? A nice person took my camera, and took this of us. Thanks whoever you were! Heading back to where the Ribs are, passing the Logging Show stage and it's poles. I bought from this one. Beef ribs with corn bread and beans. Under $30 Cdn. David at the cashier (blue shirt) ordering his Ribs. With colseslaw and cornbread. Also roughly under $30 Cdn. This was the remaining ribs, one from each BBQ place. Took 'em home with extra beans and slaw. Finished everything up that evening. One more listen to "the Paper Boys" .... and then we headed home. Fini.
    1 point
  9. The cheapest I found as a passholder was $41 on the non peak nights. So you can save about $10 per ticket if you buy two on Groupon. Comes out to $31.20 per ticket with the discount and no service fees.
    1 point
  10. I have not made it to Glenwood Caverns so I am unsure on the exact operation or design of the ride. But I am reminded of Soarin at Disney since it also only has a seat belt. What they do for smaller individuals is have a strap between the legs which you put the seatbelt through. Adults just ignore the strap since it is not needed. That would likely prevent a smaller individual from sliding downward or squirming out. Having said that no one should ever be forced onto a ride. I have no idea what the circumstances behind what happened are. But if the rider did not want to be there they should not be on the ride. Restraints are not there to protect you from yourself, they are there to keep you safe from the normal operation of the ride. There are a lot of rides, mostly older but they were designed with the idea of personal responsibility in mind. PTC Buzz Bars for instance.
    1 point
  11. 1 point
  12. I can't believe didn't even think to grab a pic. . . sheesh. . sorry! there were way less costumes this year - I think because really no international attendees came (and they capped the attendance to a little less than 1/2 of usual). why are there so few costume pics I have this year? (tho I do have a bunch coming up). . two reasons: 1) I spent so much time in Digisuite I really only went out in the "general" areas for a swing thru in the evening (which is where I got most of my costumed pictures) & 2) as I told a friend who asked me why I hadn't really taken any pics on Wed/Thurs: "I don't need 40 Freaking pics of "Loki" (it seemed a lot of folks were at their 1st Dragon*con, and had an idea to dress up. . and didn't realize that "Loki" isn't all that unique at a larger con. . so there were a LOT of them. More Loki this year than Deadpool, Harley Quinn, and Jon the FedEx guy combined. . .and there were a LOT of those three as well.. . . LOL
    1 point
  13. Alright, Indiana Beach! So, I'm looking past the flying bobs out over the water, at the jetskis darting around the bigger boats. To one side, there's the bang of an old dark ride car coming through the crash doors, next to the skull that leers down at the midway, just beneath the multicolored chairlift... Wait, I'm supposed to be doing a TR on Indiana Beach, not going on about childhood memories of Rocky Point. I don't know how many people, if anyone, around this place remember Rocky Point Park, and given that they're both small parks, there probably isn't a big cross section of people who've been to both it and Indiana Beach, but Rocky Point was a small park in Warwick RI, the second oldest running amusement park in the US, until it closed in 1996 after the board of directors embezzled all of its money away. Rocky Point was one of the best parts of my childhood, it's almost solely responsible for my being such a fan of amusement parks, and I have so many memories of it. Indiana Beach ended up being something unexpectedly special for me because of how much it brought those memories back, more than any park I've been to since Rocky Point closed down. It looks so much the same, right on the water even if it's a lake instead of the ocean, they use the same simple old style park decor, even the same colors, it shares so many of the same rides, they run the rides the same way...Indiana Beach was like going back in a time a quarter of a century for me. But you're here for the photos and all. So, the day didn't start off looking like it was going to be particularly good that morning. In fact, the day didn't start out looking like I was going to even make it to an amusement park at all. I was seriously doubting my GPS right up until I saw the entrance to the park. If you've been to Indiana Beach, you probably know what I mean; if not, well... Thiiiiiis is what it looks like 30 miles from the park. Oh look, corn. ...And 20 miles from the park... ...and ten miles from the park... ...Five miles from the park, and we still have corn... And this is less than a mile from the park. I don't know about you but I was growing a bit concerned at this point. Just beyond those trees in the distance though, it turns out Indiana is hiding a lovely lakeside resort area. Huh. Unfortunately a fair number of rides weren't running that day, including the park's biggest coaster, and their flyers. A bit disappointing. The entrance to the park is picturesque, though, nearly cinematic with how it appears from nowhere, in the middle of these fields... ...and over a big, swinging and bouncing suspension bridge. The park isn't quite on an island, connected to the rest of the shore at the far end, but you could be forgiven for missing that from here, and this is quite a way to head to the main gate. I'd gotten an early start and got through the gate while most of the park was still waking up; the skyride wasn't running yet. It might have been nice to get the layout of the park from the air before anything else, but there would be time for this later. Like so much else at this park, the multicolored, open air chairlift style ride across the midway immediately brought back memories for me. As did the Flying Bobs down near the water. I always love these rides but this was on the "not running" list for the day. Too bad. The ferris wheel did run, but not quite yet. I forgot to get back to it later, and wish I had; it probably would have been a nice view down by the water. Not even down the entrance ramp into the park itself and they're already trying to make me hungry. Apparently these "pronto pups" aren't actually corn dogs but a sort of pancake battered dog that predates normal corn dogs? Meant to try them but didn't. Only a few people in the park so far, and the first rides just starting up along the midway. I've never seen a view quite like this at a park before; it's not quite like any boardwalk I've been to; halfway between the craziness of most of them and the more laid back classic feel of, dare I go as far as say Knoebels? I noticed a few little projects like this, with new bricks and materials going in, scattered around the park. From what I've heard the park's previous owners didn't take particularly good care of it, but the current one seems to be putting some work into getting things back in shape. Some parts of it still look a little dingy now, though not terribly so, but I'm curious to see how it'll look in a year or two now. No Wave Swinger at this park, but a classic Chance Yo-Yo instead. I don't know if I can really say I like the Yo-Yo better, but it's comparatively rare enough to be much more exciting to see one. Also one of the first "adult" rides I ever got on at Rocky Point... This one hadn't opened yet but would soon. Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain was running, and I could barely stop myself from sprinting to it. It had been ages since I'd seen the first pictures and video of that bizarre coaster, and it felt sort of surreal that I was actually going to get on it, especially after hearing about IB's "closing forever." Pretty much everyone already in the park was in line here, and with the coaster's rather pitiful capacity it was a good 45 minute wait. I didn't really mind, given that it was the last 45 minutes of a decade plus long wait. The skyride started up while I was waiting here. I was going to have to get that view of the park at some point! Almost there! So, Lost Coaster of Superstition mountain is...it's really difficult to think of a word other than "unique." The hydraulic vertical lift is definitely not something I've seen before. Neither are the cars, which are a bit cramped but reasonably comfortable, even riding backwards like I ended up. The ride is deceptive though; it's not big and it doesn't hit any real high speeds but it feels a lot faster riding it. The twisty, bumpy course throws you around quite a lot as it winds around and inside the mountain, especially when you can't see the elements coming, but it's not harsh and no overly restrictive restraints to bounce off of, so the constant bounces and twists manage to be more fun than they look from off ride, without being rough on riders. The theming inside the mountain isn't exactly Thunder Mountain, but it's enough to be fun, and give the ride at least a bit of an (admittedly mostly incomprehensible) story. It's not something I could call a must ride, but it's definitely a step above your average small coaster or wild mouse, and there's really nothing else like it that I'm aware of. Different enough that I wasn't disappointed after waiting so long to get on it, at least! Most of the rides down the midway still hadn't started up yet. But the antique cars had, and there wasn't much of a wait, so why not? These have an interesting layout with quite a lot of track packed into a very small area, twisting over itself something like three times. I can't imagine fitting more track into one little plot than they did. Unfortunately it only had something like three cars on the track, with most of the rest half-disassembled to server as "scenery." Not too much of a problem today but hopefully in a better year they can have more running. The "road" sneaks in under Lost Coaster, then runs alongside Cornball Express. Taco Time? It was still barely past breakfast time, but...that doesn't mean it can't be taco time...made a note to stop for one as soon as I got off the cars. Up close to Cornball Express here. I did stop by the taco stand but decided on just grabbing a travelling taco for a quick stack and to compare to Knoebels version (basically the same thing). Quite a few of the flats are built on platforms out over the water. I wanted to see if that made them feel any different, but they were mostly scheduled to open at 2. Cornball Express was supposed to be running, but wasn't yet...wait, no... First train of the day. I was going to have to head over that way soon. But since I was right here and the Scrambler had just started running, it wasn't going to hurt to make time for it. This one didn't run as fast as the Scarecrow Scrambler at Holiday World, but the breeze off the lake made for a wonderfully relaxing ride, and it seemed to run forever. Despite not being one of the faster ones I've been on, I think this has to be one of my favorites just for location. Being over the water does make a different, it turns out. The shooting gallery built into the bottom of Dr Frankenstein's Haunted Castle shares its theme but looks a tiny bit out of place on the colorful midway. There's also an arcade underneath the castle with...Bump N Jump and Mr. Do? Okay, as if I hadn't already been getting "back in time" vibes from this park... For some reason my camera managed to make it look like this one wasn't working, but it was; everything in the arcade appeared to be despite its age. I'll take this stuff over a Six Flags redemption arcade any day! Dr Frankenstein looking down on the midway. Rats! I assumed this meant I could expect my ankles to be tickled somewhere in the castle... The Haunted Castle itself is really something spectacular though. It's a slight upcharge, a few dollars to get in, but it's absolutely worth it, and I can't encourage anyone who gets to Indiana Beach enough to make sure they do this. It's an old style walk through dark attraction but it's kept up very well with all the props and scenes in good shape as far as I could tell, and it goes on absolutely forever, using up every bit of three stories of an expansive building. I didn't take pictures inside since I wasn't sure it was allowed, and I wouldn't want to ruin some of the surprises anyway, but there are some great ones, including a room of doors that I got lost in for an embarrassingly long time. In my defense, there's more to getting out of it than just checking all the doors...the actual exit is even better hidden. Eventually there's sunlight ahead... But you come out up here, a couple stories above the midway and looking down on Sea Dragon, with nowhere to go but back into the maze, where it winds on for quite a while longer somehow. Okay, I did take one picture; this area inside the tower was bright enough to get a shot without needing to use a flash, and silly enough that I had to get a picture of it. It really is a surprisingly big attraction, absolutely worth the extra cost. Out back here, Air Crow. Probably not as good as the Knoebels flyers but I imagine if you catch a good breeze off the lake you can get a good ride on this one if they run at any decent speed. Not going to find out today though. Everything is packed in wherever they can fit it at Indiana Beach. Kiddieland is stuck in underneath the coasters here. And Tig'rr is on top of a restaurant. I'd never been on a classic Jet Star before; it looked like a slightly bigger version of the Flitzer that had been at Morey's Piers until recently, but it's a far more intense ride, and there were no brakes at all on this one. It doesn't look like much but that first banked turn feels more like Intimidator 305 than a family coaster! Definitely a deceptive ride, and one I hope stays at the park for a long time, old or not. ...Also, unlike Flitzer, you don't need three separate harnesses to mummify you into the cars; there's practically nothing for restraints at all, which for this kind of ride is far more comfortable. I would not have wanted to have to evac from this one though. That is one very sketchy walkway. Maybe at least fix the completely missing boards, IB? Turning around from Tig'rr, you take the stairs right up into the mess of structure of the two coasters above to get to Cornball Express' station. Which I apparently failed to take any pictures of. Cornball Express is a pretty middling coaster though. It seems a little unsure of what it wants to do with itself; there's a bit of airtime, a few laterals, some modest speed, but it doesn't really do anything well enough to really stand out, and it's definitely on the rougher side ; probably the roughest coaster of my week that wasn't at Six Flags St Louis. Not unrideable, but not great either. Hoosier Hurricane at least looked like it might be better, but wasn't running. This tiny kiddie ferris wheel stuck right under the coaster where it barely fit in got a laugh out of me. Anywhere they can fit things at this park. Fascination wasn't open, but I don't think I would have wanted to spend much time there alone anyway. Besides, I was going to Knoebels not long after this, with friends, so... Pretty standard flume, out and back with a bit of twisting on the way and a middling drop. An average log flume is still a good ride in my book though! Could have done without the chewed-gum covered tunnel though. There's a food stand offering all sorts of take-a-year-off-your-life treats nearby, but the prices are a bit much. I had to go for one anyway, of course. I hoped for $7 this would be at least a king size snickers; it wasn't, just an ordinary size candy bar. Definitely tasty but not worth that much. Further back, a Music Express. As someone else pointed out in a recent report here, this is far from the best looking music express out there in that rather half-assed building. Don't let that keep you from riding though! This may have been the fastest one I've ever been on...at least since I was a kid at Rocky Point (again, I know, but really)...and it runs a very long cycle...and then backwards at full speed too. Who cares what the building looks like from outside when it runs like this!? Behind that, Steel Hawg, the El Loco, which was a new experience for me. Was not a fan of : The shoulder-crushing restraints, which reminded me far too much of the long gone and not missed Viper at SFGAdv. Was a fan of: Everything else about this thing. I don't know whose idea this coaster was but it's a great way to fit all sorts of new experiences into a very small areas. The far-beyond-vertical drop, outside banked corners, extended hang time upside down...this thing just keeps throwing crazy things at you until you're back in the station. I can't think of much else you could fit into a plot like this bigger than a wild mouse and I'll take this over one of those any day. Out behind it, Triple Loop being set up. Not in time for this summer though, pretty obviously. I'm always a little bit uncomfortable with chairlift style skyrides, I admit, and this one was a bit sketchier than most, but I wasn't going to miss out on the views. At the far end of the skyride, back near the main entrance ramp, is a...maybe surprisingly classy sort of gift shop. Cute anyway. Bumper boats! Fun but they had a pretty good line; I wasn't interested enough to wait long for them. Picture came out awful in the sun, but the Yo-yo running, apart from the waterfall effect around the platform that I believe is usually there...which makes no different on the ride itself. Unlike some I've been on in the last few years, this one still has its tilt mechanism working and all. These do feel a little more "exciting" than Wave Swingers for some reason, maybe just the way they often feel like the seats are going to crash into each other. A nice change from the usual wave swingers anyway! After that I figured I'd get on the paddle wheeler and get some views of the lake. The boat could use a little TLC and paint but still made for a nice relaxing ride. And some great views of the park and surrounding areas. I don't remember if the (small) Double Shot drop tower was running or not but it was missing its topper, which with its sort height just sort of made it look like it was cut off halfway, like some sadistic RCT player was planning to launch riders into the sky off of it. Not that I ever did anything like that... Another view of Triple Loop being rebuilt. These cottages can be rented by the week. You can also rent boats etc on the lake here. That may be in my future for some summer soon, I think... It must be nice to be wealthy enough for a lake house. This area is kinda hilarious though. It's such a nice little lakeside resort area, but those trees there...that's the end of it. Beyond that double row of trees...yeah. It's corn. Corn for miles. Ended up being a nice ride, and longer than I thought. Unfortunately on the way back to the dock some asshole on a jetski decided to try to cut in front of the boat. Paddlewheelers, it turns out, aren't particularly maneuverable, and having to make emergency maneuvers in them doesn't end well. We ended up hitting the corner of the dock and doing some pretty visible damage to it and the side of the boat. If you're on a jetski, you can turn a hell of a lot more easily than a big old paddlewheeler. Don't be a dick =/ Apparently the boat has been around quite a while By time I was back on shore (especially since it took a while to circle back into the lake and line up for a second try at docking) I was getting pretty hungry...and heading down the midway to see what I could find, I smelled pizza. Apparently Earl's Pizza is a new addition to the park this year, so I stuck my head in, expecting typical amusement park pizza. Instead, they were making pizzas, personal or full size, from scratch in an open kitchen, and it smelled fantastic. All, Cesari's is no longer the best amusement park pizza. This wasn't just the best pizza I've had at a park, this was up there was the best I've had anywhere. Definitely give this a shot if you're visiting Indiana beach. Awesome, amazingly thick crust, great sauce, tons of cheese...the only thing I'd like to see is more available toppings. SO good though! ...I'm eating a salad at my desk while I write this and now I'm just sort of sad. And hungry. Next up was Den of Lost Thieves. This is an old, classic dark ride, updated with guns, since every park seems to want a shooting dark ride these days. In this case, they pulled it off pretty well; the addition of the shooting gallery doesn't really take much away from the classic feel of the ride. The guns don't even look terribly out of place on the cars. This was a pretty top tier dark ride; everything was in good shape and working well from the props and sets to the guns and targets. Nice job melding old and new with this one! Nearby on the midway, the carp feeding station. I thought this was going to be some sort of midway game. Nope...it's...a carp feeding station. The carp are clearly a fan of this one. If only carp were better eating... Across from there, a classic Polyp ride. I'd wondered since I saw this on the Indiana Beach website why this one had that ugly fish face theme. Now, looking back at the carp feeding station right there, it made sense! Cute. I'd always thought these rides looked like an inferior knock-off to a proper Spider or Octopus, without spinning cars or anything, but that was because I never saw one in motion. The difference here is the vertical motion; it's not a slow up and down like an Octopus, but a sharp jerk into the air. This one is more like someone bred one of those rides with Downdraft at Knoebels; far more fun than I ever thought it would be. Definitely changed my opinion of these quickly. I like the little detail with the ride's history here. Gene Staples has commented on liking older rides better than new ones, something I can frequently agree with, and seeing details like this with them is pretty nice. The paratrooper was running by now. Like with the Scrambler, the breeze from the lake was nice, but it was running pretty lazily otherwise. Plummeting towards the lake might have been somewhat different than the usual here too, if it was running. Since it wasn't, I didn't have to make excuses not to find out! I wonder if this runs as fast as the Music Express. I wish I could have found out. I'm not one to pass up a train ride...even if I'm the only one on it. It's a short track, by necessity at such a tiny park, but scenic. ...at least, a scenic view of the undersides of some of the coasters. Could use a little touch up here. Tig'rr, again. From here you can see how it's built onto a roof. Whatever fits! The train also goes through Frankenstein's castle, with the inside of the tunnel featuring on animatronic diorama to try to lure people into the walk-through. Tried to get a picture of that but you're past it too quickly for my phone to want to adjust from sunlight to the darkness in the short tunnel, and it didn't come out at all. I made a few rounds for repeat rides on some flats here, before heading out a bit early. Indiana Beach has a few warts here and there, some no doubt just from 2021 being what it is, and others like some of the neglected paint and such probably remnants of the last owners. From the maintenance projects visible here and there, that's hopefully something that will be improved on soon. I hope Cornball Express gets a bit of work too. As is right now the classic flats and the location are the stars of this park (and the pizza!) but that and the nostalgia were more than enough to make me love the place. The oddball unique layout with everything packed in on top of each other is sort of fun too, and for the most part the staff was better than most of the parks I saw this week; not quite WoF or SDC but definitely beating the rest. I definitely want to get back here in a less difficult year, and I'd love to take other people with me, especially other people who have the same memories of Rocky Point that I do for this place to bring back. Not my absolute all time favorite park, but one that definitely had something special to offer me, and I'm already looking forward to next time. It's all the more special after seeing it "close", so all I can say is a huge thank you to Gene Staples for this one. I'm hoping for a very bright future for this park now. On the way to my hotel for the night, I was thinking the day probably couldn't get a lot better, but... ...oh. OH. YESSSSSS. If you haven't had Albanese Gummy Bears, they absolutely earn their "world's best" label. A factory outlet? I had no idea this existed but I was not missing that. Gimme... So much amazing candy! I want it all! Yes, I'm six years old, why do you ask? If you see these anywhere, grab them. They are the ultimate gummy bears. Unlike a lot of these kind of things they really do all taste like what they're supposed to. Blood orange, mango, and black currant ones are just....mmph. Yeah, this salad isn't cutting it right now, but these are one of the reasons why I have to eat salads for the next few weeks after my trips >.> These? Pass. Ugh. I love anything hot. I'll happily just nibble habaneros. These are just not good though. The jalapeno is decent, but the sriracha just tastes like ass, the cayenne and habanero have no flavor, just heat, and the reaper...well, that was too much even for me. So much pain. Maybe good to try to get other people to try if you're evil though. Party trays of Albanese gummy candy. Okay with me. Yeah, I bought so much here that I had to pay overweight baggage fees on the way home... In my defense it was mostly gifts....mostly... Stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in Merrillville, IN...like everywhere else I'd stayed at so far (is that so far hanging heavily enough for you? There's only one more hotel after this, right...?) it was comfy, and the staff was exceptionally friendly. No problems recommending this one either
    1 point
  14. Runaway Tram on Saturday night in the rain with my (8 yr old) nephew. It's his favorite ride at the moment.
    1 point
  15. ^God, I'll soon miss those days when parades and shows weren't our thing.
    1 point
  16. Alzheimer's can go fuck itself over, sideways, and under. My father, who's barely 60, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. It's gotten to the point where he can no longer drive. We took away his keys about a month ago to give you an idea of how far along he is. So last night, my parents went out to a movie with a couple of their friends. About 2/3 of the way, dad went out to use the toilet and didn't come back. Mom sent one of their friends out to look for Dad--make sure he didn't get lost on the way back from the bathroom. They were still looking by the time their movie ended. Theater staff got involved with the search. Turns out, Dad went into a different screen, which was showing a different movie, sat down, and watched that until the end.
    0 points
  17. More info has been release and, well, it's seeming more likely that the young girl was thrown from the ride. https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/09/06/glenwood-springs-caverns-adventure-park-haunted-mine-drop-death/ Edit - Added another source - https://kdvr.com/news/local/glenwood-caverns-death-dispatch-audio/
    0 points
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/